Pentecostal Rationality: Epistemology and Theological Hermeneutics in the Foursquare Tradition (T&T Clark Systematic Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology)

This book not only articulates a tradition-specific Pentecostal rationality of Biblical Pragmatism, but also provides the first intellectual history of a major British classical Pentecostal denomination: the Elim Pentecostal Church. Pentecostal theologians increasingly acknowledge that their theological methodology should be informed by a Pentecostal rationality, epistemology and theological hermeneutics. Simo Frestadius offers such a Pentecostal rationality from a Foursquare perspective. Frestadius first analyses and evaluates some of the main contemporary Pentecostal rationalities and epistemologies to date, with a particular emphasis on the works of Amos Yong and James K.A. Smith and L. William Oliverio Jr., before proposing that Alasdair MacIntyre's tradition-focused and historically-minded narrative approach is conducive in providing a more tradition-constituted Pentecostal rationality. Utilising the methodological insights of MacIntyre, the book then provides a philosophically informed historical narrative of a major British Pentecostal tradition, namely, the Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance, by exploring its underlying context and roots as a classical Pentecostal movement, its emergence as a religious tradition, and its two major 'epistemological crises'. Based on this historical narration and analysis, it is argued that Elim's tacit Pentecostal rationality is best defined as Pentecostal Biblical Pragmatism in a Foursquare Gospel framework. This form of rationality is then developed vis-à-vis Elim's Pentecostal concept of truth, biblical hermeneutics, and pragmatic epistemic justification in dialogue with William P. Alston. In doing the above, the book not only articulates a tradition-specific Pentecostal rationality of Biblical Pragmatism but also provides the first intellectual history of a major British classical Pentecostal denomination. Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Page Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction Part I Searching for a Pentecostal rationality Chapter 1 The ‘Pentecostal’ rationalities of Amos Yong, James K. A. Smith and L. William Oliverio Jr. 1.1 ‘Pneumatological imagination’: Yong’s Pentecostal rationality 1.2 Affective, embodied and narrative knowing: Smith’s Pentecostal rationality 1.3 Pentecostal ‘hermeneutical realism’: Oliverio’s Pentecostal rationality 1.4 Conclusion Chapter 2 On method: MacIntyre, tradition and rationality 2.1 MacIntyre’s tradition-dependent rationality 2.2 Truth and dialectical justification 2.3 Implications for Pentecostal rationality and epistemology Part II Narrating a tradition-specific Pentecostal rationality Chapter 3 Prologues to the Elim Tradition: The context and roots of the Elim argument 3.1 The pre-Pentecostal religious context: Modernity, religious pluralism and secularization 3.2 Holiness, revival and Pentecostal roots of Elim Chapter 4 The birth of Elim: The early opponents, content, rationality and embodiment of the Elim argument 4.1 The implied opponents of the Elim argument 4.2 The content of the Elim argument: The Foursquare Gospel 4.3 The rationality of the Elim argument: Pentecostal Biblical Pragmatism 4.4 The social embodiment of the Elim argument: The Elim alliance 4.5 Conclusion Chapter 5 The Elim argument extended through time (I): The resignation of Jeffreys and Elim’s first epistemological crisis 5.1 The coming King: An overview of Elim’s eschatology 5.2 The British Israel controversy 5.3 The ‘epistemological crisis’ and its resolution 5.4 Conclusion Chapter 6 The Elim argument extended through time (II): The Charismatic/Restoration movements and Elim’s second epistemological crisis 6.1 The Charismatic movement: The ‘Renewal Charismatics’ and the ‘Restoration Charismatics’ 6.2 The Restoration Charismatic movement: Ecclesiologically and eschatologically updated Elim argument 6.3 The ‘epistemological crisis’ and its resolution 6.4 Conclusion Part III (Re)constructing Pentecostal biblical pragmatism Chapter 7 Pentecostal truth: Pentecostal theological realism 7.1 Pentecostal theological realism 7.2 God as ultimate reality 7.3 The possibility for beliefs and talk about reality 7.4 (Under-)realized realism 7.5 Conclusion Chapter 8 Biblical Hermeneutics: Community discernment of meaning in a dialectical Bible 8.1 Historical reflections on Elim’s Pentecostal hermeneutics 8.2 A proposal for Elim’s Pentecostal hermeneutics 8.3 Conclusion Chapter 9 Pragmatic justification: Experiential awareness and pragmatic signs of the Foursquare Gospel 9.1 Pentecostal experience and Alston’s ‘Theory of Appearing’ 9.2 Pentecostal experience as direct and indirect awareness of God 9.3 (Dis)analogy between sense and mystical perception 9.4 Pragmatic justification 9.5 Conclusion Conclusion Appendix 1: Elim’s chronology Appendix 2: Front page of Elim Evangel 6, no. 1 (January 1925) Appendix 3: Back page of Elim Evangel 6, no. 1 (January 1925) Index This book not only articulates a tradition-specific Pentecostal rationality of Biblical Pragmatism, but also provides the first intellectual history of a major British classical Pentecostal denomination: the Elim Pentecostal Church. Pentecostal theologians increasingly acknowledge that their theological methodology should be informed by a Pentecostal rationality, epistemology and theological hermeneutics. Simo Frestadius offers such a Pentecostal rationality from a Foursquare perspective. Frestadius first analyses and evaluates some of the main contemporary Pentecostal rationalities and epistemologies to date, with a particular emphasis on the works of Amos Yong and James K.A. Smith and L. William Oliverio Jr., before proposing that Alasdair MacIntyre's tradition-focused and historically-minded narrative approach is conducive in providing a more tradition-constituted Pentecostal rationality. Utilising the methodological insights of MacIntyre, the book then provides a philosophically informed historical narrative of a major British Pentecostal tradition, namely, the Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance, by exploring its underlying context and roots as a classical Pentecostal movement, its emergence as a religious tradition, and its two major 'epistemological crises'. Based on this historical narration and analysis, it is argued that Elim's tacit Pentecostal rationality is best defined as Pentecostal Biblical Pragmatism in a Foursquare Gospel framework. This form of rationality is then developed vis-a-vis Elim's Pentecostal concept of truth, biblical hermeneutics, and pragmatic epistemic justification in dialogue with William P. Alston