Linda Ambrose, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario –
What happens when an established Pentecostal institution encounters a new expression of the Spirit? Ewen Butler uses the case study of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) and the Charismatic Movement of the mid-1960s to explore that very question. Here’s his answer: it’s complicated! For the PAOC the dilemma was how to genuinely cooperate with Charismatics, yet be careful to avoid doctrinal compromise, all the while insisting that true spirit baptism would mean cutting ties with mainline denominations, as PAOC’s founders had done just a few decades before. Butler deftly points out the irony, given their roots in Methodist and Holiness revivals of the 19th century, that the PAOC should react to a new move of the Spirit by doubling down in the role of gatekeeper of orthodoxy. In the end Butler, a sympathetic PAOC insider, gently exhorts his readers to remember that ‘the Spirit cannot be confined and encapsulated in theological or ecclesiastical structures.’ Hear. Hear.
Vinson Synan, former Dean of the School of Divinity, Regent University –
Ewen Butler has filled a huge gap in Pentecostal Charismatic studies with this publication. He not only covers the history of Canadian Pentecostalism, he also describes the interactions between the Pentecostals and the new Charismatic Movement that broke out in the 1960’s. This is a must read for everyone interested in this important period in Christian history.
Brian C Stiller, Global Ambassador, The World Evangelical Alliance –
From time to time, one finds a book that awakens interest in who one is. Raised in a Canadian Pentecostal minister’s home, (and PAOC at that), I found my calling in places and with people, many of whom would not match my spiritual self-identity. Surely the world changed through the past century, including ours as classical Pentecostals. But how and to what? I’ve had my own musings, but Ewen Butler has given it historical and theological thought, and in such a gracious and even-handed way. His writing skills make this not only a joy to read, but his research provides a wealth of information that matters to how we are changing and who we are becoming. A wonderful resource for Pentecostals of all shapes and sizes.
Linda Ambrose, Laurentian University, Sudbury, Ontario –
What happens when an established Pentecostal institution encounters a new expression of the Spirit? Ewen Butler uses the case study of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) and the Charismatic Movement of the mid-1960s to explore that very question. Here’s his answer: it’s complicated! For the PAOC the dilemma was how to genuinely cooperate with Charismatics, yet be careful to avoid doctrinal compromise, all the while insisting that true spirit baptism would mean cutting ties with mainline denominations, as PAOC’s founders had done just a few decades before. Butler deftly points out the irony, given their roots in Methodist and Holiness revivals of the 19th century, that the PAOC should react to a new move of the Spirit by doubling down in the role of gatekeeper of orthodoxy. In the end Butler, a sympathetic PAOC insider, gently exhorts his readers to remember that ‘the Spirit cannot be confined and encapsulated in theological or ecclesiastical structures.’ Hear. Hear.
Vinson Synan, former Dean of the School of Divinity, Regent University –
Ewen Butler has filled a huge gap in Pentecostal Charismatic studies with this publication. He not only covers the history of Canadian Pentecostalism, he also describes the interactions between the Pentecostals and the new Charismatic Movement that broke out in the 1960’s. This is a must read for everyone interested in this important period in Christian history.
Brian C Stiller, Global Ambassador, The World Evangelical Alliance –
From time to time, one finds a book that awakens interest in who one is. Raised in a Canadian Pentecostal minister’s home, (and PAOC at that), I found my calling in places and with people, many of whom would not match my spiritual self-identity. Surely the world changed through the past century, including ours as classical Pentecostals. But how and to what? I’ve had my own musings, but Ewen Butler has given it historical and theological thought, and in such a gracious and even-handed way. His writing skills make this not only a joy to read, but his research provides a wealth of information that matters to how we are changing and who we are becoming. A wonderful resource for Pentecostals of all shapes and sizes.