Pentecostalism and Globalization

In little over a century, the Pentecostal movement has emerged from small bands of revival seekers to become one of the largest Christian groups in the world. Primarily a movement within Western Christianity for much of its brief history, it is increasingly characterized as a global movement. Pentecostal theology and ministry in a Western context must engage global Pentecostalism and be willing to rethink its traditional patterns of thought and practice in light of the evolving nature of the movement.The essays in this book come mainly from the McMaster Divinity College 2008 Pentecostal Forum: The Many Faces of Pentecostalism: Pentecostalism and Globalization. The first section outlines the nature of globalization and establishes it as the context for contemporary Pentecostal theology and ministry. The other contributions explore the impact of globalization on traditional areas of Pentecostal theology, such as Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues, and twenty-first-century Pentecostal ministry.Having attended the Forum and having listened with interest to the lectures on which this volume is based, I applaud Dr. Studebaker for now bringing this fine material to printed form. The topics covered are essential for any serious student of Pentecostalism. I will gladly recommend this book to my students in Pentecostal studies.--Bradley Truman NoelDirector of Pentecostal StudiesTyndale University College, TorontoSteven M. Studebaker (PhD Marquette University) is Assistant Professor of Systematic and Historical Theology at McMaster Divinity College in Hamilton, Ontario and an active member in the Society for Pentecostal Studies. He is the editor of Defining Issues in Pentecostalism: Classical and Emergent (2008), and the author of Jonathan Edwards's Social Augustinian Trinitarianism in Historical and Contemporary Perspectives (2008). He is ordained with the Assemblies of God.