Beyond Pentecostalism : Crisis Of Global Christianity And The Renewal Of Th

At the beginning of the twenty-first century, Christianity faces one of its greatest opportunities as well as one of its greatest challenges – the formulation of a global theology. In Beyond Pentecostalism Wolfgang Vondey argues that Pentecostal thought and praxis represent an indispensable catalyst for the realization of this task.

Accentuating Pentecostalism as a manifestation of what he calls the crisis of global Christianity, Vondey describes the elements of this crisis – manifested chiefly in theology’s turn toward a performance-oriented enterprise – and suggests that the task of overcoming the crisis demands an integration of Pentecostalism in the global theological agenda. This task will inevitably push Christianity beyond the boundaries of the classical Pentecostal tradition. In fact, Vondey suggests, Pentecostalism itself is in the process of going beyond its own historical, theological, sociocultural, and institutional boundaries.

Informing Vondey’s study throughout is the provocative metaphor of theology with Pentecostal resources as closer to “play” than to “performance.” He therefore engages the social sciences, psychology, philosophy, and ritual and cultural studies as major dialogue partners in developing the theological task for both the Pentecostal and the broader ecumenical global community. Vondey’s goal is not a “pentecostalization” of Christianity but rather a renewal of the theological landscape in light of the significance of Pentecostal voices, thoughts, and practices worldwide.