The Temple, the Spirit and the People of the Presence of God: Examining Critical Options for a Pentecostal Ecclesiology by Robert Brian Robson A thesis submitted to Wycliffe College and the Theology Department of the Toronto School of Theology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Theology awarded by the University of St. Michael’s College © Copyright by Robert Brian Robson 2012 The Temple, the Spirit and the People of God’s Presence: Examining Critical Options for a Pentecostal Ecclesiology Robert Brian Robson Doctor of Philosophy in Theology University of St. Michael’s College 2012 Abstract Ecclesiology remains recognized as an underdeveloped area within the burgeoning field of Pentecostal theology, even as more voices are addressing it. This thesis explores the more significant proposals toward Pentecostal ecclesiology offered by various scholars, and then offers a constructive proposal: the church as the People of the manifest Presence of the Tri-une God. In this thesis, I propose to construct a distinct but ecumenically-friendly Pentecostal ecclesiology based upon the theological concept of the church as the People of God’s Presence. The church is constituted by the “manifest” presence of the Holy Spirit among people whom the Spirit gathers, empowers and sends out in mission to the world. This ecclesiology builds specifically upon the description of a “third-stream of Christian tradition” first offered by Bishop Lesslie Newbigin in 1952. It is this very concept of the “recognizable” presence of the Holy Spirit “with power” as the defining constitution of the church which should inform a uniquely Pentecostal ecclesiology. The distinctive manner in which Pentecostals would understand this constitutive presence of the Spirit in the Church is at the heart of this project, so that it may be a unifying concept for the movement, and one that has potential for mutual edification in ecumenical dialogue. Such an understanding of the pneumatological basis for the church is represented well by the biblical image of the church as Temple of the Holy Spirit. An ecclesiology of the church as Temple is an effective way for Pentecostals to understand the marks of the church, its nature and its mission, order and ministries. This proposal is then briefly compared with other major church traditions, and is finally offered as a way in which Pentecostalism can both share and learn with and from these traditions toward greater confluence and cross-pollination, so that the Pentecostal church, as flawed as it may be, can contribute to the greater health of the whole church as the People of God’s Presence which powerfully loves the world God desires to save. Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Rev. Dr. David Reed for directing this project, but also for being much more than a Director. He has been a mentor and listening ear while we have journeyed through difficult times over the years in which this project spanned. He was also the one who encouraged me, a long time ago now, to take the topic of my Master’s thesis (“The Spirit-driven Church: Toward a Pentecostal Ecclesiology”) and develop it further at the Doctoral level. My thanks also to the communities of Wycliffe College and TST, teachers, committee members and staff, for their grace and input into this journey at all its various points. The opportunity to study in such a rich, diverse and challenging environment has been one that I will cherish. I would also be remiss if I did not express gratitude to the congregation of St. Paul’s-on- the-Hill Pickering, who launched me into this program some years ago with support and encouragement of various kinds, both tangible and intangible. Finally, my deepest thanks must go to my family: my wife Heather, my daughters Abigail and Brianna, and my father Robert, all of whom have journeyed with me and sacrificed to see this through to completion. Blessed is the man whose family puts up with such a life. May God reward you all for your endurance. Table of Contents Abbreviations viii Chapter 1: Pentecostal Ecclesiology as a Third-Stream 1 1. Introduction 1 2. Thesis Statement 3 3. Context 6 4. Research Question 9 5. Broader Setting 9 6. Procedure 10 7. Why? 13 8. “Third-Article Ecclesiology” 15 9. The Third Stream (or fourth) 17 10. Temple of the Spirit 22 11. What Kind of Church? 23 Chapter 2: Historical Groundings for a Pentecostal Ecclesiology 39 1. The Original Vision of the Pentecostal Revival 38 2. Restorationism: “Back to Pentecost” 40 2.1 Restorationism Defined 40 2.2 Character of Pentecostal Primitivism 48 2.2.1 Charismatic Gifts 48 2.2.2 Glossolalia 53 2.2.3 Apostolic Experience 57 2.2.4 ‘Signs & Wonders’ 59 2.2.5 Divine Healing 62 2.2.6 Aversion to Formalism 65 2.2.7 Direct Leadership of the Holy Spirit 72 3. Latter-Rain Eschatology 75 3.1 Definition 75 3.2 Imminency of the Second Coming 85 3.3 Power for Mission 86 4. Full-Gospel Rubric 91 5. Social Equality 94 6. Church as Holy 99 7. Conclusion 101 Chapter 3: Constructing a Contemporary Pentecostal Ecclesiology 104 1. Seth Cook Rees’ The Ideal Pentecostal Church 105 2. Survey of contemporary writers on Pentecostal Ecclesiology 108 2.1 Miroslav Volf: Free Church Ecclesiology 108 2.2 Simon Chan: ‘Mother Church’ 113 2.3 Amos Yong 120 vi 2.4 Frank Macchia: Toward a Spirit-Baptized Ecclesiology 128 2.5 Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen: Church as ‘Koinonia’ 138 2.6 Shane Clifton: Concrete Ecclesiology 157 2.7 Wolfgang Vondey: “Bread…and Wine at Play” 166 2.8 Steven Land: Eschatological Missionary Fellowship 184 2.9 Peter Althouse: Missionary Communion Ecclesiology 191 2.10 Clark Pinnock: The Church in the Power of the Spirit 196 3. Conclusion 205 Chapter 4: The Church as the People of God’s Presence 208 1. Image of the Temple 208 2. The Presence of God in the Biblical Narrative 211 2.1 Old Testament 211 2.2 Incarnation 212 2.3 Pentecost 214 3. New Idea of Temple: One, Holy, Catholic & Apostolic House of God 216 4. Elements of an Ecclesiology of Presence: Church as Temple 238 4.1 The God of Church 238 4.2 The Church and the Kingdom 246 4.3 The Church and the World 252 5. An Ecclesiology of Presence 259 5.1 Charismata and Order/Structure 269 5.2 Presence and Koinonia 274 5.3 Presence and Corporate Ethics 287 5.4 Presence and Scripture 291 5.5 Presence and Sacraments 296 5.6 Presence and Social Concern 314 5.7 Presence and Identity 317 5.8 Presence and Suffering 319 6. Summary 321 Chapter 5: Conclusion 324 1. Presence & Ecumenism 324 1.1 Official Dialogues 326 1.2 Back to Newbigin 329 2. Presence and the Future of Pentecostal Identity 331 2.1 Dealing with the Warts 331 2.2 Cross-Pollination and Confluence 334 3. Conclusion: Aiming for a Church that Powerfully Loves 337 Bibliography 343 vii Abbreviations AJPS Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies AF Apostolic Faith Newsletter (Azusa Mission, California) AoG Assemblies of God BEM Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry, Faith and Order Paper No. 111. BHS Yves Congar, I Believe in the Holy Spirit, trans. David Smith, 3 vols. (New York: Crossroad Publishing Company, 2005) CD Church Dogmatics, Karl Barth CoG Church of God (Cleveland, TN) CPS Jürgen Moltmann, The Church in the Power of the Spirit: A Contribution to Messianic Ecclesiology. Trans. Margaret Kohl. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1977) CS Chicago Studies CT Christianity Today DPCM Stanley M. Burgess, Gary B. McGee and Patrick H. Alexander (eds.), Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988) EPTA European Pentecostal Theological Association Bulletin ERT Evangelical Review of Theology HTR Harvard Theological Review JPT Journal of Pentecostal Theology JPTSup Journal of Pentecostal Theology, Supplemental Series LG Lumen Gentium: Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, trans. St. Charles Borromeo, 1964 NIDCPM Stanley M. Burgess, Eduard M. Van der Maas (eds.), The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (revised and expanded edition) (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002) viii NPC The Nature and Purpose of the Church: A stage on the way to a common statement, Faith and Order Paper No. 181, November 1998. PAOC Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada PNEUMA Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies SPS Society for Pentecostal Studies WCC World Council of Churches ix 1 Chapter 1 Pentecostal Ecclesiology as a Third-Stream 1 Introduction As the global Pentecostal Movement enters its second century, there are two observable patterns occurring: one is that Pentecostalism continues to be one of the faster growing religious movements in recent history1. Indeed, in his work on ecclesiology Roger Haight claims that “Pentecostalism is therefore fast becoming the dominant expression of Christianity and one of the most extraordinary religious phenomena in the world at any time.”2 The other pattern is that this growth is taking place in the two-thirds world, while the revival has crested in North America—the continent of its birthplace.3 In addition, as Pentecostalism has attracted the attention of other churches, academics and researchers, the movement is now perhaps under greater scrutiny. The urgent need for Pentecostals to continue to construct and articulate their own ecclesiology is a vital part of their maturation process, in a diverse and fragmenting movement that faces the various challenges of evolving identities—both internally and toward those who 1 For statistics, consult David B. Barrett, “The Worldwide Holy Spirit Renewal,” ch. 15, and “A Chronology of Renewal in the Holy Spirit,” Appendix of Vinson Synan, The Century of the Holy Spirit: 100 Years of Pentecostal and Charismatic Renewal (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2001) 381-450; and David B.