I consider myself blessed to have studied for five years at a Pentecostal undergraduate college (VFCC). Valley Forge offers a Theological Studies track that is as good as any in the country. VFCC’s academic requirements and expectations for spiritual formation are very, very demanding, especially for theology majors. Students are required to have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher at the end of their Sophomore, Junior and Senior year to remain a theology major. My requirements for the major included 18 credits of Biblical language, a senior research project and time logged as a New Testament TA (Teaching Assistant). These requirements have evolved a bit since I majored (1999-2004), but they are still spiritually and intellectually demanding. I learned much at VFCC; I am thankful for it.
I say all of this because Pentecostals are often tagged as hyper-spiritual, non-intellectual and/or non-academic. Pentecostals are often branded as people who are “heavy” on the Spirit, but “light” on intellectual depth. I would be the first to seriously disagree. There may be Pentecostals who self-identify in such ways but recklessly stereotyping an entire expression based upon the individual – and perhaps misguided – expressions of a few who identify as Pentecostal is an unfortunate and detrimental practice. I have walked alongside more than a few Pentecostals who embraced intellectual and spiritual experiences equally. I would happily introduce these people to any who would stereotype the entire movement as anti-intellectual and/or hyper-spiritual. It should also be noted that for every Pentecostal who is “heavy” on the Spirit but “light” on intellectualism, there exists a non-Pentecostal Christian who is “heavy” on intellectualism but “light” on Spirit. There is a need for balance between Spirit and intellectualism. There is also a need to understand the many, many times when the spiritual and intellectual overlap, lest one mistakenly think the pair diametrically opposed and isolated entirely from one another. Balance is key, as always. The Pentecostals with whom I have journeyed alongside practiced this balance daily and they faithfully taught others to strive towards it too. I was one of their students and learned much about the Spirit. This was a good lesson for me to learn; I’m thankful for it. We all can learn much about life and living in the Spirit from the Pentecostal expression of faith.
There is a section in Myron S. Augsburger’s “The Contemporary Relevance of the Anabaptist Faith” (Brethren in Christ History and Life, August 2000) titled “Engaging the Holy Spirit as Sovereign Presence Beyond Subjective Experiences.” I, as a member and pastor within the Brethren in Christ Church, resonate deeply with Augsburger’s deep expression of intellect and Spirit.
Augsburger’s thoughts concerning our (BIC) distinctive embrace of the Spirit echoes the above call for intellectual and spiritual equilibrium. He writes, “The dynamic work of the Spirit’s sovereign presence is more than subjective emotional ecstasy, it is the awesome sense that the sovereign Lord is at work in one’s life to call us to consistency with his will.”
Augsburger is suggesting that we not look at discipleship as a mere behavioral mandate, but as deep spiritual transformation occurring within us that is confirmed by God’s Word and internal and external experiences. Our’s is a daily walk in and with the Holy Spirit that results in emotional ecstasy, intellectual curiosity, a sense of belonging and deep obedience to God’s voice. Yes, the Lord is at work in our lives through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit takes us beyond the subjective. The Church would do well to once again prioritize the supernatural presence, works and acts of the Holy Spirit.
Augsburger continues, “This teaching on the sovereign presence of the Spirit is especially relevant in our more existentialist orientation with a corresponding emphasis on the charismatic elements of faith. The ecstatic aspects of religious experience are derivative from and always secondary to the reality of the sovereign presence himself. It is the consciousness of his presence that issues in holiness of life.”
The above statement differentiates the Anabaptist expression of the Spirit from the Pentecostal in that the daily act of discipleship is so fused to the Spirit and spiritual experiences that are founded upon the reality of the presence of God in our lives. It’s not that Pentecostals don’t believe God is present in their lives in the Holy Spirit, as much as it is the practical theological idea that our knowledge of God’s immediate presence in our lives actually is the source of our holiness. A Pentecostal expression of the Spirit more often than not places the onus of holiness upon instantaneous acts of the Spirit rather than the supernatural and ongoing presence of the Spirit. Anabaptism focuses upon the reality of the presence of the Spirit in our lives and the daily transformation and holiness that accompanies this presence.
The Spirit’s presence in our daily lives introduces us to real, deep, and inwardly focused transformation that gently leads towards external re-creation. There is nothing more relevant than inward and outward transformation. Hopeful change is in high demand; our faith is truthfully built upon it. When we understand that God is incredibly present in our daily lives deep change is introduced and a mature and maturing holiness is pursued as the Spirit guides.
Related posts:
Augsburger continues, “This teaching on the sovereign presence of the Spirit is especially relevant in our more existentialist orientation with a corresponding emphasis on the charismatic elements of faith. The ecstatic aspects of religious experience are derivative from and always secondary to the reality of the sovereign presence himself. It is the consciousness of his presence that issues in holiness of life.”
The above statement differentiates the Anabaptist expression of the Spirit from the Pentecostal in that the daily act of discipleship is so fused to the Spirit and spiritual experiences that are founded upon the reality of the presence of God in our lives. It’s not that Pentecostals don’t believe God is present in their lives in the Holy Spirit, as much as it is the practical theological idea that our knowledge of God’s immediate presence in our lives actually is the source of our holiness. A Pentecostal expression of the Spirit more often than not places the onus of holiness upon instantaneous acts of the Spirit rather than the supernatural and ongoing presence of the Spirit. Anabaptism focuses upon the reality of the presence of the Spirit in our lives and the daily transformation and holiness that accompanies this presence.
* * * * * * * *
I was a little confused by this, Shawn. Maybe I am from a weird group of Pentecostals, but I see little difference between what I have heard taught in the Assembly of God church that I grew up in, the Charismatic/Pentecostal church of my teen years, and my own Pentecostal/Charismatic church of today, and what you say that Anabaptists believe.
Maybe I am missing something – but not all Pentecostals wait for God to zap them “holy” – lots of us try to let God work in us daily, through the Spirit that He gave us at Pentecost. Maybe some of us are more Anabaptist than we thought?
Ah, labels are so confusing sometimes… :)
Ah, yes. Dave, you raise a good point. It was not my intention to broadly paint all Pentecostals as fast=food spiritualists. I properly say as much in my defense of Pentecostals, but then go onto wield my brush broadly. That’s not good.
So, let me clarify: Generally speaking, an Anabaptist expression of the spirit places more emphasis upon the process that is Christian discipleship. That has a lot to do with the emphasis placed upon word and deed. Pentecostal expressions of the Spirit place an emphasis upon crisis experiences that result in immediate transformation. I can’t even begin to count how many chapel service at VFCC ended with an alter call. In fact, one of my Pentecostal professors commented on all of this by saying, “How many times can we sing “I’ll never be the same again?”
That said, I’m sure there are more than a few Pentecostals who take more of a process approach to discipleship and spirituality. I knew a few myself.
All that to say, there is a marked difference between Anabaptists and Pentecostals as regard life in the Spirit.
Thanks for the push towards clarification, Dave.
PS: I had no idea that you are a Pentecostal!
We like to think of ourselves as such – my family and friends (for the most part) came out of an Assembly of God church which fell apart, then landed in a Charismatic/Word of Faith style church. Eventually the “prosperity gospel” thing got to be too much for my folks (and me, though I was still 16 or 17) and they landed with Christian International (Bill Hammon’s organization). CI is kinda hard to characterize – they give their churches a lot of latitude in their daily stuff. But I tend to think we are alot like the original Pentecostal church I grew up in.
And thank for the benefit of the doubt – I wasn’t so much pushing for clarification, as just missing your earlier statement. Honestly, I am just not used to the idea that Pentecostals go for the immediacy of the change as much as you are suggesting. I tend to associate that more with Charismatic style churches and teachings. But then again, that may just be the ones I am familiar with, and not a rule of thumb. But my experience is certainly limited, no doubt about that.