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The article "Practical Lessons from Optimistic Eschatology" in the Puritan Reformed Journal discusses the practical implications of different eschatological frameworks, focusing on inaugurated millennialism. It challenges the stereotype that amillennialism is pessimistic, arguing that it is both realistic and optimistic. The text emphasizes the importance of pursuing realistic optimism, prizing the Holy Spirit, promoting the kingdom of God, proclaiming the gospel, and persevering in faith and obedience. It encourages readers to adopt an eschatology that is biblical, Reformed, experiential, practical, and optimistic, ultimately pointing towards living for Christ and His kingdom. [Extracted from the article]

Pentecostal ecotheology presents a holistic approach to healing that recognises the inherent worth of all creation and the interconnectedness of human and nonhuman creation. It draws on the Pentecostal full gospel and the experiences of biblical Pentecost to inspire an expansive pneumatology that transcends an anthropocentric soteriology and views the entire cosmos as the altar where human and nonhuman creation can tarry for and experience the sacred presence, power, and conviction of the Holy Spirit with a sense of eschatological urgency such that (inter alia) repentance from ecological transgression becomes normative. This framework envisions all of creation participating in the Spirit's presence, power, gifting, and renewal. Leveraging Pentecostal ecotheology for holistic healing involves intentionally engaging, replicating, and contextualising the pneumatological experiences of the biblical Pentecost. It also involves embracing the pneumatological continuity between us and the biblical charismatic communities, enabling us to administer healing in contemporary environmental contexts through the Spirit's anointing. Engaging in ecotheological intercession, overcoming the creational desacralisation that leads to the mechanistic exploitation of creation, and adopting a Spirit-born sense of solidarity with creation are further essential strategies for leveraging Pentecostal ecotheology for holistic healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the primary purposes of preaching is soul-winning. This paper examines Apostle Peter’s life and preaching on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, where at least three thousand souls were won and added to the Church. Consequently, a template is developed from Peter for a soul-winner and soul-winning sermon. This template involves the preacher’s personal life and the preacher’s sermon. Beyond the initial crowd’s bewilderment at hearing the disciples speaking in their various languages was the response of three thousand men to Peter’s preaching. When the people heard his sermon, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ To win souls, every preacher needs the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to elicit the audience’s response to the invitation to salvation. Response to the invitation is evidence of a soul-winning sermon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Acts 1--2, God empowers Jesus's followers with the Spirit to proclaim Jesus's saving kingdom across all cultural barriers, to worship God, and to form one new, multicultural community of worshipers committed to Christ and to one another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the primary purposes of preaching is soul-winning. This paper examines Apostle Peter’s life and preaching on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, where at least three thousand souls were won and added to the Church. Consequently, a template is developed from Peter for a soul-winner and soul-winning sermon. This template involves the preacher’s personal life and the preacher’s sermon. Beyond the initial crowd’s bewilderment at hearing the disciples speaking in their various languages was the response of three thousand men to Peter’s preaching. When the people heard his sermon, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’ To win souls, every preacher needs the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to elicit the audience’s response to the invitation to salvation. Response to the invitation is evidence of a soul-winning sermon.

This study offers an example of 'standing theology' as distinguished from sitting theology or kneeling theology. It was prepared as a sermon on Pentecost Sunday at St Mary's, Wycliffe-on-Tees, Co. Durham where the primary reading was Acts 2: 1–21. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines three biblical events with focus on the politics of language: the confusion of languages at Babel, the speaking in tongues at Pentecost, and the conflict of tongues and prophecies at Corinth. By identifying the ideology inherent in these passages and bringing them into conversation, the comparison aims at constructing a political theology of glossolalia that engages with the intersecting concerns of the sociopolitical and ideological identity of charismatic speech. The successive ideology found in the three events allows for the reading of the Babel narrative to inform the reading of Pentecost, and the two events together to inform the reading of Paul. The result highlights the importance of heteroglossia for resisting the reduction of inspired language to simply one tongue or many tongues and the suppression of any form of inspired speech to the quality of another. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Often considered almost an afterthought in some evangelical theological works, pneumatology among Pentecostal theologians became the quintessential focus and integrative motif for doing theology. But pneumatology should be more than an exploration of tongues and giftings; more than a study of the what, when, how, and why of Spirit baptism. Books explaining preferred interpretations of the gift of tongues as an or the evidence for the baptism in the Holy Spirit abound. The purpose of this address is to establish the narrative of Acts 2 as a formative and programmatic vision for the life and mission of the church as birthed and renewed in the power of Pentecost. This talk aims to outline some of the forays of Pentecostal pneumatological ecclesiology by underscoring the liberative dimensions of the Spirit of Jubilee. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This phenomenological study focused on understanding Unreached People Groups (UPGs) lived experiences to model a Pentecostal mission strategy. The global discussion and attention on the UPGs ignited at the 1974 Lausanne Congress and it has altered the global understanding of mission. In recent times, people's group thinking represents a predominant pattern in global missions. Nonetheless, few scholarly works have been conducted to carefully examine UPG's questionable theological and socio-cultural underlying assumptions and consequently, Christian institutions and missionaries are less prepared to reach out. This study directed by the Pentecost Centre for the Study of Unreached People Groups (PCUPGs) at the Pentecost University, Ghana critically re-evaluated the concept using biblical and sociocultural analysis to assess the Biblical and Conceptual basis of UPGs. The study from theological and socio-cultural perspectives developed missional strategies towards reaching the unreached people groups in Africa in fulfillment of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ, to disciple all Ethnic Groups and consequently, redefine the term "UPGs" which is a seminal contribution to scholarship. The study contributes to academia by assessing the theological and conceptual basis of the UPGs towards developing pragmatic missional strategies to overcome the contemporary mission challenges, as well as initiate a Pentecostal approach to missions amongst the UPGs in Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Gospel of John, without having its own liturgical year, is typically assumed to have a supplemental homiletical role in the Revised Common Lectionary, and yet the Fourth Gospel is the designated Gospel reading for the festival Sundays of Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and Easter season. As a result, the theological themes of the Fourth Gospel anchor the church's Trinitarian confessions and doctrinal imagination when it comes to preaching. In particular, as the assigned Gospel for the Sundays of Easter, the Gospel of John shapes resurrection proclamation. Resurrection proclamation, therefore, is animated by Jesus' final words to his disciples found in the Farewell Discourse (John 14–17), where Jesus interprets his own ministry, commissions his disciples, testifies to the Paraclete, and prays for his followers. This essay will explore how the viewpoint of Jesus' departing declarations makes a difference for preaching the resurrection. Through the lens of the Farewell Discourse, the promise of the resurrection takes on thematic issues that give important meaning to Jesus' own revelation, "I am the resurrection and the life". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Church's place in modern life has gone a lot beyond its original purpose of giving spiritual advice through religious groups. Through participant observation and a review of the literature, this paper examined how the Church, especially The Church of Pentecost (CoP), has changed over time in modern Ghana to promote patriotism and instil moral values in modern Ghana through its two flagship programmes-"National Development Conference 2023" and the "All Ministers Conference 2023". The findings of the research revealed that morals, unity, and national growth were emphasised at these conferences. There were teachings, prayers, workshops, and the raising of the Ghanaian flag as a symbol of how important it is to work together across party lines for national growth. The study highlighted key recommendations, including employing a holistic approach, promoting patriotic songs, fostering collaboration, upholding moral values, emphasizing the national flag, and transcending partisanship. The study concluded that media influence, equality, punctuality, and unity are essential in fostering patriotism and moral values for Ghana's growth and development. The paper contributes to the proactive role of the church in nurturing patriotism and moral values, providing valuable insights into nation-building and societal cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Charismatic theology has engaged little with the concept of the imago Dei and has sometimes emphasized eschatology over creation. This article reconsiders views on the imago Dei in light of the concept of divine presence, building on notions of intensification and suggesting the concept of activation. I propose that as God breathes his Spirit into the first humans and pours out his Spirit on all flesh, a primary way in which we image God is by manifesting his divine presence in the world. Through the indwelling Spirit (a structural aspect of the imago Dei that is activated through belief in Christ), we are united with God the Father and one another (relational aspects of the imago Dei) and enabled to exercise responsible dominion over creation (a functional aspect). Thus the Spirit at creation is continuous with the Spirit at Pentecost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the imago Dei, emphasizing the Spirit's role in creation, Pentecost, and spiritual transformation. Warren's essay highlights how the indwelling Spirit activates the image of God within believers, uniting them with God and others, and enabling responsible dominion over creation. Topics discussed include pneumatological approaches to creation, the Spirit's connection to Pentecost, and the theological reflection on the imago Dei .

The article "El Greco. A painter in the Labyrinth" analyzes the influence of Beccafumi on the work of Machuca, suggesting stays of the painter in Siena and Italy. The analysis of the Pentecost at the Ponce Museum in Puerto Rico is highlighted as key to understanding Machuca's stylistic evolution. In addition, technical studies on the Virgin of the Ribbon are mentioned, revealing the combination of Italian and Spanish techniques in his work. The catalog of the exhibition at the Palazzo Reale in Milan, curated by Juan Antonio García Castro and Palma Martínez-Burgos García, presents six essays that accompany the study of El Greco's exhibited works. [Extracted from the article]

Previous scholarship inadequately acknowledged the diverse ways in which Cyril of Jerusalem employed the breath-related vocabulary related to or derived from Gen 2:7. A systematic analysis of Cyril's catechetical homilies revealed that in his rhetoric, this vocabulary was utilized in several distinct contexts. First, it was used to describe the creation of humans as living beings. Secondly, the vocabulary depicted a pre-Pentecost mediation of the Holy Spirit. Thirdly, the Pentecostal outpouring of the Spirit could be interpreted as another form of "breathing". Fourthly, breath-related vocabulary was employed in reference to three ecclesiastical rites of initiation, indicating their pneumatological significance. This collective utilization of Biblical accounts of breathing, alongside depictions of post-Biblical ecclesiastical rites, formed a coherent narrative aimed at instructing catechetical audiences about the historical sequence of human creation. This narrative encompassed the divine vivification of the tangible body and postlapsarian revivification through the Holy Spirit. Simultaneously, it became evident that Cyril's use of this vocabulary aligned with his overall allusionary approach to employing Scripture in catechesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article titled "Acknowledgment to Referees" expresses gratitude to the nearly 300 referees who volunteered their time in 2023 to review manuscripts for the Southern Economic Journal. The editors acknowledge the valuable advice and evaluation provided by these referees, highlighting their dedication to advancing the field of economics and improving the journal. The article lists the names of the referees, showcasing the diverse perspectives and contributions of individuals from various backgrounds. [Extracted from the article]

Pope Francis invites the Church to turn to the peripheries of society as the loci of saturated vision and grace, if it is to embody the grace of synodality. This work makes a claim that a synodal church that turns to the peripheries of the world ought to embody three markers that exude the fullness of being church in the world. These include the praxes of compassionate imagination, re-existing as a Pentecost church, and being an embodiment of ritualized hope for all. A turn to the Spirit-centered gift of compassionate imagination is itself a deliberate embrace of the messiness of life where the beauty of the sound of God's voice is heard and encountered. It involves an embrace of the summons of the Spirit that is found at the peripheries of the world and to embody abundant life for all in a manner that upends the dynamics of empire manipulations. To do this effectively, the Church ought to become an embodiment of hope in all its ways of being in the world. An embodiment of hope that is grounded in solidarity with others must necessarily entail the praxis of suspension of judgment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This response proceeds in two parts. It begins by conversing with the broad-strokes sketch Frank Macchia offers in his article in this issue and his christological thoughts from his other, more extensive work. This is followed by an articulation of the author's pentecostal Christology to offer a teleological assist to fill in some of the gaps in Macchia's approach. The telos of Christology is to witness and testify to the forming of the character of Christ in all things (Col 1:17). This complementing response to Macchia utilizes one of the significant Jewish particularities of Jesus the Spirit baptizer, outlined in the definition of anointing that he spoke at his inaugural sermon in Nazareth. Jesus's Jewish identity creates a framework to christologize in a way that is informed by the author's context as an Indonesian pentecostal theologian. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In pouring forth the Spirit, Christ fulfills his mission to baptize others "in the Holy Spirit." In so doing, he also opens himself to history, to his ecclesial and cosmic identity, in a new way, but in a way that is faithful to that which has gone before. Though fundamentally defined by his own sojourn in the Spirit to Pentecost as the divine Son of his Father in flesh, victorious over sin and death, he is now, at Pentecost, to be experienced in contextually diverse ways. Pentecost is therefore the pivot point from the Christ as bearer of the Spirit who gave himself for the salvation of the world to Christ as the one who pours forth the Spirit so as to take humanity in all of its diversity up into the divine communion. In what follows I will attempt to sketch in broad strokes my thoughts on Christology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monastic reforms of the 10th century greatly increased the role of the psalter, a biblical book that became the main tool of a monk in personal and collective prayer. The Odbert Psalter, produced in Saint-Bertin around 999, opens with a scene of Pentecost in which we see Christ represented as a king who is static and in a space distinct from the apostles, exhibiting an attitude of meditation. This is not a narrative image: this scene is an indication for the reader of the Psalms. If he follows the example of the apostles, he will arrive at the vision of God, which can only be attained through continuous meditation on the Psalms as it was defined by the reforms. This image serves as a medium for the act of contemplation itself: according to the three modes of vision defined by Saint Augustine, the image of Christ constitutes a pathway from corporeal vision to intellectual vision. By constituting the support of divine contemplation, the psalter and its images are set up here as perfect mediators of the power of the intellect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines a part of the iconographic program in the narthex of the representative church, endowed by the Serbian king Uroš I and dedicated to the Holy Trinity. With its layout, the program is linked to the central field of the wall above the entrance to the nave and bears the characteristics of the focal point of the corresponding whole. It includes a thematic segment with a group of representations that, based on today's knowledge of painted material, can be classified as novelties and exceptional solutions. The cycle of Ecumenical Councils, with the attached depiction of a Serbian council, and the Last Supper, as the core of the group, are viewed from an angle from which they were not illuminated before. The unusual selection of scenes and the unique composition of the thematic group become clearer when one considers the scenes' place on the line that connects three important 'points' of Sopoćani's spatial and programmatic structure on the west-east axis. The 'council wall', with the Last Supper in its 'heart' communicates topographically, visually and semantically with the representation of Pentecost, which signalled the 'identity of the holy place' on the original 'face' of the building in Sopoćani (altered by later painting), at the entrance to the narthex. Moreover, the painted wall is in an equally multiple (topographical, visual, and semantic) correlation with the themes that mark the iconographic program in the sanctuary and around the opening leading into it. Apart from the repeated representation of the Pentecost, this time with a position on the wall field above the opening of the sanctuary apse, and apart from the typological representation of the Holy Trinity, situated in the eastern half of the south choir's vault, the representations in the central part of the apse are particularly relevant for observations about the parallelism and special complementarity of the themes in the sanctuary and the narthex. This is a unity consisting of a 'liturgical' variant of the Last Supper (i.e., Communion of the Apostles) and two scenes of the Appearance of the Risen Christ to the Apostles, identified with the theme of the Sending out of the Apostles-all in the same register-as well as the composition of Officiating Church Fathers in the register below, which as their coevals also includes archbishops of the Serbian Church, positioned immediately below the rendering of the Apostolic Mission. The resulting findings of the present study is the existence of a special connection of the thematic repertoire with the dedication of the church and the reception of that connection as a kind of starting point in the process of envisaging and shaping a whole with a multi-layered meaning. As it appears, a conventional framework was consciously chosen and used as an 'undercover' for additional, daring allusions.

The coming of the Spirit of God at Pentecost (Acts 2.1-4) is described in dense imagery, involving auditory, visual, and somatic elements. This study outlines the recent scholarship on these theophanic elements, and in particular, the parallels with the temple inauguration theophanies in the Old Testament. While these parallels are increasingly becoming accepted, the implications of the temple inauguration imagery in Acts 2.1-4 remains unresolved. The core issue revolves around whether it is the Spirit or Jesus who now embodies the theophanic presence of God which once resided in the Jerusalem temple. This study concludes that it is the Spirit of God that now embodies the glory of God which resided in the temple, with the early Jesus community being the new eschatological temple of God. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit was followed by carrying out God's missionary duties in Acts 2. This event was also adopted and became a tradition by some Christians in their religious life. The problem is that adoption only emphasizes how outpouring and fulfillment occurs. The purpose of this article is to discover the meaning of the outpouring and infilling of the Holy Spirit in the Love of Apostles in Acts 2: 1-13 and its implications for the church today. The Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and the others on the Day of Pentecost. Those who heard them speaking in tongues were perplexed and asked, "What does this mean?" (Acts 2:12). The question perseveres today. Pentecost teaches us that we should strive to have the same blessed experience as the disciples. God's sanctions His church with the power of His Spirit so that He will be glorified among the nations. We need to remember that our purpose as the Lord's church is not to focus on ourselves and our own happiness. Our purpose as Christians is to spread the knowledge of God to all the nations of the earth. If we lose our external focus, with the overall purpose of God's glory, we may lose our reason for being. The result of this article is that the outpouring and fullness of the Holy Spirit is an important part in successfully carrying out God's mission. The method used in this brief study was a narrative theological analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the world, rated at number 4 globally and number 1 in the continent of Africa. Recently, the minister of Police in South Africa, Bheki Cele, revealed that violent crimes are extremely high with reported rape cases standing at an alarming 9516 between April-June 2022 while murders stand at 6424 in the same period. The question is what causes such a growth in crime but more importantly what role is played by Pentecostal-Charismatic churches in alleviating crime which negatively affects development in the country? A literary analysis of the nexus of crime and religion, buttressed by the case study of 2 megachurches who are part of South African Pentecostal and Charismatic churches (SAPCC), located in areas that are considered as hotspots of violent crimes, is used in this paper. The main objective of the article is to investigate the role of SAPCC in crime prevention and to position them as strategic role players in the realisation of Sustainable Development Goals with a focus on safety and security. This study proposes a decolonial theoretical framework based on the African proverb: 'It takes a village to raise a child', as a model for the prevention of crime caused by dysfunctional families, juxtaposed with the African practice of the 'Palaver', which brings all the community stakeholders in dialogue, to find a permanent solution to crime. Although the study is on SAPCC, the recommendations can be applicable to other church groups who are interested in applying a decolonial perspective to combating crime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated teachers' perceptions of sociocultural factors affecting students' academic achievement in Zone Five North Pentecost, Vanuatu. This paper reports on a qualitative study involving 45 participants, identified as 'a culture-sharing group'. The study documented participants' attitudes, perceptions, beliefs and shared approaches to sociocultural and classroom practices concerning students' academic work. Teachers' perceptions from etic and emic perspectives within their cultural and social context and their meanings and processes were investigated. Vygotsky's sociocultural theory of learning proposes that learning happens through interaction within the socio-cultural context. All contexts are complex, with intertwining systems of collective behaviours and simultaneous interactions with the environment. Diverse sociocultural factors affecting academic achievement were identified, including kava as a socio-cultural keystone, religious responsibilities of community members, domestic commitments towards families and wider communities and traditional formalities such as bolololi (Traditional pig-killing ceremony), mateana (funerary ceremonies) and lagiana (marriage). These aspects of daily interactions among Zone Five communities influenced the relationship between teaching and learning pedagogies. Despite setbacks to learning, teachers suggested the urgent need for a culturally inclusive curriculum to assist students in acquiring important communal values, understanding their spiritual and cultural phenomena, living sustainably with their environment and maintaining a healthy life while adhering to the virtues of citizenship and governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article compares the political correlates of Renewalist Christianity in Latin America and sub‐Saharan Africa (N = 44,832). Renewalists include Pentecostals and Charismatic members of Mainline Protestant and Catholic churches. Though rarely studied comparatively, Latin America and Sub‐Saharan Africa boast the largest Renewalist populations worldwide. Scholars have noted that the religious and political beliefs of Renewalists differ from other Christians, but existing studies either treat Renewalists as a single category or focus on Pentecostals while pooling Charismatic and non‐Charismatic Catholics and Protestants as denominational blocks. Using multilevel mixed‐effects models, this article first confirms that Renewalists' religious and political beliefs differ from those of non‐Renewalist Christians. Importantly, this cautions against the ubiquitous aggregation of Charismatic and non‐Charismatic Catholics (and Protestants) in statistical analyses. Additionally, we theorize and evaluate differences between Renewalists and the role of regional context. Religious differences between Pentecostals and Charismatics, we show, are much larger in Latin America than in Sub‐Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Christian, or liturgical, year sets human lives within God’s story of creation and salvation, sanctifying moments, days, years, and lives. Calendar and hourly time become God’s time as the Christian year encompasses and intermingles past, present, and future. Following the key themes of this encyclopaedia, this entry will provide an overview of the scriptural roots of the Christian year, along with its historical development in communities within a range of traditions, Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant. Note that the present diversity of theologies and practices of Christian communities throughout the world makes it impossible for one essay, even focused on only one practice, to comprehensively present all understandings. The diversity of humanity is exhibited in the Christian year through a variety of debates arising from the value that a church or tradition might place on observing various holy days; how the Christian calendar is related to other calendars; whether the gospel and the Christian year itself is considered countercultural, assimilated to colonizers’ calendars, or accommodated to Indigenous calendars; and how much society and environment should affect an understanding of the Christian year. The theological implications of this practice of ‘hallowing our days’ through observing the seasons of the year centred around Jesus (Paschal mystery/Easter and incarnation/Christmas) are a constant reminder of God’s presence. The practice of the Christian year and some interactions with science and the natural world will be considered. Ultimately, the Christian year is an ever-deepening cycle which, alongside or in contrast to the seasons of nature, can grow faith in individuals and communities now and into the future.