wfn.org | LWI 2008-044 Lutheran Theologians Reflect on Pentecostal Influences in Africa

["LWFNews" <LWFNews@lutheranworld.org>]

>LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION  
>LWI News online:
>http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/Welcome.EN.html 

Lutheran Theologians Reflect on Pentecostal Influences in
Africa
Churches Urged to Relate to People’s Actual Needs

SOWETO, South Africa/GENEVA, 17 July 2008 (LWI) - There is much
diversity among Lutheran churches in Africa with regard to
healing, exorcism, testifying, speaking in tongues and other
practices associated with Pentecostal churches, yet there are
Lutheran theological convictions, such as the priority of God's
grace, that are key for assessing such practices. 

This became evident at a 6-11 July theological seminar of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF) of 30 theologians from different
parts of Africa and beyond, deliberating on the theme, "Critical
Lutheran Beliefs and Practices in Relation to
Neo-Pentecostalism." 

Organized by the LWF Department for Theology and Studies (DTS),
the seminar hosted by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Southern
Africa (ELCSA) in Soweto, South Africa, was the sixth in the DTS
Theology in the Life of the Church (TLC) study series.

In his keynote address, Prof. J. Kwabena Asomoah-Gyadu, Trinity
Theological Seminary in Accra, Ghana, distinguished between
classical Pentecostalism and more recent neo-Pentecostal emphases
on a theology of prosperity and upward mobility. "The
accessibility to and democratization of charisma is a key factor
bringing life into churches perceived to have turned spiritually
stagnant and overly-cerebral," he said. 

Asomoah-Gyadu pointed out that churches in the New Testament
were "thoroughly charismatic," in how they experienced God’s
empowering presence. He underlined the diverse, multifaceted
nature of Pentecostalism and charismatic renewal movements,
saying, "Every such renewal movement is potentially a new church,
depending on how it is managed."

>Biblical Interpretations

Dr Sarojini Nadar, University of Kwazulu-Natal in
Pietermaritzburg, South Africa cautioned that sola scriptura (by
Scripture alone))as understood by many neo-Pentecostals leads to
a "four 'I's" approach that views the Bible as inerrant,
infallible, inspired and immediate, rather than the
Christological hermeneutic of Luther. She advocated approaches to
biblical interpretations that take seriously the transforming
work of the Holy Spirit and that affirm rather than deny life,
for example, for women in abusive relationships. 

Argentine theologian Dr Guillermo Hansen, drawing on Latin
American experiences of Pentecostalism critiqued its emphasis on
sanctifying all that is profane. For Luther, in contrast,
sanctification is “a matter of faith and love through the
created orders” of politics, economics and family life. The
Holy Spirit “fulfills through our bodies and minds the
commandments of the second table,” affirming and fulfilling all
of creation, he noted. 

>Participatory Worship

Emphasizing liturgy as a drama that moves from Good Friday to
Easter, Bishop Musawenkosi D. Biyela, ELCSA Eastern Diocese,
pointed out that Pentecostals focus mostly just on Easter, rather
than on how the Cross transforms suffering today. "There is need
for a good balance between structure (order, dignity) and
ecstasy. Worship needs to be participatory, not just a one-person
show by the pastor." He also cautioned against so-called miracle
crusades. "Did Jesus ever advertise his miracles?"

Rev. Gertrud Toensing, Lutheran Theological Institute in
Pietermaritzburg, provided a critical analysis of theology in
popular Pentecostal praise songs, which increasingly are used in
many Lutheran churches. 

In group discussions throughout the seminar, participants
underscored the church's important role in addressing people's
actual needs, developing more participatory worship, and honoring
the diverse gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit. "A lot of people
have left Lutheran churches because they feel they were not
allowed to exercise their gifts of the Spirit," remarked Grace
Ufan Friday, an evangelist in the Lutheran Church of Nigeria.

While some of the African Lutheran churches have regular healing
services and other charismatic practices, such as in Madagascar
and Ethiopia, others are more hesitant. "We need to change our
churches," insisted Rev. Faith Lugazia, Evangelical Lutheran
Church in Tanzania. For Rev. Yako Galana Babusa, Kenya
Evangelical Lutheran Church, "It's the false testifying that I
have problems with; how can this be managed?" 

Namibian theologian Dr Paul John Isaak, currently teaching at
the Ecumenical Institute in Bossey, Switzerland, pointed out that
right belief and practice are not sufficient, but need to also
include "right-heartedness" toward God and others. All agreed
that more attention should be given to teaching especially laity
about the Holy Spirit and the wide array of the gifts of the
Spirit. 

Other participants came from Ethiopia, Central African Republic,
Cameroon, Germany, Madagascar, Swaziland, the United States of
America, Zambia and Zimbabwe. LWF/DTS will publish later this
year the seminar's presentations and discussions in the fourth
volume of the TLC series. 

For more information about the TLC volumes, see
http://www.lutheranworld.org/What_We_Do/Dts/DTS-Publications.pdf

>*        *          *

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the
Lutheran tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund, Sweden, the LWF
currently has 141 member churches in 79 countries all over the
world, with a total membership of over 68.3 million. The LWF acts
on behalf of its member churches in areas of common interest such
as ecumenical and interfaith relations, theology, humanitarian
assistance, human rights, communication, and the various aspects
of mission and development work. Its secretariat is located in
Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the LWF’s information
service. Unless specifically noted, material presented does not
represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its various
units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with
acknowledgment.] 

>LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
>P. O. Box 2100CH-1211 
>Geneva 2 Switzerland

>Tel.: +41/22-791 63 69 
>Fax: +41/22-791 66 30