I’m Not Ready To Commit, But…
…I think I’d like to try dating Progressive Pentecostalism. It’s not like I’m simply church “shopping.” It’s more that I am looking for a community that I can spend my life with, that makes my heart race with the presence of the Spirit, and makes me want to put in the work of building community. In fact, if anyone knows of a church in Portland that reflects the Progressive Pentecostalism described by Miller and Yamamori in Global Pentecostalism, message me ASAP. Seriously, I want to check it out.
Miller and Yamamori do an excellent job of laying out their research into the global phenomenon of the growth of Pentecostalism. In their book, they are reasonably fair and work hard to follow the data to come to their conclusions. In a few places, I am not sure they do justice to the ideals of Marxism or Liberation Theology (both positive and negative), but for the most part, the presentation of their research was not only solid and clear, but managed to lift the lid on the unseen beauty of Pentecostalism for those of us who have only had brief encounters and have not ever engaged with Progressive Pentecostalism.
Miller and Yamamori define Progressive Pentecostalism as “a movement of Christians who claim to be inspired by the Holy Spirit and the life of Jesus and who seek to holistically address the spiritual, physical, and social needs of people in their community.”[1] That definition alone is enough to make my Wesleyan Holiness heart swoon. Even though the authors say that these Pentecostals are “typically not engaged in structural critiques of social issues, nor are they working at systemic solutions,”[2] they throw in the caveat that there are a “growing number of exceptions.” Since this book was written ten years ago, what I really need to know is, have those exceptions continued to grow, or has Progressive Pentecostalism retreated into the otherworldly escapism that some accuse Pentecostalism of doing? I have to believe that in this present time, anyone listening to the Spirit is forging ahead in social engagement, and so noticing the way systemic injustice breaks down their communities. I also have to believe that anyone listing to the Spirit knows that there is no hope for healing that injustice without the work of the Spirit and sharing the good news that God makes all things new through the love and actions of Christ. The ministries described by the authors in chapter two made me cry. The salve that these ministries apply to deep pain around the world is pretty beautiful. I know this happens in many traditions and denominations, but there is something about the way the authors contextualize the idea that the ministers here are responding to the compelling love of the Spirit that makes me want to watch, listen, and learn from these people.
I do wonder if part of what draws me to Progressive Pentecostalism (as described in this book) is the way it tugs at my Wesleyan Holiness roots. I grew up in a swirling mixture of social engagement and Spirit directed evangelistic love that I can’t seem to find anymore. Many of those in my former traditions are either too busy listing those things that they are against, while others seem to have left the love of Christ out of the search for social justice. Both groups trot out the words of their favorite theologian to back their game, but neither seem to talk much about the Spirit. Grenz and Olson describe theology as “seeking to understand with the intellect what the heart – a person’s central core of character – already believes and to which it is committed.”[3] Sometimes it feels to me like the Church in general did this backward – we intellectualized our theology without listening to the Spirit’s whisper to our hearts. The more theological education I receive, the more loudly I hear my heart say, “Is that really what you believe?”
I know my earlier comment about “dating” Progressive Pentecostalism may have seemed like a joke, but to me it really isn’t. Miller and Yamamori have led me to hope that there may be a Spirit-led community out there that is more concerned with loving people through social engagement and through making the love of Jesus real and available, than they are of deciding who is and isn’t fit for hell, or who is and isn’t worthy to serve. Is my hope well-founded?
[1]. Donald Miller and Tesunao Yamamori, Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement, (Berkley: University of California Press, 2007), 2.
[2]. Miller and Yamamori, 216.
[3]. Stanley J. Grenz and Roger E. Olson, Who Needs Theology? An Invitation to the Study of God, (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 16.
About the Author
Kristin Hamilton
14 responses to “I’m Not Ready To Commit, But…”
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I’m right there with you, Kristin. If anyone knows of a church where people can express the joy in the spirit along with good teaching and mutual love and care for others in the Salem area send address and phone number – or better yet – Web URL.
One thing, pointed out by Jim and I agree, is that the holiness movement started well over 100 years ago. So, I hope like you that the church is maturing. We have access to so much information now. Can we learn from history? Can we see where the church has gotten it wrong and try and now, “anyone listening to the Spirit is forging ahead in social engagement, and so noticing the way systemic injustice breaks down their communities”?
Thoughtful and right to the heart of the issue as usual, Kristin.
Let’s start a church half way between Portland and Salem?
I keep getting a sneaky feeling that God is calling me to be a part of starting something like this, Mary (which frankly scares me to death!). I would LOVE to work with you, though!!
Kristen get away from the light.
I agree that the actions of the Pentecostals are appealing. But let’s not overlook that the Pentecostals are not the only ones with this characteristic. The authors wrote a beautiful story on the Pentecostal life but they also challenged them. They found it important to divide them into categories and chose the one they respect the most – progressive.
Let’s keep serving and leading God’s way.
So Lynda, are you saying I SHOULDN’T date Pentecostalism? I know there are many traditions that share some of these characteristics, but I am looking for a particular combination of them with Christ in the center, the Spirit as the guiding force, and people committed to community.
Kristin,
Thank you for an honest and personal post. This post is a perfect example of how this program is both personal and academic.
In your quest for a new church family, let me encourage you to look into multiethnic churches. Most of them are very expressive in worship, passionate, and non-traditional…while boldy honoring God’s word.
A multi-ethnic church is a “Must” for me, Stu. The sad thing is that they are difficult to find in Portland and the few I have attended have leaned toward what Grenz and Olson call ‘folk theology.’ I’m not giving up, though.
Hey Kristin,
Why don’t you start that church in Portland? Sounds like it is needed! We are attempting such a place in Richland, but it might be a bit of a commute.
I so resonate with your longing to experience this passionate, alive community of believers engaging head and heart for the gospel and loving one another unconditionally. I wonder if it is more lacking in American churches nationwide? The book seemed to indicate this. What are your thoughts? Maybe we need to be praying for revival.
Thank you for your honest post. I so enjoy your writing.
Yikes, Jennifer! You are one too many people suggesting that in the past couple of weeks. Scott and I are trying to discern what the Spirit is saying about planting a church and I am completely freaked out about it.
“I so resonate with your longing to experience this passionate, alive community of believers engaging head and heart for the gospel and loving one another unconditionally.” I do think the United States is incredibly weak (overall) in these areas because we are so focused on individualism and our rights. Community means less and less to some generations, and our younger generations are struggling to figure out what community looks like when trying to survive painful policies that make life more and more difficult. This is where the church needs to focus – on the upcoming leaders.
“In a few places, I am not sure they do justice to the ideals of Marxism or Liberation Theology (both positive and negative)…”
Yes, that was one of the things that bothered me about this text, too. For instance, I noted that this passage– “At a more subtle level we often heard pastors preaching about equality among peoples, that God does not distinguish on the basis of race, financial status, or personal heritage. Clearly this message is the basis for a working democracy in which everyone has a right to vote and express his or her opinion”– could just as easily interpret equality as the basis for a working socialism.
Exactly, Katie. I don’t think there can be a fair comparison or even thought of partnership with Liberation Theology with so shallow of an exploration of Marxism, Socialism, and Liberation Theology as a whole.
Kristin I resonated with this comment “Sometimes it feels to me like the Church in general did this backward – we intellectualized our theology without listening to the Spirit’s whisper to our hearts. The more theological education I receive, the more loudly I hear my heart say, “Is that really what you believe?”” I find myself wrestling with the same question. Finding the balance and allowing the Spirit to work in tandem with what I am learning and experiencing is so key. I enjoyed your post! 🙂
Thanks Christal. I really thought I knew what I believed until I went back to school. The more I open myself to the Spirit as I learn, the more I realize the grey areas are where I live. What once seemed so black and white fades to grey when the Spirit reminds me that the heart of the Gospel (and the entire biblical narrative) is God’s love for God’s people.
Thanks for the honest and open post, Kristen. I resonated with much of what you said – as I found myself thinking on more than one occasion – ‘why can’t I be involved in a church like that’ (or something to that effect)…. But reading your thoughts helped me realize a few things:
1 – there are many churches in my own denomination (and others doing great and similar work)
2 – Ummm, duh, if I want to serve a church like one of these, I need to get to work casting that vision and serving in a way that leads the church there.
3 – I also did wonder if there was a little bit of ‘mission trip syndrome’ and what I call the ‘Into Thin Air effect’ going on…. Taking kids on mission trips, they would often come back and talk about how amazing the worship was or how the Spirit spoke to them, etc. but most often things would go back to ‘normal’ when we got home (this isn’t just a youth related phenomenon)…. The reality is that it had less to do with the worship that we experienced on the mission trip and more do do with the willingness to be open to the Spirit and to truly engage and participate and be present in the worship.
The other piece is the ‘Into Thin Air effect’ – after I read the book ‘Into Thin Air’ – about the tragic few days where several people died trying to ascent Mt. Everest – my immediate response was an overwhelming desire to…. climb Mt. Everest! While: the quality of the writing, the passion and commitment of those that were described – that is a powerful combination that can be very enticing.
Well, I can’t say ‘Into Thin Air’ had the same effect on me, Chip, but I totally get what you are talking about! “The reality is that it had less to do with the worship that we experienced on the mission trip and more do do with the willingness to be open to the Spirit and to truly engage and participate and be present in the worship.” This is sort of the crux of the matter, isn’t it? Am I willing to be open, engage, and be present in worship – including the daily living of my life? Can I stand to have my own agenda interrupted in that way?