Forging a new path : a contemporary Pentecostal hermeneutical strategy for the 21st century

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to present a critically informed contemporary Pentecostal hermeneutical strategy that is rooted in Pentecostal identity, in its stories, beliefs and practices. The contemporary hermeneutical strategy is anchored in the Pentecostal community's identity while simultaneously being a critical hermeneutical strategy for the interpretation of Scripture in the production of a praxis-oriented theology. The contemporary strategy recognizes the combined contributions of the Spirit, Scripture, and community in a dialogical interdependent interpretive process. The central theme of the strategy is narrative which is explored in relation to community identity and in relation to biblical interpretation. Pentecostalism was a paramodern movement. The interpretive method of early Pentecostals testifies to this reality. As Pentecostals entered academic communities, their interpretive method became both mainstream and modernistic through the adaptation of the historical critical method(s). The proposed hermeneutical strategy will desire to move beyond the impasse created by Modernity and push Pentecostals into the contemporary context by critically reappropriating early Pentecostal ethos and interpretive practices for a contemporary Pentecostal community.