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

David J. du Plessis is true of Rajasthan as well. According to him, personal
witness by Pentecostal followers is the chief reason for the ‘developments of
indigenous churches and movements from the very beginning.’ 96 The story of the
formation of a Pentecostal church in Pimpri 97 village illustrates this fact. Nathu, 98
along with his wife and children, came to Pentecostal faith in 1994 from a tribal
community after receiving deliverance from demonic oppression. When he came
to this new faith he was working in Udaipur, more than 75 kilometres from his
village. Gradually he began to witness to his family members about his new faith.
His brother-in-law became a Pentecostal after Nathu invited him and his family to
attend his son’s birthday prayer meeting. When Nathu’s brother-in-law went back
he began to introduce the new faith to other members of the family, and
eventually a Pentecostal church was formed in his village. Many Pentecostal
churches in Rajasthan have similar stories to tell.
3.4.2. Pneumatology
The following discussion is limited to show the emphasis on the Holy Spirit given
by Pentecostals in Rajasthan, rather than complete details of their pneumatology.
Pentecostals are characterized by their stress on the Spirit. Rajasthani Pentecostals
are often called Pavithrathma vale (Holy Spirit-people) due to their emphasis on
the Spirit of God. An analysis of the curriculum of FBC clearly reveals the Spirit-
emphasis. Courses like ‘Pneumatology,’ ‘Holy Spirit in Paul,’ ‘Pentecostal
Doctrines’ and ‘History of Revivals and Missions’ are offered as core courses in
96 David J. du Plessis, ‘Golden Jubilees of Twentieth Century Pentecostal Movements,’ in Azusa
Street and Beyond: Pentecostal Missions and Church Growth in the Twentieth Century, ed. Grant
McClung (Gainesville, FL: Bridge-Logos, 2006), 71.
97 Pimpri is a pseudonym.
98 Pseudonym.
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