Word and Spirit at Play: Towards a Charismatic Theology [Paperback]

Mr. Jean-Jacques Suurmond (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 1995

The spirituality of a quarter of all Christians can be characterized as “charismatic.” Pentecostalism itself is one of the most rapidly growing religious movements in America and abroad. Despite these facts, little serious effort has been made to develop a systematic Pentecostal theology — until now. / Word and Spirit at Play is the first work to outline a theology that does full justice to the Pentecostal experience of God's Word and Spirit. Dutch scholar Jean-Jacques Suurmond, who is himself a Pentecostal, draws on two decades of work in Pentecostalism to demonstrate in a simple yet scholarly way how a charismatic approach shapes the lives the Christians and the church. / Suurmond describes the history and characteristics of present-day Pentecostalism, discusses the significance of Spirit baptism to the Pentecostal life, reflects seriously on the “gifts of grace,” (including tongues), and celebrates the role of “play” in Pentecostal worship. / This book will be invaluable both to theologians — who have long wanted a scholarly synthesis of charismatic theology — and to laypeople, especially Pentecostals wanting to deepen their faith and other believers searching for a spirituality that opens up new sources of Christian community.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch

About the Author

Jean-Jacques Suurmond is a Reformed minister in Vlaardingen, the Netherlands.

Product Details

• Paperback: 260 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company (February 21, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802840701
• ISBN-13: 978-0802840707
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,176,639 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jean-Jacques Suurmond, PhD,is an author, theologian and psychotherapist/supervisor in the Netherlands. His main interest is in the field of spirituality. He is a column writer for the Dutch newspaper Trouw, published on pentecostalism and, recently, on the spirituality of Florence Nightingale. From time to time he is involved in art projects (recently he let a church in Amsterdam disappear in the fog, with the help of 15 artists, 30 theologians and 2 mist machines).

www.jean-jacquessuurmond.nl

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Offers Interdisciplinary theology, but lacks practicality, July 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Word and Spirit at Play: Towards a Charismatic Theology (Paperback)

Word and Spirit at Play is by no means a "classical" Pentecostal theology. By "classical", I mean a set of doctrines and theological presuppositions that can be traced to the holiness revival of the late 19th century right through the birth of so-called Pentecostal denominations from the 1906 Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles. Suurmond does retrace this history briefly at the beginning of his book. However, he does not adequately link those experiences to the conceptual framework that he wishes to provide for global Pentecostal/Charismatic movements. He does do an excellent job in outlining a theology based on the theoretical notion of "play." He also embraces a fairly wide range of disciplines, sociology and psychology in order to explain what he believes to be the core significance of Pentecostal faith and practice. Perhaps most interesting is the emerging critical organic view of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and in the wo! rld that he said is evolving in Europe.

What is ironic here is that Suurmond does a wonderful job invoking the intellectual tradition of those tapped into some deep-rooted sense of spirituality: John of the Cross, Martin Buber, et. al. However, it is not clear if he wants to talk about Pentecostalism or detached mysticism ultimately. Moreover, in terms that could be seen as racist and at the very least, condescending, he refers to Seymour, hundreds of years removed from Africa, as having blending the holiness revival with African retentions. He also makes vague references to "third world spirituality" as a moniker of Pentecostalism globally without intellectually or theologically clarifying what third world spirituality is.

Suurmond relies heavily on biased, anthropological studies of Pentecostalism by white/European academics and his organic construction of the Spirit is almost a rehash of Jurgen Moltmann's "The Spirit of Life; A Universal Affirmation."! ;

Suurmond has certainly provided an important synthesis ! of many areas and the "renewal" movement from which he comes in Europe has done much to provide conceptual expression for the heretofore non-intellectualized experience in prayer meetings and praise services in all types of estatic, Christian worship services around the globe.

The book is worth reading for those who have in fact embraced a Pentecostal type of Christian life, a life in which "spirit" is a sensed force or presence in one's life, but who do not wish to be constrained to Evangelical-fundamentalist understandings of the nature and work of the Holy Spirit or Charisma in the church.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pentecostalism for grownups, December 31, 2010

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Gray Temple "grayt1" (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Word and Spirit at Play: Towards a Charismatic Theology (Paperback)

The birth of Pentecostalism in 1901 and its global spread is a phenomenon that calls for understanding. Its entry into 'mainline' Christian denominations in the 60s and 70s offered a bright if brief promise -- a sort of 'mysticism for the rest of us,' a rapid transformative immersion into the presence of God expressed in simple worship procedures that occasionally achieved real heights and depths (but rarely breadth). By the 80s it had gone sour: fundamentalistic, anti-intellectual, politically and socially reactionary.
Suurmond's book was its high water mark. He presents its history clearly, displays what was admirable in it, accounts for what was regrettable -- all in a jargon-free vocabulary accessible to the general culture.
The discussion is done so well that the book will be of enduring value to anyone interested in authentic spirituality.