a contextual missiology of the spirit - eTheses Repository ...

served as executive council members for FFCI. There are local ministers serving
as teachers in various theological institutes. For example, natives like Benjamin
A.K., T. Masih, Cornelius Masih and J. Rana are among the faculty members of
FBC. There are schools and orphanages run by local Pentecostals. Many
Pentecostals are actively involved in the Tribal Christian Welfare Society of India
(TCWSI), and many Pentecostal ministers hold significant positions in this
Society, as will be discussed in chapter five. In brief, today mainly natives are
seen in Pentecostal congregations, institutes and leadership, and thus they have
made Pentecostalism a Rajasthani movement. 86
3.4. Theological Features of Pentecostalism in Rajasthan
Pentecostals in Rajasthan, as in many parts of the globe, have made little attempt
to explain their experience and belief in a formal way. It seems that Indian
Pentecostals in general have failed to develop their theology even after a century
of expansion. As Simon Chan reminds us, ‘The Pentecostal reality has not been
communicated in all its fullness to a subsequent generation. When it was
explained, it came through as rather impoverished theological constructs.’
According to him ‘Pentecostal experience’ is richer than ‘Pentecostal
explanation,’ and ‘this disparity between experience and explanation has serious
consequences for Pentecostal traditioning.’ 87 Therefore it is important to deal with
the theology of Pentecostals in Rajasthan to understand them better. The
following is only a brief discussion to enable a better understanding of their
86 ‘Leadership,’ here, means mainly pastors of local congregations. This does not mean that
Rajasthanis were given due representation in the senior leadership of all Pentecostal organizations.
More details on this issue will be found in chapter five.
87 Chan, Pentecostal Theology, 10.
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