as a biblical sign of the fullness of the human community”? 72 Space does
not allow for the full development of such a hermeneutical theory, but
two potential points of emphasis for contemporary, constructive scholars
to pursue might be (1) a reappraisal of culture as a locus of Pentecostal
theology (along with an attendant broadening of hermeneutics), and (2)
hermeneutical practices of inclusion already present in Pentecostalism.
In the aforementioned Theological Hermeneutics in the Classical
Pentecostal Tradition , Oliverio is explicit at the outset that his approach
to Pentecostal theology will employ a notion of theological hermeneu-
tics that transcends the boundaries of early Pentecostalism, namely one
in which “doing theology is an act of interpreting one’s world” and the
practice of hermeneutics stands “in a relationship of mutual interdepen-
dence with other beliefs about reality.” 73 Thus, Oliverio is distancing him-
self from a reductive hermeneutics limited in both method and scope. He
writes:
I have already pushed the matter of what is interpreted beyond written or
spoken texts toward a broader view of that which is theologically inter-
preted. What constitutes a “text,” in this sense, is anything that is inter-
preted theologically. It is the self or anything “other” that is understood in
light of one’s faith commitments and further interpreted in inquiry, refl ec-
tion and criticism upon those commitments and that which is interpreted. 74More substantively, in the concluding chapter of the text, Oliverio articu-
lates four resources for a “Pentecostal experience of God and a fruitful
Pentecostal theological hermeneutic” that are mediated to us by the Spirit:
Word, creation, culture, and tradition. 75 Regarding the Spirit, Oliverio
sees the central, empowering Person of Pentecost as the same indwelling,
life-giving Person who guides us in our understanding. Refl ecting upon
Azusa, Oliverio highlights the breaking down of “denominational, racial,
gender and socio-economic barriers in a scandalous display of Christian
egalitarianism and unity” as an indication of a Spirit-inspired inclusivism
that should permeate our theological refl ection. 76
However, it is in the section “Creation and Culture” (3.3) where
Oliverio provides fruitful resources for a Pentecostal hermeneutics of
culture. Starting from the divine mandate to cultivate God’s creation in
Genesis, Oliverio draws a parallel with our cultivation of human realities
(i.e., culture). In the same manner that one can read Genesis as a com-
mentary on the multiplicity of ways that our engagement with creation
242 D.T. LOYNES