AFTERWORD: ON THE FUTURE OF PENTECOSTAL HERMENEUTICS 317
enced Pentecostalism in various local settings around the globe might be
able to offer theological refl ection from rich diverse personal experiences,
giving them a more global perspective.
A consensus seems to have emerged concerning Pentecostal hermeneu-
tics. What has emerged from the earlier full monograph articulations on
Pentecostal hermeneutics, especially Amos Yong and myself, was a concern
for the interrelated roles of the Spirit, the community, and the Scripture
in the hermeneutical process for theological negotiation for meaning. 9 “A
Pentecostal hermeneutic is fi rst and foremost a participatory and relational
theological hermeneutic—a way of interpreting life and ultimate reality.” 10
Residing at the center of Pentecostal hermeneutics will be the Spirit, com-
munities, and Scripture. 11 A storied theological tradition will provide the
hermeneutical lens through which reality is interpreted and by which one
goes about organizing and making sense out of life. In the future, various
concerns associated with the triad will be addressed in constructive ways,
adding to the ongoing body of academic literature addressing pentecos-
tal–charismatic hermeneutics.
As stated, Pentecostal hermeneutics will and should address a number
of concerns. These areas of concern have grown out of certain critiques
both within and outside of the Pentecostal communities. Some critiques
are more empathetic than others. The more empathetic critiques typi-
cally arise out of sympathetic outsiders who share some of the concerns
being raised, 12 whereas some of the critiques that bemoan and dismiss the
quest for and articulation of an authentic Pentecostal hermeneutic come
from inside the community, 13 or come from those who were once identi-
fi ed among the pentecostals but “now have seen the light.” I am sure as
we move forward that new issues will arise, often as restatements of past
concerns, sometimes centuries or even millennia old, often played to an
ancient philosophical tune of the problem of the one and the many.
Human experience and the narrative of life is fundamental to human
maturation and understanding. Through narrative, the human mind
organizes experiences, knowledge, and thinking. “Narrative imaging is
our fundamental form of predicting” and also our “fundamental cogni-
tive instrument for explanation.” 14 In this way, humans “frame mean-
ing in narrative terms.” 15 Story is the means to transmit understanding
and through story identity is formed and reshaped. 16 The primary stories
that shape communal and, in turn, individual identity are necessary, even
though such stories are always limited, and might not always be accurate.
In fact, we are warned that many are fl awed perspectives. Some interpreta-
