Translating Pentecostal Testimony into Interreligious Dialogue
[Article]
Tony Richie
Leiden
Brill
The author argues that the current escalation of interfaith conflict, frequently leading to violence, presents an urgent demand for responsible entry into interreligious dialogue by Pentecostals. However, Pentecostal participation in dialogue must be in a manner faithful to the movement's firmly established beliefs and values. This essay describes Pentecostalism's traditional practice of Spirit-enlivened testimony as a model with familiarity and specificity for Pentecostal adherents that may be effective for broader contexts beyond the movement itself. Testimony, therefore, supplies maturing Pentecostalism, mindful of the dilemma threatening global and local stability and security, with a paradigm for a distinctive approach to interreligious dialogue, a paradigm that is both consistent with Pentecostal heritage and that creatively meets contemporary needs.