Asian Pentecostalism is predictably varied in how its adherents understand Spirit baptism since it is the largest continent. Over half of Asia’s 13% Evangelical population are adherents of Pentecostalism (Ma 70). Because the shear size of Asia, I will only highlight theologies of Spirit baptism among Pentecostals from two Asian countries: China, and Korea. Many of the churches within the recent Chinese House Church movement Pentecostal in nature (Anderson 246). Chinese Pentecostals have been heavily influenced by American Pentecostal missionaries such as W.W. Simpson and especially Dennis Balcombe who aggressively evangelized the Chinese and avidly taught the baptism of the Holy Spirit with tongues (Anderson, To the Ends 72-74, and Aikman 271-275). In addition to the Classical Pentecostal understanding of Spirit baptism, the Chinese churches experience Spirit baptism as God’s confirmation that He values their life (Au, Asian 33). After Balcombe taught the Chinese house churches about Spirit baptism, they experienced “a new zeal in their evangelizing and saw more people being healed after prayer than ever before” (Aikman 273). Early Pentecostal leaders also helped women who had been caught in prostitution recover their dignity and purpose through the baptism of the Holy Spirit (Au, Asian 32). Many of the Chinese house churches, given their long history of persecution, see Spirit baptism as the power of God to endure suffering as well as the enablement to do miracles. They sometimes call it, “the Charism of Martyrdom” (Au Pentecostalism 96-97).

Korean Pentecostals have been very prolific in exploring new areas within a theology of Spirit baptism, especially the eschatological implications and the role of the experience in the proclamation of the Kingdom of God (Macchia 47, 58). Any discussion of Korean Pentecostalism must address the influence of Pastor David Yonggi Cho of the Yoido Full Gospel Church of Seoul. Many have accused Cho of espousing a version of the prosperity gospel and shamanizing Christianity because of his emphasis on spiritual power and physical, financial and spiritual blessing (Yong 51, Yung 263). This is deduction among scholars is understandable since prosperity theology even influences his view of Spirit baptism, which he teachers “results in people having an “overflowing blessing” to share with others” (Anderson 229). However Cho’s theology of material blessing comes from his experience with intense poverty and is more “a “gospel of need”, in contrast to the gospel of prosperity which is a gospel of greed” (Yung 263). Recent study has also gone into the accusation of shamanism in Cho’s theology and scholars like Dr. Myung Soo Park have concluded that Cho was more heavily influenced by Pentecostal and Charismatic missionaries that he interacted with, especially the famous faith healer and evangelist, Oral Roberts (Park 113, 116).

This survey of a global Pentecostal theology and experience of Spirit baptism is neither comprehensive nor holistic. But this brief exploration of Pentecostals from a wide variety of cultures and nations illustrate the vast diversity within the Pentecostal faith. Pentecostalism cannot rightly be defined by a clear confession or creed. The doctrine of Spirit baptism is no exception to that rule. With such deviations from Classical Pentecostalism as the German denial of subsequency and the Chilean (and Indian) denial of initial evidence. This incredible diversity within the Pentecostal community should call into question some of the so-called “cardinal” doctrines of Pentecostalism. A dialogue within Pentecostalism should explore and define a truly global Pentecostal theology of Spirit baptism, just as Dr. Frank Macchia welcomes and attempts to do in his book, Baptized in the Spirit: A Global Pentecostal Theology (Macchia 17). This is not to say the theologizing done before isn’t true, but “if Classical Pentecostals are concerned to retain the doctrines in order to preserve our “distinctive testimony”… it is to harp on the letter of a dead law” (Yong 297). With that being said, it is my theological conviction that it is at least this experience from the Spirit, called the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, that has energized and empowered one of the greatest revivals and evangelism movements the Church has seen since the 1st Century Pentecost.

*This series was originally written as one of my research paper assignments for MBI – Spokane’s Global Theology class taught by Dr. Jonathan Armstrong, under the title, Doctrine and Experience: The Variegated Understanding of Spirit Baptism in Global Pentecostalism, November 2014.

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[This works cited is for the entire essay, not just part 5]

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