The Globalization of Pentecostalism

REPORT ON GLOBALIZATION OF PENTECOSTALISM CONFERENCE JUNE 10-13 IN SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA

Over the past nine decades, the Pentecostal community has evolved from a small band of Christian believers to a world-wide movement with an estimated 463 million adherents. Although the participants in the movement at the time of its inception at the turn of the century were on the margins of society, the expansion of charismatic experience has now pervaded all parts of world Christianity. Ripping like waves in the various sectors of mainstream Protestant, Roman Catholic and Orthodox faith confessions, the Pentecostal experience of the Spirit has prompted the birth of a neo-Pentecostal movement, a Charismatic Renewal movement, and a Third Wave movement, forming what Karla Poewe has identified as "a global culture."

Simultaneous with the globalization of the Pentecostal movement, "a critical tradition" of Pentecostal scholars has also emerged. The rise of these scholars within the movement has fortuitously developed at the very time that it is becoming "self-evident that the future of the world Protestantism belongs more to Pentecostalism than to the old 'mainline" denominations. It is now possible for Pentecostal scholars with sturdy academic preparation to study the movement from within while engaging dialogical partners from outside the movement. Topics in need of research abound. For example, Dana L. Robert notes that "the story of how Pentecostalism has affected missionary activity and emerging indigenous Christianity is just beginning to be told." In fact, the story of the movement as a whole in its various developments is just beginning to be investigated.

The purpose of the conference on "The Globalization of Pentecostalism" is to gather scholars from various academic fields of study to engage in paper reading and dialogue in three areas that represent the cutting edge of the movement's current development:

1) Changing paradigms in Pentecostal scholarly reflection 2) Pentecostalism as a global culture 3) Issues facing Pentecostalism in a post-modern world

As the movement moves toward its century mark of existence, these are the areas that stand in need of scholarly inquiry and open discussion.

PARTICIPANTS:

Section One Changing Paradigms in Pentecostal Scholarly Reflection

Chair: Doug Petersen (Ph.D., The Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, Oxford, UK) President of Latin America ChildCare, Director of the Smith Institute.

Theology: Frank Macchia (D.Theol., University of Basel, Switzerland) Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God in Lakeland, Florida. Missiology: L. Grant McClung, Jr. (D.Miss., Fuller Theological Seminary) Church of God World Missions, Church of God School of Theology in Cleveland, Tennessee. Biblical: Won Suk Ma (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in Baguio, Philippines. Praxis: Cheryl Bridges Johns (Ed.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) Church of God School of Theology in Cleveland, Tennessee. Jackie David Johns (Ed.D., Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) Covenant Church of God, God School of Theology in Cleveland, Tennessee. History: Everett Wilson (Ph.D., Stanford University) Director of CINCEL in San Jose, Costa Rica, Southern California College, Costa Mesa, California. Dialogical partner response for Changing Paradigms: Jose Miguez Bonino (Ph.D., Union Theological Seminary, New York) Instituto Superior Evangelico de Estudios Teologicos in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Section Two Pentecostalism as a Global Culture

Chair: Byron Klaus (D. Min., Fuller Theological Seminary) Vice President of Latin America ChildCare, Southern California College in Costa Mesa, California.

Latin America: Edward Cleary, O.P. (Ph.D., University of Chicago) Providence College in Providence, Rhode Island. Africa: Jacob Olupano (Ph.D., Boston University) University of California Davis in Davis, California. Europe: Jean-Daniel Pluss (Ph.D., Catholic University of Louvian) Chairman fo the European Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Association in Zurich, Switzerland. Eastern Asia: Jungja Ma (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) Asia Pacific Theological Seminary in Baguio, Philippines. Southern Asia: Ivan Satyavarta (Th.M., Regent College, Vancouver, B.C., Canada; Ph.D. Candidate, The Oxford Centre for Missions, Oxford, UK) Southern Asia Bible College in Bangalore, India. North America: David Daniels (Ph.D. Union Theological Seminary, New York) McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois. Dialogical partner response for Pentecostalism as a Global Culture: Vinay Samuel (Ph.D., Cambridge University) International Fellowship of Evangelical Mission Theologians, Oxford, U.K.

Section Three Issues Facing Pentecostalism in a Post-Modern World

Chair: Murray W. Dempster (Ph.D., University of California) Southern California College in Costa Mesa, California.

Religion, Ethnicity, and Culture: Ronald N. Bueno (Ph.D. cand., American Univeristy, Washington D.C.) ENLACE in San Salvador, El Salvador. Hermeneutics: Gerald T. Sheppard (Ph.D. Yale University) University of Toronoto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Gender and Culture: Janet Meyer Evarts (Ph.D., Duke University) Hope College in Holland, Michigan. Ecumenism: Cecil M. Robeck, Jr. (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Modernity: Margaret Poloma (Ph.D. Case Western Reserve University) University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. Dialogical partner response for Issues Facing Pentecostalism in a Post-Modern World: Harvey G. Cox (Ph.D., Harvard University) Harvard Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusettes.

PARTICIPANTS:

SPONSORS