The Baptism In the Holy Spirit: Understanding Evangelical, Non-Pentecostal Perspectives On The Issues of Subsequence And Initial Evidence At Emmanuel College

By Dr. Ashley Neil Smith

This book represents a Doctor of Ministry thesis-project from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; it explores the major Evangelical perspectives on the Doctrine of Spirit-Baptism, with an excursus on the current reformation underway in the Pentecostal Movement.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Apr 12, 2011
• ISBN: 9781257592999

Book preview

THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT: UNDERSTANDING EVANGELICAL, NON-PENTECOSTAL PERSPECTIVES ON THE ISSUES OF SUBSEQUENCE AND INITIAL EVIDENCE AT EMMANUEL COLLEGE

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF GORDON-CONWELL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY

BY

ASHLEY NEIL SMITH

MAY 2010

Copyright © 2010 by Ashley Neil Smith. All Rights Reserved

To the Holy Trinity

To my wife, my queen, and best-friend, Vickie Carson Smith, God’s precious gift

To my four princesses, Abigail Grace, Sarah Elisabeth, Hannah Ruth, Landen Ashley

To my supportive parents, Garland Wayne Smith Sr. and Nora Autry Smith

To my Godly grandparents, Neil Carlton Autry and Myrtle Tripp Autry

To my supportive brother, Garland Wayne Smith Jr.

To Omi, my precious German mother-in-law

To my gifted mentors, Dr. David Currie, Dr. Tim Beougher, Dr. Robert Clem Coleman

To my supportive fellow Doctor of Ministry peers

To the students and faculty of Emmanuel College, School of Christian Ministry

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. —Ephesians 4:4-6 (NKJV)

ABBREVIATIONS

See Table

ABSTRACT

The phrase Baptism in the Holy Spirit carries different connotations among various Evangelical Christians. The author is an ordained minister in the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. The IPHC is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals. The NAE represents many Evangelical denominations that have differing views of the doctrine of the Baptism in The Holy Spirit.

Historically, the IPHC has been adversely hostile to differing views from the one they currently hold, the classical Pentecostal interpretation. However, there is currently a movement within the IPHC to be more appreciative of other Evangelical, non- Pentecostal interpretations. The author used major Evangelical resources to develop a seminar to increase Pentecostals’ understanding of Evangelical, non-Pentecostal perspectives on the doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, with emphasis on the issues of subsequence and the initial physical evidence. The seminar brought the Evangelical perspectives into dialogue with the classical Pentecostal interpretation.

The seminar was presented on Monday, January 25, 2010 at Emmanuel College in Franklin Springs, Georgia. Emmanuel College was founded by the IPHC in 1919, and is currently one of three IPHC colleges. The seminar participants were students from the School of Christian Ministries. Pre-test and post-test survey questionnaires were given prior to and immediately after the seminar. Out of 50 students, 26 students (52%) indicated an increase in the understanding of the Evangelical, non-Pentecostal perspective.

CHAPTER 1

UNDERSTANDING THE DOCTRINE OF THE BAPTISM IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

The phrase Baptism in the Holy Spirit carries different connotations among various Evangelical Christians. Generally speaking, most Pentecostals are unaware of the differing perspectives on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. In my own experiences in local church ministry, most Pentecostals believe that non-Pentecostals reject the overall doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, without offering any biblically grounded alternative. In reference to the particular issues of subsequence and initial evidence, most Pentecostals are unaware of the differing views of their fellow Evangelicals.

The author is a fourth-generation Pentecostal Holiness Church member who served as Senior Pastor of Culbreth Memorial Pentecostal Holiness Church. The author has been a member of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church since childhood. The author was discipled in the New Bern First Pentecostal Holiness Church, in New Bern, North Carolina, and attended the Falcon Youth Camp, in Falcon, where he attended regular services at Culbreth Memorial. After receiving the call to preach on December 30, 1999, the author received a minister’s license in 2001, was ordained in 2003, and has served as a Senior Pastor since 2002. The first pastorate was in St. Paul, North Carolina where he pastored the Westview Pentecostal Holiness Church from 2002 to 2004. During that pastorate the author matriculated at Campbell University Divinity School in the fall of 2002 and graduated with a Master of Divinity in 2007. The author holds a Bachelor of Science, with a major in Psychology from Campbell University, graduating in 1995. The author also served as the District Director for the Fayetteville District Board of Evangelism, for the North Carolina Conference, International Pentecostal Holiness Church.

The author’s great-grandparents were pioneer members of the Pentecostal movement in eastern North Carolina. Rutherford and Sallie Tripp regularly housed pioneer preachers that were itinerating; one such pioneer preacher was Almon H. Butler, a former resident of Falcon and late member of the Culbreth Memorial Pentecostal Holiness Church. The author’s second-cousin, the late Reverend Terry Tripp, was director of Church Education Ministries for the South Carolina Conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. His mother, Nora Autry Smith, and maternal grandfather, Neil Carlton Autry, are related to the Autrys from Autryville, North Carolina, who came to Falcon in the late 19th century and married into the Culbreth family.¹ As it is recorded, Nancy Jane Autry, who was Baptist, married William Culbreth, who was Methodist. Their eldest son was Julius A. Culbreth. Culbreth was a visionaryphilanthropist, and Methodist layman who was instrumental in the creation and development of the Falcon Children’s Home, Falcon Holiness School, and Falcon Camp Meeting. Culbreth Memorial PHC was named in his memory in 1952. Culbreth Memorial is located in Falcon, North Carolina, which is the birthplace of the Pentecostal Holiness Church in January, 1911. Falcon is currently home to the headquarters of the North Carolina Conference of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church.

According to Culbreth’s own testimony he was born again in 1896. His conversion took place in a tent revival in Dunn, NC under the preaching of Rev. A. B. Crumpler, a Methodist Holiness preacher. In 1898 he built a community prayer meeting place, which was located on the current site of now Culbreth Memorial Pentecostal Holiness Church. It was built to resemble the revival tents of that period with eight sides. Culbreth writes concerning the Octagon Tabernacle:

I built the Little Tabernacle in octagon shape, to be as much like a tent as I could make it, because our spiritual awakenings and over-flowing blessing had come to us through Tent Meetings. The little building (called tabernacle later) was erected in 1898 as a place to have community prayer meetings, absolutely independent of ecclesiastical, sectarian, or denominational narrowness…²

In 1911 it would serve as the site for the merger between the Fire Baptized Holiness Church and the Pentecostal Holiness Church, thus the birthplace of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. Mr. Culbreth started the Falcon Camp Meeting in 1900, and today it is currently the longest running Pentecostal Camp Meeting in the world. Culbreth had an unparalleled yearning for revival. His vision saw past denominational differences, and he appreciated the ecumenical diversity of his time. J. A. Culbreth was Kingdom minded. He discerned early that the Kingdom of God was larger than what he previously experienced. Thus, Culbreth Memorial, by changing its name from Falcon Pentecostal Holiness Church in 1952, identified with, and today celebrates, the vision and legacy of revivalism and inter-denominational co-operation.

Culbreth Memorial is a member of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. From the merger in 1911, in the Octagon Tabernacle, the denomination has grown significantly to reach across continents to become what it is today. According to the IPHC History the denomination has had tremendous growth and recognition throughout the world. The denomination purports the following:

One of the most significant developments in recent Christianity is the appearance of many Pentecostal denominations throughout the world during the past century. Beginning in the United States and spreading rapidly to most nations of the world, they now comprise a major third force in Christendom whose phenomenal growth has commanded the attention of the world. One of the first groups to designate itself officially as a member of the Pentecostal movement was the Pentecostal Holiness Church. With roots in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States, the Pentecostal Holiness Church has played a significant role within the movement from the beginning.³

The Pentecostal Holiness Church has its roots in the revival at the Azusa Street Mission in Los Angeles, California in 1906. Gaston Barnabas Cashwell, a native of Dunn, North Carolina (10 miles north of Falcon), went by train in 1906 to Los Angeles to receive his personal Pentecost. Upon returning to Dunn, he held a two month revival in Dunn,⁴ where thousands received the baptism with the Holy Spirit with evidence of speaking in tongues (which was and remains the initial evidence, according the IPHC’s doctrine). Many Pentecostal denominations were birthed from that Dunn revival, with the Pentecostal Holiness Church being one of them.

Emmanuel College is located in Franklin Springs, Georgia, which is located in Franklin County, named for Benjamin Franklin. Franklin Springs was once popular as a health resort. Vinson Synan, a Pentecostal historian writes: The use of Franklin Springs as a health resort came as a result of the nation-wide popularity of mineral springs as a health aid following the famous cure of General William Johnson at Saratoga, New York, in 1767.⁵ As a result of the demand for mineral springs, Franklin Springs became a popular tourist attraction hosting two hotels and a skating rink.⁶

Emmanuel College began as Franklin Springs Institute in 1919 with G. F. Taylor as the first President. Today EC is a Christ-centered, liberal arts institution which strives to prepare students to become Christ-like disciples who integrate faith, learning, and living for effective careers, scholarship, and service. Emmanuel College is a private, fouryear Christian College with an Evangelical, Pentecostal foundation, founded in 1919 by the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. Emmanuel hosts over seven hundred students from twenty eight states and six foreign countries, with more than twenty five denominations represented. She is located on a hundred fifty acre campus in northeast Georgia. Emmanuel College is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate and baccalaureate degrees. Student-faculty ratio is 15:1. Nearly 25% of Emmanuel's students come from over 300 miles away, and 11% of her students are ethnic minorities.⁷

The core values of EC contain affirmations that support diversity of religious opinions. It is stated:

As a community we will respect the individual differences of other Christians.

As a community we will respectfully listen to the opinions of students and colleagues.

As a community we will be honest with each individual and confront rumors, disagreements and controversy with openness and compassion.

As a community we will celebrate the blessings of God to the Forefathers of this community.

As a community we will train and mentor the future leadership of the International Pentecostal Holiness church and our brothers and sisters from other traditions.

As a community we will always seek to strengthen the cords that bind us together in Christian fellowship.⁸

The International Pentecostal Holiness Church is a member of the National Association of Evangelicals. When the National Association of Evangelicals was formed in 1946, Pentecostal denominations were among the founding members. Bishop J. A. Synan was present and signed for the Pentecostal Holiness Church.⁹ The NAE’s Statement of Faith presents the following perspective:

We believe the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God. We believe that there is one God, eternally existent in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We believe in the deity of our Lord Jesus Christ, in His virgin birth, in His sinless life, in His miracles, in His vicarious and atoning death through His shed blood, in His bodily resurrection, in His ascension to the right hand of the Father, and in His personal return in power and glory. We believe that for the salvation of lost and sinful people, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is absolutely essential. We believe in the present ministry of the Holy Spirit by whose indwelling the Christian is enabled to live a godly life. We believe in the resurrection of both the saved and the lost; they that are saved unto the resurrection of life and they that are lost unto the resurrection of damnation. We believe in the spiritual unity of believers in our Lord Jesus Christ.¹⁰

The foundational view of the ministry of the Holy Spirit is narrowly defined and applied to the regeneration and indwelling. Although many of the NAE member denominations represent competing views as it relates to the doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the NAE presents a commonly accepted creed that emphasizes unity within the Evangelical body of Christ. Overall, The NAE represents a network of churches and ministries from 79 denominations that "touch a service constituency of 30 million people."¹¹ The NAE describes the denominational commonality as the following:

We believe in a biblical faith demonstrated by loyalty to the Word of God and commitment to proclaiming its message worldwide. Founded on a common acceptance of the infallibility and plenary authority of Scripture we shelter without offense varieties of biblical understanding, as those of the Calvinist, Arminian, Wesleyan, Anabaptist and Charismatic traditions. Together we stand on God's revelation in Scripture of redemption alone in Jesus Christ the son of God, by grace through faith. We affirm that our diversities result from our human fallibility and that one day when we know as we are known we shall more adequately see the proper coalescence of all things in the unitary truth which is of God. Until then we work and witness together in acceptance of the inevitable differences that we shall experience in our personal desire to understand the revealed mysteries of God. We know that our God, in His good time, through the coming again of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory, will make all mysteries plain and show us all things.¹²

The NAE recognizes that denominational differences of its members and seeks to shelter without offence varieties of biblical understanding. The author believes it is important for members of the IPHC to understand the perspectives of the larger Evangelical community in which they maintain their fellowship.

Historically, the Pentecostal movement, and more specifically the Pentecostal Holiness Church, has been adversely resistive to any alternate interpretation of the doctrine of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Grant Wacker, a scholar, church historian, and former Pentecostal, has contributed a great deal to the understanding of just how adverse the movement was to alternate interpretations, in his book Heaven Below: Early Pentecostals and America Culture.¹³ Wacker emphasizes the use of titles that said The Truth hanging over Bible schools, and being used in the schools’ names demonstrate the sense and intensity of correct doctrine. The term Full Gospel was used to differentiate between those who had the whole truth and those who had the partial truth. ¹⁴ William Seymour, one the movement’s foundational leaders, writes, We are not willing to accept any errors, it matters not how charming or sweet they may seem to be.¹⁵ Seymour later insisted that impure doctrine equaled spiritual fornication.¹⁶ Elmer K. Fisher, who led the Upper Room Mission, warned that if anyone defiled themselves with false doctrine they would be driven out.¹⁷ G. F. Taylor, who was the first recorded Pastor of Culbreth Memorial, and instrumental in the founding President of Emmanuel College, the context for this thesis-project, wrote that if anyone wanted to receive the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, they must lay aside any erroneous theory, no matter how long he may have believed or preached it.¹⁸ Wacker summarizes the dilemma:

Unconventional beliefs invited instant rebuke. Without love one ranked as an inadequate brother, without correct doctrine one ranked as no brother at all. The large number of schisms between 1915 and 1935, which typically began as disputes over seemingly minor points of belief, suggested that Pentecostal groups held little interest in compromise and none at all in theological pluralism. The proper form of church government, the timing of sanctification, the proof of the Holy Spirit baptism, the morality of seeking a physician, the possibility of universal salvation—all issues that most evangelicals considered more or less open for discussion—triggered lockouts, personal denunciations, and an ironfisted determination always to speak one’s mind, regardless of the human cost.¹⁹

Wacker goes on to give specific instances of dogmatic intolerance. Wacker indicates Fights about the timing of sanctification experience—did it coincide with or did it follow the conversion experience?—illustrate the point. Wacker reports that according to Bartleman, in 1911, William H. Durham, who held the former view, found himself literally locked out of the Azusa Mission by his one-time friend William J. Seymour, who held the latter view.²⁰ Moreover, Waldvogel reports that Durham tangled with Charles Fox Parham on the same issue, but Parham did more than lock the door. He asked God to smite whoever was wrong, then boasted about it when Durham died six months later at thirty-nine.²¹ Synan reports A decade later a difference of opinion on the matter prompted J. H. King, a general superintendent of the Pentecostal Holiness Church, personally to order Aimee McPherson off the platform of one of the churches in his jurisdiction in Virginia."²²

Time would fail to tell