David Courey has served as a minister in the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada for thirty years and currently serves as dean of graduate studies at the Continental Theological Seminary in Brussels. He brings his experience and commitment as a Pentecostal minister to his academic study of theology, particularly the theology of Martin Luther. Courey's central argument is that personal and institutional triumphalism in the Pentecostal tradition is a major problem, at least in its twenty-first-century North American context. Following Douglas John Hall's use of Martin Luther's theology of the cross to critique the triumphalism of mainline Protestantism, Courey applies Luther's theology as a corrective to the theology of glory found in Pentecostalism. Courey defines this triumphalism as both retrospective, centered on a restoration of the apostolic church, and prospective, centered on an anticipation of the eschaton in the perfection of the individual. However, Courey says, this expectation of power over sin and suffering is belied by both institutional and personal experience, hence the need for Luther's theology of the cross, which acknowledges the limits of human nature and our access to the divine.
This book is a somewhat unusual example of ecumenical dialogue in that its primary purpose is to use another religious tradition to critique and correct one's own. It is even more striking since these two traditions are often assumed to be in conflict, given Luther's harsh criticism of the “enthusiasts” of his day and his skepticism of direct spiritual experience. Courey finds common ground by putting Luther's critique in historical context and arguing that for both Luther and Pentecostals, the Word is ultimate and the Spirit is penultimate. This common ground seeks to correct the Pentecostal inclination to make charismatic experience ultimate and the Lutheran tendency to neglect the role of spiritual experience and gifts (with the exception of the Finnish school of Luther studies). In the process, Courey offers new and at times provocative interpretations of both traditions. He emphasizes and even fundamentally redefines the usual interpretation of the role of spiritual experience in Luther as well as offering a sympathetic reading of some of the most controversial aspects of Luther's thought: the theology of the cross, the hiddenness of God, supernatural experiences, and eschatological expectation. Courey also interprets the history and theology of the Pentecostal movement to argue that triumphalism is not its defining characteristic but rather a historical aberration, and then offers a corrective through Luther's theology of the cross. Using Jürgen Moltmann's categories, Courey seeks to replace the restorationism and perfectionism of historic Pentecostalism with a pneumatologia crucis and an eschatologia crucis, thus putting the experience of the Holy Spirit and the eschatological anticipation of Pentecostalism more fully in the context of the cross and resurrection. While both Pentecostals and Lutherans will no doubt challenge aspects of his interpretation of both traditions, putting them in conversation with one another offers new insights for their relevance today.
This book therefore bridges the academy and the church, and Lutheran and Pentecostal religious traditions, as well as historical and constructive theology. It would be suitable, albeit challenging, for upper-level undergraduate courses because of the clarity of its argument and frequent definition of terms. It becomes somewhat repetitive at points, but this serves to reinforce its themes. It is even more appropriate for graduate courses, given its attention to both theological and historical issues, its contemporary relevance, and extensive footnotes and bibliography. It would not serve as an introduction to Lutheran or Pentecostal theology, but it would be useful in provoking discussion of the essential characteristics of these traditions, the role of ecumenical dialogue, and the place of religion in the twenty-first-century North American context.
