The Presence of the Spirit in the Academy

Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies as an Interdisciplinary Concern

Authors

  • Wolfgang Vondey University of Birmingham

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1558/ptcs.30329

Keywords:

Pentecostal studies, Spiritual Presence, interdisciplinarity, Spirit, symbol, academia, pneumatology

Abstract

The academic discipline of Pentecostal and Charismatic studies represents an interdisciplinary concern because the chief concern of Pentecostal and Charismatic movements is the presence of God’s Spirit. This study pursues the modest goal to outline the contours of this interdisciplinarity by mapping the terrain of the recent renaissance of pneumatology with the emergence of Pentecostalism and its pursuit of the Spirit. The essay delineates the interdisciplinary character of the pursuit of the Spirit as an academic concern, offers a definition of Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies in terms of its pursuit of the Spiritual Presence, identifies boundaries and potential forms of this interdisciplinary discourse, and concludes by drafting a course towards a more fully interdisciplinary agenda.

Author Biography

  • Wolfgang Vondey, University of Birmingham

    Wolfgang Vondey (PhD, Marquette University) is reader in contemporary Christianity and Pentecostal studies at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, where he also directs the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies. His research focuses on systematic theological themes through the lens of Pentecostalism, including interests in religion, pneumatology, ecclesiology, and the intersection of theology and the sciences. He is co-editor of the series Christianity and Renewal-Interdisciplinary Studies and of Systematic Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology.

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Published

2017-05-24

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

Vondey, W. (2017). The Presence of the Spirit in the Academy: Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies as an Interdisciplinary Concern. PentecoStudies, 16(1), 85–116. https://doi.org/10.1558/ptcs.30329