observed in the Council of Jerusalem of Acts 15. This suggests that the
priority in theological and ethical deliberations is the new work of the
Spirit as experienced by the community. These approaches to reading
Scripture and addressing theological and ethical questions, identifi ed in
Isaiah 56 and Acts 15, have infl uenced and informed Pentecostal reading
practices. However, while these two examples provide a model for read-
ing adopted by Pentecostals such as Thomas, the question remains: do
Pentecostals adequately apply this model to their deliberation of theologi-
cal and ethical disputes? What are the ethical implications of this dynamic
reading approach for important contemporary issues, such as homosexual-
ity? I would like to suggest that while this reading of Isaiah 56 and Acts 15
emphasizes the experience of the Spirit by the community in deliberating
theological questions, and that sometimes the prioritization of the Spirit’s
activity leads to a defying of tradition and traditional readings of sacred
texts, Pentecostals have generally not always adequately defi ned what they
mean by the component of “experience” within their hermeneutic. 27
If Pentecostals are to genuinely model their deliberation of theo-
logical issues on these examples, as Thomas endorses, then all three
elements are necessary: the components of Spirit (based on observation
and discernment of the Spirit at work), experience (based on testimony
and report) and text (appeal to Scripture). Yet, in furthering Thomas’
model for use in ethical decision-making within the Pentecostal com-
munity, all three components of the triad are needed. Pentecostalism is
still young and developing—their contributions to broader categories of
theology and contemporary ethical issues are still preliminary. However,
to engage in critical dialogue of issues of ethical importance—as it was
for the Isaian and Lukan communities—Pentecostals must engage all
components of the reading model, including the broader dimension of
their experience. Each component of Spirit, experience and text is essen-
tial in providing balance and correction. If the Pentecostal community
was to rely on experience without the balance of the Spirit (to discern
that their experience is indeed from God) and text (to anchor the expe-
rience in the canon), then the potential for self-deception is rife. If the
Pentecostal community was to rely on text without the balance of the
Spirit (to discern that trajectory of biblical thought) 28 and experience
(to understand their own contemporary context and the activity of the
Spirit within it), then the role of Scripture defaults to a list of acontex-
tual propositions. If the Pentecostal community was to rely on the Spirit
without the balance of the text (to provide the authority and validation
WHEN THE SPIRIT TRUMPS TRADITION: A PENTECOSTAL READING OF ISAIAH... 153