Special Edition
December 2018
Editorial: Pentecostalisation and Faith in the Global South
Citation: Smith K G and Manyika B I 2018. Editorial: Pentecostalisation and Faith in the Global South. Conspectus: Anvil Talks Edition, p. 1-4.
Provided that we adopt a broad and inclusive definition of Pentecostal and Pentecostalism (Anderson 2002; 2004), there remains no doubt that Pentecostalism (including Charismatic and Neo-Pentecostal forms) has become the dominant expression of Christianity in Africa. This is acknowledged by friend and foe alike… 
Keynote Address: The Pentecost Paradigm for Pentecostalism: Power for Witness
Citation: Keener C 2018. The Pentecost Paradigm for Pentecostalism: Power for Witness. Conspectus: Anvil Talks Edition, p. 5-19.
Historically, Pentecostalism has located its central biblical paradigm in Acts, especially in the Pentecost narrative. It therefore seems appropriate to introduce this discussion of Pentecostalism with a discussion of the narrative of Pentecost in Acts 1-2. This narrative includes the promise of being baptised in the Spirit to receive power for cross-cultural mission…
Keynote Address: Pentecostal Prophecy: A Pastoral Response to the Challenges of South African Xenophopbia
Citation: Nel M 2018. Pentecostal Prophecy: A Pastoral Response to the Challenges of South African Xenophobia. Conspectus: Anvil Talks Edition, p. 20-39.
Displacement is a challenge that many countries in Africa face, and in times of crisis citizens of these countries tend to cool their anger and frustration inter alia through violent acts of xenophobia. Another feature of the African scene (as a part of the global south) is the growth of the Pentecostal movement in its diverse forms, with classical Pentecostals, charismatic Pentecostals in mainline churches, neo-pentecostal groups already outnumbering members of the Roman Catholic Church in Africa, and the effect of a process of pentecostalisation followed by some mainline churches to integrate Pentecostal practices in order to keep their members…
Pentecostalisation of the African Church
Citation: Mzondi M 2018. Pentecostalisation of the African Church. Conspectus: Anvil Talks Edition, p. 40-54.
Over the years, theologians have made several attempts to link William Seymour’s 1906 Azusa street revival to various roots. It has been linked to (a) the socio-economic-political context of the 1900s in the United States of America; (b) African slaves’ spirituality, and (c) the Methodist revival. This paper continues the quest to link William Seymour’s 1906 Azusa street revival to another root, namely, Enoch Sontonga’s song, Nkosi sikelel’ iAfrika…
Complementing Christ? A Soteriological Evaluation of the Anointed Objects of the African Pentecostal Prophets
Citation: Banda C 2018. Complementing Christ? A Soteriological Evaluation of the Anointed Objects of the African Pentecostal Prophets. Conspectus: Anvil Talks Edition, p. 55-69.
How can we soteriologically evaluate the growing reliance on the anointed objects of the Pentecostal prophets among Christians in Africa? The popularity of anointed mantles is a serious challenge in the contemporary African church and raises many theological questions, not least, the soteriological question of the sufficiency of Christ’s salvation in the African believer…
Spiritual Warfare in African Pentecostalism in the Light of Ephesians
Citation: Smith K G 2018. Spiritual Warfare in African Pentecostalism in the Light of Ephesians. Conspectus: Anvil Talks Edition, p. 70-80.
Western Evangelicals tend to affirm belief in demonic spirits in theory, but live as if they do not exist. By contrast, African neo-Pentecostals take the reality and the risks of insidious spiritual powers seriously. A central feature of the worldview (cosmology) of these churches is the heartfelt belief that evil, hostile spiritual beings exert a real influence on the physical realm. Much of the liturgy of these churches centres around the spiritual conflict between believers and demonic forces…
Towards and Assessment of Pentecostalisation in French-speaking African Nations with Special Reference to the Democratic Republic of Congo
Citation: Kipimo J 2018. Towards and Assessment of Pentecostalisation in French-speaking African Nations with Special Reference to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Conspectus: Anvil Talks Edition, p. 81-94.
The nature of the Pentecostal spirituality stands as a key contributing factor to the pentecostalisation process taking place in the church of Africa, especially in French-speaking African nations like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Dimensions of this spirituality accommodate the culture, the identity and the nature of African people. Consequently, most Africans find themselves at home within Pentecostal communities unlike in any other mainline churches…
Veni Sanctus Spiritus: The Coming of the Holy Spirit in Inaugurated Eschatology and the Emergence of an Enchanted African Christian Society
Citation: Falconer R 2018. Veni Sanctus Spiritus: The Coming of the Holy Spirit in Inaugurated Eschatology and the Emergence of an Enchanted African Christian Society. Conspectus: Anvil Talks Edition, p. 95-114.
It is argued in this paper that the Holy Spirit is an agent of an inaugurated eschatology, the tight tension of the kingdom today and the kingdom to come. The Holy Spirit comes offering much more than the charismata, he comes as the eschatological Spirit bringing gifts of change and renewal for an eschatological reality (of which the charismata are a part). Such a reality finds its home primarily in the eschatological community, the church. Pentecostalisation has enjoyed considerable influence in Africa, a continent that is traditionally enchanted…
Reforming Theological Education in the Light of the Pentecostalisation of Christianity in the Global South
Citation: Asumang A 2018. Reforming Theological Education in the Light of the Pentecostalisation of Christianity in the Global South. Conspectus: Anvil Talks Edition, p. 115-148.
Recent church growth has largely been driven by pentecostalisation of Christianity in the global south, and this fact has significant implications for shaping theological education. After briefly surveying some promising educational responses to the phenomenon, this paper argues against a post-colonialist introspective strategy, and instead proposes that seminaries in the south be consumed by the global dimensions of the mantle that the Spirit has placed on them…
Is Neuroscience Challenging the Pentecostal View of Spiritual Experiences and Practice?
Citation: Pretorius M 2018. Is Neuroscience Challenging the Pentecostal View of Spiritual Experiences and Practice? Conspectus: Anvil Talks Edition, p. 149-159.
It is difficult to describe the relationship of Pentecostals2 to the natural sciences concerning spiritual experiences and practice as proposed by Amos Yong (2011)3 a pentecostal scholar, since most Pentecostals seemingly advocate a fundamentalist worldview. This often results in epistemic boundaries vis-à-vis the value of natural science in better understanding spiritual experiences and practice. Yet, one cannot ignore that the natural sciences are making tremendous progress in understanding the cognitive side to these experiences…