The Gospel Revisited

This book is a constructive attempt at formulating a contemporary Pentecostal theology grounded in worship and witness. The theological vision expounded here is grounded in the Pentecostal story with its emphasis upon the fivefold Gospel. The doxological confession of Jesus as Savior, Sanctifier, Spirit Baptizer, Healer, and soon coming King provide the basic organizational structure of a Pentecostal narrative theology. Each chapter takes seriously these central convictions and allows them to shape, form, and reform various theological loci. Important issues such as methodology, hermeneutics, and theology as embodied worship and witness are addressed. The result is a vibrant and integrative theology fueled by a dynamic spirituality.''These penetrating essays stem from Archer’s profound conviction that the Pentecostal tradition requires a distinctive theological expression. They give that conviction robust form in well-argued proposals about the methods and character of such a theology. This book will be appreciated not only by Pentecostals but also by others who are in search of a theology rooted in the history and experience of living Christian communities. Highly recommended.''--Richard Bauckhamauthor of Jesus and the Eyewitnesses''Ken Archer builds upon his previous work in theology and hermeneutics to make a significant contribution to scholarship. In this text he offers a number of essays that push the boundaries of thinking in Pentecostal theology. This is a distinctive theology written from within the Wesleyan Pentecostal tradition, yet from its particularity it offers important insights into universal theological concerns. No serious scholar or student of Pentecostalism can avoid engaging with this book.''--Mark J. Cartledgeauthor of Testimony in the Spirit''The Gospel Revisited enacts the tridactic hermeneutic Archer developed in his first book and will serve to renew Pentecostal community, redeem the biblical narrative for twenty-first-century readers, and revitalize Christian theology in the light of the work of the Spirit of the Triune God. This is edifying theological reflection, borne out of faithful discipleship, fervent spirituality, and palpable (and contagious) piety. May its many readers be led to embody that Gospel that is revisited.''--Amos Yongauthor of The Spirit Renews the Face of the Earth''I welcome this collection of essays that the author has woven into the beginnings of a systematic theology. As Pentecostal theology matures (and sheds the shibboleths of fundamentalist and evangelical theology), it can no longer be ignored by the broader theological world. I consider Kenneth J. Archer one of the key voices in this maturation.''--Donald W. Daytonauthor of Theological Roots of PentecostalismKenneth J. Archer is Associate Professor of Theology at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary, Cleveland, TN. He has published essays in various journals and is the author of A Pentecostal Hermeneutic for the Twenty-First Century.