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Scholarship on Black American religious life has historically understood Black Pentecostalism as unconcerned with the socially-challenging lived experiences of its congregants. Many scholars and lay observers, maintaining that such Pentecostal religious life has no identifiable political dimension, have consequently overlooked the political nature of the ritual practices animating the worship event. Centering the Church of God in Christ (COGIC) as a case study, this dissertation argues that the ritual practices of COGIC worship events carry a tradition of political protest that contest dominant ideas of what it means to be “human” as both a social-political identity and an ontological category. To accomplish its task, this dissertation reinterprets turn-of-the-twentieth-century historical events and employs social theory to investigate the social practices of Black Pentecostals. It is the contention of this dissertation that COGIC congregants have historically embodied and expressed their political commitments through the adoption, adaptation, and engagement with Christian rituals. The project demonstrates how the ritual practices of worship (relating to preaching, music-making, tarrying, and ecstasy) allow COGIC congregants to remake themselves and their world, challenging the larger society to reconsider what it means to be “human.” Through the examination of four ritual practices of COGIC worship, this project explains how that group participates in the political dimension of human life as a necessary part of its religious activity. Through the activity of worship, congregants participate in the work of making themselves anew, which impacts how the greater society relates to them as people who are due the rights and privileges of U.S. American citizenship. Simultaneously, COGIC worship provides the ontological discourse or tools for congregants to become “new beings,” which directly corresponds to—and contests (racist) dominant ideas of—what it means to be human. / 2026-05-16T00:00:00Z

In the first part of this dissertation I investigate whether the Pentecostal Churches in South Africa has a reductionist understanding of crucial missiological issues. Issues such as the definition of mission, motivation for missions, the role of the Holy Spirit in mission, mission as a quest for social justice, mission as anti-racism, mission as a quest for gender equality and mission as inter-religious encounter. In the second part of the dissertation I present a more contextual approach to these missiological issues, challenging the Pentecostal churches to move: towards the formation of a more relevant missiology. l finally present the 'cycle of missionary praxis' or 'the Pastoral cycle' as a tool that can be used to formulate a contextual missiology / Christian Spirituality, Church History and Missiology / M.Th.

A. B. Simpson / Charles Spurgeon / Andrew Murray / Oswald Chambers / George Muller / Hudson Taylor / John MacMillan / A. W. Tozer / Kenneth Hagin / Kenneth Copeland / Frederick K. C. Price / E. M. Bounds / Amy Carmichael / Phoebe Palmer / This thesis is a study of nineteenth and twentieth century faith theology and praxis, seeking to determine a balanced, healthy faith that is both sound in theology and effective in practice. Part 1 presents a history and sources of Faith Teaching and Practices. It first looks historicalty at the roots of later faith teaching and practice by presenting a sampling of teachings on faith from early church fathers, reformers, mystics, and Pietists. These form the foundation for the movements of faith in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries--the classic faith teaching, followed by the modern faith movement and leaders. Part 2 deals with the foundational issues of faith teaching and practice: the relationship of faith to the supernatural, the concept of the inheritance of the believer and the practice of claiming the promises of God, the nature of faith, and the authority of the believer and its inferences for faith praxis. Part 3 investigates seven major theological issues of faith teaching and practice: faith as a law and force, the object and source of faith, the relationship of faith and the will of God, distinguishing between a logos and a rhema word of God, the concepts of revelation and sense knowledge, the doctrine of healing in the atonement, the question of evidence of the baptism in lhe Holy Spirit. Part 4 examines major practical issues of faith teaching and practice about which controversy swirls: positive mental attitude and positive confession; issues of discernment in acting upon impressions, voices, revelations, and "words from the Lord;" questions of failh regarding sickness and healing, death, doctors and medicine; the relationships between sickness, suffering, healing, and sanctification; and prosperity. Part 5 reflects upon these issues and comes to final conclusions regarding: the role of hermeneutics in determining failh theology and praxis, how to handle unanswered prayers and apparent failures of faith, the seeming paradox and tension between claiming one's inheritance and dying to self, a summary of practical conclusions for exercise of healthy faith, and final conclusions and recommendations on developing a sound theology and practice of faith for the twenty-fist century. / Practical Theology / D.Th. (Practical Theology)

Pentecostalism, which developed its essential character during the classical period of 1901-1916, has many significant contributions to make to modern theology. Often viewed as a type of fundamentalism, it is actually a theological tradition in its own right that deserves consideration along with the other two major streams of protestantism, conservative evangelicalism and more liberal ecumenical-mainline thought. Although it emphasizes the experience of the Holy Spirit, pentecostalism is highly Christocentric as is evidenced by its foundational symbol of faith, the fourfold gospel of Jesus as savior, healer, baptizer, and coming king. This work examines how the pentecostal fourfold gospel, as a functional, from below Spirit Christology, anticipates and intersects with trends in twentieth century ecumenical theological thought. The result of the study is the articulation of a fuller, more holistic understanding of the work of Christ in salvation in the world today. / Systematic Theology & Theological Ethics / M. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Atonement theories have great implications for the soteriological paradigms associated with them, but their significance has not always been recognized in the formulation of theological systems, the lack of dogmatic definition by ecumenical council encouraging diversification and isolation from other doctrinal loci. The strongest coherence between an atonement model and soteriology can be seen in the reformed tradition, and its theory of penal substitution has become the standard accepted by many non-reformed protestant groups, including classical pentecostalism. Tensions persist in the theological system of pentecostalism because of its pairing of penal substitution with the soteriological paradigm of its foundational symbol of faith, the full gospel of Jesus as savior, sanctifier, baptizer with the Spirit, healer, and coming king. This vision of salvation is broader than that of protestant orthodoxy, which through its atonement theory deleteriously separates the death of Christ from his work in life and strictly limits the subjects and nature of salvation, specifically to addressal of elect individuals’ sins. It is proposed that this tension within the pentecostal system be relieved not through a reduction of its soteriology but a retrieval of the Christus victor model, the atonement theory of the ancient and Eastern church. As reintroduced to the Western church by G. Aulén, this model interprets the saving work of Christ along two lines: recapitulation, the summing up and saving of humanity via the incarnation, and ransom, the deliverance of humanity from the hostile powers holding it in bondage. In a contemporary, pentecostal appropriation of this model, aid is taken from K. Barth’s concept of nothingness to partially demythologize the cosmic conflict of the Bible, and pentecostalism reinvigorates the Eastern paradigm of salvation as theosis or Christification via the expectation of the replication of Christ’s ministry in the Christian. The study shows Christus victor can give a more stable base for a broader soteriology that is concerned with the holistic renewal of the human person. To demonstrate the developed model’s vigor and applicability beyond pentecostalism, the study closes by bringing it into conversation with the concerns of three contemporary theological movements. / Philosophy & Systematic Theology / D. Th. (Systematic Theology)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T20:21:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RICARDO BITUN.pdf: 2301537 bytes, checksum: 44b4308c418fd76fcba781115ff6c130 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-06-22 / We considered discussing in this work the ruptures and continuities of the protestant neopentecostal religious field, which has experienced a vertiginous growth over the last decades, while disputing with other neopentecostal churches the production and distribution of symbolic goods available for purchase. Within the innumerous neopentecostal churches that have been emerging in Brazil, we took the Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus as the object of our studies, founded by an ex-Bishop of the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, Bishop Waldemiro. Our intent is to show in this work that the process of secularization studied by Max Weber, led religion to adapt in an environment of free choice, leading subject to a personal choice, where the individual, facing innumerous possibilities and necessities, is capable of opting for the one that bests suits him. Given the situation, we show that the Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus offers the individual, within the various options of religious goods, the divine cure, making this its primary theme, provoking a religious traffic in two directions: inter-religious and intra-religious. At last, we investigated which points approximate and which ones push away the Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus from the Pentecostal movement, from which it has egressed, once we work with the presuppose that the identity of this movement occurs through a rupture-continuity, given that there are no complete ruptures in human societies, but reworked continuities, we start with materials that came before the movement, in response to the historical challenges and concrete operants about a social group in specific moments / Nos propusemos a discutir neste trabalho as rupturas e continuidades do campo religioso protestante neopentecostal, que tem experimentado nestas últimas décadas um vertiginoso crescimento, ao mesmo tempo que disputa com outras igrejas neopentecostais a produção e distribuição de bens simbólicos de consumo. Dentre as inúmeras igrejas neopentecostais que tem surgido no Brasil, tomamos como objeto de nosso estudo a Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus, fundada por um ex-Bispo da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, Bispo Waldemiro. Procuramos mostrar neste trabalho que o processo de secularização estudado por Max Weber, levou a religião a adaptar-se num ambiente de livre-escolha, conduzindo os sujeitos a uma escolha, onde o indivíduo, diante de inúmeras possibilidades e necessidades é capaz de optar por aquela que melhor lhe servir. Diante deste quadro, mostramos que a Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus, oferece ao indivíduo, dentre as muitas opções de bens religiosos, a cura divina, fazendo dela o seu mote principal, provocando com isso o trânsito religioso em dois movimentos: inter-religioso e intra-religioso. Por fim, investigamos quais os pontos que aproximam e quais aqueles que distanciam a Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus do movimento pentecostal da qual é egressa, uma vez que trabalhamos com o pressuposto de que a identidade desse movimento ocorre por meio de uma ruptura-continuidade, visto que não há rupturas totais nas sociedades humanas, antes continuidades retrabalhadas, parte-se de materiais anteriores ao mesmo, em resposta aos desafios históricos e concretos operantes sobre um grupo social em momentos específicos

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T14:56:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 RICARDO BITUN.pdf: 2301537 bytes, checksum: 44b4308c418fd76fcba781115ff6c130 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007-06-22 / We considered discussing in this work the ruptures and continuities of the protestant neopentecostal religious field, which has experienced a vertiginous growth over the last decades, while disputing with other neopentecostal churches the production and distribution of symbolic goods available for purchase. Within the innumerous neopentecostal churches that have been emerging in Brazil, we took the Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus as the object of our studies, founded by an ex-Bishop of the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, Bishop Waldemiro. Our intent is to show in this work that the process of secularization studied by Max Weber, led religion to adapt in an environment of free choice, leading subject to a personal choice, where the individual, facing innumerous possibilities and necessities, is capable of opting for the one that bests suits him. Given the situation, we show that the Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus offers the individual, within the various options of religious goods, the divine cure, making this its primary theme, provoking a religious traffic in two directions: inter-religious and intra-religious. At last, we investigated which points approximate and which ones push away the Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus from the Pentecostal movement, from which it has egressed, once we work with the presuppose that the identity of this movement occurs through a rupture-continuity, given that there are no complete ruptures in human societies, but reworked continuities, we start with materials that came before the movement, in response to the historical challenges and concrete operants about a social group in specific moments / Nos propusemos a discutir neste trabalho as rupturas e continuidades do campo religioso protestante neopentecostal, que tem experimentado nestas últimas décadas um vertiginoso crescimento, ao mesmo tempo que disputa com outras igrejas neopentecostais a produção e distribuição de bens simbólicos de consumo. Dentre as inúmeras igrejas neopentecostais que tem surgido no Brasil, tomamos como objeto de nosso estudo a Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus, fundada por um ex-Bispo da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus, Bispo Waldemiro. Procuramos mostrar neste trabalho que o processo de secularização estudado por Max Weber, levou a religião a adaptar-se num ambiente de livre-escolha, conduzindo os sujeitos a uma escolha, onde o indivíduo, diante de inúmeras possibilidades e necessidades é capaz de optar por aquela que melhor lhe servir. Diante deste quadro, mostramos que a Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus, oferece ao indivíduo, dentre as muitas opções de bens religiosos, a cura divina, fazendo dela o seu mote principal, provocando com isso o trânsito religioso em dois movimentos: inter-religioso e intra-religioso. Por fim, investigamos quais os pontos que aproximam e quais aqueles que distanciam a Igreja Mundial do Poder de Deus do movimento pentecostal da qual é egressa, uma vez que trabalhamos com o pressuposto de que a identidade desse movimento ocorre por meio de uma ruptura-continuidade, visto que não há rupturas totais nas sociedades humanas, antes continuidades retrabalhadas, parte-se de materiais anteriores ao mesmo, em resposta aos desafios históricos e concretos operantes sobre um grupo social em momentos específicos

Chan Chiu-yuen Lawrence. / Thesis (M.Div.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 60-65). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Introduction / Chapter Chapter One / Chapter A. --- Root of Pentecostalism: the Black Heritage / Chapter B. --- Transcending Race & Class / Chapter a. --- History of the Marginalized Black Slave in America / Chapter i. --- Social Context in America: Slavery & Racism / Chapter ii. --- Formation of Black church / Chapter b. --- The Outpouring of the Spirit: Transcending Race and Class / Chapter Chapter Two --- Transforming Christianity: Inculturation / Chapter a. --- The Concept of Inculturation / Chapter b. --- Worship in the Azusa Street Revival / Chapter c. --- African Heritage / Chapter d. --- Worship / Chapter e. --- Spirit Possession / Chapter Chapter Three --- Yielding Detraditionalization / Chapter a. --- Marginalization of Women in Mission / Chapter i. --- Masculine Domination of Missionary Societies / Chapter ii. --- Traditional Roles of Women / Chapter iii. --- Opposition of a Single Woman as a Missionary / Chapter iv. --- Resistance of Setting-up of Women's Board / Chapter v. --- Unjust Criticisms from Masculine Organizations / Chapter vii. --- Widow Case / Chapter b. --- Patriarchal Christian Tradition / Chapter c. --- Pentecostal Women in Mission / Chapter d. --- The Power of Holy Spirit: Detraditionalization / Conclusion / Bibliography

Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-02T20:38:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 4038.pdf: 2201340 bytes, checksum: e81ba7d0740040195a15afe5f6fe6401 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-04 / Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos / The aim of this thesis is to analyze the Pentecostal discourse focusing primarily on various levels of discourse production of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) and the International Church of the Grace of God (ICGG) in order to answer the following question: Is the structuring of these churches predominantly built on the theology of prosperity or on a more varied a range of discursive elements? Based on the hypothesis that these churches try to offer a full experience of life and religion, in opposition to the idea that has been spread by many non-academic commentators and academic works that these churches are only ―supermarket of faith‖, where the ―customer‖ ―buys‖ religious products that he will use in his worldly life and soon goes away, eventually to become ―customer of another supermarket‖. To this end we analyzed two different national contexts. Church activities were followed in Brazil, mainly in Florianopolis, and the Netherlands, especially in the capital Amsterdam. This work also has the characteristics of case study and comparative study. Information obtained during fieldwork in Brazil brought elements for analyzing the behavior of the church and its parishioners in a very different national context, thus enabling us to see what remains and what changes in the discourse of the church and the attitudes of the followers in the new context. / O objetivo desta tese é analisar o discurso neopentecostal focando principalmente nos diversos níveis de produção discursiva da Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus (IURD) e Igreja Internacional da Graça de Deus (IIGD) a fim de responder a seguinte questão: A estruturação destas igrejas é predominantemente construída sobre a Teologia da Prosperidade ou sobre uma gama de elementos discursivos mais variados? Partindo se da hipótese que estas igrejas tentam oferecer uma experiência de vida e religiosa plenas, contrariando a ideia que vem sendo difundida pelo senso comum e em outros trabalhos acadêmicos de que estas igrejas são apenas ―supermercados da fé‖, onde o ―cliente‖ ―compra‖ o produto religioso que terá uso em sua vida mundana e em pouco tempo vai embora, para eventualmente tornar-se ―freguês de outro supermercado‖. Para tanto se analisou dois contextos nacionais diferentes. Foram acompanhadas atividades no Brasil, principalmente em Florianópolis, e na Holanda, principalmente em sua capital Amsterdã. Assim, este trabalho tem também as características de estudo de caso e estudo comparativo. As informações obtidas no trabalho de campo fora do Brasil trouxeram elementos para se analisar o comportamento da igreja e de seus frequentadores em um contexto bem diferente, podendo se perceber o que permanece e o que se modifica no discurso da igreja e das atitudes dos frequentadores diante da nova realidade.