Date of Award

5-1-2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Systematic Theology

First Advisor

Robert Kolb

Scripture References in this Resource

Acts 2; Joel 2; James 5:7–8; Psalm 2:9; Romans 1:4; Romans 8:11; 1 Corinthians 15:44; Acts 10:38; Luke 4:17–19; Matthew 12:28; 2 Corinthians 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Romans 8:23; Ephesians 1:14; Titus 3:5; Romans 1:4; Romans 8:11

Abstract

Linden, Gerson, L. “Eschatological Pneumatology as a Theological Framework for Evaluating the Pneumatology of the International Church of God’s Grace in Brazil.” Ph.D. diss., Concordia Seminary, 2017. 238 pp.

The purpose of this dissertation was to understand the phenomenon of Neopentecostalism in Brazil, particularly as seen in the International Church of God’s Grace (ICGG), a large and well-known Denomination in Brazil, with communities in several countries in the world. This Denomination may be seen as part of a larger movement, as an expression of what has been called the third wave of Pentecostalism. On the other hand, the ICGG has peculiarities that make of it a religious experience of its own. The presence and importance of its founder and leader, Missionary R. R. Soares deserve special attention for anyone who studies the Denomination.

This study tries to provide an evaluation of the ICGG from the standpoint of Lutheran theology, as it understands the role of the Holy Spirit depicted in the New Testament. The specific focus was the eschatological role of the Holy Spirit. This choice was made for two main reasons. First, because it is possible to recognize the eschatological role of the Spirit as central in the witness of the apostles, especially if we understand Eschatology not only as the study of the last things, considered chronologically, but as the theological reflection of what is of ultimate importance in God’s work through Jesus Christ to the redemption of humankind. The second reason why “eschatological Pneumatology” was chosen as an instrument of evaluation of Neopentecostalism is the fact that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit and of the Last Things are not strange to Pentecostalism since its beginning. Quite the contrary, they are some of the most important emphases of the movement. Therefore, this dissertation tried to show how this is also true, and to what extent, in the third wave of Pentecostalism in Brazil.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Download

Share

COinS