Pentecostal Spirituality and Relationality
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PENTECOSTAL SPIRITUALITY AND RELATIONALITY: UNION WITH GOD IN CHRIST THROUGH THE SPIRIT By JANG YOB KIM A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Philosophy, Theology and Religion College of Arts and Law University of Birmingham December 2019 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. Abstract Pentecostal spirituality in relationality is a renewal approach to union with God through the works of Christ and the Spirit. This thesis re-envisions Land’s apocalyptic approach to Pentecostal spirituality, which is centred on a passion for the kingdom of God, through a lens of relationality in theological anthropology. By transforming and reconfiguring Pentecostal orthodoxy, orthopathy and orthopraxy, the renewal approach elevates apocalyptic Pentecostal spirituality to the level of relationality for union with God in Christ through the Spirit. That is, the renewal approach attempts to build Pentecostal spirituality upon the relationality that is grounded first in an anthropological understanding of union with God, and second in a dialogue with Spirit-Christology in the trinitarian concept. A passion for union with God is the heart of Pentecostal spirituality, because relationality for union with God reaches deep into Pentecostal beliefs, affections and practices. The union with God embraces both the Western concept of justification and the Eastern idea of theosis or deification. As a synthesis of the West and the East, such union is both instantaneous and progressive; it begins with regeneration, is transformed by sanctification, is embodied by Spirit baptism, and is achieved by Christ’s return and glorification. Acknowledgements In the process of researching this thesis, I have received invaluable advice and constructive criticism from many people who have helped me in my academic work as well as in practical matters. First of all, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to my supervisor, Professor Wolfgang Vondey, who has been a constant source of advice and encouragement. He has provided theological and spiritual insights with patience and kindness, so that I have broadened and deepened my academic and theological skills. It would not have been possible to finish this research without his help. I am also grateful to my second supervisor, Professor Allan Anderson, who has continuously demonstrated his kind concern regarding my progress. And, I would like to thank Ann Marie Wareham, who corrected language, spelling and grammar of my thesis. Secondly, I sincerely thank the many pastors and church members in South Korea who provided me with financial and emotional support during my study. In particular, I owe a great spiritual debt to Yongnan Ann Jeon (President of Asia Life University), Young Kwon Ann, Kyu Hyung Cho, Chun Soo Lim, Chang Ho Ann, Sang Yong La, Woo Chul Seong, Byung Ho Park, Dae Hwa Song, Dong Woo Park, Kyung Chul Kim, Jung Gun Oh, Hyun Sun Park, Sung Hee Lee, Ki Uk Kim, Hye Kyung Lee, Hong Ju Min, the Foursquare Church in Korea, and members of the Jesus Garden Church and Sejongwooridle Church. Thirdly, I am extremely grateful to my friends in Birmingham who encouraged me and prayed for me so that I might complete my paperwork studies successfully. My thanks go especially to Hazel M. K. Nash, Terry Jin, Min Lee, Jung Chul Park, Hyung Kun Na, and the ‘Birmingham family’. I would also like to express my appreciation to the many members of the Jesus Vision Church for their financial and moral support. Fourthly, I give my warmest thanks to my family, especially my father Jeung Sik Kim, my mother Hyung Suk Choi, my father-in-law Hoi Nam Kim, my mother-in-law I Geum Ja Yoon, my brother-in-law Ji Hyung Kim and my brother Do Yeob Kim. Without their financial and mental support I would not have been able to complete this thesis. They have been my biggest and most steadfast supporters. Finally, I wish to express my enormous and endless love and gratitude to my wife, Jung Ok Kim, who has always been with me, supporting me with her prayers and tears and with two lunch boxes every day, and to two sons, Jaeyoon Kim and Jaejoon Kim, who are my best friends. It would have been impossible for me to complete this research without their love and prayers. II Table of Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................. I TABLE OF CONTENTS .................................................................................................. III LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... VII LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................ VIII INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................... 1 The Waning of Eschatology .............................................................................................. 3 Pentecostal Spirituality ...................................................................................................... 7 Aims of the Study ............................................................................................................ 11 Methodology ................................................................................................................... 12 Limitations and Contributions of the Study .................................................................... 14 Structure of the Study ...................................................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 1: EXAMINATION OF LAND’S APOCALYPTIC APPROACH AS EMBODYING PENTECOSTAL AFFECTIONS AND SPIRITUALITY ... 18 1.1 The Significance of Land’s Approach to Pentecostal Affections and Spirituality ....... 21 1.1.1 Pentecostal Spirituality: Land’s Idea of Spirituality ............................................. 23 1.1.2 An Apocalyptic Vision as a Longing for the Kingdom ......................................... 27 1.1.3 Pentecostal AfFections with an Apocalyptic Vision ............................................... 32 1.1.4 A Passion for the Kingdom as the Ruling Affection ............................................. 39 1.2 Contribution of Land’s Approach to Pentecostal Affections and Spirituality ............... 41 1.2.1 The Centrality of Affections in Pentecostal Spiritual Theology ........................... 43 1.2.2 The Ruling Affection as an Integrating Force of Pentecostal Affections and Spirituality ....................................................................................................................... 48 III 1.2.3 Revision of Spirituality through a Trinitarian Approach ....................................... 50 1.3 Limitations of Land’s Approach and a Request for Pentecostal Spirituality ............... 55 1.3.1 The Problem of Land’s Approach: The Transformational Process ....................... 56 1.3.2 A Request for Theological Anthropology .............................................................. 61 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 65 CHAPTER 2: MAPPING RELATIONALITY IN SPIRITUALITY THROUGH THEOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY ........................................................... 68 2.1 Theological Anthropology and Inward and Outward Relationality ............................. 70 2.1.1 Human Beings and Relationality ........................................................................... 73 2.1.2 Identity Formation in Inward and Outward Relationality ..................................... 77 2.2 Re-configuration of the Transformational Process ....................................................... 83 2.2.1 Transformation of Affections and the Transition of Identity ................................. 84 2.2.2 Revisiting Land’s Apocalyptic Approach to Spirituality ....................................... 89 2.3 The Spirit as the Mediation of Relationality ................................................................ 93 2.3.1 Reciprocal Relationship in the Trinity through the Spirit ..................................... 94 2.3.2 The Mutual Relationship between God and Human Beings through the Spirit .... 97 2.3.3 Integration of Relationality through the Spirit .................................................... 101 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 105 CHAPTER 3: ORTHOPRAXY AND RELATIONALITY ......................................... 107 3.1 Relational Orthopraxy ................................................................................................ 109 3.1.1 Orthopraxy as the Starting Point of Relationality ............................................... 111 3.1.2 Christological Relationality of Orthopraxy ......................................................... 117 3.1.3 Pneumatological