Book ReviewKeith Warrington,
Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter
, London: T&T Clark,2008.Paperback; 336 pages.ISBN-10: 0-567-04452-1.Reviewed by Don McLellan.
Keith Warrington manages to make Pentecostal theology look rather like a large packetof M&Ms: lots of different colours but all the same basic shape and all tasting prettysimilar. In two early chapters he attempts to define Pentecostalism itself and to come upwith the essence of Pentecostal theology, but it is hard to be convinced that they are thatsimple. Indeed, the pages that follow demonstrate their complexity in spite of Warrington’s attempts to homogenise them.The strength of this book lies in the fact that Warrington does thorough and detailedresearch into Pentecostal theology, both academic and lay. His book is a compendium of Pentecostal views on most but not all subsets of systematic theology, with particular attention paid to those for which Pentecostalism is famous (e.g. healing, exorcism, theHoly Spirit and his gifts) and with nearly one third of its pages on how Pentecostalsunderstand God. We may thereby observe the incredible and sometimes rather disconcerting diversity of thought within the movement, while picking out some of itsconsistent emphases and affirmations and noting the maturation of thought therein. Thisis the book’s major contribution, which is why it may be a worthwhile addition to thelibraries of pastors and theological institutions.But its strength is also its weakness. Warrington does not engage in critical analysis of most of the points of view he canvasses. Indeed, some heterodoxies such as the OnenessPentecostal view of God are reported quite uncritically. There are places within this work where he makes some useful proposals of his own, but they do not appear to be located inanything but the broadest systematic scheme, they are asserted rather than argued, andthere is little attempt to join them into a coherent whole. Mostly we are left either withoutlines of ideas that Warrington has observed, or proposals concerning whatPentecostals believe based on his attempt to produce a consensus from the literature.The weaknesses of some areas of Pentecostal theology are also highlighted, though probably unintentionally. For example, only now are Pentecostal theologians beginningto give serious consideration to ecclesiology. Warrington notes, again uncritically, thatmany of the myriad systems of governance within Pentecostal denominations havedeveloped for pragmatic reasons (p. 136). Efforts to develop ecclesiologies by the likes of
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Don McLellan is Campus Director of the Brisbane campus of Harvest Bible College, Australia. He holdsthe degrees MA (Studies in Theology) and PhD (Studies in Religion) from the University of Queensland,Australia.
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