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.

"The American Pentecostal movement transformed church history in the 20th century. With roots in the 19th-century holiness revival, which taught believers to seek a second work of sanctification after their conversion, Pentecostalism added speaking in tongues as the necessary evidence of Holy Spirit baptism. Jacobsen (Messiah College) describes theological ideas from the first generation of Pentecostals, c. 1900, 1925, by closely analyzing the published writings of 12 of the most interesting and articulate leaders. Some choices are obvious, such as Charles Parham, founder of Pentecostal theology, and William Seymour, leader of the Azusa revival, which launched Pentecostalism into international recognition. On the other hand, Jacobsen also includes healing revivalist Fred Francis Bosworth, who embraced tongues but denied their necessity. Early Pentecostal theology was closely linked to spiritual experience--my experience is my creed, proclaimed one of the leaders--and was especially fluid before becoming more fixed after about 1925. As Pentecostal denominations such as the Assemblies of God matured, they also became more racially segregated. Jacobsen consistently makes good use of recent secondary sources to give historical perspective. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate students and researchers/faculty." --W. B. Bedford, Crown College, 2004jul CHOICE Indiana University Press Indiana University Press Indiana University Press

Douglas Jacobsen is Distinguished Professor of Church History and Theology at Messiah College.

Preliminary Table of Contents:

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction: What is Pentecostal Theology?

1. Original Visions

2. Theologies of the Azusa Era

3. Holiness and Finished-Work Options

4. Oneness Options

5. Theology and Race

6. Theology at the Boundaries of the Pentecostal Movement

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index