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Precursor To Pentecostal Theology
Consider and discuss the following questions:
- How has experience shaped your reading of Scripture thus far in your Christian life? Many of us, especially those raised in church, have an experience of God prior to acquiring most of our knowledge of theology and Scripture. How do you interpret the link between personal experience and biblical interpretation?
- Which of the four elements of the quadrilateral do you believe Pentecostals have integrated the most faithfully and consistently into their theological approach? Which one could they strengthen more, in your opinion?
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1 Reply
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Coming from an atheistic background – and even a rather militantly atheistic background – life experience has shaped my interpretation of Scripture most notably in the sense that it has allowed me to really compare and contrast Scripture in a nuanced and multi-faceted way. I only recently came to Christ, and prior to knowing Him, I thought I knew a lot about the Bible and religion as a whole. I thought that I was right about it being false, or even harmful, because anything and everything I knew about Christianity was false. I was both so blinded by my own sin and worldliness and so remedial in my knowledge of Scripture that I misquoted the few verses I knew without saying anything of substance at all. But because of that skepticism, I will admit, I am able to follow the Word in a less naive way than some. I love proving my old self wrong, I love hearing the Lord speak to me, feeling the Spirit convict me, because to prove that worldliness wrong is to grow in truth. I have been freed in ways that I never thought possible, in ways that would shock my old, atheist self, and the joy that that brings me is the work of the Lord.
I believe that Pentecostals have always emphasized Experience the most faithfully and consistently out of the quadrilateral. After all, Pentecostalism is both a denomination as well as an experience in my opinion. I think that the emphasis on Reason could be stronger, but I will say that I hold that belief only due to my own experience thus far with my own church and church family. It's possible that the emphasis on each factor within the quadrilateral varies from church to church, denomination to denomination.
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