The Canadian Pentecostal Experience includes eighteen essays organized into three themes: 1) Historiography and Early Canadian Pentecostalism; 2) Theological Practices and Processes; and 3) Social and Cultural Change. This collection makes a significant contribution to the growing literature of global Pentecostal scholarship. The works are important for the Canadian context but as the editors argue in the Introduction, Canadian Pentecostalism is “glocal” (shaped by both local and global realities). This collection will interest readers drawn from the wider field of religious studies and global Pentecostalism to initiate conversations about how Pentecostalism evolves in both its local and global expressions.

Pentecostals are known for an experiential spirituality that emphasizes immediate encounters with God through the Holy Spirit. But how should such experience be understood? Is it, in fact, quite so immediate? Neumann argues that Pentecostal experience of God is mediated by the Spirit's work through Scripture, the Christian tradition, and the broader cultural context. Using the work of three contemporary Pentecostal theologians--Frank D. Macchia, Simon K. H. Chan, and Amos Yong--the book demonstrates that a mediated view of experience of God is forging a more mature Pentecostal theology. As further evidence of this maturation, Neumann engages these Pentecostal theologians in ecumenical dialogue with leading representatives from Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant traditions.

The times have long passed when Pentecostals were viewed as Protestantism’s untouchables. Today, the shock waves from Azusa Street have influenced countless Evangelicals worldwide. But if dialogue between Pentecostals and Evangelicals has awakened within the latter a thirst for the power of God’s Spirit, it has challenged Pentecostals to examine their theology more deeply in the light of his Word. Just how firm is the biblical foundation on which they stand?Spirit and Power provides a cutting-edge look at Pentecostal theology. It addresses the concern expressed by its authors and echoed throughout charismatic churches today: “Although our Pentecostal forefathers intuitively grasped the correlation between the reality they experienced and the promise of Acts 1:8, they did not always articulate their theology in a manner that was convincing to other believers committed to the authority of Scripture.” In response, theologians William and Robert Menzies explore Pentecostalism in a scholarly and current light. Spirit and Power is no mere paraphrase of dated approaches. It is a fresh and penetrating look at the whys and wherefores of Pentecostal doctrine that sets a new standard for Spirit-filled theology. Whatever your persuasion may be as a Christian, this book’s thoughtfulness, balance, and biblical integrity will help you appreciate more fully the strengths of the Pentecostal stance.Laying the groundwork for an accurate understanding of Luke’s writings in particular, the authors help you grasp the foundations of Pentecostal theology from the standpoints of history, hermeneutics, and exegesis. Then, in Part Two, they give you an in-depth look at specific Pentecostal concerns: the baptism of the Holy Spirit as a blessing subsequent to salvation, evidential tongues, signs and wonders, healing in the atonement, and more. You’ll deepen your understanding of the basis for Pentecostal beliefs. And you’ll gain a feel for the mutually beneficial dialogue that continues between Pentecostals and Evangelicals today.

One of the most significant transformations in twentieth-century Christianity is the emergence and development of Pentecostalism. With over five hundred million followers, it is the fastest-growing movement in the world. An incredibly diverse movement, it has influenced many sectors of Christianity, flourishing in Africa, Latin America, and Asia and having an equally significant effect on Canada. Bringing together a previously scattered and somewhat hidden literature, Canadian Pentecostalism provides the first comprehensive overview of the subject. The collection is broad in focus, examining classical Pentecostalism, charismatic movements in the Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant traditions, and neo-Pentecostalism. Contributing authors examine historical debates about the origins of the movement, the response of Pentecostalism to institutionalization and globalization, and the roles of women, indigenous peoples, and immigrants within the Canadian movement.

An impressive list of specialists in the field examine the evangelical impulse in various denominations, from the mainstream Methodists, Presbyterians, Anglicans, and United, through Baptists, Mennonites, and Lutherans, to the more sectish groups, including Holiness, Christian Mission Alliance, and the Pentecostals. Also included are comparisons between Canadian and American, British, and Australian evangelicalism and essays on evangelical networks, leaders and revivals, women, and evangelicalism in the 1990s. Growing out of a conference sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts in 1995 at Queen's University, the essays elaborate a variety of important themes in the study of historical and contemporary evangelicalism and weave them together to provide an informative and challenging exploration of aspects of the evangelical experience in Canada. Contributors include Phyllis D. Airhart, Alvyn J. Austin, David W. Bebbington, Edith L. Blumhofer, Robert K. Burkinshaw, Sharon Anne Cook, Nancy Christie, P. Lorraine Coops, Duff Crerar, Michael Gauvreau, Daniel C. Goodwin, Andrew S. Grenville, Bruce L. Guenther, Bryan V. Hillis, D. Bruce Hindmarsh, Mark Hutchinson, William H. Katerberg, Kevin Kee, Ronald A.N. Kydd, Barry Mack, Mark A. Noll, David Plaxton, Darrel R. Reid, John G. Stackhouse, Jr, Marguerite Van Die, Richard W. Vaudry, and Marilyn Färdig Whiteley.

Why another book about biblical interpretation (hermeneutics)? First, this is not just another book about hermeneutics. It deals specifically with hermeneutics as practiced y Pentecostals; rather, more accurately, as hermeneutics should be practiced by Pentecostals. The book presents a distinct Pentecostal hermeneutic that moves away from exclusive use of historical-grammatical methodology. The hermeneutic presented here employs an eclectic methodology and a quadratic strategy. Scripture, Spirit, trained leader, and community, in the proposed hermeneutic, are shown to work together to produce an interpretation that engages both creative imagination and authorial intent. The text offers pastors, professors, and laity alike a method and approach that will allow them to interpret Scripture from a clearly Pentecostal perspective. An important addition to the book is an outline for an undergraduate course instructing students in this distinct Pentecostal hermeneutic.

This volume offers a landmark analysis of the trinitarian impulses in contemporary worship music used by the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC). It considers whether the lyrics from the most commonly used PAOC songs are consistent with this Evangelical group’s trinitarian statement of faith. Colin Gunton’s trinitarian theology provides the theological rationale for eight original and qualitative content analyses of these songs. Three major areas are considered—the doctrine of God, human personhood, and cosmology. Making use of Gunton’s notions of relationality, particularity, and perichoresis, along with several key Pentecostal scholars, this book serves as a helpful descriptive and prescriptive theological resource for the dynamic practice of a trinitarian faith.