STRONSTAD'S
The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke WINS 2013 AWARD OF
EXCELLENCE
(Seattle,
Wash.) The Foundation for
Pentecostal Scholarship has conferred its 2013 awards for excellence
in Pentecostal scholarship. TFFPS president, Robert Graves, announced
the awards during the 2013 Conference of the Society for Pentecostal
Studies convening at Seattle Pacific University, March 21–23. Two
book awards and three article awards were conferred.
This year’s Book Award of Excellence went to
Roger Stronstad for his book The
Charismatic Theology of St. Luke: Trajectories from the Old Testament
to Luke-Acts (2nd edition) published by Baker Academic
Press (Grand Rapids, Mich., 2012). Dr. Stronstad is director and
associate professor in Bible and theology at Summit Pacific College
(formerly Western Pentecostal Bible College), where he has served for
over thirty years. His other books include Spirit, Scripture and
Theology: A Pentecostal Perspective, The Prophethood of All
Believers, and Baptized and Filled with the Holy Spirit. He
has also served as a co-editor and contributor on several
multi-authored projects, including the Life in the Spirit Study
Bible and the Life in the Spirit Commentary on the New
Testament.
Three Awards of Excellence for short works were
conferred this year to the following scholars: Rickie D. Moore for his
essay “A Pentecostal Approach to Teaching Old Testament” (in The Spirit of the Old Testament, Deo Publishing, 2011); Robert P.
Menzies for “The Persecuted Prophets: A Mirror Image of Luke’s
Spirit-Inspired Church” (in The
Spirit and the Christ in the New Testament and Christian Theology, Wm.
P. Eerdmans 
Publishing
Co., 2012); and John Christopher Thomas for “New Jerusalem and the
Conversion of the
Nations: An Exercise in Pneumatic Discernment (Rev. 21:1–22:5)”
also in The Spirit and the
Christ in the New Testament
and Christian Theology. Thomas’s The Apocalypse: A Literary and Theological Commentary (CPT Press,
2012) also won the Foundation’s Award of Merit.
New
Translation
Project Underway: Odette
Mainville's L’esprit dans
l’œuvre de Luc
(Atlanta, GA 2012) In April
TFFPS obtained the rights to translate and publish Dr. Odette
Mainville’s L’esprit dans
l’œuvre de Luc (Héritage et Projet 45, Montréal: Fides,
1991). L’esprit is “a
well written and edited version of . . . Mainville’s doctoral
dissertation (under André Myre in 1989 at the University of
Montreal)” (Earl Richard, review, Journal
of Biblical Literature).
Richard
continues, “Mainville . . . has produced a lucid reading of Luke and
Acts through the optic of Acts 2:33. It is her thesis not only that
this pregnant verse of Acts provides the key to understanding Luke’s
treatment of the Holy Spirit but that it ‘is the climax (or
interpretive axis) of Luke’s work’. . . . The first part of Acts
2:33 speaks of Jesus’ exaltation at God’s right hand
(resurrection/ascension) and of his ‘having received the promise of
the Holy Spirit from the Father’ (baptism) and so explains the
protection, prophecy, and power manifest in and obtained through
Jesus’ life of righteousness. The second part of the verse speaks of
Jesus, now Master of the Spirit, as the one who ‘has poured out this
which you both see and hear’ and so highlights the community’s
baptism of the Spirit at Pentecost in view of its prophetic mission
and the church’s expansion under the Spirit’s guidance.”
L’esprit has
been discussed or cited by a number of New Testament scholars. Max
Turner, in Power from on High: The Spirit in Israel’s Restoration
and Witness in Luke-Acts (Sheffield Academic Press, 1996), engages
or refers to Mainville’s work on twenty-seven pages; likewise
Matthias Wenk on thirteen pages of his Community-Forming Power: The Socio-Ethical Role of the Spirit in
Luke–Acts (T&T Clark, 2000). New Testament scholar Paul
Elbert refers to Mainville’s work in a number of his contributions
to Lukan scholarship (see Empowered
Believers: The Holy Spirit in the
Book of Acts [2011]
and “Possible Literary
Links Between Luke–Acts and Pauline Letters Regarding
Spirit-Language” in The
Intertextuality of the Epistles: Explorations of Theory and Practice
[Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2006]).
TFFPS
has c
ontracted
with
Suzanne Spolarich to translate L’esprit
into English. Suzanne is an Assemblies of God missionary-educator, currently residing in Paris. She studied
from 1996 to 2002 at the University of Savoy in Chambéry, France,
completing the equivalent of a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree
in French literature with a specialization in teaching French as a
foreign language. But her love of the French language dates back to
1971, when she majored in French/Secondary Education at Mt.
St. Agnes College, Baltimore, MD. Afterwards, she taught English
for three years in Togo, West Africa, as a Peace Corps volunteer. For
the past 17 years she has served in France. (For more information
about Suzanne, please click on her picture.)
The translation project should be completed by 2014.
UPDATE: William P. Atkinson's award
winning
book The 'Spiritual Death' of Jesus: A Pentecostal Investigation
is now available in paperback (for more information please click on
image)
Glen
W. Menzies Accepts Board of Advisers Position
Dr.
Glen Menzies, Professor
of New Testament and Early Christianity and Dean of the Institute for
Biblical and Theological Studies at North Central University in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, has accepted an appointment to the
Foundation’s Board of Advisers. For many years Dr. Menzies has been active in the Society for
Pentecostal Studies; he has served as President of the Upper-Midwest
Region of the Society of Biblical Literature (SBL). His primary
interests are the New Testament and early Christianity, although he
has spent considerable time exploring Pentecostal history and theology
and organized the Pentecostal Issues Seminar (1998–2006) and The
Laboratory (2008–Present), a forum for discussion of church issues
by pastors and professors.
Dr.
Menzies teaches internationally at both the undergraduate and graduate
levels.
He served as an editor of the Fire Bible, as editor and
translator of Joseph’s Bible
Notes (Hypomnestikon Biblion
Ioseppou), and is the author of articles in New Testament Studies,
Old Testament Studies, Pentecostal Studies, Ecumenical Studies, and
Patristics.
In 2009, Dr. Menzies was the recipient of the Assemblies of God
Delta Alpha Distinguished Educator Award.
Foundation's
Grants Bring Chinese Scholars to the Society for Pentecostal Studies
Conference
The
Foundation conferred two travel grants this year that allowed two
Chinese Pentecostal scholars to attend and present papers at the 2012
SPS Conference held this year in Virginia Beach at Regents University.
Ho Yan Au (“Connie”) presented the paper “’Now Ye Are
Clean’: Sanctification as the Formative Doctrine of Early
Pentecostalism in Hong Kong” and Yeh Hsien-Chin (“Joshua Iap”)
presented the paper “Bernt Berntsen: A Prominent Oneness Pentecostal
Pioneer
to North China.”
Copies
of these papers as well as all others may be purchased from the
Society at their Web site (http://www.sps-usa.org/store.html).
Craig
Keener’s Miracles Wins The Foundation for Pentecostal
Scholarship’s 2012 Award of Excellence
The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship (TFFPS) has conferred
its 2012 awards for excellence in Pentecostal scholarship. TFFPS
president, Robert Graves, announced the awards during the 2012
Conference of the Society for Pentecostal Studies convening at Regent
University, March 1–3. One book award and three article awards were
conferred.
This year’s book award
went to Craig S. Keener for his book Miracles:
The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts (2 vols.), published
by Baker Academic Press (Grand Rapids, Mich.). He is also the author of
the forthcoming four-volume commentary set on the Acts of the
Apostles—Acts: An Exegetical Commentary (Baker). Keener has authored 15 books and over 170 articles for journals
and religious/general interest publications. Keener is a Professor of
New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in
Wilmore, Kentucky. He is
an alumnus of Central Bible College (BA), the Assemblies of God
Theological Seminary (MDiv) and Duke University (PhD).
Three
Awards of Excellence for short works were conferred this year to the
following scholars: Scott A. Ellington for his essay “‘Can I Get a
Witness’: The Myth of Pentecostal Orality and the Process of
Traditioning in the Psalms” and Robin Routledge for his essay “‘My
spirit’ in Genesis 6.1–4,” both of which appeared in the Journal
of Pentecostal Theology, and R. Keith Whitt’s “Righteousness and
Characteristics of Yahweh,” which appeared in the Journal
of Biblical and Pneumatological Research.
Other
titles considered for the book award were William P. Atkinson’s Baptism
in the Holy Spirit (Wipf
& Stock), Mark Cartledge’s Testimony in the Spirit (Ashgate), Jon Ruthven’s On the Cessation of the Charismata
(Word & Spirit), Gary Tyra’s The Holy Spirit in Mission
(IVP Academic), Nimi Wariboko’s The Pentecostal Principle
(Eerdmans), Amos Yong’s Who Is the Holy Spirit? (Paraclete), and Amos Yong’s The Spirit of Creation
(Eerdmans).
TFFPS
invites all scholars and publishers to bring books and published or read
papers by Pentecostal/Charismatic scholars to its attention for
consideration of the Foundation’s annual Awards of Excellence.
TFFPS
was formed in 2005 with the goal of advancing doctoral and post-doctoral
biblical scholarship by sponsoring research and publishing projects
within the global Pentecostal-Charismatic family. TFFPS is a tax-exempt,
501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.
Eight
Books by Pentecostal/ Charismatic Scholars Considered for the 2012 Award
of Excellence
The
Board of Advisers has considered the following books for this year's
Award of Excellence:
William P. Atkinson’s Baptism in the Holy
Spirit: Luke-Acts and the Dunn Debate (Pickwick Publications-Wipf
and Stock Publishers)
Mark J. Cartledge’s Testimony in the
Spirit:Rescripting Ordinary Pentecostal Theology (Ashgate
Publishing)
Craig S. Keener’s Miracles: The Credibility of
the New Testament Accounts (Baker Publishing Group-Baker Academic)
Jon Ruthven’s On the Cessation of the
Charismata (updated & expanded; Word & Spirit Press)
Gary Tyra’s The Holy Spirit in Mission:
Prophetic Speech and Action in Christian Witness (InterVarsity
Press-IVP Academic)
Nimi Wariboko’s The Pentecostal Principle:
Ethical Methodology in New Spirit (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
Amos Yong’s Who Is the Holy Spirit? A Walk
With the Apostles (Paraclete Press)
Amos Yong’s The Spirit of Creation: Modern
Science and Divine Action in the Pentecostal-Charismatic Imagination (Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.)
Board
of Adviser Member William Atkinson Appointed Academic Vice Principal,
Director of Research, and Senior Lecturer in Pentecostal and Charismatic
Studies
London
School of Theology (LST) announced the appointment of TFFPS board member
Dr. William Atkinson to the post of Academic Vice Principal, Director of
Research and Senior Lecturer in Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies. Chris
Jack, Acting Principal, LST said, “William brings a wealth of
knowledge and excellent experience to LST which I’m sure will serve
the college well. Having a new Academic Vice Principal adds additional
rigour and strength to the leadership as we seek to grow our work at the
heart of theological education.”
Dr.
Atkinson has for the last four years ministered in the Elim Pentecostal
Church in Braintree, Essex, where his wife Alison continues as minister.
He has a degree in medicine from Edinburgh University, an MA from LST
and a PhD in theology from Edinburgh. His PhD researched an aspect of
the Word-faith movement. He has written three books and several articles
for academic journals. His book The
“Spiritual Death” of Jesus: A Pentecostal Investigation,
published in 2009, won the annual book award from The Foundation for
Pentecostal Scholarship. His Baptism in the Spirit: Luke-Acts and the Dunn Debate was published
in 2011.
That LST
has appointed a Pentecostal to such a senior academic role and has
created a senior lectureship in Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies is a
great step forward for British Pentecostalism and its capacity to offer
an academic voice in the wider Christian world.
TFFPS
Board of Adviser Member William Menzies Passes
The
Rev. Dr. William W. "Bill" Menzies, 80, longtime Assemblies of
God educator, went to be with the Lord on Aug.15, 2011, in Springfield,
Mo., following a three-month illness.
In
1970 Bill, along with Vinson Synan and Horace Ward, organized the
Society for Pentecostal Studies, an academic society that regularly
attracts hundreds of scholars to its annual meetings. Bill served as the
first president of SPS and the first editor of its journal, Pneuma. Bill
also served on the Board of Advisers of The Foundation for Pentecostal
Scholarship since its founding in 2005.
In
1968 Bill earned a Ph.D. in American Church History from the University
of Iowa. His Ph.D. dissertation formed the basis of his influential
history of the Assemblies of God, Anointed to Serve. In 2000, he
co-authored with his son Robert Spirit and Power: Foundations of
Pentecostal Experience. An ordained minister of the Assemblies of
God for 55 years, Bill was the author of nine books and dozens of
articles. In addition, a Festschrift, Pentecostalism
in Context, was written in his honor.
Bill is survived by two sons, Dr. Glen Menzies
and Dr. Robert Menzies and their families.
TFFPS
Board Member William P. Atkinson Publishes Book on the Baptism in the
Holy Spirit and Pentecostal Responses to James D. G. Dunn's 1970 Seminal
Work
From
the Foreword: In 1970, James D. G. Dunn’s University of Cambridge
PhD dissertation was published as Baptism
in the Holy Spirit, beginning the debate that is the subject of this
book. For over a decade, it lay neglected by Pente- costals as they were
nonresponsive to Dunn’s thesis that the baptism in the Holy Spirit
occurred at and, in fact, effected conversion in the believer. That
changed in 1984 with the emergence of the next generation of Pentecostal
scholars and, particularly, with the publication of Roger Stronstad’s The
Charismatic Theology of St. Luke. The strong works of Robert P.
Menzies and James B. Shelton would shortly follow. Also in 1984, Howard
M. Ervin weighed in again with a seriatim
response to Dunn’s work. On the other side of the Atlantic, David
Petts and the early Max Turner would make important contributions to the
debate with Dunn.
These
scholars, and more, you are about to meet through this excellent work of
the Rev. Dr. William P. Atkinson, Associate Research Fellow at the
London School of Theology and Associate Minister of Braintree Elim
Pentecostal Church (United Kingdom).
It
gives me great pleasure to introduce to North American biblical
scholarship the author of the award winning The
‘Spiritual-Death’ of Jesus: A Pentecostal Investigation (Leiden,
The Netherlands: Brill, 2009). With equally thorough research, careful
analysis, and nuanced commentary, Dr. Atkinson has now turned his pen to
this debate with Dunn, which is still lively after forty years. . . .
Through
this work, Atkinson demonstrates that Luke taught that new believers
should expect and receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit, which provides
power to witness and serve, and they should receive urgent attention if
it is not forthcoming. With this new contribution to Pentecostal
literature, I see no reason why any Christian leader would oppose such
an experience. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is biblical, reasonable,
and responsible. This may not have been clear in 1970; it most certainly
is now.
—Robert W. Graves, President The Foundation for Pentecostal
Scholarship
Foundation Announces
2011 Award
of Excellence Winners
Book
Category:
(Memphis, Tenn.)
The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship conferred its 2011
Awards of Excellence for Pentecostal scholarship. TFFPS president,
Robert Graves, announced the awards during the 2011 Conference of the
Society for Pentecostal Studies convening in Memphis. One book award and
three article awards were given.
This
year’s book award went to Martin William Mittelstadt for his book Reading
Luke-Acts in the Pentecostal Tradition, published by CPT Press
(Cleveland, Tenn.). Mittelstadt is an Associate Professor of New
Testament at Evangel
University (Assemblies of God) in Springfield, Mo.
He is also the author of The
Spirit and Suffering in Luke-Acts: Implications for a Pentecostal
Pneumatology (London: T&T Clark, 2004), which was the subject of
a roundtable discussion of the 2005 Society for Pentecostal Studies
conference, and co-editor with Geoff Sutton of
Forgiveness, Reconciliation, and Restoration: Multidisciplinary Studies
from a Pentecostal Perspective (Portland: Wipf & Stock, 2010).
The
book award comes with a $500 honorarium.
Other titles nominated for the award were Paul
King’s Only Believe (Word
& Spirit Press), Henry Lederle’s Theology
With Spirit (Word & Spirit Press), Bradley Noel’s Pentecostal and Postmodern Hermeneutics (Wipf & Stock), Vinson
Synan’s An Eyewitness Remembers
the Century of the Holy Spirit (Baker/Chosen Books), Del Tarr’s The
Foolishness of God (The Access Group/GPH), Keith Warrington’s The
Message of the Holy Spirit (IVP), and John Wyckoff’s Pneuma and Logos (Wipf & Stock). See nomination announcements
below.
Article
Category:
Three Awards of
Excellence for short works were conferred this year to the following
scholars: Jordan D. May for his essay “Is Luke a Reader-Response
Critic? Luke’s Aesthetic Trajectory of 
Isaiah 49.6 in Acts 13.47,”
Robert P. Menzies for “The Sending of the Seventy and Luke’s
Purpose,” and Roger Stronstad for “On Being Baptized in the Holy
Spirit: A Lukan Emphasis.” All appeared in Trajectories in the Book of Acts: Essays in Honor of John Wesley Wyckoff
(Eugene, Oreg.: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2010). Nine other essays
were nominated. The article awards come with a $100 honorarium.
Eight
Books by Pentecostal/ Charismatic Scholars Nominated for the 2011 Award
of Excellence
The
Board of Advisers has nominated the following books for this year's
Award of Excellence:
-
Paul
L. King's Only Believe: Examining the Origin and Development of
Classic and Contemporary Word of Faith Theologies (Word &
Spirit Press)
-
Henry
I. Lederle's Theology With Spirit: The Future of the Pentecostal
& Charismatic Movements in the 21st Century (Word &
Spirit Press)
-
Martin
William Mittelstadt's Reading Luke-Acts in the Pentecostal
Tradition (CPT Press)
-
Bradley
Truman Noel's Pentecostal and Postmodern Hermeneutics:
Comparisons and Contemporary Impact (Wipf & Stock
Publishers)
-
Vinson
Synan's An Eyewitness Remembers the Century of the Holy Spirit (Chosen
Books - Baker Publishing
Group)
-
Del
Tarr's The Foolishness of God: A Linguist Looks at the Mystery of
Tongues (The Access Group)
-
Keith
Warrington's The Message of the Holy Spirit: The Spirit of
Encounter (InterVarsity Press)
-
John
W. Wyckoff's Pneuma and Logos: The Role of the Spirit in Biblical
Hermeneutics (Wipf & Stock
Publishers)
This
year's winner will be announced at the March 2011 Society for
Pentecostal Studies Conference in Memphis, Tennessee. (Article/essay
nominations to be posted at a later date.)
Important
Pentecostal Works in the Chinese Language Have Been Shipped!
The
Foundation received the following e-mail from the missionary-scholar
spearheading this project: "I
am pleased to announce that 75 sets of four key books which present
Pentecostal Theology in a positive light have been mailed to key Chinese
language seminaries throughout the region. A friend in Hong Kong
who has been assisting us with this project just sent this wonderful
news to me today!
Each
set that we mailed to 75 various institutions included . . . :
One
copy of the Chinese editions of the following four books:
· The
Charismatic Theology of St. Luke by Roger Stronstad
· Spirit
and Power: Foundations of Pentecostal Experience by Robert and
William Menzies
· Pentecostal
Foundations by A. Zhuang (originally written in Chinese)
· Spirit-Baptism
in Pentecostal Perspective by Joshua Iap (originally written in
Chinese)"
As you may remember, our original goal was to send 300 packages to
seminary and Bible college libraries in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and
Malaysia. Unfortunately, we were only able to fund 75. Will you consider
praying about supporting this project to completion? To learn more about
this project and to donate toward it, please scroll down to the original
announcement below.
The Foundation has already received several "thank you"
notes from libraries that received the books. If you donated toward this
project, consider those thank you's yours!
***SPECIAL
NOTICE*** Four and a half years in the making, the Gonzalo Haya-Prats
Translation Project--“El Espiritu Santo en los
Hechos de los Apostoles” (“The Holy Spirit in the Acts of the
Apostles”) is now
completed.
Empowered
Believers: The Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts
This
thesis by Gonzalo Haya-Prats, written in the Catholic interpretive
tradition under the supervision of Johannine scholar Ignace de la
Potterie at the Gregorian University in Rome, reflects a faith tradition that
historically remained open to the miraculous and resisted regulations
on activities of the Holy Spirit in the Book of Acts. Accordingly, Haya-Prats interprets the workings of the Spirit from a perspective
of narrative sensitivity. He is deliberately diligent to exercise
due care so as not to obscure narrative flow and connectivity, despite
any ecclesial or interpretive precedents which might be of
influence to the contrary. His exegetical method is to let the
original meaning be discerned and discovered according to the author’s
intention as closely as possible. With this sound interpretive
approach Haya-Prats achieves a remarkable degree of freshness
and insightful vision that all readers of Luke-Acts will welcome. This
English version is made more accessible by including translations of all
contemporary foreign languages.
The volume is edited
by Paul Elbert, who offers occasional explanatory notes which engage
current scholarship relevant to Haya-Prats’ presentation. Students and
scholars alike should find this timely and thoughtful
thesis to be a valuable and long-lasting contribution to New Testament studies.
(Cover art image: 11th century fresco of the evangelist and
doctor Luke symbolised as a bull holding his gospel in the UNESCO listed
frescos of the ancient basilica of Aquileia in Italy.)
The book is a
quality paperback, 316 pages, and retails for $35. (If you purchase
your copy for $35 from the Foundation, you will receive a tax deductible
contribution credit of $12. Make out your check to TFFPS and mail to
TFFPS; 1030 Atherton Lane; Suite 100; Woodstock, GA 30189; include
shipping address if different than address on check. For overseas
shipping, please add $14.)
Please Read About Our Most Important
Project To Date
.jpg)
The
Chinese Pentecostal Library Project—Promoting Pentecostal Theology in
the Chinese- Speaking World
Each
day in China 28,000 people enter a Christ-less eternity. A sustained
Pentecostal revival is needed to stop this hemorrhaging of souls in this
nation of 1.3 billion people. Your help is vital.
Observers
of the Chinese church, particularly the burgeoning house church
movement, have been impressed by its vitality and largely Pentecostal
orientation. However, the Chinese church is entering a new era, one
marked by fresh opportunities and unique challenges.
The
house churches in China are rapidly emerging from a period of forced
isolation (praise God!) and are now actively interacting with Christians
from other parts of the world. As they interact with these Christians,
Chinese Pentecostals are often confronted with new theological
perspectives and different approaches to the Bible. New questions are
being raised which demand fresh answers. Generally, this interaction
represents a healthy development.
There
is, however, a potential downside to this new opening for the Chinese
church. Their
Pentecostal experience and theology are often criticized and called into
question by their new friends.
This is particularly the case in the scholarly books many Chinese
Christians are beginning to read, books that obscure or berate the
possibility of a Pentecostal empowerment for believers. The problem is
the lack of scholarly material that is supportive of Pentecostal
theology and practice.
With
this need in view, The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship, in
conjunction with friends serving in China, would like to publish and/or
distribute to a wider audience a number of scholarly Pentecostal books
that are currently available in Chinese. The goal is to make these
important books available to key Chinese Bible schools, libraries, and
church groups throughout the region (China, Taiwan, Hong Kong,
Singapore, and Malaysia).
We
at The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship ask that you prayerfully
consider supporting this project. The total anticipated cost is only
$10,000. If just a few of you would give $500 or $1,000 toward this
project, we could complete it in 2010. Here are the goals:
•$2,500
– Printing of 300–500 copies of Chinese Spirit
and Power*
•$1,000
– Purchase 100 Chinese Charismatic Theology of St. Luke
•$1,000
– Purchase 100 of Aaron Zhuang's book on Pentecostal
Theology
•$1,000
– Purchase 100 of Joshua Iap’s book on Spirit-Baptism
•$2,500
– Translation and printing of 500 copies of Translating
Charismatic Terms*
•$2,000
– Distribution of books to key institutions
There
are 100 million Christians in China. Eighty million of these are
Pentecostal/ Charismatics. This project offers us a chance to support
our brothers and sisters there and to insure that the message of
the power of Pentecost is not diluted or erased in these formative years
but that it will continue to be preached and taught in the higher
circles of Chinese academia.
All
officers and board members of the Foundation are volunteers. Every cent
of your contribution will go toward the financing of this project.
(*Menzies will not accept any royalties from the sales of his books.) The
Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship, Inc., is a tax-exempt, 501(c)(3)
non-profit corporation. Your contribution is tax-deductible.
You may give toward
this project by clicking on the PayPal link or mailing your check to the
address below:
The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship (or TFFPS)
1030 Atherton Lane, Suite 100
Woodstock, GA 30189
(you may make checks payable to TFFPS)
Board
of Advisers Member John Wyckoff Honored with Festschrift
Colleagues, friends, and former students honored Dr. John
Wyckoff, professor of Bible and Theology at Southwestern Assemblies of
God University (SAGU), with the publication of Trajectories in the Book
of Acts: Essays in Honor of John Wesley Wyckoff (edited by Paul
Alexander, Jordan Daniel May, and Robert G. Reid) Dr. Wyckoff has
served SAGU for 35 years, where he is the Graduate Chair for Theological
Studies and Professor of Bible and Theology in the Harrison School of
Graduate Studies.
Fifteen
scholars contributed to the Festschrift,
including Robert Menzies, Roger Stronstad, Craig Keener, Rob Starner,
James Hernando, Janet Meyer Everts, and James Shelton. The book is
published by Wipf and Stock Publishers, Eugene, Oregon.
From the back cover: "The book of Acts has served as the foundational
biblical text for the development of Pentecostal theology and biblical
studies since the outpouring of the Spirit at the Azuza Street Revival
in 1906. Now, over one hundred years have passed since the Azuza Street
Revival and the book of Acts is still at the forefront of the
Pentecostal dialogue. Trajectories
in the Book Acts draws together the work of leading Pentecostal scholars each
bringing their expertise to bear in tracing and developing trajectories
in Acts. These essays have been brought together as a Festschrift
in order to celebrate the influence, scholarship, and teaching career of
John Wesley Wyckoff, a noted figure in the Assemblies of God and a known
voice in the Pentecostal dialogue."
Our
congratulations to John on this honor.
Foundation Announces 2010 Award
of Excellence Winners
Book
Category:
(MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.)
The
Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship (TFFPS) conferred its 2010 Awards of
Excellence for Pentecostal scholarship. Dr. Janet Myers, member of the Board of
Advisers, announced the awards during the 2010 Conference of the Society for
Pentecostal Studies at North Central University. One book award and two article
awards were given.
This year’s book award went to
William
P. Atkinson for his book The ‘Spiritual
Death’ of Jesus: A Pentecostal Investigation, published by Brill (Leiden, The
Netherlands). Atkinson’s work is the first volume in Brill’s Global Pentecostal
and Charismatic Studies series and is a slightly edited version of his doctoral
dissertation completed at the University of Edinburgh (scroll down for more
information about the book). Atkinson gained a Master’s
Degree in Theology from the London School of Theology. His thesis examining
Pentecostal responses to James D. G. Dunn’s book on the baptism in the Holy
Spirit was published serially in the Journal
of Pentecostal Theology and is being updated and expanded for future
publication. Atkinson is
an Associate Research Fellow at the London School of Theology and a member of
The Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship’s Board of Advisers.
Other titles nominated for the award were Lee Roy
Martin’s The Unheard Voice of God (DEO Publishing, Dorset, UK),
Graham Twelftree’s People of the Spirit: Exploring Luke’s View of the Church
(SPCK and Baker Academic), and Keith Warrington’s Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter
(T & T Clark, London).
Article
Category:
Two Awards of Excellence for short works were
conferred this year to the following scholars:
David M. Allen for
“‘The Forgotten Spirit’: A Pentecostal Reading of the Letter
to the Hebrews?” which appeared in the Journal
of Pentecostal Theology (Chris Thomas, editor; Brill); and
Kenneth Bass for “The Narrative and Rhetorical Use of Divine
Necessity in Luke-Acts,” which appeared in the Journal
of Biblical and Pneumatological Research (Paul Elbert, editor;
Wipf & Stock Publishers)--see article directly below.
TFFPS Welcomes Debut of the Journal of Biblical and
Pneumatological Research with a $1,000 Promotional Grant
From the
forthcoming inaugural issue: "The
Journal of Biblical and
Pneumatological Research(JBPR)
is an international
peer-reviewed journal dedicated to contextually and rhetorically minded
exegesis of biblical and related texts. Topics include theological and
pneumatological interpretation; the role of spiritual experience within
authorial, canonical, and historical contexts; exploration of creative
and prophetic activities of Ruach Yahweh, Ruach Elohim;
and various identifications of the Holy Spirit within narrative
contexts. We would also hope to illuminate the influence of interpretive
presuppositions and bring to the fore the divine nature and action of
the Spirit as a person. The journal thereby hopes to stimulate new
narrative-critical exploration and discovery in potentially
under-explored areas of research."--Paul Elbert,
Editor. The journal has received a $1,000 grant from the Foundation for
promotion and support. Click here to
see the SBL ad.
For
subscription information go to: http://wipfandstock.com/journals/jbpr
The Spiritual Death of Jesus
Doctrine of the Word-faith Movement Investigated
Leiden
(The Netherlands) publisher Brill has published TFFPS advisory board member
William P. Atkinson's The 'Spiritual Death' of Jesus: A Pentecostal
Investigation. The book is a slightly revised version of Atkinson's
doctoral dissertation performed at the University of Edinburgh.
That Jesus died spiritually
(JDS) originated with E. W. Kenyon and is a teaching of Kenneth Hagin
and Kenneth Copeland. According to the three elements of this teaching,
Jesus, in his death, was separated from God, partook of a satanic
nature, and became Satan's prey.
Atkinson's theological
appraisal takes research much further than previous works, both in
method and in scope. It concludes that adoption of JDS by Pentecostalism
would be damaging in several respects, and thus draw the latter away
from its moorings in traditional Christianity. (adapted from the back
cover)
Grant Awarded for Carrie Judd
Montgomery Research
TFFPS
has awarded University of Birmingham (UK) student Jennifer Miskov a
grant of $1,500 for doctoral-level research into the life and theology
of Carrie Judd Montgomery.
In the late 1800s, Montgomery
was influential in the divine healing movement in America.
After her Spirit baptism experience, she became close friends or
acquaintances with William Seymour, A. B. Simpson, Aimee Semple
McPherson, Maria Woodworth Etter, and many other prominent figures. For
more information
about Montgomery, please visit Miskov's blog (click
on picture). Also, Miskov has just released her first book. Please
click on the image below to learn more about Silver to Gold.
Proceeds from the sale of the book will go toward Miskov's PhD expenses.
Grant Awarded for the Seymour
Afro-Pentecostal Archive Project (SAPA)
William
Joseph Seymour (1870-1922) was the leading figure of the 1906 Azusa
Street Revival (see TFFPS's secretary Scott Johnson's report, click
on picture). This project seeks to identify, verify, and collect
primary and secondary archival material and create a database of these
resources for historical research. It will establish a searchable
electronic catalog of the materials, including books, sermons,
periodicals, articles, tracts, hymnals, music, photographs, bulletins,
manuals, and vital statistics records.
TFFPS has awarded a grant of
$1,500 for the creation of the project's Web site. This effort is being
spearheaded by Dr. Estrelda Alexander of Regent University, who serves
as the Executive Director of The Seymour Project. SAPA is a
collaborative effort of Regent University (Virginia Beach, Virginia),
Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (Springfield, Missouri), Dixon
Research Center (Lee University, Cleveland, Tennessee), and the Holy
Spirit Research Center (Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma)
2009 Recipients of the Award of
Excellence
Book Category:
This
year’s book award goes to Gordon D. Fee for his book Galatians from the Pentecostal Commentary Series (John Christopher
Thomas, general editor), published by Deo Publishing (Dorset, UK). Fee,
Emeritus Professor of New Testament, Regent College, Vancouver, Canada,
is an expert on New Testament textual criticism and exegesis. His other
books include How to Read the
Bible for All Its Worth and God’s
Empowering Presence.
Fee needs no introduction either within or outside the Pentecostal
tradition. With his customary exemplary scholarship, at once erudite and
accessible, in Galatians he meets the demands of “Pentecostal
Commentary” following the format of this series. An introduction
situating Paul’s key letter in time and space is followed by a detailed
discussion of each section of the letter, verse-by-verse commentary, and
a theological discussion with challenging questions for individual or
group study. Not only does this work function as a reference work--to
see what authoritative comment “Fee” has to make on a particular text in
Galatians--but it is a thoroughly readable book which can simply be
read straight through. It provides an illuminating account of Paul’s
message to the Galatian community, opening up the text to the modern
reader. A $500 honorarium accompanies this award.
Other
nominees
were
Paul Elbert’s Pastoral Letter to Theo: An
Introduction to Interpretation and Women’s Ministries (Wipf and
Stock Publishers); J. P. Moreland's Kingdom Triangle: Recover the
Christian Mind, Renovate the Soul, Restore the Spirit's Power; and Robby Waddell’s The Spirit of
the Book of Revelation (Deo Publishing).
Pastoral
Letter to Theo addresses some of the fundamental concerns of recent
research into biblical interpretation by Adele Berlin and Kenneth
Archer. It also takes into account the communicative literary and
rhetorical techniques that were prominent in the Greco-Roman world when
the New Testament documents were composed. Elbert suggests that
attention to levels of context, plot, repetition, and characterization
or personification comprise a proper method for understanding a New
Testament writer's original meaning and intent.
Generally, the potentially groundbreaking thesis in much of Elbert's
work is for a literary link between the "Spirit" language in Paul's
letters and the later narrative of Luke-Acts. Specifically, A
Pastoral Letter to Theo reflects heartfelt, pastoral concerns based
on detailed contextual study of early Christianity and Christian
experience. The book contextually examines in detail several passages
pertaining to the ministry of women in missionary-minded early
Christianity and concludes that this ministry was thought to be vital
for the evangelistic enterprise.
Kingdom
Triangle is a penetrating analysis and critique of Western
society’s dominant worldviews, naturalism and postmodernism, which
have also influenced the church. Moreland issues a bold call to reclaim
powerful kingdom living, which would include the full complement of
spiritual gifts, and influence through recovery of the Christian mind,
renovation of Christian spirituality, and restoration of the Holy
Spirit’s power.
The
Spirit of the Book of Revelation investigates the role of the Spirit
in Revelation, which the author considers is best defined as the Spirit
of Prophecy. A survey of scholarship on the pneumatology of the
Apocalypse is followed by a study of intertextual connections. Waddell’s
own religious context within Pentecostalism then informs a possible
hermeneutic that is faithful to the ethos of the movement. Biblical and
literary studies are situated within the context of a Pentecostal
community as attention is paid to the prophecy concerning the temple and
the witnesses in Rev 11. This key passage is shown to form the
theological as well as the literary center of the Spirit’s role in
Revelation.
2009
Article Category Award Winners:
Three
Awards of Excellence for short works (with $100 honorariums) were conferred this year to the
following scholars:
Robert
P. Menzies for “Acts 2.17–21: A Paradigm for Pentecostal
Mission,” which appeared in the Journal
of Pentecostal Theology;
Julie
C. Ma for “Changing Images: Women in Asian Pentecostalism,”
which appeared in Philip’s
Daughters: Women in Pentecostal-Charismatic Leadership (
Princeton
Theological Monograph Series, Pickwick Publications, a division of Wipf
and Stock Publishers; and
Janet
Meyer Everts for “Pentecostalism 101,” also in Philip’s
Daughters.
Kudos to Dr. David Orton and Deo
Publishing
The Pentecostal movement owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. David E.
Orton, director and owner of Deo Publishing, for Deo’s
commitment to publish quality Pentecostal scholarship. The Foundation’s
2007 Award of Excellence was awarded to Deo’s Pentecostal Healing:
Models in Theology and Practice (deopublishing.com/alexander.htm)
by Kimberly Ervin Alexander. As seen above, two of Deo’s titles have
been nominated for the 2009 Award of Excellence. To see other Deo
titles, go to
deopublishing.com. The Foundation encourages all of those interested
in Pentecostal scholarship to support Deo in its efforts to serve the
Pentecostal movement by providing this invaluable venue of scholarship.
(Above right, Dr. Orton at Duke University, 2008 Society for Pentecostal
Studies conference)
2008 Awards of Excellence in Pentecostal Scholarship
The Foundation for Pentecostal
Scholarship (TFFPS) has conferred its “Award of Excellence” for the best
article of 2008. TFFPS co-founder and president, Robert W. Graves,
announced the award during the 2008 Conference of the Society for
Pentecostal Studies convening at Duke University, Durham, North
Carolina.
Professor
Kenneth J. Archer, of the Church of God Theological Seminary, received
the award for his article “A Pentecostal Way of Doing Theology: Method
and Manner” (International
Journal of Systematic Theology, July 2007). The article emphasizes
the necessity of doing Pentecostal theology by means of an integrative
methodology and in a narrative manner that flows out of Pentecostal
identity. Archer argues that “Pentecostal theology must move beyond the
impasse created by subsuming its identity under the rubric of
‘Evangelical’ in order for it to articulate a vibrant, fully orbed,
mature Pentecostal theology.”
Graves also announced that the
Foundation conferred a $1,000 research grant to Professor Archer to
pursue his project “Worshipful Witness: A Pentecostal Theology of the
Five-Fold Gospel,” a book-length elaboration of the award-winning
article. “Worshipful Witness,” according to Archer, will provide a
formative Pentecostal theology for the training of ministers, the (re)shaping
of Pentecostal communal identity, and the critical engaging of
contemporary Pentecostal theology. The eventual monograph will enter
into serious dialogue with current and diverse academic works as well as
engage academic Pentecostal publications.
2007 Awards of Excellence Conferred
The Foundation for Pentecostal
Scholarship (TFFPS)
has conferred its 2007 Awards of Excellence for
Pentecostal scholarship. TFFPS
president, Robert W. Graves,
announced the awards during the Conference of the Society for
Pentecostal Studies at Lee University. Two book awards and one article
award were given. This year’s book award voting resulted in a tie
between
Pentecostal Healing: Models in Theology and
Practice by
Kimberly Ervin Alexander, an Assistant Professor of Historical Theology
at the
Church of God Theological Seminary, and Spirit and Kingdom in the Writings of Luke and Paul:
An Attempt to Reconcile These Concepts, by Youngmo Cho, an Assemblies of
God missionary and assistant
professor of New Testament studies at Asia LIFE University (Seoul,
Korea).
<more>
2006 Awards of Excellence Conferred
|
TFFPS conferred Awards of Excellence
to four Pentecostal scholars . . .
Full Gospel, Fractured
Minds?: A |
|
|
Call to Use God’s Gift of the Intellect
wins in book category.
<more> |
TFFPS’s First Grant Conferred
Lukan scholar presenting paper at SPS conference is the recipient of the Foundation’s first grant. <more>
WALKING AZUSA STREET
Scott Johnson, Secretary of TFFPS, filed this report
about
the historic
centennial celebration of the Pentecostal revival that started on Azusa Street
<more>
Haya-Prats Translation Underway
TFFPS has inked contracts with Gonzalo Haya-Prats, ThD, and Scott A. Ellington, PhD, for the translation of Haya Prats’ classic work on the Holy Spirit in Acts. <more>
Top Pentecostal Books
The president of TFFPS shares his picks for the top ten books substantiating the baptism in the Holy Spirit and the continuation of the gifts of the Spirit. <more>
