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3.1 Schisms in the Pentecostal Movement
Answer ONE of the following prompts in a paragraph.
- Consider the idea of Progressive Illumination. Howard Goss, one of the founders of ACOP, wrote “A Pentecostal preacher who did not dig up a new slant on some scripture, or get some new revelation to his heart every so often; one who did not propagate it, defend it, and let it be known that if necessary, he was prepared to lay down his life for it, was considered slow, dull and unspiritual." Is there some merit to the idea of Progressive Illumination? Do you discern any problems or challenges with it?
- Of the three issues in this video (Only Evidence, Finished Work, New Issue), which side of the theological divides do you find yourself on? Are there any of these issues that you think are of lesser importance than the others?
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21 Replies
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I think that progressive illumination is a great concept and hopefully a lived reality in the lives of believers and churches. The Bible says in 2 Peter, we are to grow in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. There should be an even deepening understanding and revelation of Jesus in our lives and churches or we have become stagnant and something is wrong. That being said, progressive revelation is an unpacking of the treasures of wisdom and understanding that are in Christ, whom the Holy Spirit reveals, and will never take us outside the realm of Biblical revelation, even if it at first causes a new look at the Bible. I think that this is a major issue for preachers today just as it was said in the quote, however maybe not with such a theological thrust. I think many preachers feel the need to be novel, entertaining, creative yes, but sometimes niche, and so in the name of progressive illumination stretch the boundaries of revealed truth, but with ambitious motives. All truth is found in Him who is Truth and none of us should be naive enough to believe we know it all right now, but whatever we learn will be rooted and grounded in Him.
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I think progressive illumination, has merit to it. The more we spend time in the scripture it reveals new insights and truth. Rest assured it must correspond with the word to be qualified as a progressive illumination.
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I believe it is important to be open to new slants on scripture as the reading of scripture is often altered based upon our existing beliefs, cultural world views, and personal identity. However, one must be careful not to be looking for new insight constantly as you may find yourself finding false new truths.
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It seems quite dangerous to me to expect a preacher to come up with a brand new perspective on a Biblical passage. After all, this is a book that's been studied for thousands of years, so while I believe God has never stopped speaking, the idea of pulling something out of a Bible verse that's never been seen before sounds very unlikely, and expecting preachers to do so sounds like a pathway to heresies
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