Complaint as testimony?: Listening to Australian Pentecostal Christian women

Abstract

ABSTRACT Testimony is significant in Pentecostal liturgical worship and life. Historically, narratives that emphasize God’s role in the life of the believer have been used for spiritual formation. This article adopts feminist scholar Sara Ahmed’s work on complaint in the church context and proposes a constructive rewriting of the theological discourse to include women’s complaints as testimony. Women’s experiences at Hillsong Church as outlined in the media are included here and juxtaposed against the church’s official responses (noted as refutation and suppression). It is argued that, given the importance of women to Pentecostalism, examining and including narratives about women’s experiences in the church is vital; this includes acknowledging their testimonies of violence, sexual harassment and spiritual abuse.