This book explores the possibility of a historiography which isn’t afraid to start from (and develop out of) a particular theological tradition. Anyone who’s studied history, even at an undergraduate level – and has given any thought to the matter of the philosophy of history – very quickly realises that there’s a pervasive assumption in academia: that history should be as ‘objective’ as possible. Pentecostal Imagination challenges this view.
The particular case of Pentecostalism presents some fascinating conundrums, not least because the movement is generally one of the more ‘subjective’ in its outlook. My thesis challenges the agnostic (at best) assumptions of academia, and suggests that a true reading (and subsequent writing) of history must be open to the activity of God, in and through the Holy Spirit. It is deep work, but for those up for the challenge, I’ll lead the reader on a journey into the philosophy of the imagination, through a hermeneutics of experience, and towards a pneumatology of history.
The book is published by Wipf and Stock and is available from most book sellers, including amazon (the kindle version is, by far, the most cost-effective option).
Find out more here.
Paul S. Baker 