One of the key slogans of the Reformation is
The emergence of Protestantism is undoubtedly one of the most important shifts within the body of the New Testament Church. Historians would describe it as a part of the Enlightenment in the age of science, where the hierarchy of the church was challenged in many ways. Through this movement, the Bible as the Word of God and its proclamation were restored to the sphere of the laity opposing the strong hierarchy that existed in the church of the day.
Based not only on the enthusiasm and energy that came forth from this movement, but also on the resistance that it encountered, this could be described as a true revival event in history. Sadly, however, the church has often forgotten how it is rooted in revival, and depends on the principle of
The view of the Reformation around the 16th century as a revival from within the Roman Catholic Church is widely recognised (Buys
In an age where there is a growing tolerance between Reformed and Pentecostal churches, this history still remains as an ‘elephant in the room’, a point of discussion that is often evaded for the sake of unity.
In his discussion of the relation between Luther and the ‘radical reformers’ or Anabaptists, Lehmann (
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when they disagreed with him.
Even though it must be acknowledged that the Anabaptist movement during the Reformation was a movement that cannot be equated to Pentecostalism of the 21st century, it is important to realise that there are major similarities. The role of the ‘second’ baptism, as the name Anabaptist refers to in Greek, is often a serious concern and often viewed as a valid reason for suspending or even terminating membership of a Reformed Church in the context of the modern church.
The second major aspect of resemblance is the more direct or proof-text interpretation and application of the Scripture, with a resistance of ‘spiritualising’ and ‘abstracting’ the intention and meaning of certain Biblical texts (Lehmann
Revivalism in the continent of Africa is often connected to the Azusa street revival in Los Angeles, and the subsequent visit of John G. Lake to South Africa around 1910. This revival is seen as the root of not only the Apostolic Faith Mission in South Africa but also of the Zion Christian Church. The revival in the Wellington–Paarl area in the 1860s during the ministry of Andrew Murray and G.W. Van der Lingen (Hammond
The revival in Wellington is still ‘commemorated’ or ‘celebrated’ in the Dutch Reformed Church by having a yearly ‘week of Pentecost’, with services focused on the work, gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. This revival is still viewed ‘as a true Christian spirituality’, being ‘faithful to the contemporary spirituality of the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa’ (Lee
These revivals mainly took place in a context where there was a widespread availability of God’s Word, as well as opportunities for educating church leaders and members. In the wake of these revivals came other movements such as the revival of Reinhard Bonnke, the revival amongst the Zulus led by Erlo Stegen
Even though Pentecostal theology initially lacked a large body of academic researchers because of its renouncing of a scholastic, intellectual theology,
Despite this remaining ‘split’, several factors have contributed towards a shift in the ecumenical and academic tolerance. Firstly, the shift in views of the inspiration and relevance of the Scripture for present-day churches has led to new alliances that were previously unimaginable. One such example is the move towards closer cooperation between the Reformed churches of South Africa and the Apostolic Faith Mission. The Apostolic Faith Mission has affiliated its theological training to the North West University, mainly because of important theological considerations, of which the views on the inspiration and nature of the Scripture are paramount (Nel & Van Rensburg
The movement towards the theological ‘mapping’ of revival theology within the broader theological sphere is also evident in the work and endeavours of Keener (
The emergence of the organisation of South African house church congregations under the scholar Christo Nel (
Even though he is definitely not classified as a Pentecostal, the work done by Alan Hirsh on the fivefold ministry versus the reigning pastor-flock model is also significant in this regard. In his book
In the course of history, the Revival movement was often equated to radicalism, just as the titles of two works on Luther and the Anabaptists confirm (cf. Gish
However, not all scientists and researchers have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. Even the 20th century publications by Mekkes (
Recently, dictionaries have indicated the positive move and appreciation of the word ‘radical’ by the youth of our era. ‘That’s radical!’ would often be an appraisal of something performed with extraordinary skill or talent. It is important to realise that this positive meaning of ‘radical’ is surely making its way back into theological language, with terms such as radical discipleship, radical obedience and radical surrender becoming more and more common.
Over the years, several studies have shown how a Revival movement has a negative side to it, and may even promote heresy and blasphemism (Buys
The split between the ‘orthodox reformation’ and the ‘radical reformation (Anabaptism)’ in the form of Pentecostalism and its various descendants is actually much smaller than often perceived. Heal (
‘Scholars should adopt an open-ended understanding of evangelical reform, and recognize that the boundaries between radicalism and its opposites (the magisterial reformations, the confessional churches, orthodoxy) were not firmly drawn.’
The additional themes of radical prayer, radical worship and radical healing are strange and even disturbing to the traditional reformed ear. However, important academic collaboration is necessary to realise how these expressions of the passion and the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not foreign to the Word, but must flow from the continuous inspiration of the Spirit as author in our lives.
Currently, Revivalism is often linked to the idea that the church is busy writing Acts 29. This can raise the eyebrows seriously in terms of the closing of the Canon, and the seeming presumptuousness of the church within revival theology. Being viewed in the right light, this concept might give birth to an important hermeneutical point of departure regarding the role and function of the church in the 21st century, as well as the doctrine on the cessation of the apostolic era.
If this understanding of the activity of the church (writing Acts 29) is interpreted as a genuine effort to continue in the footsteps of Jesus and his apostles, it could yield wonderful results, not as much academically but motivating the church to persist in radical, relentless mission to reach the ends of the earth… This view can contribute to trusting the Holy Spirit to work in the lives of believers through special gifts, such as speaking in tongues, driving out demons and performing miracles, and bringing them to Jesus, their Lord and Saviour.
During the Reformation, the Anabaptists portrayed a wide array of opinions regarding the authority of Scripture. Some circles rejected the revelation in the Old Testament, whilst others showed an almost legalistic following of Old Testament laws. In a groundbreaking book on South African Pentecostalism, Nel (
From being perceived as further away from the
Although there have been big differences in hermeneutics and the interpretation of the Scripture, as well as in the cessation of gifts, the role of the Holy Spirit in interpretation and preaching has always remained very prominent in reformed, evangelical and Pentecostal circles. In contrast to many other current exegetical approaches, the guide
In essence, Pentecostal exegesis differs from the traditional Reformed criterion in its priorities but not necessarily in its aims. It has already been stated that the role of prayer and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit is a primary focus to attain a valid exegesis. In the exegetical approach used by Janse van Rensburg et al. (
Nel (
Reading the Bible to find a way to have a personal encounter with God.
The awareness that the Scripture is the product of an experience with the Holy Spirit.
An apostolic witness can only be truly understood if it is experienced in an existential manner.
In assessing the above,
It is important that over and above the high regard that the Pentecostals hold for the gospel, the hermeneutical approach also portrays a sincere intention to understand and apply the Word in the life of the believer through the help and mediation of the Holy Spirit (Nel
Other than just the views on the inspiration and hermeneutics of the Scripture, the use (or lack thereof) of the Bible during revival meetings has always been a concern. Pentecostals are often viewed to apply the Scripture with little or no significance placed on the original context (Hanegraaff
The author recalls a revival service where the sinner was compared to the donkey that was fastened in the town of Jerusalem, and that Jesus sent his disciples to call him up to higher duty. Before the donkey was freed, he only had access to a small area of grass, but after his release, he had access to the fields out there. It is clear that a proof-text method of approaching this Scripture is not acceptable, and that it may lead to serious fallacies in applying the Scripture in the life of a believer.
Greater than the danger of putting the Bible in the hands of every believer and preacher is the lack of availability of the Bible at all. Access to the Bible in many Eastern and Middle Eastern nations is still a big concern, even though the digital era has provided alternatives in bringing God’s Word to the people (Franklin & Niemandt
In the southern African post-colonial context, there has certainly been a decline in the impetus towards the distribution of Bibles, as the mainline churches have lost much of their political influence, as well as members, because of a rise in secularism and Pentecostalism. As the distribution of the Bible was always a great priority in mainline Protestantism, the revival movement seemed to move into new areas with great force without the availability of the Bible in those languages or areas.
The mission fields in Africa are strewn with white elephants having impressive buildings and structures that were erected with great enthusiasm without the necessary backing in training, staffing and sustainability. Research has shown that revival without the availability of the Scripture lacked impact in societies (Berding
The lack of Scripture as the pre-planting agent
So what has happened in situations where revival and evangelism have been preceded by the availability of the Bible? Practical experience has shown results in India, where the church has grown by 240% after two years of fostering revival by focusing on edifying the new converts in Bible schools (Dyer
A further development in the 20th century was the focus on radical discipleship. One of the emerging movements in southern Africa was the Discipleship making movement (Watson
The above statistics clearly show how honouring the
The
Because of several reasons, this momentum has changed. Gravelle (
Because of the diminishing numbers of mainline churches in southern Africa, the support of missionaries doing translation work and the support for translation projects have been definitely affected. In several countries, it has been more and more difficult to acquire work permits for the prolonged stay of translators. In a study conducted on the Bible Society of South Africa, Sieberhagen (
In view of the theme and preceding discussion on
2 Tim 3:16–17 16‘…πᾶσα γραφὴ θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος πρὸς διδασκαλίαν, πρὸς ἐλεγμόν, πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν, πρὸς παιδείαν τὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἵνα ἄρτιος ᾖ ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος, πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐξηρτισμένος’.
2 Tim 3:16–17 16‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work’.
The current forms in which the Scripture has been made available to us does place it as being ‘θεόπνευστος’, or God-breathed
Secondly, the meaning of the above-mentioned verse could also be seen in its full impact when viewed from a reverse angle. This would mean that without the presence of the Scripture in an area, there would be little content for teaching and for knowing the character of the Triune God. The gospel would be strangled by many false and selfish teachings, without proper ground for rebuke or correction. Without the guidance of the Scripture, there would be an empty religion without character or righteousness, and believers would be poorly equipped for doing good or going out to spread the gospel further.
To the Revivalist or Pentecostal who takes inspiration from the Scripture seriously, the Word of God would always provide the ground or basis for a closer relationship with him, because being God-breathed means that the Scripture is alive with the breath and Spirit of God, and that intentional interaction with the Scripture by new converts will provide the basis for growing in an intimate relationship with God.
This text is also the basis for the Pentecostal point of departure that the Scripture is the ‘product of an experience with the Holy Spirit’. This means that new believers can be expectant of the Spirit’s revelation as they take up and read the Bible, and that they can be touched and affected by the richness and wisdom the Scripture radiates.
Lastly, the above verse calls for being applied and adhered to by believers. Even the young believer is called to teach and instruct new believers in righteousness, to bring into line dissidents from the Word and its message, and to equip new disciples for good work in the kingdom of God. It is especially in this area where the Discovery Bible Study does not only discuss the Biblical text but also draws students towards finding practical applications of the Scripture in their lives, and requiring feedback on the transformation that a specific Scripture brought in their lives.
There are currently about 4100 languages in which the Bible has not been translated yet, and these must be seen as a task of high priority. In the quest to end Bible poverty, Cunningham (
When it comes to the Biblical calling to bring the gospel (in its different translations) to the poor, statistics show that ending Bible poverty has not always been the highest priority. It has been shown that the church often leans towards serving and pleasing the haves, whilst the have-nots are to be satisfied with the crumbs from the table (Wessels
The efforts in Bible translation are no different. In the United States of America, there are more than 500 English translations of the Bible (Peterson
Although the servant of the Lord is anointed (Is 61:1) and appointed by the Holy Spirit to bring the good news to the poor, Bible societies are also often bound by the prescriptions of donors to decide the languages into which translation work would be carried out. In an effort to focus on the translation process, the Wycliffe Bible Translators International (
The mission to end Bible poverty has to be accompanied by a sincere effort to bring the gospel as well as the Bible itself to nations and cultures in different and difficult-to-reach countries. Together with new translation methods, the quest to bring the Word to every nation and language under the sun will need serious efforts towards marketing and recruiting donors. Peterson (
Today, 20 years down the line, it seems as if vision 2025 is not going to be fulfilled. The initial timeline did not really take the context of the third world countries into consideration, which resulted in delays to the original schedule (Franklin & Niemandt
One of the important developments in the translation field is the Mobilized Assistance Supporting Translation (MAST) programme under Wycliffe Associates.
The translation training and process is guided by a qualified exegete, whilst the project values continuous feedback as an important component of successful translation. In an effective workshop, it is often possible to translate the complete New Testament during the period of the workshop, and having the Old Testament translated within a few months.
Depending on the country and training facilities, such a project costs around R100 000 per language. This is a fraction of what traditional translation would cost. Because the translators are all volunteers, their motivation and effectiveness are vastly different from paid workers, who would often prolong the process for financial gain. These translations are made available immediately within a the Internet and are accessible to the public.
What is significant about these translation projects is the fact that a theologically conservative association such as Wycliffe also uses translators and missionaries from Revivalist and/or Pentecostal orientation, as they are prepared to work anywhere and even under difficult circumstances.
The MAST method has evoked criticism (Zylstra
Despite the fact that it has attracted criticism, it is clear that the MAST programme contributes largely towards reducing the number of language groups that do not have access to the Bible in their own dialect.
Understanding the importance of the Bible as the seedbed for revival would also mean that there should be a focus on linking or communicating the areas where new translations are available to mission organisations. This could result in a more effective focus and ministry to areas where the seedbed for revival is prepared, and lasting results in terms of discipleship could be achieved.
In a rapidly changing society, the principles of
It is clear that the world out there is hunger for the church to join hands towards bringing an end to Bible poverty and creating an atmosphere in which true discipleship can blossom. The time has come to look less past the beam in our own eye than towards the splint in our fellow Christian’s eye. It is time to work with a common ground towards taking more ground for the kingdom.
To achieve this, the core aspects of the Reformation need to be celebrated, especially the celebration of the Word as the only guideline for our faith. May we receive the grace to foster such openness, and see how God establishes his kingdom until the ends of the earth, making disciples effectively!
The author declares that he has no financial or personal relationships that may have inappropriately influenced him in writing this article.
J.M.W. is the sole author of this research article.
This article followed all ethical standards for research without direct contact with human or animal subjects.
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
Data sharing is not applicable to this article as no new data were created or analysed in this study.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any affiliated agency of the author.
In his book,
The revival amongst the Zulus started in 1966, where Stegen and his congregants experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in an experience similar to Acts 2. The revival was characterised by people coming to the ministry looking for deliverance, people confessing their sins as well as many miracle healings that took place (Stegen
Scholars, such as Lehmann (
‘Fundamentalism’ normally has a negative or very conservative connotation, where one’s own understanding is equated to the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit (Janse van Rensburg et al.
In comparing the two exegetic approaches, it is clear that Pentecostal exegesis is much more interested in the outcome of the exegesis for ordinary life rather than the process itself. This does have the danger of reading the text out of context and misinterpreting the message of the text.
‘Pre-planting’ is a term borrowed from agriculture, where fertiliser is put in the ground well before the actual seeds are sown.
De Boer (
It is important to note that Wycliffe Associates has no relation to the Wycliffe Global Association, other than the referral to the Reformer John Wycliffe.