I am writing a series on my blog called called “Questions People Ask about the Holy Spirit” (#HSQuestions). You can see current posts in the series here. Can you help me out by submitting your questions below? Thanks! (Feel free to share a link to this form with other people as well!)
Pentecost Sunday is coming soon. Did you even know? If you are Pentecostal, probably not. Yet, I have heard some Pentecostals complain when their pastor hasn’t mentioned Pentecost on Pentecost Sunday. Is this a problem? Not Liturgical Most Pentecostal churches I know aren’t liturgical. The closest they come to following the liturgical calendar is celebrating Christmas and Easter. […]
The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada (PAOC) is in a process of reviewing and refreshing its Statement of Fundamental and Essential Truths (SOFET). You can find a copy of the most recent, 2014, statement here. The PAOC’s SOFET has seen many changes. Some of these changes reflect reaffirmations of previous beliefs, while some reflect changing beliefs […]
Some people claim that the devil or demons have “legal rights” over people. For example, Derek Prince claims that if we (including Christians) have any unconfessed sin, then “in that area we do not have the full legal rights of redemption. Satan still has a legal claim in that area…. He has a legal right […]
Classical Pentecostals typically affirm that “the initial evidence of the baptism in the Holy Spirit is speaking in other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance.”[1] I frequently encounter Christians, including those from Pentecostal churches, who misunderstand the intent of the “initial evidence” doctrine. Some people object to the initial evidence doctrine by saying that there […]
Yesterday I had a journal article published: “Changing Conceptions of Speaking in Tongues and Spirit Baptism Among Canadian Pentecostal Clergy,” with Adam Stewart and Kevin Shanahan. Canadian Journal of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity 7 (2016): 1-24. In the same volume, you can find responses to my article from PAOC General Superintendent David Wells, Randy Holm, and Van Johnson, […]
Update to my previous post. The following publication is now available to read online at googlebooks (it’s free!). Andrew Gabriel. “Pneumatological Insights for the Attributes of the Divine Loving,” in Third Article Theology: A Pneumatological Dogmatics, edited by Myk Habets, 39-53. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Academic, 2016.
“What do I need to do to become a Christian?” I asked my theology class this question today. Thankfully, no one said “invite Jesus into your heart.” Nevertheless, I was struck that their answers largely assumed that Christians have to say something to be saved—for example, say a prayer where you confess your sin, […]
Does having anxiety/depression mean that you are not good with God? (asked by a student) Very unlikely. First, if the answer were “yes,” this would mean that mental health is only a spiritual issue, which it is not. Rather, our mental health is shaped by “a complex interplay of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors” […]
This past week I received a publication notice for my article, “The Holy Spirit and Eschatology—with Implications for Ministry and the Doctrine of Spirit Baptism,” in the Journal of Pentecostal Theology (vol. 25.2, 2016, pages 203-221). In the article I first outline the biblical connection between the Holy Spirit and eschatology, I then explain how this can shape one’s understanding […]