AFTERWORD: ON THE FUTURE OF PENTECOSTAL HERMENEUTICS 321
not engage this question in a substantive manner. Yet, if the focus is to
articulate a “pneumatic” approach, it would have been helpful to address
the Spirit in the interpretive process. 33 Pentecostal and charismatic tradi-
tions which give shape to Pentecostal and charismatic interpreters should
be concerned about the role of the Spirit in the interpretive process as well
as utilizing proper methodologies in the interpretation of Scripture and
reality. They also should be concerned with their own social location and
the communities that shape them as interpreters.
Methodology is important; therefore, methodologies must be employed
that suit the subject of investigation. Methods are always being utilized by
someone, and methods, even though used according to governing rules
and scientifi c procedures, are not able in and of themselves to resolve all
matters. Surely, the method should have some sense of correctness and
be understood by others so as to repeat the experiment and validate the
interpretation of the data. But should we compartmentalize the scientifi c
methodology say from religious or faith oriented quests? Should we inter-
pret the so-called “book of nature” differently than the so-called “book of
Scripture”? No, because, at a deeper level, the method will be grounded
in a theological hermeneutic and thus a pentecostal–charismatic world-
view will make sense of the methodology and interpretation. Pentecostals
and charismatics would want to ground everything back into their under-
standing of the Gospel, and interpret reality through a theological herme-
neutic relationally grounded in a particular traditioned community. And
yes, because methods do matter, in the sense that written texts require
us to interpret them from a literary perspective, utilizing literary meth-
ods and biology requires the use of empirical methods. Particular meth-
odologies appropriate to the fi eld of study will ultimately make sense in
the worldview of the interpreter who has been shaped by her/his theo-
logical community(s). Therefore, the triadic relationship of community,
Scripture, and Spirit is more conducive to developing a thorough going
theological hermeneutic then a particular interpretive methodology.
For Pentecostals, hermeneutics has primarily been concerned with the
interpretation of Scripture. The scriptures will always hold an honored and
primary place in Pentecostal Christianity. However, we cannot escape
that the understanding of Scripture is always a constructed theologically
interpreted understanding of a body of literature we call the Holy Bible.
Pentecostals must be challenged to consider how our theological herme-
neutic contributes to other disciplines and interpretive methods. We should
interrogate methods as vigorously as we do material reality and our theo-
