Book Notice: Renewing Christian Theology

Amos Yong

Renewing Christian Theology: Systematics for a Global Christianity
Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2014.
Available at Amazon.com

This is an exciting volume by an Asian-American Pentecostal scholar about Christian theology (with much art and commentary by Jonathan Anderson). In this book Yong “seeks to provide a summary exposition of central teachings of the Christian faith relevant to the twenty-first-century global renewal context” (xxiii). Yong’s “wager” is that “the Christian theological tradition as a whole has something to gain from engaging especially with renewal voices and perspectives and may even be revitalized in such a discussion” (12).In a nutshell, this is a volume by and for global Pentecostalism, though its contents will be of interest to those from other traditions.

Yong basically follows the World Assemblies of God Fellowship’s Statement of Faith, with one crucial difference, he inverts the order! For instance, he puts eschatology as his first chapter after the introduction because “eschatology provides the initial thrust and orientation for renewal thinking rather than being relegated, as historically, to an afterthought” (xxiii). I did the same thing in my EvTh and Yong thus exonerates me from charges of being crazy!  Yong also pushes pneumatology up the loci ladder because: “Neophytes in the faith or children begin not with abstract doctrines of creation, Trinity, and revelation, but with the daily realities related to human flourishing, relationships, and health” (23).

In reading the book, I enjoyed the sections on the doctrine of Scripture, eschatology, Trinity, and the Holy Spirit. I think Yong’s voice is one that needs to be heard. I have many Pentecostal student and this is one book I can refer them to when they want to interact with their own tradition.

That said, there were a few things I didn’t like about the book. First, Yong basically offers no interaction with the Old Testament, he restricts himself to the New Testament. Yes, I know space prohibits lengthy scriptural analyses, but that is a recipe for Marcionism. Second, I would have liked a little more specific exegesis of key texts like Acts 2 and 1 Corinthians 12 when it comes to Spirit baptism. Otherwise, a very good read.