The Spirit and Doctrinal Development: A Functional Analysis of the Traditional Pentecostal Doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit

Abstract

The traditional Pentecostal doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, especially understood as subsequent to conversion/initiation and evidenced by speaking in tongues, has been debated of recent times, largely on biblical and hermeneutical grounds. Shifting the debate to discussions concerning the development of doctrine might add some fresh insights into how the doctrine is to be debated and possibly reshaped. While not denying the need to see the biblical canon as the standard referent of theological formulations, we can use authors such as George Lindbeck, Kevin J. Vanhoozer, and Bernard Lonergan to shift the discussion of Spirit baptism from its biblical warrant to its function to effectively guide the community of faith's discernment of truth in various ecclesial and cultural contexts.