Thinking in the Spirit : Theologies of the Early Pentecostal Movement

This book is about the boisterous beginnings of the American Pentecostal movement and the ideas that defined that movement during those formative years. It follows a group of men who rethought the Christian faith in light of their new experience of God. Thinking in the Spirit aims to provide scholars and general readers who know little or nothing about Pentecostalism with an introduction to the ideas of the movement's most articulate early spokespersons, and to provide Pentecostals with a non-judgmental historical source to help them in their theological reflections. Douglas Jacobsen focuses on the individuals who formed the original brain trust of this now gigantic religious movement. In a 25-year burst of creative energy at the beginning of the 20th century, these leaders articulated almost all the basic theological ideas that continue to define the Pentecostal message in the United States and around the world. Annotation This book is about the boisterous beginnings of the American Pentecostal movement and the ideas that defined that movement during those formative years. It follows a group of men who rethought the Christian faith in light of their new experience of God. "Thinking in the Spirit aims to provide scholars and general readers who know little or nothing about Pentecostal ism with an introduction to the ideas of the movement's most articulate early spokespersons, and to provide Pentecostals with a non-judgmental historical source to help them in their theological reflections. Douglas Jacobsen focuses on the individuals who formed the original brain trust of this now gigantic religious movement. In a 25-year burst of creative energy at the beginning of the 20th century, these leaders articulated almost all the basic theological ideas that continue to define the Pentecostal message in the United States and around the world This book is about the boisterous beginnings of the American pentecostal movement and the ideas that defined it during its formative years. It focuses on the movement's most articulate spokespersons and how those twelve individuals rethought the Christian faith in light of their new experience of God and developed a new pentecostal language of faith. As the pentecostal movement has grown, the ideas of these early theologians have been borrowed, appropriated, extended, and refined in ways they did not foresee or fully intend. Yet the basic framework has remained the same. Jacobsen examines these migrating ideas in their original forms of expression, and he explores how these inventive thinkers improvised language, bent the meanings of old words, and invented new phrases to help their readers better understand the ways they believed God's Spirit was present in the world. This book follows a group of men who rethought the Christian faith in light of their new experience of God. It aims to provide scholars and general readers who know little or nothing about Pentecostalism with an introduction to the ideas of the movement's most articulate early spokespersons, and to provide Pentecostals with a non-judgmental historical source to help them in their theological reflections. Thinking in the Spirit is about the boisterous beginnings of the American Pentecostal movement and the ideas that defined that movement during its formative years Introduction: What Is Pentecostal Theology? -- Original Visions -- Theologies Of The Azusa Era -- Holiness And Finished-work Options -- Oneness Options -- Theology And Race -- Theology At The Boundaries Of The Pentecostal Movement. Douglas Jacobsen. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [405]-408) And Index.