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WORK TITLE: The Miracles in the Gospels
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: http://keithwarrington.co.uk/
CITY: Worcestershire, England
STATE:
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
NATIONALITY: British
http://www.regents-tc.ac.uk/Groups/258733/Lecturers_and_Leadership.aspx * https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-warrington-101aa86
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Married, wife’s name Judy; children: Luke, Anna-Marie.
EDUCATION:London Bible College, B.A., 1977; King’s College London, University of London, M.Phil., Ph.D.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Educator, pastor, and writer. Has worked in local government and with Operation Mobilisation; has pastored churches in Bootle and Ilkeston, England; Regents Theological College (formerly Elim Bible College), West Malvern, England, faculty member, 1983—, became emeritus reader in New Testament and Pentecostal studies; Paternoster Press, editor of studies in Charismatic and Pentecostal issues, 2001—. Member of Board for Validation, Panel of Theology, University of Manchester, 1997-2007; member of editorial boards of PenticoStudies, Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research, and Journal of Youngsan University.
MEMBER:European Pentecostal Theological Association, Society of Pentecostal Studies, Tyndale Fellowship, Society of Biblical Literature, Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Fellowship, Fellowship of European Evangelical Theologians, Evangelical Theological Society.
AWARDS:Honorary lecturer, University of Bangor, Wales, 2005-12; honorary professor, Bakke Graduate University, Seattle, WA, 2006-12.
RELIGION: ChristianWRITINGS
Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, editor, 1994-2005.
SIDELIGHTS
Keith Warrington, a longtime faculty member at Regents Theological College in England, is a specialist in Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity. He wrote on his home page that with regard to his teaching, “the opportunity to explore the [New Testament] and other Christian topics in the context of a readiness to learn with others is a great privilege. … I learn a great deal from my students and from my personal research in ways that stimulate my thinking and effect changes in my lifestyle and spirituality.” His research interests include “the roles and person of the Spirit, the life and mission of Jesus and healing and suffering.” He further noted: “My heroes tend to be people who live with great personal suffering. They are the kind of people who would be embarrassed to be identified here, but I have a growing list and I hope to see them sometime, either in heaven or on earth.”
Healing & Suffering
Warrington addresses many questions around personal suffering in Healing & Suffering: Biblical and Pastoral Reflections. These include whether people of faith should ever be ill, how to pray for healing, why some are not healed despite prayer, whether Jesus’s death resulted in physical healing for believers, and whether his followers have healing powers as well. He asserts that God can provide spiritual peace even when not providing physical health. He bases his conclusions on analysis of the Old and New Testaments, and he explains his ideas in laypeople’s language. He also offers a list of recommended readings.
Some critics considered Healing & Suffering a valuable exploration of the topic. The book “should be received with welcome if for no other reason than its honest attempt to grapple intelligently and articulately with the hard questions concerning healing,” related Tony Richie in Pneuma Review. “Secondly, it is a gigantic leap forward from both the popular literature laying out this or that facilely formulaic model for almost automatically experiencing divine healing and academia’s all-too-common cessationism effectively shutting the door on any realistic expectation of experiencing divine healing.” Additionally, Richie continued, the book “potentially provides solace for those suffering believers who may have been made to feel uncertain or even inferior because they have not (yet) received a miraculous healing.” Shane Clifton, writing in Australasian Pentecostal Studies, termed Healing & Suffering “an example of academic work at its best—taking difficult and complex issues and addressing them to the real concerns of everyday people of faith.” Richie acknowledged that he did not endorse all of Warrington’s conclusions, but he added: “Whether one completely agrees with him, partly agrees, or disagrees altogether, Warrington’s Healing & Suffering is certainly recommended reading for anyone wrestling with correlating God’s healing power and humanity’s all-too-frequent suffering.”
Pentecostal Theology
In Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter, Warrington seeks to explain the faith of Pentecostals and what differentiates this group from other Christians. Pentecostals, he writes, focus not only on a set of beliefs, like most Christians, but on the experience of them. They expect to feel the presence and power of God and the Holy Spirit. Offering a global view of Pentecostalism, a multidenominational movement, he also deals with beliefs about miracles, the afterlife, missions, the role of women in the church, and the second coming of Christ. He notes that Pentecostals have been accused of neglecting social and political issues, but he asserts that they have become active in this realm.
Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies contributor Steven Hong found this a helpful overview of the Pentecostal movement. “Warrington is successful in achieving his goal to set forth a basic Pentecostal theology as a starting point for further discussion,” Hong observed. While the book is “at best introductory” on many topics, it “is easy to read and easy to understand,” he noted. Hong concluded: “This book will serve well as part of a foundation from which Pentecostalism can put out branches as it explores, clarifies, establishes, and defines its theology.”
The Message of the Holy Spirit
With The Message of the Holy Spirit: The Spirit of Encounter, Warrington seeks to explain this sometimes mystifying member of the Trinity. He describes how the Holy Spirit manifested itself in events chronicled throughout the New Testament, and he expresses the belief that Christians can experience the spirit directly even today. Indeed, he encourages them to pursue such experiences.
Some critics considered this a comprehensive and valuable work, but there were those who thought it reflected a Pentecostal bias. “The Message of the Holy Spirit is a welcome, well written and informative text,” reported Tim Leffler at the Good Book Reviews Web site. In Evangelical Times, Gwyn Davies noted that Warrington “provides some helpful insights as he takes the reader through biblical references to the Spirit,” but she described the author’s view as a strictly Pentecostal one, with “excessive emphasis on actively seeking a direct experience of the Spirit.” Leffler, however, characterized the book as “an excellent study of the evangelical mainstream doctrinal view.” It “should be on every pastor’s or Bible student’s bookshelf,” he added.
The Miracles in the Gospels
The Miracles in the Gospels: What Do They Teach Us about Jesus? discusses the role of miracles in Jesus’s ministry and their treatment by the four Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Covering each miracle related in the Gospels, Warrington accepts the events as historical truth, but he asserts that the various Gospel writers used their accounts of the miracles for different purposes—for instance, to emphasize Jesus’s authority and his position as the son of God, or to highlight particular virtues, such as obedience. The author also puts the miracles in the context of their time, providing perspectives on the social and religious environment.
Some reviewers thought the author has produced another informative and valuable book. “Warrington has brought a new sense of depth to an aspect of Jesus’ ministry that is far too often oversimplified and underemphasized,” observed Sojourner Theology blogger John Kight. A Publishers Weekly critic offered a mixed assessment of The Miracles in the Gospels, finding that the insights in the “extensively researched” work are sometimes “obvious and repetitive,” but allowing that “readers interested in researching particular miracles may find this a useful resource.” Kight, however, praised it without reservation. “The combination of biblical exegesis and practical experience offers readers a worthwhile study that deserves the widest readership possible,” he concluded. “It comes highly recommended!”
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies, Volume 14, number 1, 2011, Steven Hong, review of Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter.
Currents in Theology and Mission, Volume 38, number 3, 2011, Edgar Krentz, review of Discovering Jesus in the New Testament, p. 213.
Evangelical Times, May, 2010, Gwyn Davies, review of The Message of the Holy Spirit: The Spirit of Encounter.
Pneuma Review, spring, 2008, Aldwin Ragoonath, review of Discovering the Holy Spirit in the New Testament; spring, 2010, Tony Richie, review of Healing & Suffering: Biblical and Pastoral Reflections; winter, 2013, excerpt from Pentecostal Theology.
Publishers Weekly, April 11, 2016, review of The Miracles in the Gospels: What Do They Teach Us about Jesus?, p. 58.
Reference & Research Book News, February, 2009, review of Pentecostal Theology.
Triple Helix, fall, 2002, review of Jesus the Healer: Paradigm or Unique Phenomenon?, p. 20.
ONLINE
Australasian Pentecostal Studies, http://aps-journal.com/ (January 1, 2007), Shane Clifton, review of Healing & Suffering.
Good Book Reviews, http://www.goodbookreviews.org.uk/ (January 19, 2011), Johnny Douglas, review of Discovering Jesus in the New Testament; (January 26, 2011), Tim Leffler, review of The Message of the Holy Spirit.
Keith Warrington Home Page, http://keithwarrington.co.uk (March 1, 2017).
Regents Theological College Web site, http://www.regents-tc.ac.uk/ (March 1, 2017), author profile.
Sojourner Theology, https://sojotheo.com/ (December 12, 2016), John Kight, review of The Miracles in the Gospels.
Rev. Dr. Keith Warrington
BA, MA, PhD
Emeritus Reader in New Testament and Pentecostal Studies
After his A levels, Keith worked in local government for a year and then left South Wales (Caerphilly) and worked with Operation Mobilisation for 15 months in England, Belgium and Italy. After that, he went to London Bible College and gained his BA. Thereafter, Keith planted a church with Judy, his wife, in Bootle, Merseyside. After 5 years there, they then led a church in Ilkeston, Derbyshire before undertaking his role as NT lecturer at Regents.
Quoted in Sidelights:
The opportunity to explore the NT and other Christian topics in the context of a readiness to learn with others is a great privilege. I learn a great deal from my students and from my personal research in ways that stimulate my thinking and effect changes in my lifestyle and spirituality.
The roles and person of the Spirit, the life and mission of Jesus and healing and suffering
My heroes tend to be people who live with great personal suffering. They are the kind of people who would be embarrassed to be identified here, but I have a growing list and I hope to see them sometime, either in heaven or on earth.
Bio
Length of time at Regents Theological College (RTC):
Since 1983.
Life before RTC:
After my A levels, I worked in local government for a year and then left South Wales (Caerphilly) and worked with Operation Mobilisation for 15 months in England, Belgium and Italy. After that,I went to London Bible College and gained my BA. Thereafter, I planted a church with Judy, my wife, in Bootle, Merseyside. After 5 years there, we then led a church in Ilkeston, Derbyshire before undertaking my role as NT lecturer at RTC (then known as Elim Bible College, based in Capel, Surrey).
RTC role:
I am the Vice-Principal and Director of Doctoral Studies. My areas of expertise relate to the NT and Pentecostal/Charismatic issues. I teach undergraduates but am increasingly involved in postgraduate teaching and the supervision of doctoral students. I also have a full research and writing portfolio; I am currently working on a book that explores the miracles of Jesus (SPCK, 2013) and, with Prof. Trevor Burke, editing a book relating to a Biblical Theology of the Holy Spirit (SPCK, 2012).
Regents Theological College:
RTC has been existence, as a residential College, whilst also accommodating day students, since the beginning of the twentieth century and has seen significant numbers of students trained for pastoral and para-church ministry as well as being prepared for careers in the market place. The College moved to its new campus in the beautiful Malvern Hills, just south of Worcester in 2009. It educates and trains a wide range of Christians from a variety of Pentecostal, Charismatic and Evangelical denominations and Church streams. It offers an undergraduate degree in Applied Theology (BA) [part-time, full-time and distance learning], four Masters degrees (MA in Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies, Masters in Applied Theology, Masters in Missional Leadership and Masters by Research [part time and full time]) as well as offering supervision for MPhil and PhD research degrees, validated by the University of Chester. It also offers one year, non-University validated full time study programmes (School of Ministry and School of Worship). Check it out at Regents Theological College.
Research interests:
The roles and person of the Spirit, the life and mission of Jesus and healing and suffering are my current interests.
Favourite aspect of my life at RTC:
My time at RTC is very enjoyable. The opportunity to explore the NT and other Christian topics in the context of a readiness to learn with others is a great privilege. I learn a great deal from my students and from my personal research in ways that stimulate my thinking and effect changes in my lifestyle and spirituality. The cultural exchanges available, because of the many countries represented at RTC, add to my enjoyment.
Personal Life outside RTC:
I am married to Judy who also now works at Regents as the PA to the Principal, after a career with Air Products, a multi-national gas company. We have 2 great children, Luke and Anna-Marie. Luke is married to Laura lukeandlaurainpng.blogspot.com and they are linguists with Wycliffe Bible Translators, currently based in Papua New Guinea. Anna-Marie is living and working in the Lake District with her husband, Chris, and their daughter, Poppy Willow. They are joint owners of an Art Gallery in Carlisle www.etfineart.co.uk and www.fineart-restoration.co.uk. We enjoy meeting up as a family and Judy and I like holidays…anywhere and (nearly) everywhere.
Favourite food:
Judy’s Sunday roast is pretty special. I’m also a fan of Asian cooking.
Someone I’d like to meet:
My heroes tend to be people who live with great personal suffering. They are the kind of people who would be embarrassed to be identified here, but I have a growing list and I hope to see them sometime, either in heaven or on earth.
Degrees:
BA Theol (Hons) (London Bible College, now London School of Theology), 1974-1977;
MPhil (London): “An Exegesis of James 5:13-18″; Supervisors: Dr. Richard T. France and Prof. James D. G. Dunn;
PhD (King’s College, University of London): “The teaching and praxis concerning supernatural healing of British Pentecostals, John Wimber and Kenneth Hagin in the light of an analysis of the healing ministry of Jesus as recorded in the Gospels: Supervisor: Prof. Andrew Walker.
Academic Roles:
1983- | Lecturer, RTC (I am currently teaching the following modules)
Undergraduate Studies (BA in Applied Theology) NT Studies; Jesus in the Gospels.
Postgraduate Studies (MA in Studies in Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies; MTh in Applied Theology) Pauline pneumatology; Healing and Exorcism in the NT; The Spirit in Luke/Acts; supervision of MA and MTh theses
Doctoral supervision (MPhil, PhD)
2005 – 12 Honorary Lecturer, University of Bangor, Wales
2006 – 12 Honorary Professor, Bakke Graduate University, Seattle
Memberships:
1988 – | European Pentecostal Theological Association (EPTA)
1989 – | Society of Pentecostal Studies
1990 – | Tyndale Fellowship
1990 – | Society of Biblical Literature
1996 – | Founder/Chairman of the Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Fellowship
1997 – | Fellowship of European Evangelical Theologians
1999 – | Evangelical Theological Society
2001 – | PenticoStudies Editorial Board
2001 – | Editor Studies in Charismatic and Pentecostal Issues (Paternoster Press)
1994-2005 | Editor of the Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association
1997-2007 | Panel of Theology, Board for Validation, University of Manchester
2005 – Editorial Board, Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association
2010 – Editorial Board, Journal of Biblical and Pneumatological Research
2012 – Editorial Board, Journal of Youngsan University
Keith Warrington
Reader in Pentecostal Studies, Regents Theological College
Bromyard, Hereford and Worcester, United KingdomHigher Education
Current
Regents Theological College
Education
King's College London, U. of London
474
connectionsSend Keith InMailMore options
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/keith-warrington-101aa86
Contact Info
Background
Experience
Reader in Pentecostal Studies
Regents Theological College
September 2013 – Present (3 years 6 months)
(Open)1 recommendation
Ben Leney
Ben Leney
Team Leader KS4 English
Keith has come down to our church and run a brilliant workshop studying the Bible, in which he engages everyone and helps everyone to realise that with curiousity and the Holy Spirit guiding them, they can find out more about the Bible for...View
Skills
Top Skills
65Teaching
53Public Speaking
42Higher Education
40Leadership Development
31Adult Education
25Curriculum Design
21Theology
19Research
19Curriculum Development
17Nonprofits
Keith also knows about...
13Community Outreach
13Leadership
12Strategic Planning
11Preaching
10Staff Development
7Volunteer Management
7University Teaching
7Religion
7Pastoral Care
5Lecturing
5Courses
5Biblical Studies
4Editing
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See 25+
Education
King's College London, U. of London
King's College London, U. of London
MPhil, PhD, Bible (NT)/Theological Studies
1991 – 1999
Additional Info
Interests
Bible, God (the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit), Pentecostal issues, Healing and Suffering, Pneumatology
Advice for Contacting Keith
Keith.warrington@regents-tc.ac.uk
Quoted in Sidelights:
extensively researched
obvious and repetitive
but readers interested in researching particular miracles may find this a useful resource.
The Miracles in the Gospels: What Do They Teach Us About Jesus?
Publishers Weekly. 263.15 (Apr. 11, 2016): p58.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2016 PWxyz, LLC
http://www.publishersweekly.com/
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Full Text:
The Miracles in the Gospels: What Do They Teach Us About Jesus?
Keith Warrington. Hendrikson, $29.95 (320p) ISBN 978-1-61970-832-7
Reading the Gospels as "sermons in their own right," Warrington (The Message of the Holy Spirit), director of theological studies at Regents Theological College, dedicates this extensively researched, heavily annotated study to "readers who believe that the Gospels are accurate records and that the miracles therein are historical acts that were achieved by Jesus." From this literalist perspective, he offers an exhaustive analysis of the Gospel miracle stories, examining their historical and literary context (even looking at the miracle's relative location in each Gospel). Separate chapters address healings and resurrections, exorcisms, and nature miracles, as well as those depictions that are unique to John's Gospel. Warrington explores the role miracles played in Jesus's ministry and the writers' particular messages for their intended audiences. For example, his analysis of Jesus healing a leper reveals that Matthew upholds Jesus's authority, Mark emphasizes obedience, and Luke focuses on Jesus as healer. Some conclusions may appear obvious and repetitive ("Each of the writers, in different ways, reveals the authority of Jesus to restore a woman to health and service"), but readers interested in researching particular miracles may find this a useful resource. (June)
Pentecostal theology; a theology of encounter
Reference & Research Book News. 24.1 (Feb. 2009):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2009 Ringgold, Inc.
http://www.ringgold.com/
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Full Text:
9780567044525
Pentecostal theology; a theology of encounter.
Warrington, Keith.
T&T Clark
2008
336 pages
$29.95
Paperback
BR1644
Warrington (Regents Theological College, Britain) examines a theology defined by distinctive elements of Pentecostal belief and praxis, but especially by an undergirding Pentecostal philosophy. He explores issues relating to the major emphases of Pentecostals, among them God, the Bible, mission, and eschatology. He does not describe theological features that Pentecostals share with other forms of Christianity, nor does he trace the history and development of the ideas. T&T Clark is an imprint of Continuum.
([c]2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR)
Discovering Jesus in the New Testament
Edgar Krentz
Currents in Theology and Mission. 38.3 (June 2011): p213.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2011 Lutheran School of Theology and Mission
http://www.lstc.edu/resources/publications/currents/
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Full Text:
In Discovering Jesus in the New Testament (Hcndrickson, $19.95. ISBN-13: 978-1598560114) Keith Warrington explores how different New Testament books present Jesus. He seeks both the commonality in their presentations and what is unique to each. He gives a characterization of each books stresses, yet argues finally that the New Testament "consistently presents Jesus as fully God." (204). Theologically conservative, also in matters of historical conclusions, the book contains valuable insights, but does less than justice to the variety in the New Testament.
Krentz, Edgar
Quoted in Sidelights:
Warrington has brought a new sense of depth to an aspect of Jesus’ ministry that is far too often oversimplified and underemphasized
The combination of biblical exegesis and practical experience offers readers a worthwhile study that deserves the widest readership possible. It comes highly recommended!
Review: The Miracles in the Gospels
9781619708327oKeith Warrington is Vice-Principal and Director of Doctoral Studies at Regents Theological College, Malvern, United Kingdom. Warrington did graduate work under R. T. France and James D. G. Dunn, received a PhD from King’s College, London, and has authored numerous articles and books, including Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter (T&T Clark, 2008) and The Message of the Holy Spirit (IVP Academic, 2009). Most recently, Warrington has published a landmark exploration on Jesus and the recorded miracles of the Gospels.
The Miracles in the Gospels: What Do They Teach Us About Jesus? takes the reader on a comprehensive journey through every miracle performed by Jesus in the Gospels and offers an intentional look into how each demonstrates the divinity of Christ. As Warrington explains, “to miss this portrait of God as he is radiated in Jesus through the writings of the Gospels is to rob oneself of extraordinary opportunities to discover significant truth” (p. 1). Thus, Warrington moves the reader beyond the surface-level meaning of the text and into the realm of authorial intent in the inclusion of the various miracle narratives. This is not to say that the Gospel records are not accurate according to Warrington. But, rather that the authors of the Gospels intend to demonstrate more about Jesus by how they include miracle stories in their overall gospel narrative.
The structure of the book is extremely helpful and Warrington has provided thorough documentation throughout. The book opens (chapter 2) with a brief exploration into the social and religious landscape of Jesus’ miraculous ministry, followed by an investigation into the purpose of the miracles of Jesus (chapter 3). Warrington concludes that Jesus’ miracles provide opportunity for him to establish his authority, status, and relationship with God, as well as demonstrate the initiation of the Kingdom of God. The bulk of the book is comprised of a survey of every miracle recorded in the Gospels (chapters 4-7), beginning with miracles of healing, followed by exorcisms, and ending with miracles of nature. It is here that Warrington’s work shines the brightest. Warrington first explores the Synoptics and provides a table of parallel accounts at the opening of each miracle. This helps the reader remain contextually minded as each miracle is discussed. Lastly, Warrington provides a masterful treatment of the Gospel of John, including similar tables as the Synoptics for context.
The Miracles in the Gospels: What Do They Teach Us About Jesus? by Keith Warrington is an important and timely study. Warrington has brought a new sense of depth to an aspect of Jesus’ ministry that is far too often oversimplified and underemphasized in Christian circles today. Attention is taken off Jesus as a mere miracle worker and focused on the author’s intention in including the miracle in the narrative. The readers of Warrington’s work here will learn much and benefit greatly for years to come. In fact, it is safe to assume that Warrington could alter the way we read the Gospels for the foreseeable future. The combination of biblical exegesis and practical experience offers readers a worthwhile study that deserves the widest readership possible. It comes highly recommended!
provides some helpful insights as he takes the reader through biblical references to the Spirit.
excessive emphasis on actively seeking a direct experience of the Spirit
Book Review - The message of the Holy Spirit - Keith Warrington - IVP - Gwyn Davies
May 2010
The message of the Holy Spirit
Keith Warrington
IVP; 260 pages; £9.99; ISBN: 978-1-84474-397-1
The author of this book is Vice Principal of Regents Theological College, part of the Elim Foursquare Gospel Alliance branch of Pentecostalism. He has a genuine concern that the Holy Spirit is too often ignored among Christians, and provides some helpful insights as he takes the reader through biblical references to the Spirit.
However, those expecting a thorough and balanced discussion of the Spirit will be disappointed. The book eschews any study of the Spirit's place in the Trinity and ignores his role in both revival and the preaching of the gospel, while his significance in regeneration and sanctification are given only cursory treatment.
What the author aims at, rather, is encouraging readers to seek a personal 'encounter' with the Spirit, to 'explore' the Spirit, to 'gaze on' the Spirit. He tells us that students at Regents College 'have, with reference to the Spirit, begun to tread where few others have gone before', and he wants his readers to follow the same path.
Such excessive emphasis on actively seeking a direct experience of the Spirit left this reviewer feeling distinctly uneasy. A similar effect was produced by the author's unbalanced focus on the role of the Spirit. There is no clear appreciation here of the key significance of Christ's teaching in John 16:14 that 'He will glorify me'. This results in statements that are at best misleading, such as - to quote the title of one section - 'The Holy Spirit provides access to God'.
There are many other assertions that cause raised eyebrows. We are informed that believers 'are to remember that the law is no longer to be their [ethical] guide, for the Spirit is their superior mentor'. We are also told that, while the Spirit 'may choose to speak' through the Bible, he 'may as easily speak' through, among other things, prophecy, visions, dreams, 'and even, though rarely, an audible voice'.
The gifts of the Spirit are inevitably dealt with from a Pentecostal perspective. Whatever one's views on their cessation since the first century, the fact that nearly all the major figures in post-apostolic church history were cessationists in their doctrine and/or practice surely demands that the subject should receive more than the author's summary dismissal in a brief footnote.
Those interested in a Pentecostal view of the Spirit will no doubt welcome this volume. It seems strange, however, that such a book should be published by IVP, and especially in its 'Bible speaks today: Bible themes' series.
Gwyn Davies
Wales Evangelical School of Theology (WEST)
Quoted in Sidelights:
The Message of the Holy Spirit is a welcome, well written and informative text
an excellent study of the evangelical mainstream doctrinal view
should be on every pastor’s or Bible student’s bookshelf
The Message of the Holy Spirit
The Bible Speaks Today (BST)
by Keith Warrington
Jacket
Paperback
Price: £9.99
Publisher:
IVP(Inter Varsity Press)
Published:2009
ISBN:978-1-844-74397-1 Review:
IVP The Bible Speaks Today series of Bible commentaries has proved to be an enduring, popular, informative and highly readable commentary series. Having completed texts on the books of the Bible the series diversified into an excellent series of thematic studies which continue the rich contribution to biblical study.
Keith Warrington’s text on The Message of the Holy Spirit is a welcome, well written and informative text on what, for many, is an area that is likely to be challenging and potentially controversial. Warrington together with IVP have crafted a text that provides an excellent study of the evangelical mainstream doctrinal view of the person, working and character of the third member of the Trinity. This text has been cleverly set out in short sections that are easily accessible, largely stand alone but combine to provide the reader with a sound basis to understand this frequently controversial, misunderstood and mis-represented area of fundamental doctrine.
This excellent book should be on every pastor’s or Bible student’s bookshelf and will go a long way to providing the background for sound Bible teaching. I would recommend anyone reading this to get a copy, read it and encourage others to do the same. It will be a tool to refer to on many future occasions.
Quoted in Sidelights:
Warrington is successful in achieving his goal to set forth a basic Pentecostal theology as a starting point for further discussion.
at best introductory
is easy to read and easy to understand
this book will serve well as part of a foundation from which Pentecostalism can put out branches as it explores, clarifies, establishes, and defines its theology.
172 Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 14:1 (2011) Keith Warrington, Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter (London: T&T Clark, 2008), paper, xii + 336pp., ISBN: 978-0-567-04452-5, US$32. Pentecostal theology, being both experiential and self-analytical, is very difficult to define. Keith Warrington, the Welch Pentecostal scholar, is conscious of the difficulty in defining this multidenominational, multidimensional, global movement. One’s first thought upon picking up this book is, “How can this medium-sized book cover such a broad topic?” He clarifies, however, in his preface that his intention is not to provide a systematic or comprehensive study of all that Pentecostals believe. Rather, his intention is to highlight those aspects which are unique to Pentecostals. His intention is to provide a book that will assist Pentecostal theology as it develops beyond its adolescence into maturity. Each chapter ends with “some ways forward” toward this goal. The subtitle, “A Theology of Encounter” reflects the idea that, while non-Pentecostal theologies often deal primarily with a set of beliefs, Pentecostal theology explores its beliefs within the context of praxis. Pentecostals are not simply those who adhere to a list of beliefs, they are those who have encountered those beliefs experientially. Warrington is well aware of the dangers inherent in a theology based on experience (emotionalism, triumphalism, subjectivism, etc.). Nevertheless, he asserts that Pentecostal theology will only be understood along these lines. After dealing with the difficulties of defining Pentecostal theology, Warrington goes on to do so. He begins, appropriately, with God. Pentecostals are mainly Trinitarian (the significant exception being the Oneness Pentecostals), though they tend to be more personal as they “practically relate to the individual members of the God head as if they were three different persons” (30). It is perhaps in the area of God’s relationship with people that Pentecostalism has most to contribute to theology. It is the real, personal, life-changing relationship that Pentecostals have with God, through Christ, empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit that often distinguishes them from the rest of Christianity. Predictably, Warrington focuses his “God” chapter on the Holy Spirit. He has already established that, despite being called “Spirit centered” by others, Pentecostalism is actually Christocentric, or perhaps “pneumatalogically Christocentric” (34). Having done so, he spends about fifty pages describing Pentecostalism’s perspective on the
Book Reviews 173 Holy Spirit, the believer’s relationship with the Holy Spirit, and the charismata. The rest of the chapter deals with Baptism in the Spirit, a central facet of Pentecostal theology. He deals with subsequent and initial evidence, making an effort to explain various perspectives within Pentecostalism. Warrington next discusses the church. Ecclesiology, he points out, is a weak point in Pentecostal theology, which is generally more interested in soteriology (132), though this weakness is being corrected by such authors as Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Simon Chan, and Frank Macchia, among others. Pentecostals have an expectation that the church will experience the immediate, transforming, and empowering presence of God. As he describes various aspects of the church, he focuses on the differences in Pentecostal praxis, such as the role of women in church leadership (143). He also spends considerable time in this chapter describing “some ways forward” in areas such as higher education, ordinances, and ecumenism. In “The Bible” (ch. 5), after an overview of orthodox Christian theology, Warrington steps into the Pentecostal world to discuss the importance of application, the use of narrative, and the value of personal experience in interpreting Scripture. Of particular concern to him is that Pentecostals must continue to grow in their value of using their intellect in interpreting the Bible, using established rules of hermeneutics to do so. Chapter 6, “Spirituality and Ethics” appears to be a place for Warrington to put topics that did not readily fit anywhere else. He briefly mentions the importance of sanctification and the desire for holiness, which he sees as decreasing within Pentecostalism (211). One reason for the deep spirituality that often characterizes Pentecostals is the emphasis on prayer, which is seen as relational and corporate (as well as individual). Worship, expectant and spontaneous, is also an important part of a Pentecostal’s spirituality as a regular means of encountering God. This chapter also addresses the accusation that Pentecostals neglect social and political concerns. While this may have been somewhat true in the past, Warrington shows that Pentecostals are now significantly engaged in political and social issues all over the world. Next, in the chapter about “Mission,” the passionate Pentecostal commitment to spreading the gospel throughout the world is seen as central to understanding the movement. Pentecostals have inherent advantages as missionaries. Their firm commitment to the Great Commission, their empowering Spirit baptism, the signs and wonders
174 Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies 14:1 (2011) that have accompanied them, their spiritual worldview, their pragmatism, and their belief in the imminent return of Christ have given them an enthusiasm and efficacy in missions that has changed the world. “Healing, Exorcism and Suffering” are specialties of Warrington, who has extensively researched and written on these topics. He briefly deals with many issues within the doctrine of healing, such as the role of faith, prayer, sin, the name of Jesus, the use of oil, and the laying on of hands. He also addresses the question of whether healing is guaranteed by the atonement. As he examines Matthew 8:14-17, Isaiah 53:4-5, and 1 Peter 2:24, Warrington reveals his own belief that this doctrine is erroneous and has led Pentecostals to neglect the reality and importance of suffering. The final chapter, which discusses eschatology, is mainly a description of different perspectives on the millennium, the parousia, and eternal life (heaven or hell). Warrington shows the variety (and uncertainty) that exists within Pentecostalism in these matters and encourages openness to different perspectives in the interest of fellowship and unity (323). Warrington is successful in achieving his goal to set forth a basic Pentecostal theology as a starting point for further discussion. He does very well at presenting a global view of Pentecostalism, which is refreshing in a world dominated by American publishing. The brevity of his descriptions and explanations is both a strength and a weakness. On one hand, the book is easy to read and easy to understand, but on the other hand it is at best introductory on all these topics. Another strength of this book is the largely unbiased manner in which he presents Pentecostalism and the various views within the movement. He is realistic about the faults of existing Pentecostal theologies. By candidly exposing the weaknesses of Pentecostal theology, he provides a motivation and means to encourage its improvement. The footnotes are extensive and show that Warrington’s aim is not to simply assert his own opinion of what constitutes Pentecostal theology, but to describe the position of the entire global movement. He does this ably, by quoting not only Western scholars, but Asians, Africans, Latin Americans, and many missionaries also. One significant weakness of this book is the lack of a bibliography. The introductory nature of the book begs further study. The natural place to begin such a study is with the authors mentioned by Warrington, but the only bibliographic information is found in the
Book Reviews 175 footnotes. Also, the index, hardly more than one page, would be much more useful if it were expanded to include more subtopics. In the “some ways forward” sections, the ideas are presented rather roughly. They are simply stated and few of them are argued in any way. Perhaps he intends this simple format to encourage discussion on the topics, but the impression is more that these are sketchy thoughts that he didn’t have the time to develop more fully within each chapter. This book will be very useful as a textbook in either an undergraduate or graduate “Introduction to Pentecostalism” course. Additionally, it would be useful for non-Pentecostals who desire to understand the Pentecostal movement. Pentecostals who want to understand their own beliefs more fully might find this book useful as a starting point, but will quickly find that it is inadequate for any kind of in-depth study. Anyone would surely be intimidated by the thought of writing a book called “Pentecostal Theology.” Who would dare to put his name on such a work? Yet Warrington has not only written such a book, but written it in such a way that it represents the multifaceted Pentecostal movement simply and modestly. His intention is to help move Pentecostal theology along toward maturity and he does so by defining where it is at this time. Therefore, this book will serve well as part of a foundation from which Pentecostalism can put out branches as it explores, clarifies, establishes, and defines its theology. Steven Hong
The Quest for a Pentecostal Theology, by Keith Warrington
| February 5, 2013 | no comments
From Pneuma Review Winter 2013
KWarrington-PentecostalTheology
In this chapter from his book, Pentecostal Theology: A Theology of Encounter, British Pentecostal scholar Keith Warrington asks, how do you define what the core beliefs of Pentecostal theology are?
Introduction
Clark observes that Pentecostal theology ‘is researched at the researcher’s peril’1 while Ma observes that it is ‘simply impossible’ to clearly identify what is the best definition of a Pentecostal.2 Chan is concerned that Pentecostalism may be ‘in danger of death by a thousand qualifications’3 while Hollenweger writes, ‘I do not know anybody who could convincingly define what “mainstream Pentecostalism” is’, compounded by the fact that despite their differences, ‘most Pentecostal denominations believe themselves to be mainstream’.4 The comments of the latter authors indicate the challenge that many feel in attempting to identify the heartbeat of Pentecostalism.
Theology
Some have sought to identify Pentecostals on the basis of their beliefs.5 A way of identifying the core of Pentecostal theology would be to note its main theological loci. Thus, Land identifies the heart of Pentecostal theology as focused on justification, sanctification and Spirit-baptism6 though most Pentecostals view it as comprising Jesus as Saviour, healer, baptizer and coming king,7 sometimes to which is added the sanctifying role of Jesus.8 These beliefs, that are clustered around Jesus, do not encapsulate all that Pentecostalism stands for, but they do represent some of the emphases traditionally maintained by its adherents. Macchia deduces that the ‘fourfold gospel is important for understanding the origins and enduring accents of emerging Pentecostal theologies’9 though Coulter reflects that although this may have represented Pentecostals as they were, it is less valuable as a depiction of their current position which is much more diverse.10 Complicating the quest for core beliefs is that Pentecostalism is often defined differently in various cultures.11 Thus, for example, Korean Pentecostal, or Full Gospel, theology comprises salvation, healing, the second coming of Jesus, the fullness of the Spirit and blessing, the latter being a distinctive contribution of Yonggi Cho.12 In it, he argues that God desires prosperity in all aspects of the life of a believer.13
“I do not know anybody who could convincingly define what ‘mainstream Pentecostalism’ is.”
— Walter J. Hollenweger
That which most distinguishes Pentecostalism is the doctrine relating to the baptism in the Spirit. However, even the baptism in the Spirit has received varied comment by Pentecostals. For example, although many anticipate that a consequence of the baptism of the Spirit will be power, this has various nuances and expectations for different Pentecostals. Many expect to manifest this power in their lives specifically with regard to evangelism. However, the revision to the article defining the baptism in the Spirit as outlined in the AoG Statement of Fundamental Truths also identifies this power as resulting in a greater love for Jesus, while others anticipate that the baptism in the Spirit will result in a greater sense of God’s presence or a more consecrated Christian lifestyle, sometimes resulting in a crisis experience of sanctification. In practice, however, this power has been mainly associated with charismatic gifts.
But there are other divisive aspects related to this apparently central belief of Pentecostalism. The subsequent nature of the baptism in the Spirit to conversion has been a topic that has created a great deal of discussion in recent years. For example, while many assume that the baptism in the Spirit is subsequent to conversion, some disagree. Similarly, the distinctive practice of many Pentecostals has been speaking in tongues but its precise significance has been the subject of disagreement. While many Pentecostals associate the gift of speaking in tongues with the baptism in the Spirit, viewing it as the initial evidence of that experience, others do not; while some believe that when combined with the gift of interpretation they are equivalent to prophecy, others maintain that both are Godward expressions of prayer or praise; while some sanction their corporate use without interpretation, others do not.
That which most distinguishes Pentecostalism is the doctrine relating to the baptism in the Spirit.
There has also been a fluidity with regard to other doctrines during the history of Pentecostalism. Lewis identifies major changes, including the early twentieth century move away from the notion of a crisis experience associated with sanctification to a more progressive understanding of sanctification in the life of the believer, and the development of Oneness Pentecostalism. Other changes resulted from a closer relationship with evangelicals from the 1950s onwards, including less emphasis on pacifism, reduced ecumenical dialogue, restrictions on women in leadership, and a stricter understanding of the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible.14 It is thus much more difficult to identify Pentecostals now on the basis of their doctrines because of the various nuances of beliefs, some of which are significant. However, and as importantly, this difficulty has been compounded by the fact that many aspects of theology once distinctive to Pentecostalism have now also been embraced by others; Pentecostal perspectives are not as distinct as they once were. An alternative emphasis needs to be discovered that best identifies the nucleus of Pentecostalism.
Discovering the Holy Spirit in the New Testament
by Keith Warrington
Jacket
Paperback
Price: £12.99
Publisher:
Baker Academic imprint of Baker Publishing from SPCK
Published:January 2010
ISBN:978-0-801-04800-5 Review:
JB Phillips believed that often, "Your God is too Small". Keith Warrington guides the reader to a renewed and greater discovery, significance and love of Jesus. Nearly everyone knows something about Jesus, but how much of what we “know” really comes from the Bible? In this thoroughly insightful book we can find the full portrait of Jesus as described in the New Testament, one that is complex yet rich, one that is diverse yet unified, one that explains who Jesus was and how he continues to speak to our world. This chronological sweep is thorough without ever becoming overwhelming!
This is a mid-range complexity read: compact and a challenge to a better sight of Christ in all of New Testament revelation. Rarely do texts like this look so good, read so easily and more so retain the pulse and potency of greater submission and fruit in following our truly Great big God.
Keith Warrington: Discovering the Holy Spirit in the New Testament
| June 25, 2008 | no comments (spring 2008 print issue)
Keith Warrington, Discovering the Holy Spirit in the New Testament (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2005), 230 pages, ISBN 9781565638716.
Every pastor should have in their library this reference on the work of Holy Spirit in the New Testament. It is a scholarly and a practical book; it is not for the casual reading, although it would be good to skim through to know what you will want to refer to later.
Keith Warrington is a member of the Elim Church in England and the director of post-graduate studies and a lecturer in New Testament at Regents Theological College in Cheshire, England.
As Pentecostals we claim we know much more than other Christian groups on the work of the Holy Spirit, while this may be true when discussing topics such as on the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, most Pentecostals will have problems explaining the work of the Person of the Holy in the book of Revelation. This book will be helpful to provide a well-rounded biblical understanding of the ministry of the Spirit as it takes us through every book in the New Testament.
Keith Warrington
Discovering the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is divided into 19 chapters, each chapter is divided into a mixture of scholastic and practical information. For example chapter 8 on the book of Galatians describes the setting, what the author says about the Spirit, exposition, significance to the original reader and a bibliography.
The following is an example of the book of Romans: “What does the [canonical] author say about the Spirit? The Spirit: is set apart and sets believers apart (1:4); provides spiritual gifts (1:11; 12:6-8); provides a balance to the law (2:29; 7:6, 14; 8:2, 4); is the channel for the love of God (5:5; 5:30); opposes the flesh and identifies and empowers believers as God’s children (8: 5-13); affirms adoption for believers (8:14-17); is the ‘firstfruits’ for believers (8:23); prayers for believers (8:26-27); empowers the believer (14: 17; 15: 13, 16, 18-19).” In his section on exposition and significance for the original reader, Warrington says of Romans 8:23,
Not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit groans inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
In the context of the final redemption, Paul describes believers as having the “firstfruits,” identified as the Holy Spirit. The term “firstfruits” regularly referred, in a sacrificial sense, to the first of the flock or the first of the fruits of the harvest that worshippers gave to God (Exod 23: 19, Lev 2:14). Here, Paul uses the term to describe a down payment or guarantee of something to come. The gift of the Spirit is foretaste of what is to come …
The Spirit provides a glimpse and an insight into the life that believers will know in its fullness when the resurrection occurs. The Spirit is a flavor, a whisper, a breath of what is to come (91).
Reviewed by Aldwin Ragoonath
Jesus the Healer - Paradigm or Unique Phenomenon? (Book Review)
autumn 2002
From triple helix - autumn 2002 - Jesus the Healer - Paradigm or Unique Phenomenon? (Book Review) [p20]
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(Right click and choose 'save as...' to download a printable version of this article)
Jesus the Healer - Paradigm or Unique Phenomenon? - Keith Warrington - Paternoster Press 2000 - £19.99 Pb 208 pp ISBN 0853648220
This book is a paradox. It has an intensely relevant message that broadly states that we should not equate the healing ministry of Jesus with our own Christian healing ministry; his was unique. Jesus' healings were unique bacause they were more than just healings, indeed, they were even more than a signpost to the Kingdom. His healings actually demonstrated the initiation of the Kingdom. Even those who choose to disagree with his perspectives, which he backs up with closely reasoned argument from scripture, are challenged to examine whether our 'success rate' remotely compares with Jesus'. Moreover, he warns that scripture does not support those who claim that the problem today is lack of faith in those pray for healing. There is, in chapter 2, analysis of many relevant scriptural passages about healing, and the major themes of each passage are highlighted.
So far, so good, but what is the paradox? It is the style of the writing. I do not believe that this book was intended to be an easy read, but it does not need to be so obscure. The third sentence in chapter 1 is an example of the style Keith Warrington adopts: 'Claims today that, because Jesus healed, it is to be expected of believers that they emulate him, are to be critiqued in the light of this pedagogical dimension of the healings.' Another sentence: 'Nevertheless, the healings had valuable potential to stimulate a more developed faith in Jesus than to simply recognise in him a therapeutic agency of significant power'. I can grasp the overall meanings but I am not even sure that the second sentence makes sense.
So should one buy this book? I think it is a volume of great importance. But I do hope that Keith Warrington teams up with somebody from the Plain English Lobby and rewrites it. Then it will be even better.
Reviewed by:
Michael Harper
Medical Director of Burrswood Hospital, Kent
Quoted in Sidelights:
an example of academic work at its best – taking difficult and complex issues and addressing them to the real concerns of everyday people of faith.
Review: K. Warrington, Healing & Suffering--Issue 10, 2006-07
Dr. Shane Clifton, Director of Research and Head of Theology, Alphacrucis College
Keith Warrington, Healing & Suffering: Biblical and Pastoral Reflections (Milton Keys: Paternoster Press, 2005). Pp. 219, paper, ISBN 1-84227-341-8.
Reviewed by Shane Clifton
In the 2001 edition of APS, I wrote a book review on an earlier text by Warrington, Jesus the Healer: Paradigm or Unique Phenomenon. At that time I had only recently finished my undergraduate degree, and was heavily influenced by a number of prominent Pentecostal preachers of faith. I am embarrassed to say that my response to Warrington’s book was an ungracious and unjust critique of both his method and his conclusions, concerned as I was that his argument ignored the paradigmatic role of Jesus’ healing ministry and undermined the long standing Pentecostal emphasis on empowerment by the Spirit for miraculous ministry to the sick.
Some years down the track, and with a better sense of perspective and a more open theology, I have come to realise that Jesus the Healer provides an essential correction to the imbalances that have too often coloured Pentecostal and Charismatic conceptions of faith, and the consequent approaches that are taken to healing ministry. Far from undermining faith, it is now clear to me that Warrington’s position – that the healings recorded in the gospels are meant principally as indications of Jesus’ uniqueness – is intended to orient faith to its proper object, i.e. Jesus the Christ.
Jesus the Healer was a thorough and scholarly analysis of all of the passages of healing recorded in the gospels and, thereby, was directed primarily at scholars and students. In this more recent work, Warrington takes the insights of that text and makes them available to the wider Christian audience. This is not to say that the present work is unsophisticated. On the contrary, in Healing & Suffering Warrington engages in a thorough analysis of healing in the Old Testament, in the gospels and in other New Testament texts, but he does so in a way that will be easily accessible to the average reader. In this way, the book is an example of academic work at its best – taking difficult and complex issues and addressing them to the real concerns of everyday people of faith.
It does not take much involvement with Pentecostal communities before one is faced with a myriad of questions about faith and healing. This book attempts to address them all, applying the rhetoric of question and answer, and contemplating such important issues as: What is faith? Does God heal today? Why doesn’t God heal everybody who asks for healing? Did Jesus delegate his healing power to his followers? What part did sickness/suffering play in Paul’s life and ministry? It is a good bet that whatever question you have heard about healing, Warrington has provided an answer. He even addresses questions relating to the use of spittle and handkerchiefs in healings!
This is a text I believe that every Christian, particularly every Pentecostal Christian, should read. No doubt it is likely that some (like myself in 2001) will react negatively, believing that his argument undermines faith. Yet Warrington remains a Pentecostal, and continues to believe in healing, encouraging the reader to pray faithfully. The fact is, however, that not everyone is healed when we pray, and Warrington’s book provides a response to this reality that actually enables faith to be sustained in the face of the inevitable suffering that life brings our way.
Quoted in Sidelights:
should be received with welcome if for no other reason than its honest attempt to grapple intelligently and articulately with the hard questions concerning healing. Secondly, it is a gigantic leap forward from both the popular literature laying out this or that facilely formulaic model for almost automatically experiencing divine healing and academia’s all-too-common cessationism effectively shutting the door on any realistic expectation of experiencing divine healing.
Whether one completely agrees with him, partly agrees, or disagrees altogether, Warrington’s Healing & Suffering is certainly recommended reading for anyone wrestling with correlating God’s healing power and humanity’s all-too-frequent suffering.
Keith Warrington: Healing & Suffering (In spring 2010 print edition)
| April 25, 2010 | no comments
Keith Warrington, Healing & Suffering: Biblical and Pastoral Reflections (Carlisle, UK/Waynesboro, GA: Paternoster, 2005), 219 pages, ISBN 9781842273418.
Keith Warrington, Director of Postgraduate Studies and Senior Lecturer in New Testament at Regents Theological College, Nantwich, has written on healing before, notably in Jesus the Healer: Paradigm or Unique Phenomenon (Carlisle, UK: Paternoster, 2000). Some of the same concerns resurface in Healing & Suffering. For example, do the Gospels and the Acts provide definitive models for healing ministries today, or are they only testimonies to the centrality of Jesus’ messianic identity and ministry for Christianity of all eras? However, its most emphatic focus seems to be on exploring a balanced perspective on the apparently oppositional realities of divine healing and human suffering. As such, this text has a decidedly pastoral emphasis, although assuredly based in and shaped by substantive theological, and especially biblical, inquiry. It is also refreshingly rich in personal testimonies, not only, as has been common in Pentecostalism, of extraordinary healings, although these are included as well, but also in incidents with other outcome occurrences—such as, for instance, how God can and does bring joyous and victorious peace even when dramatic physical healing doesn’t happen as has perhaps been expected. In Healing & Suffering Warrington addresses one of the most pressing issues for contemporary Pentecostals and Charismatics as well as possibly for many other Christians. Pastors and scholars alike will doubtless benefit from reading it. Further, anyone struggling with understanding physical suffering in light of their belief in divine healing may discover coveted direction herein.
Keith Warrington
Healing & Suffering is well laid out. It has an extensive Table of Contents, effectively functioning as an outline for the entire work, and also an extensive Scripture index. Although, it has no Author or Subject indexes, the unusually full TOC helps make up for it. The Selected Reading section is rather short too, but probably enough to point interested readers in the right direction. Warrington writes in an interesting and accessible style, so this makes for pleasant reading. Footnotes are sparse but probably indicative of the more pastoral orientation overall than one of academic research. The “Reflections” in the subtitle should be taken seriously, for that appears to be primarily the intent and object of this work. Indeed, much of the general direction of this work seems to arise out of Warrington’s reflections during his own pastoral experiences in the context of biblical exposition.
Should believers ever be ill? Is it biblical to “claim” one’s healing? Why do so many remain ill after prayer for healing? What are the gifts of healing? Did Jesus provide physical healing for believers when he died on the cross?
Warrington begins by explaining up front that he wishes mostly to facilitate thinking and point in the direction of answers regarding healing and suffering. As readers will observe, this statement does not mean he is shy about expressing his opinion; but, he does usually do so without dogmatic assertions. He attempts to address most of the major questions people may have about divine healing and human suffering. For examples: Should believers ever be ill? Is there a method for praying for healing? What is the relationship between sin and sickness? Is it biblical to “claim” one’s healing? Why do so many remain ill after prayer for healing? What is the role of faith? What are the gifts of healing? Did Jesus provide physical healing for believers when he died on the cross? And many other similar questions are asked and addressed.
Healing & Suffering is primarily a biblical study. Warrington looks first at healing in the Old Testament (briefly), then in the Gospels, in Acts, and in the writings of Paul and of James. In each case, he mostly simultaneously challenges easy assumptions about healing even while still asserting the biblical and contemporary validity of divine healing for the body. His study of the Gospels is the most systematically thorough, and possibly the most provocative. For him, the healing stories in the Gospels appear to be primarily pedagogical instruments teaching lessons about the messianic identity and ministry of Jesus Christ. They do not provide a model for contemporary practice. He does, however, affirm that “Lessons may be drawn from the healing ministry of Jesus that can be usefully applied in contemporary historical settings,” but adds that “cautious sensitivity needs to applied in presenting the healing ministry of Jesus as a model for healing praxis today.” Similarly in Acts, he denies healing (and exorcism), which he stresses becomes noticeably rarer after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, almost any paradigmatic modeling of healing practice for the Christians today, insisting rather that their purpose is to instruct about Jesus. He finds Paul, but James even more so, who he sees as actually holistic, to contain elements more instructive for continuing practice. Warrington says, “Recognizing James as having provided a model … is pastorally and theologically foundational.” James, therefore, is “a useful complement to the Pauline expectation of charismatic gifts of healing.”
A number of observations appear in order. First, Warrington’s Healing & Suffering should be received with welcome if for no other reason than its honest attempt to grapple intelligently and articulately with the hard questions concerning healing. Secondly, it is a gigantic leap forward from both the popular literature laying out this or that facilely formulaic model for almost automatically experiencing divine healing and academia’s all-too-common cessationism effectively shutting the door on any realistic expectation of experiencing divine healing. If it aims to be balanced between such extremes, for the most part it achieves that praiseworthy objective. Third, and quite important, it potentially provides solace for those suffering believers who may have been made to feel uncertain or even inferior because they have not (yet) received a miraculous healing. For these and other reasons like them, Healing & Suffering is a commendable book. And I must add that its insightful integration of pastoral concerns and biblical scholarship is most refreshing. I think both the Church and the Academy need more of this kind of collaborative partnership.
Appropriately relating the doctrine of divine healing and the experience of human suffering is perhaps one of the most pressing challenges for contemporary believers attending Pentecostal and Charismatic churches.
However, a number of reservations also appear in order. First, while it apparently intends to be a biblical study with pastoral sensitivity, Healing & Suffering sometimes comes across (at least to me!) as too close to the reverse. Is it possible that we might struggle so stridently with the hard reality of those who are not healed, of those who one who continue to suffer, that we might approach the biblical witness with a bias against a really robust doctrine of divine healing? For instance, Warrington, based on a weak argument that Jesus’ recorded healings occur before his death (What about Rev. 13:8?), and with a much too quick dismissal of Matthew 8:14-17 and 1 Peter 2:24, essentially denies the doctrine of divine healing provided in the atonement. This apparent denial amounts to a major reversal of Classical Pentecostal belief and practice in almost all its historic and contemporary forms. That the doctrine needs careful explication perhaps no informed Pentecostal will argue. Denial is definitely extreme. Admittedly, as he usually does, Warrington leaves ample room for necessary nuances; but still, this seems a risky step biblically and theologically for historic Pentecostal belief and practice. Perhaps Healing & Suffering only wants to “err on the side of caution,” so to speak. And, indeed, that may be a commendable correction to a general trend. Yet shouldn’t genuine balance be striving more so not to err on either side? If we overshoot or if we undershoot, we still miss the target.
Second, while Healing & Suffering refreshingly resists trends to excerpt from Scripture some formulaic model for healing ministry, it might do well to consider the category of precedent. As is well known, a precedent is basically that which is prior in time, order, arrangement, or significance and can serve as an act or instance that may be used as an example in dealing with subsequent similar instances. Jesus used the precedent of Abiathar the high priest and the consecrated bread to defend his own and his disciples’ actions regarding what critical religionists considered the desecration of the Sabbath (Mk 2:25-26). Interestingly, Paul was not afraid to utilize even Christ’s atoning death as a participatory precedent (Pp. 3:10; cf. Gal 6:17). Was there a precise formulaic correspondence model in such cases? No. However, there was an initial or original event or experience that meaningfully informed the inherent nature of subsequent belief and practice. So too, Pentecostals, and others, can look to the healing ministries of Jesus and the Apostles for guidance concerning their approaches to healing ministry. Although Warrington’s repeated insistence on “lessons” learned from Jesus’ and the Apostles’ healing ministries in the Gospels and Acts may intend to offset a complete disconnect, I don’t think that approach alone is robust enough to do justice to the biblical record or for a Pentecostal hermeneutic. Nevertheless, Healing & Suffering is certainly, in my opinion, on the right track in countering popular notions of biblical healing “models” that often lead to abuse at some level—particularly when naively applied in a formulaic or mechanistic manner.
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever”
— Hebrews 13:8 NKJV
Third, I cannot conscientiously refrain from briefly remarking on the repetitious emphasis in Healing & Suffering that Jesus’ and the Apostles’ healing ministries, along with exorcisms and other manifestations of the miraculous, were mostly all about pointing to Jesus’ messianic identity and ministry. Certainly none will deny the unique nature of Jesus’ miracles as pointing to and provoking faith in him (John 14:11). However—although of course I don’t accuse Keith Warrington of this by any means—such a view could all too easily degenerate into old dispensationalist arguments for cessationism. Thus, miraculous healings, along with other “supernatural” occurrences, can simply be confined to the first century witness to Christ. Warrington correctly avoids this error by appealing to the post-biblical historical evidence of continuing miracles, including healings. Yet the biblical foundation of this continuing charismatic history may have already been undermined by a too casual dismissal of the paradigmatic nature of Jesus’ and the Apostles’ ministries for Christian ministry across the epochs. Likely, many Pentecostals would respond with something like quoting Hebrews 13:8!
I’ve responded perhaps more lengthily to this text because I see it as important. Appropriately relating the doctrine of divine healing and the experience of human suffering is perhaps one of the most pressing challenges for contemporary believers attending Pentecostal and Charismatic churches. In Healing & Suffering Keith Warrington makes an admirable effort toward that almost overwhelming work. Further, as I understand it, and in specific agreement with him, I am convinced that integrating biblical, pastoral, and theological insights and issues is the way forward. Whether one completely agrees with him, partly agrees, or disagrees altogether, Warrington’s Healing & Suffering is certainly recommended reading for anyone wrestling with correlating God’s healing power and humanity’s all-too-frequent suffering.
Reviewed by Tony Richie