Pentecostal Voices Across Continents

CONTENTS:

An Introduction from the Editors: A Vision Gaining Clarity
Kong Hee, Byron D. Klaus, and Douglas Petersen 1

Session 1
Does the Spirit Blow Where It Wills? Pentecostals and the Struggle of Discerning the Holy Spirit among Religions
Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen 9
Response by Bobby Chaw 27

Session 2
Perspectives on Pentecostal Leadership: Contextuality, Complexity, and Constructiveness
Truls Åkerlund 35
Response by Wonsuk Ma 59

Session 3
Lessons Learned during Thirty Years of Ecumenical Dialogue: What Future Challenges Can Be Expected?
Jean-Daniel Plüss 67
Response by Eva Wong Suk Kyun 81

Session 4
Pentecost as the Future of Creation
Daniela C. Augustine 91
Response by Simon Chan 105

Session 5
Worldviews beneath Cosmological Kerygma: Demons as a Case Study
Sanna Urvas and Markus Nikkanen 113
Response by Chiong Xiao Ting 129

Session 6
Pentecostals in Societal Engagement: A Theology of Incarnational Transformation
Ulrik Josefsson 141
Response by Joel Agpalo Tejedo 157

Session 7
The Church as Scandal of Salvation: Pentecost and the Continuity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Wolfgang Vondey 165
Response by Daniel Lim 179

Session 8
A Spirit-Driven Ecclesiological Tenacity: Tested and Proven Response to Hostility and Afflictions
Joseph Dimitrov 187
Response by Julie Ma 201

Contributors 207

ABOUT THE EDITORS:

Kong Hee
Co-Founder and Senior Pastor, City Harvest Church, Singapore
MA Theology Vanguard University
Doctoral Studies at Bangor University

Byron D. Klaus
President, Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (1999-2015)
D.Min. Fuller Theological Seminary

Douglas Petersen
Margaret S. Smith Distinguished Professor of World Mission and Intercultural Studies (Emeritus) Vanguard University
Distinguished Professor of Social Theology, School of Theology, City Harvest Church, Singapore
Ph.D. Oxford Centre for Mission Studies

This captivating collection of essays reveals to the reader a dynamic, Spirit-filled process of “theology-in-the-making”, rediscovering the local church with its experience and connecting the local with the broader movement of the Spirit throughout churches and in the world. The many questions posed by the authors (covering topics from leadership to theology to creation to society to ecclesiology and more) open up new boundaries and horizons not only for Pentecostals but for all churches. I highly recommend Pentecostal Voices Across Continents to anyone passionate about Christianity’s future. For this Lutheran, it is exciting to read about a reimagined pneumatology that engages an ecumenical path on which we are invited to walk together in our witness to Jesus Christ.
Prof. Dirk G. Lange, Assistant General Secretary, Lutheran World Federation

Rooted in the conviction that the natural habitat of theological reflection is the life of the Spirit-empowered, Christ-centered church, Pentecostal Voices Across Continents models a form of theological engagement that is robust and practical, local and global, respectful and honest. Arising out of the conference held at City Harvest Church in Singapore (May 2025), Pentecostal Scholars from Europe and Asia engage shared challenges like secularism, pluralism, political authoritarianism and societal polarization. This is no sectarian volume of retreat to insular existence in the face of these challenges. The whole of the volume offers rich appropriations of biblical, theological, experiential and social scientific resources for the life of the church in the world. Eyes wide open to the work of the Spirit across contexts and challenges, this book is a crucial read for anyone interested serious theological engagement that does not yield to accommodationist temptations. It is consistently articulate about contexts and cultures. It also recognizes points of tension between them and the embodiment of the gospel. The Spirit is: forming one church for mission; discerned in other faith traditions; engendering incarnational engagement with society; directing the redemption of all creation in Christ; giving gifts for plural leadership in the church; and strengthening the persecuted church for its prophetic role in the world. This is an astute collection of essays and responses that address global challenges in local ways. This book is unapologetically theological and biblical and leans into the life of the church and the world God loves. An amazing embodiment of exuberant, thoughtful scholarship.
Rev. Richard R. Topping Ph.D, President and Vice-Chancellor, Professor of Studies in the Reformed Tradition
Vancouver School of Theology, Canada

This volume offers a cornucopia of riches. The table of contents – touching topics as diverse as anthropology, leadership, ecumenism, eschatology, cosmology, soteriology, ethics, and ecclesiology – offers a foretaste of the bounty ahead. Copious footnotes and extended bibliographies range across multiple disciplines. The prose is cut with lapidary precision. The authors speak to real life concerns that arise in local churches rather than dry academic conferences. Most significant, perhaps, is the sweep of nationalities and training institutions the writers represent. Western-based voices are paired with responses from Eastern-based ones. The volume combines academic experience with pastoral wisdom. Pentecostal Voices Across Continents will energize the study of the modern global Pentecostal movement for years to come.
Grant Wacker, Duke Divinity School Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor (Emeritus) of Christian History