Society for Pentecostal Studies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS) is a scholarly association founded in 1970. The Society was first envisioned by three classical Pentecostals, Dr. William W. Menzies of the Assemblies of God, Dr. H. Vinson Synan of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, and Dr. Horace Ward of the Church of God. Originally, the requirement for membership was adherence to the statement of faith of the Pentecostal Fellowship of North America. However, because nontrinitarians and others were unable to sign the statement for doctrinal reasons, this requirement was eventually eliminated.
The purpose of the Society is to provide a scholarly forum by which to interpret the Pentecostal movement as well as "to stimulate, encourage, recognize, and publicize the work of Pentecostal and charismatic scholars; to study the implications of Pentecostal theology in relation to other academic disciplines, seeking a Pentecostal world-and-life view; and to support fully, to the extent appropriate for an academic society, the statement of purposes of the Pentecostal World Fellowship." [1]
The Society holds annual conferences as well as publishes Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. The organization, which began as a scholarly branch of classical Pentecostalism, is now ecumenical, with over 600 members from all major Christian denominations. For many years, the Society has hosted the meetings of the Roman Catholic/Pentecostal dialogue (see Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity).
[edit] External links
- Society for Pentecostal Studies - official Web site
