jepta 1987 06-1 - European Pentecostal Theological Association

EPPA BULLETI N
BULLETIN OF THE
EUROPEAN
PENTECOSTAL
THEOLOG I CAC
ASSOCIATION
VOL VI NO, 1
1987

P , ART1 CLE
HOW Public are Public Testimonies?
A Short Reflection on a Liturgical Practice
by Jean-Daniel PlUss
Many of the free churches of the pietistic
tradition are acquainted with the practice of testifying
at public meetings. Pentecostals from their beginning
have been very conscious of the impact personal
testimonies can have on church life in general and on
missionary activity in particular. They understand a
. witness to the power of the Moly Spirit to be a christian
mandate to the world (~cts 1:B). It is therefore not
surprising that early pentecostal publications were
careful to underline any aspect demonstrating the public
and accessible nature of religious experience.(l)
The logic for bringing an intimate experience of
the Transcendent to the market place of opinions is, as
such, easy to formulate. Theologically, the grace of God
is recognized as a free and priceless gift which compels
the witness to share its descriptian for the benefit of
all, and also in order that he can come to terms with his
own impressions. In other words, the public sharing of a
testimony can be understood as the hermeneutic response
to an experience which the believer ideally knows to have
its roots outside himself, Furthermore, it seems
inconceivable to think of a non-public testimony, The
question, though, arises whether or not public telling
automatically leads to public understanding. What should
be public by nature is not necessarily public in
practice. Three aspects of the testimonial practice need
to be considered specifically if the queation of the
title is to be answered. Theae aspects focus on the
communicative triangle consisting of the sender, the
message, and the receiver. The first aspect can be
formulated in the following question: How true is the
witness to himself? More specifically, in what way can
self-deception interfere with the contents of the
narration? The second aspect concerns the question, how.
can the use of language promote or hinder the understanding
of religious values. Are certain language games
unable to qualify for public consumption? And the third
aspect to be examined is the role of the audience. What
does llpublicityll imply?
The Problem of self-~sce~tion
Probably the easiest criteria for the discoverv of
self-deception in testimonial narratives is the
"Who speaks?" The testimony as such speaks for itself. It
is through 'Ithe irruption of something higher" that the
witness feels compelled to testify. If the witness
intends to speak through his testimony then he brings a
foreign element into khe narrative. As Raimundo PANIKKAR
puts it,
I do not bear witness to the truth of my faith if I
proclaim it in order to be a witness . . . O f
course falsehood is alao possible here, As long as
the audience believes the teatimony of the witness,
he bears true witness - ex opere operantis - but he
ceases to do so when the audience discovers that he
- rather than the testimony itself - intends to
speak, to bear witness. In fact, the w i l l to bear
witness implies wanting to show . . . to convert
him because I myself am convinced that the contents
of my testimony are proper for him too . . . the
purpose is no longer the passive blossoming of a
grace that the audience freely discovers, but the
active communication of a value . . . (2)
The winning force of a spontaneous testimony is not
problematic, buk the pre-meditated proclamation in the
disguise of a intuitive telling poses difficulties,
Interprstative comments are therefore rare in spontaneous
testimonies. If they are present, they indicate that the
witness has already passed a pre-reflective stage, for
instance, by virtue of having testified to the same

experience on several occasions, or by their transmission
to writing. Nota bene: interpretative comments do not
invalidate a testimony, but they make a critical reading
more important.
The question "Who speaks?" can shed more light on
inauthentic testimonies of grace from another angle,
namely in the form in which it relates to a thir'd party,
as the Latin roots testis and tri-stans already Indicate.
A testimony is not a dialectical activity between two
parties, rather it is a witness to transcendence which
may be religious or simply institutional as in the
practice of oath .taking. Now if the witness does not
admit the existence of a third party, then the
possibility of self-deception is very real. Alphonse De
WAELHENS gives, from a psychoanalytic viewpoint, two
examples where triple inter-subjectivity is thwarted.(3)
The first case applies to the schizophrenic person, for
whom there cannot be an address to a third person, due to
the difficulties of already speaking as a self.(4) The
second example applies to the paranoiac for whom the
third party is his own self, for he remains psychologically
at the mirror-stage and reacts aggressively to
any deviation of his perception of himself. If asked who
speaks, he would answer "Me, who elselft For him that
means that all truth is his truth. In testifying he
actually makes apodictic statements in which any form of
ambiguity is excluded.(5) But it is ambiguity that
characterizes testimony and bestows unpretentious power
to its speech. After all, to testify is to be involved in
an act of faith. Signs of ambiguity refer to the
awareness of the third party. Phrases like "1 asked
myself,tt "I wondered," or I t i t dawned on mett are typical
pointers to such inter-subjectivity.
It is generally assumed that testimonies
emphatically claim only one interpretation of truth. That
this is not the case is illustrated by the early
pentecostal testimonies of healing in which the medical
profession stands in an ambivalent position. On the one
hand, the real physician is Jesus, on the other hand
medical terminology is used to describe the worsening of
the initial situation and doctors are invited ta verify
miraculous healings. (6) Indeed such testimonies are not
incoherent, but reflect the divided character of human
existence and the delicate enterprise of placing moral
commitment between strongly held beliefs and constantly
emerging model8 with new formulations of what is held to
be true. It follows that the function of testimony for
the Itmapping of a life worldtt fulfills a pivotal role
especially in a secular and pluralist society. As a
conclusion it can be suggested that the ambivalent
character of a testimony, if it is shared in a public
context and is open ,to a public critique, can lend
veracity to the act of communicating a religious
experience. Ambiguity and truth are not necessarily
diametrically opposed,
The Problem of Language Use
If a testimony is truly communicated publicly, it
w i l l he expressed in a language game understandable to
all. It Is not so easy to do so for at least two reasons.
First, a religious experience always evolves around a
disclosure that reveals a surplus of meaning. Theologically,
khis can be described as a disclosure of
grace, The witness testifies to an event that enlarged
his horizon of understanding . Linguistically, such an
experience is described poetically. (7) The insight gained
cannot ho rlescrlhed in a flatly descriptive way.
Metaphors are used as illustrations of that which seems
odd but true.(R) From a positive paint of view there is
a universally ncknowledged and commonly understood way of
expresrslng the religious, It takes the form of
narratives, The bnuic structure of a narrative with its
plot, tensions, and resolutions can be understood by
everyone. Xt i~ no accident that the Christian Gospel is
essentially a nt;ary. If a testimony is truly public it
w l l l mo~t I tkely t;ake the form of a narrative. From a
negakive point; of' vltsw, tho use of poetic language for

describing disclosures of the transcendent can lead to
the well-known problems evolving around "God-talk." This
leads us to the second problem of language use.
The secularization of western society has brought
about a separation between religious language and the
language of common use. Whereas in the Middle Ages the
world view was governed by all embracing religious
convictions, the man of the twentieth century differentiates,
for example, between scientific, social, and
private views. In other words the witness can no longer
take it for granted that formerly common religious lingo
is still being understood. In its form, a testimony can
sound like a "category mistake" when human questions are
met in terms of a transcendent reference, that is, when
an (apparently) non-religious question is answered
religiously. What should be avoided, therefore, is an
unintelligible leap from one language game (and the human
experiences it describes) to another. Edward
SCHILLEBEECKX states:
The missionary task of christianity and the
transition from non-christian to christian thus
confront us with the need for an explicitly
non-religious context of experience within which it
Is possible to listen meaningfully to christian
talk about God in a secularized world.(9)
In one sense this radical statement clearly suggests to
contextualize faith to an experience of meaning, and that
this correlation has to be so fundamental as to be
accessible to all human questions relating to the meaning
of life. The narrative and everyday character of
testimonies seems suitable in this respect, as long as
testimonies do not hide behind a wall of religious
stereotypes. A statement like, "The Lamb of God brought
me to the foot of Golgotha," can hardly be described as
publicly accessible, but the simple story how faith in
God through the example of Jesus changes one's own life
might be understandable. In summary, the message
conveyed, as the second element of the communicative
triangle, can only be of public value to the extent that
it is presented in an accessible code,
What are the Claims of the Audience?
A testimony is by definition addressed to an
audience. It follows that the receivers of the
testimonial message are endowed with an active
communicative role. They are expected to respond as a
sign that the message has been understood. In order to
ascertain the dialogue between sender and receiver a
twofold pact needs to be made if the testimony is to be
truly public.
The first has been called the "autobiographical
act, l1 (10) In an autobiographical communication (as in a
testimony) there is, according to Philippe LEJEUNE, a
generally agreed upon iden'tity between the author and the
narrator, as well as between the narrator and the
protagonist of the story. This basic presupposition makes
an autobiographical account meaningful to the public. The
pact is a warrant of truthfulness. Now, what has been
said concerning self-deception makes the elaboration of
the pact necessary; namely, the warrant of truthfulness
provided by the audience, It takes the form of a public
trial, because the notion of trial is semantically
inherent to the notion of testimony,
The one who testifies reports an event, he gives a
narration, Those who hear the witness must decide whether
or not they can believe the veracity of the facts told.
For the witness it is not enough to state what he has
tlseen,ll he must also give account of its truthfulness. As
such, testimony is therefore always at the service of
j udgmenk ,
This trial is charncterized by a party dispute; the
pleading for one opinion against the other is a
phenomsnon of moat human situations. "We cannot claim to
have cer2:al,n?;y but only probability, It writes Paul
RICCOEUR, !land the probable is only pursued through a
struggle of ~pinlon,~~(ll) This is especially the case
with startemenl;s of faith, The critical element of a

trial, however, does not necessarily debunk the
testimony. It may also enhance its value by acclamation.
The testimony receives an exterior dimension through the
.judgment of its hearers, without which it cannot be truly
public, nor do justice as a doxological expression of
belief.
In other words, testimonial , practice in church
should involve the community - for it is a community of
interpretation. The role of the christian community (and
by implication also that of the world) is, negatively, to
question the testimony in view of the witness' life and
the message of the Gospel. (e.g. Does the false testimony
meet the test of conviction?) Positively, the community
can appreciate a testimony if it reflects the ultimate
testimony, that is, the testimony of life and total
commitment of Jesus Christ.
A final remark on the public nature of testimonies
will bring us back to the early days of Pentecostalism.
As the movement took roots in the western world it
proclaimed its new found freedom in Christ across
institutional barriers and in public places because it
could generally not afford its own architecturally
designed church buildings.(12) The testimonies were
shared on truly public grounds such as parks, public
meeting places and factory halls. Although the
Pentecostals religious practice was claimed to be
esoteric, their language of experience (reflecting
various social milieus) was not.
Furthermore, the argument for publicity has also a
biblical reason. William EVERETT puts it like this,
"Biblical faith gives God a specific character and
address. God has a 'dwelling place I described variously
as 'most high, heaven, heavenly kingdom, heavenly court,
or throne. This spatiality may strike sophisticates as
quaint, unless they realize that the biblical authors are
claiming that God dwells in perfect public - a place of
light, of open disclosure, of persuasive truth, of
judgment in the light of all the facts.I1(l3) To this
statement one could add the familiar notion in the Old
Testament of "God's presence dwelling among his people,"
or the New Testament equivalent: Itthe Word became flesh
and dwelt among us, full of grace and truthu (John 1:14).
EVERETT advocates another reason for paying
attention to the public realm.(l4) It arises as a
contrast from the fallen human condition which retreats
into privation, a place of isolation and darkness,
selfish coercion and death. Ironically, the pluralistic
concept of the "publict1 in a secular world becomes a
symbol of wholeness and salvation.
Jean-Daniel PLUESS
Meuelatrasse 45
CH - 8032 Zurich
Endnotes
(1) So for instance in the first issue of the British periodical
Confidence 1,1 (April 1908). pp. 8-10; or in the Swiss journal
-
Die
Verheissung des Vaters 6, 36 (1913), p. 8. Testimonies from various
iocial backgrounds are mentioned and the witnesses are referred to with
full name, occasionally also uith their complete address.
(2) Raimundo PANXKKAR, Myth, Faith and Hermeneutics (New York:
Paulist Press, 1979), p. 249,
(3) Alphonse DE WAELHENS, I1Ambiguftk de la notion de
tlimoignage," in Le thoignage, Enrico CASTELLI ed., (paris: Aubier,
1972), pp. 467-476.
(5) The case of schizophrenia should however not be confused
uith the double aspect: of the self making a testimonial narrative
possible. Paul BROCKELHAfi distinguishes a self which is characterized
in the tsmporal process brought to light in the testimony, and the self
which causes any reflection about it, Tho ability to keep one's
distance from a temporal experience also explains self-deception,
namely the interplay betwcen a deceiving self and a deceived self. A t
the same time it allows awareness of this arocess and a correction OF
ael f-.decep tion. Paul UROCUELMAN, Time and Self. Phenonsnological
Explorations (Oecatur: 1985), pp, 15-16, 82-83.

(5) Alphone DE WAELHENS, Ambiguftk, pp. 470-473. By implication
the objective to Ittell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the
truth" is in fact a paranoiac fallacy! Another example of unambiguous
and self-deceptive testimony has been discussed by Stanles HAUERWAS in
an article on Albert SPEERfs autobiography lllnside the Third Reichll in
Truthfulaess and Tragedy: Further Investigations in Christian Ethics,
(Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1977), pp. 82-98. HAUERWAS
mentions various reasons for consciously or unconsciously allowing
self-deception in an autobiographical narrative. To give a few examples
the following desires are cited: to stay morally ignorant about a
certain state of affairs, not to spell out certain activities, to
cherish an illusion, to fit a social role. TO illustrate the possible
extent of self-deception HAUERWAS points to SPEER's deliberate
avoidance of the Jewish issue by clinging to the narrative thread that
presented him as HITLERls apolitical architect. SPEER put aesthetics
over ethics and correlated his identity picture to that decision.
(6) To give a few examples from early Pentecostalism: "A
Wonderful Case of Cancer Healing by the Lord," i n Confidence 5,3
(1912), pp. 65f,; "A Girl's Miracle-Cure,tl in Christian Herald (March
7th, 1912), reprinted in Confidence 5,3 (1912)~ pp. 70f.; Ver alle
deine Krankheiten heilt," in Die Verheissung des Vaters 9,11+12 (1916),
pp. 6ff.
(7) For further information see for instance the writings of
Paul RICOEUR, such as, Essays on Biblical Interpretation, Lewis S.
MUDGE, ed., (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1974-1980), pp. 73-154; and
The Rule of Metaphor (London: Routledge E Kegan Paul, 1977).
(8) On a theory of disclosure of odd logic cf. Ian T. RAMSEY,
Religious Language: An Empirical Placing of Theological Phrases
(London: SCM Press, 1957).
(9) Edward SCHILLEBEECKX, The Understanding of Faith: In terpretation
and Criticism (London: Sheed and Ward. 1974). .. o.
9
160,
(10) Phillipe LEJEUNE, "Le pact autobiographique,~~ in Podtique
14 (1973) 9 pp. 137-162.
(11) Paul RICEUR, Vhe Hermeneutics of Testimony,l in Essays on
Biblical Interpretation, p. 125.
(12) See endnote (1).
(13) William EVERETT, "Liturgy and Ethics: A Response to Saliers
and RamseylH in The Journal of Religious Ethics 7,2 ( 1979)~ p. 209.
(14) William EVERETT, "Liturgy and Ethics," p, 210.
Paul
I I , BOOK REVIEWS
ELBEIIT (ed.), Essays on Apostolic Themes: Studies in
Honor of Howard M. ERVIN presented to him by
Colleagues and Friends on his Sixty-fifth Birthday
(Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1985). . . 239
pp. Reviewed by John KARSTEN, Zeist, ~olland.
Honoring a scholar with a book - a familiar custom
among Germans - is starting among Charismatics and
Pentecostaln. This back honors the American scholar and
Pastor H.M. ERVIN who teaches at Oral Roberts University.
A brief story of ERVIN'S life and his bibliography is
included. The contributors come from a wide range of
denominations, including the Assemblies of God and the
Roman Catholic Church.
A brief survey will illustrate the book's value. At
the: level of l~orrneneu'tical presuppositions, William
MENZIES defends the classical pentecostal link between
,[;he I4oly Spirit and tongues while G,A, TURNER briefly
doacribea tho Woly Spirit in the Hermeneutics of the
Iicformation and the Radical Reformation." Strangely
enough, he includes Pietism, Quakerism and Methodism in
which the inner. testimony is the major work of the
Spirit. In HI-lermeneutics; A Pentecostal Option," ERVIN
himself opposes demythoLogization and the new hermeneutics.
I-le argues that the miraculous is not mythical
but real and can be experienced today by the Spirit. This
assumptian, he believes, is more realistic than an
accomodation to outmoded materialistic thinking.
F.P. BRUCE writes exhaus'tively on "The Spirit in
the I,,ettcr to tho Ga.latianstl and relates data to other
New Tsstament aogments . The Galatians had received the
Spirit vi~ibl.y and He had produced love and hope, The
promise was given praviously that the judgment started
with Pentecost RO that justification and life in the
Spirit are inseparable. Adoption is not only a change in

status for it implies a relationship to God as Father,
and Jesus as Lord. BRUCE'S consideration of the leading
of the Spirit in moral living and the fruit of Christ's
character concludes a first-rate study.
J .D. G. DUNN in his contribution entitled "Romans
7:14-25 in the Theology of Paultt argues forcefully and
with broad documentation that this position describes
Paul's present christian life. Those contending for
other views (e.g. that the passage refers to Paul's
pre-christian life, or the majority view that it refers
to men apart from Christ as viewed by a believer) will
need to take note of his arguments. H.R. YIM has his
focus on "Preaching God's Word in Demonstration of the
Spirit and of Power.I1 He argues that effective preaching
requires the centrality of the Bible and the ministry of
the Holy Spirit and that the goal of preaching is
liberating people although the context in which preaching
occurs can vary.
J. HORNER relates "The Holy Spirit and the Wisdom
of God," while J. REA examines "The Personal Relationship
of Old Testament Believers to the Holy Spirit,"
concluding that Old Testament believers were regenerated,
but not permanently indwelt by the Spirit, Temporary
endowment for tasks did occur, but only just before
Christts ascension was the Spirit finally given. C,M.
ROBECK, Jr. shows that IRENAEUS, the second century
bishop of Lyons, was acquainted with charismatic
phenomena not only in Gnostic and Montanist settings, but
also in orthodox churches, for prophecy was apparently
part of normal church life.
The editor of this volume, Paul ELBERT, discusses
sympathetically and broadly llCalvin and the Spiritual
Gifts." It is common knowledge that CALVIN considered the
visible gifts to have ceased in apostolic times, yet he
recognized graces and ministries in the Church. Some
"restoration pastors" now follow CALVIN possibly without
knowing it. G. STRACHAN proves his grasp of the
ItTheological and Cultural Origins of the Nineteenth
Century Pentecostal Movement." This movement started
among the cultured members under influence of new
cultural impulses which uncovered old biblical truths
Such as the uni~ersal love of God, the humanity of Christ
which overcame through the Spirit, and the pattern of the
early church.
European topics are discussed by Ivar LUNDGRAN, who
describes briefly I1Lewi PETHRUS and the Swedish
Pentecostal Movement. Although the description is brief
the author is successful in his task. L. GOTT introduces
ttDonald GEE: The Apostle of Balance" as he describes the
man who excelled as a Bible teacher, writer and educator.
I-lis involvement with Bible school work should be well
known, for he stated that he ftshould like to make it
clear that we place no premium upon ignorance and
illiteracy" (p 176). Furthermore, GEE'S stance on
healing and wealth is atill important. J.L. CORNELLY in
his article entitled "Not in the Reputable Churches: The
Reception of the Charismatic Movement in the Mainline
Churches in AmericaM shows that these churches first
opposed the charismatic phenomena claiming that
glossolalia was symptomatic of mental illness, but in the
19701s it came to acceptance, provided certain safe
guard. were strongly maintained. Fundamentalist churches,
nsvertheless, remained opposed, The article concludes
w tth the unexpected findings of GREELEY and McCREALY that
45% of all Americans claim ecstatic experiences,
The Jesuit *D,L. GELPI in his "Ecumenical
Reflections on Christ s Eucharistic Presence" utilizes
his philaeophical. training to relate different underatandings
of communion in LUTHER, CALVIN, and ACQUINAS to
the appropriate philosophical frame of reference. He then
advances nine affirmations which, he hopes could prove
acceptable to all, but of course not all will accept
them, This item is certainly the most original article in
the book. J. AMSTUTZ in "Deyond Pentecogt: A Study of
Some Sociological Dimensions of New Testament Church
Growth from the Book of Actsft examines why the early
Church continued to grow, The reasons he finds are: a
love expressed socially, a conductive structure, the fact

that all believers were active, the expansion of
leadership base, the indigenous nature of the Church and
a sensitivity to culture, its concentration of receptive
people and, finally, the fact that multiplication was
built in. This article is one of the most practical.
Indexes of names and references conclude this
beautifully produced book.
Howard M. ERVIN, Conversion-Initiation and the Baptism in
the Holy Spirit (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 1984),
172 pp. Reviewed by David PETTS, Mattersey,
England.
This fine study by Dr. Howard M. ERVIN, who is a
professor at Oral Roberts University, is sub-titled "An
Engaging Critique of James D.G. DUNNts 'Baptism in the
Holy Spirit,tl1 a work which, since its publication in
1970, has been acclaimed by those who oppose a common
pentecostal position. DUNNts conversion-initiation
thesis, . which sees repentance, faith, baptism and the
gift of the Holy Spirit as representing an indivisible
unity without which one is not a Christian, provides the
basis for his rejection of the pentecostal understanding
of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit as an enduement with
power for service received subsequent to regeneration.
ERVIN recognizes DUNN's work as Itone of the most
comprehensive and influential rebuttals of Pentecostalism
todayt1 and systematically tackles DUNN s
conversion-initiation hypothesis chapter by chapter. As a
result the structure of his work is predetermined by that
of DUNN .
Following DUNNt s outline ERVIN deals first with the
John the Baptist references to the Baptism in the Holy
Sprit, then with Jesusf baptism, the Day of Pentecost,
the Samaritans, Paul, Cornelius, and the Ephesian
disciples. Relevant passages in the Epistles of Paul and
the Johannine literature are covered systematically
followed by those in Hebrews and I Peter. The standard
pentecostal understanding of the Baptism in the Holy
Spirit as subsequent to regeneration is defended
throughout and the weaknesses and presuppositions in
DUNNts position are exposed,
Particularly compelling, for example, is ERVIN'S
rejection of DUNNts contention that the Samaritans were
nat yet Christians even though they had believed and been
baptised. By a careful comparison of the use of the verb
pisteuein elsewhere in the NT writings ERVIN skillfully
refutes DUNNts contention that the use of the verb with
the dative indicates only an intellectual acceptance
rather than real commitment.
There are times, however, when one feels that ERVIN
is pressing far too hard for the concept of the
subsequence of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. This is
particularly evident when he argues that the infilling
recorded in Acts 4:31 was the occasion oithe converts at
Pentecost receiving the Baptism in the Holy Spirit,
though even here the discussion is scholarly if
unconvincing, In this connection it is unfortunate that
ERVIN, along wikh many pentecostal exegetes, falls into
the trap of insisting that the Baptism in the Spirit must
follow regeneration when all that the pentecostal
position logically demands in that it may.
Despite these cautions, however, ERVIN has made a
valuable contribution to pentecostal scholarship and
appears in most cases to have successfully challenged
DUNNts exegesis. However, it is unfortunate that his
style is far less readable than DUNN's and 'despite his
claim to have attempted to minimise the tediousness of
the kind of answer demanded by such a response, one
cannot help but feel that, in this respect at least, he*
has failed. We are, nevertheless, grateful to ERVIN for a
skillful and thorough rebuttal of DUNN s hypothesis. His
work should undoubstedly stand alongside that of DUNN in
every Bible college library.

Ingmar GUSTAFSSON, Bengt SAMUELSSON and Per SUNDBERG,
Nyreligiiisa rijrelser i Svergie: En kort presenta-
- tion Ingmar GUSTAFSSON (ed.), (Stockholm: Normans
Forlag, 1983), 160 pp. Reviewed by David BUNDY,
Lexington, KY; U.S.A.
The study of new religious movements was
traditionally designated the study of "cults. " That term
came to connote condescension and an assumed negative
evaluation. In congruence with the long tradition of
apologetics within the christian tradition, such works
served to convince the convinced that the alternative
traditions were not valid traditions. Such triumphalism,
however, makes for poor scholarship and does not
accomplish its purpose within the church, much less
outside, In highly individualistic western society, the
llcultsll approach is not taken seriously by persons who
have actually come into contact with other, albeit newer,
traditions and have felt the strength of their
commitments and integrity and have recognized the cogency
of their reason.
The present volume by GUSTAFFSON et. al. takes
quite a different approach. The effort is to present, as
accurately and non-prejudicially as possible, the history
and religious philosophy of the various new religious
movements recruiting in contemporary Sweden. The
introductory chapter (pp, 11-16) reveals the personal
commitments of the authors to an established tradition.
They note that the majority of the new movements have
arrived in Sweden from the U.S.A., including most of
those which are originally from East Asia and India. They
also indicate that most groups are rather authoritarian
in their community structures, concerned with security in
the future,
and do not accept the traditional christian
canon and exegesis.
The authors introduce serially the Jehovah's
Witnesses (pp. 17-40) , Mormonism (pp. 41-60) , Baha i (pp,
61-66}, Transcendental Meditation (pp. 67-72), Zen and
other forms of meditation (73-84), Scientology (pp.
85-92), Family of God (Karlekens Famil j ) (pp. 93-loo),
spiritualism (PP. 101-108), Hare Krishna (pp. 109-112),
~heosophy (PP. 113-120 ) , Anthroposophy (121-124), The
unification Church (Tongill (125-131 ) , Eckankar (132-133)
and UFO-ology (pp. 134-136). The method is consistent.
The history of the group and its development are
the teachings of the movement are described,
sources of authority identified, and the organisational
structure delineated, When there are creeds or statements
of faith, these are appended. Extensive bibliography
about each movement i ~ l provided (pp. 137-144). Here as
well., the effort of the writers to be fair is apparent,
After a list of general works on new religious movements,
the bibliography is classified according to movement, In
each case the movement's own literature is presented
first, and then a bibliography of works about the
movement is added. A general index and a separate index
of names facilitate use of the volume as a reference
tool, A study plan, which allows the volume to be used in
church groups or classrooma is appended.
The volume is remarkable for its perspective,
design and for the accuracy of the information presented.
It iu hoped that this work will serve as a model for
other efforts.
Ralph P, MARTIN, The Spirit and the Congregation (Grand
Rapids: Wil.liam B. Eerdmans Publishing Cob , 1984),
vii + 168 pp. Reviewed by Robert A. LOVE, Brussels
Belgium.
A t first glance, The Spiri't and the Congregation
appears to be simply a specialized commentary. To be
sure, it is that. -1t deals successively with the last
four chapters of tho book of First Corinthians.

The underlying purpose of the book, however, is not
merely the exposition of an intrinsically interesting
portion of scripture. The theme is congregational
worship, with all spiritualities, charisms and graces in
operation and under review by apostolic authority,
Each of the chapters is preceded by a transla'tion
of the text to be considered. Such translations, often
presumed to be literal, are occasionally presented as the
capstones of the arguments. In this case, rather the
author provides us with "Points to Ponder.I1 These are
identifications and amplifications of difficult areas,
Reference is made without comment to scholarly opinion.
Of particular interest to the community of modern
day pentecostal believers, whether classical or charismatic,
are the treatments of First Corinthians twelve and
fourteen. It is refreshing that the traditional
evangelical proscriptions are overlooked if not forgotten.
The unsupportable contention that tttongues shall
ceaset1 becomes a positive assertion that there should be,
Itin a public service, a desired blend of the formal and
the intimate that never descends to the level of what is
no better than the casual or even flippant.I1 (p. 64)
The themes of congregational unity and edification
inhere. The author speaks clearly for the broad scope of
gifts. MARTIN identifies twenty gifts of God in the New
Testament literature. The nine selected for mention in I
Corinthians were Paul's choice based on the situation at
Corinth. In response to this situation a call is issued
for order and a disciplined way of conducting worship. As
onerous as it may seem there should be control: the
control of the Spirit, self-control of the believers, and
as necessary, the more formal control of leadership. Paul
opposed Itthe Corinthians1 desire to turn the church into
a Gnostic conventicle of private individuals, each
concerned with his or her own inalienable experiences and
heedless of the corporate dimension ..,I1 (D. .-
62)
The Spirit and the Congregation offers interesting
- even fascinating - alternative explanations for a
number of interpretations which have been canonized by
the classicists of many camps. For example, Paul enjoins
the Corinthians not to forbid speaking in tongues
(14:39). The standard pentecostal/ charismatic approach
is to refrain gingerly from any discouragement of the
of 'this gift except under all but the most
extreme of circumstances. Othera take the view that
tongues are by no mean8 forbidden. "Let them,I1 they say,
tigo to the pentacostal church and do it.!! MARTIN points,
however, that there is more than one activity which
passes under this rubric: These are llhottl tongues which
border on frenzy, and ttcoollt tongues which can be
restrained (p. 67). Indeed, it is held that the statement
Itnot all speak with tonguestt (12:30) is explained by this
disti.nction which Paul makes. It is the controllable
variety of tongues which Paul practices and encourages in
others.
The distinguishing of the roles of men and women in
corporate worship is another of MARTIN'S creative
alternatives. There is little doubt that there was at
least; a local problem with the behaviour of the
Corinthian women. This resulted in their identification
as disturbere of the service and the placing of certain
restrictions on their participation. Can we from this
infer that a1.l wamen, everywhere and for all the time,
should be in silence and subjection? Certainly not. The
subjection to which Paul refers is nok to their husbands
but rather ta their own spirits or to the body, Indeed,
the prohibition of women teaching results, in MARTINIS
thinking, not from any intrinsic inferiority of women but
rather from Ittheir wrongful aspiration to charismatic
teachers, Ispenking in inspired languages and laying
clafm to introduce fresh revelations that they were not
willing to have assessed and corrected by the assembly
and in accord with aposto1.i~ standards.I1 (p. 87)
One can hardly refrain from comparing The Spirit
and ,the Congregation with the anti-pentecostal polemics
of a generation or two ago, Ralph MARTIN does not lay
down his pen to bellow and to paw the earth. Rather, we
can picture him smiling or even laughing as he writes.

There are many types of laughter. There is the
laughter which exults over the imperfections of others
and which hardly qualifies as laughter at all. There is
the laughter of friends who share the humor of the
unanticipated of the inconsistent. There is also that
laughter of the one who sees an inconsistency first and
enjoys the dawning perception of the other. This most
gentle of all forms of humor begins within and makes its
way to the surface. Often, a smile is all that remains.
The Spirit and the Congregation does indeed contain
within its scholarly pages that latest from of laughter,
Its source is, as it were, between the lines and speaks
to those who all too readily maintain that all should be
Charismatics. "Ah! " it says, "You see it now. Take care
that you do not lose the mystery of God and your
perception of the body and, in so doing, become merely
spiritual . I '
Carl Erik SANLBERG, The Pentecostal Movement - Five Case
Studies (Nairobi: no publisher given, but printed
by Evangel Publishing House, 1985), 69 pp, Reviewed
by Peter HOCKEN, Gaithsrsburg, Maryland, U.S.A.
SHALBERG is a Swedish Lutheran pastor, whose
doctoral dissertation at Upps~la in 1977 was on the
Swedish Pentecostal movement and its daily newspaper
Dagen. Since 1983, he has taught church history at
Makumira Lutheran Theological College in Tanzania.
This booklet gathers five studies on the
Pentecostal movement presented at Makumira. A11 present
an historical account of the evolution from the earliest
stages of the Pentecostal movement through the phases of
expansion to those of wider acceptance.
The first study
concerns the attitudes of scholars to Pentecostalism (a
version of this has been published in Evangelical Review
of, January 1985, pp. 70-77) , the rest deal with
the practices and beliefs of Pentecostals: the roles of
the Father and of the Son; attitudes toward political and
involvement; attitudes to medicine and healing;
the: pentecostal missions in Tanzania. The strong points
of these studies are SAHLBERG1s feel far what is
significant, his breadth of interest and of awareness and
his ability to mduce complex data to managable
proportions without distortion. The historical evolution
is presented critically yet sympathetically, avoiding the
two extremes of seeing the movement's history as either
steady decline from pristine glory or as sectarian
fanatics gradually becoming more reasonable. There is
much interesting information in these studies, some of it
not easily accessible elsewhere in English, especially
the parts relating to Scandinavia and to Tanzania. He has
a number of pertinent observations, e .g. "The Pentecostal
churches of the Third World also keep a more original
eschatological perspective alivevv (p. 30) and "It is no
coincidence that in the country which is considered to be
the most dechristianiz;ed in this Western Europe, namely
Sweden, the first; political party in the world with
pentecouta1.s a8 t;he core shou1.d also ba founded,I1 (p, 32)
Also worth noting nro remarks on early pentecostal .
attitudes to illness aB lacking in any reflection on the
phenomenon of suffering (pp. 39-41).
Thc weakness of these studies is primarily in the
intelligibility of the Engli~h, which must be worse than
the author imagines, and in the carelessness of the use
of source material, which can only partly be due to the
difficulties of writing pentecostal history in a country
with lesser Library facilities, The errors are numerous,
though they @re generally incidental and do not vitiate
the arguments of the studies, Charles W. CONN is referred
to ns Chaileo W. CANNS (p. 6) ; the charismatic renewal is
described as being "born in a univer~ity milieu1' (p. 71,
presum~lbly an attribution of the 1al;er start among
Catholics to the whole movement; James BARR's book
Fundnmentalisrn is mentioned as ~undamental~ (p, 311, and
the plural of homo politicus is wrongly given as homini
'

politici (pp. 3Of. ) ; ttIntercessors for Americatt is
described as being established in about 35 countries,
instead of ttIntercessors for Britaintt, etc. (p. 33) ; the
Assemblies of God in the USA is said to have been "more
closely reorganized in 1914" (p. 51). It is to be hoped
that Dr. SAHLBERG will pursue his historical -
theological reflections on the Pentecostal movement, but
that the accuracy of the English and the references will
be significantly improved.
Robert L. YOUNGBLOOD ( ed. ) , Cyprus : TEE Come of Age
(Exeter:: Paternoster Press for the World Evangelical
Fellowship and the International Council of
Accrediting Agencies, 1986), 78 pp. Reviewed by
Donald Dean SMEETON, Rhode St. Genese, Belgium.
Critical self-assessment is characteristic of the
progress toward maturity. The willingness to identify
strengths and acknowledge failures can also contribute to
improvement and self-reliance. It is thus fitting that
Theological Education by Extension (TEE), which was
birthed at the Evangelical Presbyterian Seminary two
decades ago, should evidence these signs of having come
of age. self-criticism characterizes this modest volume,
which contains the three major papers presented at a
consultation on TEE sponsored by the International
Council of Accrediting Agencies and the Theological
Commission of the World Evangelical Fellowship held
during July 1984 in Cyprus.
TEE has outgrown the impertinent exuberance of its
adolescence and its impatience with the traditional
establishment of theological education. Its early
promises included the rejuvenation of educational
structures as well as the renewal of church life. TEE,
with its pattern of independent study punctuated by
periodic classes, promised to bring the school to the
~tudent and to eliminate the elitist mentality that
seemed to dominate theological education. The traditional
pattern of theological education was judged to be
theoretical., irrelevant, and isolated from cultural
realities. TEE seemed to be the only reasonable option
for those parts of the world where Christianity was
rapid ~u~erical growth and where leadership
not be severed for a period of four or more years
of theological formation on the western model in
isolation from the student's own community. TEE was
considered the perfect answer to the needs, for it wag
formed in the matrix of church growth, missiology, and
theological education.
TEE branched from its Latin ~merickn beginnings to
take root in virtually every continent. TEE has
mushroomed from the first attempts at small step
programed learning, to the copious variety of adaptions of
culture and language, The bandwagon was boarded by a
large number of denominational, interdenominational, and
non-denominational educational organizations. Some
programs have been concerned only with ministerial
training while others have broadened to include the
training of lay 1.eadership in the local church. Even
though TEE has challenged traditional assump tions and
created many new structures, the educational literature
has not kept; pace with these developments. Ross F.
KINSLER has documented Rome of the variety and character
of these programs by his Ministry by the People
(Maryknoll: Orbia Books, l983), but his study is
descriptive and ilXustrative rather than analytical. The
number and variety of TEE programs defies any attempts at
forming a comprehensive listing. As the manifestations of
TEE have multiplied, however, so have its weaknesses.
Although TEE has had considerable success, it has not
achieved ita full promiss, This is precisely why the work
by YOUNGBLOOD is so important, It appears that even some
of the practices that were once judged so harshly now

seem to characterize the TEE structures themselves.
The
message seems to be that TEE may have come of age,
but it
-
has not yet arrived.
As ..-
often happens with the publication of conference
papers, this collection suffers from variety in style,
content and documentation, But even after one makes the
predictable comments about unevenness, there ie an
important logical continuity that binds these studies
together by covering the past, present and future. Each
essay was prepared by an educator with broad experience
in distance education programs in a developing nation.
Each contribution is permeated with practical insights
and personal commitment. Each has its own significance.
. A summasv of the history of TEE is sketched by
Kenneth MULHOL~AND whose fluid style is interrupted by
his over-fondness for citing authorities, especially
himself! This essay is, however, more than a history
lesson for MULHOLLAND does not; hesitate to draw lessons
from history by listing TEE'S achievements and failures,
Next Lois McKENNEY, who pioneered cooperative work among
the TEE programs in Brazil, appeals for interaction among
TEE programs, residential schools, accrediting agencies
and other educational entities. Articulate appeals even
when linked with practical suggestions are, however,
easier to make than to implement and her essay suffers
from a lack of the documentation which she could so
easily have added. In another chapter, Robert FERRIS
analyzes the educational psychologies of Paulo FREIRE,
Jean PIAGET, Robert CARKHUFF, Arthur COMBS and Malcolm
KNOWLES, then offers suggestions for the application of
these theories to theological education. He identifies
what he believes should be the essential and controlling
values for future developments of TEE. I-ie concludes that
whatever new patterns develop they must be centered in
experience, grounded in servanthood, and committed to the
need for continued improvement. In keeping with these
needs, Randall BELL contributes a final chapter on
"Institutional Self-Evaluation in Bible Colleges."
Although this document has its origins in the American
accrediting system Was not part of the Cyprus
meeting, it forms a natural sequence to the concept of
self-criticism which is essential to the improvement of
any educational system.
TEE is characteristically, but not exclusively, the
genius of Evangelicalism with its camrnitments
to b~ing
every Christinn to full maturity. It has brought training
to those in tho pulpit as well. as those in the pew who
otherwise would be denied the opportunity of a
theal.ogicnl education. The TEE concepts and techniques,
however, have influenced a wide variety of other
educational programs, Rome evcn outside the discipline of
theology, This influence explains why these essays demand
attention from all who work in decentralized programs or
seek to irnplemen'k distance education structures. The
biblio~rnphien increase the book's usefulness as a
starting point to understanding TIYE, This work may not be
the definitive otudy, but it 1s an important analysis.
IT I , NOTES
C.S. BUTLER, Te5t the Spirits: An Examination of the
Charismatic Movemsnt (Welwyn, Merta: Evangelical
Press, 1985). 156 pp.
Of all the hundredfl of book8 on the Pentecostal and
Charismatic movement that X have read this one must rank
as one of the wormt, The publiaherls blurb speaks of the
author's "wealth of experience from within the
charismatic movement. This is contradicted by his own
testimony - which i~ held over until page 124. Me appears
to have tried almost everything. How long he maintains
his position remains to be seen.
The standard of scholarship in this volume is of a
low order. Most of the details are borrowed from
sccondnry sources, There are serious works which question

pentecostal theology and practice (i.e, BRUNNER, DUNN,
and HOEKEMA) but these are ignored, perhaps because the
author considered them too sophisticated, The publishers
have tarnished their good name by such a production. The
book is trivial. The chapter on gifts in the New
Testament contains less than 500 words. Whole groups are
dismissed with a flick of the pen. For example, to write
of David BERG and the Children of God as charismatic is a
travesty.
If it is true as the author claims - and this is
one of the few things in this book with which I would
agree - that there is a growing acceptance of charismatic
practice among some evangelicals" (p. 62), this book will
do nothing to stem the tide. Pentecostal/charismatic
theology and practice are open to examination. Some
things that have been done are not above criticism, but
this book will only confirm the prejudices of those whose
minds are already closed and will cause unnecessary
offence to others.
and numerous christian services. The book
ranges from animal welfare organizations to an article by
Jim HOLWAY on Mosque attendance,
Yet; it itit more than a data base on Christian
trivia: it is a revealing study of trends and a pmgnosticator
of the future. For example, the table on page
142 shows that the list of Elim ministers increased from
152 in 1980 'to 403 in 1985. This change represents an
increase of 21% Per m'mum but the number of churches
increased only Q.8% per amurn during the same period, One
can easily sea that this kind of information is essential
for long range plnnning for this group of pentecostal
churches.
In addition the collection of data, the editor
offers an assessment of trends affecting Christianity in
the UK. Ma describes 1) the nature of the post-christian
era, 2) the increasing frngmentation, 3) more polarization,
4) the challenges to leadership, 5) a decreasing
nominalism, 6) the irrelevance of denominational labels,
and 7) the expectations of growth.
Peter BRIERLEY (ed.), UK Christian Handbook 1987/88
Edition (Bromley , Kent: MARC Europe; London:
Evangelical Alliance; Swindon, Wilts: Bible
Society, 1986), 649 pp.
Do you need to find a christian children's home in
Kent? Or, the telephone number of the headquarters in
London of the Prayer Book Society? Or, a complete list of
all the christian periodicals published in the UK? Or how
to compare the charges of all the anglican theological
colleges? A l l of these answers - and many, many more -
are accessible in this one convenient resource. It
contains listing (with relevant information) on accomodations,
bookshops, churches, educational institutions,
leadership resources, media ministries, missionary
Walter J, HOLJJiNWEGER and S, CARREL, "Le dernier repas:
une liturgie eucl~aristi.que narrative et tht5atrale,lq
Hokhma, 32 (1986), 1-21.
Thia article consists of four parts and provides a
general introduction to H0LLENWEGERt8 theological methodology.
The firfjt part surveys his academic and
ministerial back~round while the second provides a
theological profile, The third presents a drama that
interprets the rite of the Lord's Supper for the particip~nts
and, final.ly, the article closes with a partial
listing of I-IOL1,ENWEGER '8 publications. The authors see
the tradi,tional pr0testnn.t churche~ as much concerned
with hermenewtical reflection on *the biblical texts and
not interested enough in the intercultural proclamation

of the Gospel. Too often their western orientation has
led to division. Faced with this situation, HOLLENWEGER
pleads for an emphasis on picture, story and narrative in
communicating spiritual reality. He also calls for a reevaluation
of the physical aspects of religion including
emotion.
D.D.S.
Marc H. SPINDLER , ttEurope s Neo-Paganism : A Perverse
Inculturation," International Bulletin of Missionary
Research, 11,l (January 1987), 8-11,
Marc SPINDLER of the University of Leiden traces
the historical background and the importance of Europe's
neo-pagans. He maintains that although this phenomena has
political overtones, it is primarily a religious
movement. We sees the main features of this religion to
be 1) the affirmation of the sacred, against the
desacralization of the universe so that there is no
distance between God and the world; 2) the exaltation of
the vitality and joy of natural human life (in such a way
that eros is separated from agape); 3) the recognition of
fate as a ruling force in human affairs; and 4) the
stress on its claim to cultural identity. This view
features faith in a cosmic beginning and cyclical view of
history. For a significant number of people, European
neo-paganism is an ideology of resistance against global
systems, drawing upon mythical elements in the prechristian
tradition of european cultures. The article
ends with an appeal to the churches to communicate a
gospel that is not obscured, diluted or mutilated.
D.D.S.
David THORP, "Renewing the Face of the Earth,I1 - New
Covenant (February 1987), 25-27.
This article is one of several in this issue
dedicated to celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the
Catholic Charismatic Renewal. The entire magazine is a
collection of photographs, evaluations, summaries and
comments by or about the leaders of the renewal.
The one contribution chosen for this llnotetv
identifies what the author deems to be the significant
characteristics of the renewal. Furthermore, he relates
them theologj.cally to the Second Vatican Council. This is
natural, for the renewal understands itself as a visible
manifestation of the famous "pente~ostal~~ prayer of Pope
John XXIII. THORP finds six "wonders" that characterize
the Catholic renewal: 1) giving attention to the working
of the Holy Spirit; 2) experiencing Jesus as Lord; 3)
fostering lives of holiness; 4) serving in Christ's name;
5) stressing evangelization; and 6) experiencing
ecumenism.
D.D.S.
Reinhold ULONSKA, Andens gaver i lare og praxis (Stockholm:
Filadelfiaforlaget, 1986), 283 pp. Translation
of Geistes Gaben in Lehre und Praxis (Erzhausen:
Leuchter Verlag, 1983).
This work, !!The gifts of the Spirit in Doctrine and
Practice," is a literary experience. ULONSKA is a leading
Gesmnn pentecostal pastor and his West German background
is evident he strives to give a reliable picture of
things that are understood to be controversial by many in
his home country.
The book is a good summary of the best classical
pentecostal teaching about truths and realities that have
characterized the Pentecostal movement during several
decades. It gives a sound, biblically inspired, easily

understood, and practical presentation of the gifts of
the Spirit. The author defines the "gifts of the Spirit"
in the context of I Corinthians 12 in a balanced manner
and focuses on the place that the gifts have in building
the Church. He works actively with the Greek original to
understand the expressions of Paul.
ULONSKA differentiates between Itgifts according to
grace" and "gifts of the Spirit." He sees the former in
Romans 12 and the latter in I Corinthians 12, The
presentation would have benefitted and been enriched by a
comparison of these gifts. A special treatment of the
gifts that the apostle mentions in the Epistle to the
Romans would have deepened and broadened the perspective
of the work of the Spirit in the individual and the
Church. We can be grateful for this book that ULONSKA has
written. It summarizes, for a new generation of both
Pentecostals and Charismatics, a teaching that has - and
still - guides many.
B.E.
CONTRIBUTORS: B.E. = Bjorn ERIXON; D.W.C. = Desmond W.
CARTWRIGHT, D.D.S. = Donald D. SMEETON
RECENT PUBLI CAT1 ONS
Earl C. DAVIS, Layman's Library of Christian Doctrine :
Life in the Spirit (Nashville, TN: Broadman Press,
19861, 140 pp.
Douglas W. FRANK, Leas than Conquerors: How Evangelicals
Entered the ~ F r a n Rapids, d MI:
Eerdmans, 1986), 310 pp.
JUrgen MOLTMANN, God in Creation: A New Theology of
Creation and the Spirit of God (London: Harper &
Row, 19851, 365 pp. English translation of: Gott in
der SchGpfun~: Oekologische Schopfungslehre
(Munich: Chr. Kaiser Verlag, 1985).
Douglas MOO, An Annotated Bibliography on the Bible and
the Church (Deerfield, IL: Trinity Evangelical
School, 1986), 113 pp.
Tomislav PERVAN, Queen of Peace: Echo of the Eternal Word
(Steubenville, OM: Franciscan University Press,
19861, 58 pp.
Cecil M. ROBECK, Jr. (ed. ) , Charismatic Experiences in
History ( peabody, MA : endr ricks on Publishers,
l985), 180 pp,
Donald Dean SMEETON, Lollard Themes in the Reformation
Theology of William Tyndale, Vol, VI of Sixteenth
Century Essays and Studies (Kirksville, MO: Sixteenth
Cetury Journal Publishers, 1986), 285 pp,
Lois BARRETT,, Building the House Church (Scottdale, PA:
Herald Press, 1986), 176 pp.
Anne COOPER (compiler), Ishmael: My Brother; A Biblical
Course on Islam (Bromley, Kent: MARC Europe, 1985),
217 pp.
Glenn
C, SMITH (ed) , Evangelizing Adul.ts (Wheaton, IL:
Paulist National Catholic Evangeliea.t;ion Association
and Tyndale Publishers, 1985), 409 pp,

V. CHRONICLE
ENGLAND. The INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENCE INSTITUTE Office in Dorking
headed by Adrian and Selina WEST recorded the highest number of new
student enrollments of all the ICI national offices i n Europe in 1986. .
During the year, the office enrolled 223 students i n their first I C I
course. This figure makes that office one of the most active in the
world-wide network of ICI offices. The second highest figure was by
Oitmar MITTELSTAEDT with 77 new students. There were 518 first time
enrollments recorded for all the I C I national offices i n Europe for the
year. (Correspondent: Melody GARBER)
GERMANY, Paul WILLISCROFT, a longterm Assemblies of God (U.S.A.)
missionary to Germany and Eastern Europe, died on February 24, 1987. He
and his wife Gladys had been active in that area of Europe for almost
40 years. Paul WILLISGROFT~s activity was marked by a pioneering spirit
that ranged frora missionary activity to the building of a publishing
company, from youth work to professional formation in pastoral
activities. His influence was especially felt i n the BEROA Bibleschool
of the Federation of Pentecostal Free Churches were he taught for more
than 30 years. The imprints of his life are an illustration of a
faithful witness to the Gospel of Christ. (Taken from: Wort und Geist
Nr. 3 (March 1987)
YUGOSLAVIA. The BIBLICAL-THEOLOGICAL INSTITUTE i n Osijek reports a
record enrollment of forty residential students of nine different
nationalities and five different denominations. Although all have high
recommendations from their home churches, two-thirds of the students
come from non-christian homes. In addition to their studies, the
students are involved in church evangelistic activities on the
weekends. Although BTI is presently crowded beyond its capacities, it
has many inquiries from several other socialist countries of Eastern
Europe and the Third World. The Yugoslavian authorities are open to
allowing such students to come and they are granting visas to foreign
students. (Correspondent: Peter KUZMIC)