Northeastern Seminary

THE728NE, The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition

Barry W. Hamilton, Summer 2002

Course Description

This course surveys the 19^th and 20^th century Holiness and Pentecostal movements in the United States,

including principal and formative events, theological distinctives and important figures. The course will examine

the culture(s) of the movements, major controversies and opportunities for ecumenical dialogue.

General Objectives

(Correlated with “Northeastern Seminary Program Goals and General Objectives”)

A. Religious Heritage

3. Demonstrate ability to interpret and use Scripture appropriately and effectively in ministry.

4. Demonstrate acquaintance with the broader heritage of the Christian tradition, as well as the

specific character and contribution of particular Christian traditions and communities.

6. Demonstrate awareness of the theological issues and challenges that have face the church down through history to the present day.

7. Demonstrate ability to formulate and articulate one’s own religious beliefs, in conversation with the traditions of the historic church as well as contemporary theologians.

B. Cultural Context

2. Demonstrate awareness of the ways religious traditions both transcend and find unique expression in

particular social and cultural settings.

5. Demonstrate appreciation for the wide variety of religious traditions, and for the gender, ethnic, and

cultural diversity present in the contemporary social context.

6. Demonstrate understanding of the global character of the church in the 21^st century, and its implications

for local congregations and communities.

D. Ministerial and Public Leadership

6. Demonstrate ability to use computer technology as a tool for ministry in the 21^st century.

Course Objectives

A. Religious Heritage

3. Demonstrate understanding of role of Holiness and Pentecostal doctrine and culture in shaping biblical

hermeneutics and preaching.

5. Demonstrate acquaintance with the history of the Holiness and Pentecostal movements, particularly the

major teachings and principal figures.

6. Demonstrate awareness of the theological distinctives of the Holiness and Pentecostal movements,

especially the doctrines that have historically been points of contention.

7. Demonstrate ability to articulate one’s own understanding of Christian doctrines in dialogue with the

insights of the Holiness and Pentecostal movements.

B. Cultural Context

2. Demonstrate awareness of how the Holiness and Pentecostal movements have adapted to a wide

range of cultural contexts.

5. Demonstrate appreciation of the diversity among Holiness and Pentecostal movements, including the

contributions of women and people of color.

6. Demonstrate an understanding of the global character of Pentecostalism and its impact on churches

around the world, as well as an appreciation for the ecumenical work of Pentecostal and Holiness

organizations.

C. Ministerial and Public Leadership

6. Demonstrate ability to use computers to conduct online searching and use email effectively.

Expectations

· Regular attendance at scheduled class sessions. Please inform the instructor if you anticipate an absence.

· Reading of assigned material.

· Careful study of class handouts.

· Timely completion of assignments

· Conformity to high academic and ethical standards established by Northeastern Seminary.

Required Textbooks

Wesley Heritage CD—Order online from the Wesleyan Heritage Library Page.

Grading Policy—The course grade will consist of the following components:

Essay-Research Examination 500 points (maximum)

The professor will award a letter grade for the course corresponding to the following:

0-374 = ”U” (Unsatisfactory); 375-474 = “G” (Good); 475-500 = “V” (Very Good).

(See NES Catalog)

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

Complete a written essay-research examination consisting of twelve to sixteen pages, based on library research and containing evidence of significant interaction with the resources. Include a bibliography at the end of each response (about three to five resources). Each bibliography should include an electronic-format resource when possible. The paper must not contain misspelled words and grammatical errors. Due at class time on June 24.

Session 1 (May 20)—Holiness-Pentecostal Origins.

Historiography of the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. Phoebe Palmer and the 19^th-century Holiness Movement.

Entire Sanctification. The New Holiness Denominations. Topeka and Azusa Street revivals. The Dunn, NC Revival. Theories of Pentecostal origins (Anderson, Goff, Wacker).

Recommended Reading:

David Bundy, “The Historiography of the Wesleyan/Holiness Tradition.” Wesleyan Theological Journal

30:1 (Spring 1995), 55-77.

Joe Creech, “Visions of Glory: The Place of the Azusa Street Revival in Pentecostal History.”

Church History 65:3, 405-424.

Available in full-text format from the ATLA database [Sprague Library catalog]

Gary B. McGee, “Tongues, the Bible Evidence: The Revival Legacy of Charles F. Parham.”

Available from www.agts.edu/faculty/faculty_publications/articles/mcgee_parham.pdf

Gary B. McGee, “William J. Seymour and the Azusa Street Revival.”

Available from www.ag.org/enrichmentjournal/199904/026_azusa.cfm

Jean Miller Schmidt, “Holiness and Perfection,” in the Encyclopedia of the American Religious

Experience (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1988), 2:813-829. [photocopy]

Randall J. Stephens, “Assessing the Roots of Pentecostalism: A Historiographical Essay.”

Available from http:are.as.wvu.edu/pentroot.htm

Vinson Synan, “The Origins of the Pentecostal Movement.”

Available from http://www.oru.edu/university/library/holyspirit/pentorg1.html

Grant Wacker, “Bibliography and Historiography of Pentecostalism,” in the Dictionary of Pentecostal and

Charismatic Movements. Stanley M. Burgess and Gary B. McGee, eds. Regency Reference

Library. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1988. [photocopy]

Grant Wacker, “Pentecostalism,” in the Encyclopedia of the American Religious Experience.

(New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1988), 2:933-945. [photocopy]

Session 2 (June 3)—Holiness-Pentecostal Hermeneutics.

Scottish Common-Sense Realism. The “Holiness Hermeneutic.” Typological Exegesis. Revivalistic Rhetoric. “Spiritual Geography.” Latter-Rain Theology. The Book of Acts.

Recommended Reading:

Godbey, William B. Christian Perfection. [photocopy]

Hamilton, Barry W. “Rhetoric in Early Holiness and Pentecostal Theology.” [forthcoming]

__________. William Baxter Godbey: Itinerant Apostle of the Holiness Movement.

(Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, 2000), 125-183. [photocopy]

Martin Wells Knapp, Out of Egypt into Canaan. [Wesley Heritage CD]

Mark D. McLean, “Toward a Pentecostal Hermeneutic.” Pneuma 6:2 (Fall 1984), 35-56.

Available in full-text format from the ATLA database [Sprague Library catalog]

Session 3 (June 10)—Holiness-Pentecostal Doctrine

The Pursuit of Holiness and the Higher Christian Life. Holiness and Pentecostal Apologetics. The Four-Fold Gospel.

Pentecost as an Event. Entire Sanctification and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Wesleyan and Pentecostal Perspectives on the Doctrine of Assurance.

Recommended Reading:

Jonathan R. Baer, “Redeemed Bodies: The Functions of Divine Healing in Incipient Pentecostalism.”

Church History 70:4 (December 2001), 735-771. [photocopy]

Adam Clarke, “Entire Sanctification.” Text from “Holiness Miscellany and Experiences” by John S. Inskip.

Available from http://www.ccel.org/c/clarke/entire_sanct/entire_sanctification.txt

Deasley, Alex R. G. “Entire Sanctification and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.” Available from

http://wesley.nnu.edu/theojrn/11-15/14-03.htm

Hocken, Peter. “The Meaning and Purpose of ‘Baptism in the Spirit.’” Pneuma 7:2 (Fall 1985), 125-133.

Available in full-text format from the ATLA Religion database [Sprague Library catalog]

Kilian McDonnell, O.S.B., “Does the Theology and Practice of the Early Church Confirm the Classical

Pentecostal Understanding of Baptism in the Holy Spirit?” Pneuma 21:1 (Spring 1999), 115-134.

Available in full-text format from the ATLA Religion database [Sprague Library catalog]

George F. Taylor, The Spirit and the Bride.

John Wesley, A Plain Account of Christian Perfection. [Wesley Heritage CD]

Stephen S. White, “Five Cardinal Elements of the Doctrine of Entire Sanctification.” [Wesley Heritage CD]]

Session 4 (June 17)—Holiness-Pentecostal Controversy and Culture

The Altar Theology Controversy. Conflict with Methodism. The rift over glossolalia. William Durham and the

Finished Work Theory. Oneness Pentecostalism. Black Holiness and Pentecostalism. Feminist Contributions to Recent Scholarship.

Recommended Reading:

“Lecture One: ‘The Finished Work’—available from

http://www.apts.edu/caps/Occasional%20lecture/series01/Lecture%20One.pdf

Kenneth Gill, “Dividing over Oneness: The Oneness Movement Pushed Pentecostals to Organize.”

Available from http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/58h/58h021.html

Godbey, William B. “Spiritualism, Devil-Worship and the Tongues.” [photocopy]

Charles Edwin Jones, “The Inverted Shadow of Phoebe Palmer.” Wesleyan Theological Journal

31:2 (Fall 1996), 120-131. [photocopy]

Charles Edwin Jones, “The ‘Color Line’ Washed Away in the Blood? In the Holiness Church, at Azusa

Street, and Afterward.” Wesleyan Theological Journal 34:2 (Fall 1999), 252-263. [photocopy]

Diane Leclerc, Singleness of Heart: Gender, Sin and Holiness in Historical Perspective.

Lanham, MD: Scarecrow, 2001. [course reserve]

Frank D. Macchia, “From Azusa to Memphis: Where Do We Go from Here?” Pneuma

18:1 (Spring 1994), 113-140.

Available in full-text format from the ATLA Religion database [Sprague Library catalog]

Session 5 (June 24)—Holiness-Pentecostal Renewal

Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA). Holiness and Pentecostal movements in dialogue with the Ecumenical Movement, including the World Council of Churches and the World Methodist Council.

Recommended Reading:

Albert A. Caprio, O.P. “What is the Catholic Charismatic Renewal?”

Available from http://pages.cpsc.ucalgary.ca/~bshouty/Charismatic.html

Keith Drury, “The Holiness Movement: Dead or Alive?”

Available from http://www.cresourcei.org/hmovement.html

Keith Drury, “Hope for the Holiness Movement.”

Available from http://www.indwes.edu/tuesday/hopehol.htm

Claire Randall, “The Importance of the Holiness and Pentecostal Churches in the Ecumenical Movement.”

Available from http://www.bostontheological.org/ecudocs/kosta.htm

Cecil M. Robeck, “The Nature of Pentecostal Spirituality.” Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for

Pentecostal Studies 14:2 (Fall 1992), 103-106.

Available in full-text format through the ATLA database [Sprague Library online catalog]