Journal of Ecumenical Studies

The recent renaissance in pneumatology alongside a rapidly growing interest in interreligious dialogue in Christian theology has presented a genuine opportunity for Pentecostal and Charismatic theologians who are eager to contribute to a discipline that has long been suspicious of non-Catholic and non-Mainline Protestant theologians. These books by Neumann, Yong, and Yun are best understood in this contextual situation, as all three aspire to demonstrate the distinct value that Pentecostal and Charismatic voices can contribute to the wider field of Christian theology via potential intersections between pneumatology and the theological issues surrounding religious diversity. While there are many differences among these texts, they share a common general entry point into this theological conversation. With varying emphases, all three authors argue that the delicate balancing act between absolute exclusivism and erasing the differences of others has typically led to a deadend for much of contemporary Christian theology and that this balance can be perfected by grounding any Christian theology of religious diversity upon an understanding of the Holy Spirit.

While Neumann briefly touches on the topic of religious diversity beyond Christianity, his scope is the narrowest of the three texts. He seeks primarily to demonstrate the value of Pentecostal theology in the Christian ecumenical conversation—no small undertaking, as Pentecostal thought has long been [End Page 494] pushed to the periphery of Christian discussions on ecumenicity. Relying on the metaphor of aging, Neumann argues that, while earlier Pentecostal theological models of God, scripture, and experience reflected an “adolescent” state of mind, more recent theologians in the traditions have helped Pentecostal thought “mature” to fit better the norms of modern rationality. He makes his case by constructively surveying three contemporary Pentecostal theologians—Frank D. Macchia, Simon K. H. Chan, and Amos Yong—to demonstrate that the leaders in Pentecostal theology have moderated earlier, more radical Pentecostal views of the believer’s relationship with God. They have reconceptualized this Pentecostal view by emphasizing that, while believers’ experiences with the Holy Spirit are direct, they are also still mediated through contextual interpretation through reason, tradition, culture, and scripture. The astute reader will notice the mainline Protestant influence (the Wesleyan Quadrilateral) on this reconstruction, and Neumann devotes a significant portion of the text to comparing Macchia, Chan, and Yong to Mainline Protestant and Catholic theologians from Jürgen Moltmann to Yves Congar. He does an excellent job of demonstrating that this conversation can and should go both ways and that Pentecostal theologians have a great deal to contribute to Christian thought on the Holy Spirit and beyond.

The Holy Spirit and Ch’i (Qi) is Yun’s first book since his important 2003 comparative survey, Baptism in the Holy Spirit. These texts share much in common, both methodologically and topically. Trying to avoid the pitfalls of both exclusivism and inclusivism, Yun searches for a theological alternative to the question of religious diversity by reinterpreting pneumatology through the Eastern conceptions of ch’i (spirit). Within these conceptions, Yun discovers a useful distinction between the formal presence of the spirit (sangjeok), which is universally present in all cultures, and the material aspect of the spirit (muljeok), which is revealed in particular people, events, and features. Yun reinterprets this conceptual distinction through a Christian theological lens and argues that this dichotomy can explain how the Holy Spirit is active in all cultures and religions, while also maintaining the unique, unparalleled value of...