be let loose on a congregation. But what should he say? He found himself
speaking about narratives. They all had a story to tell and God was in their
story, i.e., God gave it ultimate meaning. Of course, this did not mean
that he became a Pentecostal (far from it), but it did mean that he showed
a respect and indeed an empathy for the Pentecostal worldview and the
way that it is constructed and inhabited via narratives, symbols and praxis.
Drawing upon his experience as a researcher, we might say that empirical
research is about the narratives that are told, the symbols that are used,
and the praxis embodied and performed. 12
Increasingly, Pentecostals are becoming not only the researched but the
researchers, and this is to be welcomed. The insiders are being researched
by the insiders, not just by the outsiders (if you like, the hermeneutically
proximal). Both perspectives are required because they have the capac-
ity to mutually correct each other. Indeed, it could be said that what is
increasingly required is research that is “co-produced” by both insider and
outsider because of the ethical requirement not to misrepresent the other
who is under research (Cheryl’s point). The most rigorous research pro-
cesses will also have some form of feedback loop whereby the researched
can comment on the accuracy of the fi ndings, but to “co-produce” research
is something about which we are beginning to learn more. Even funding
councils in the UK are only beginning to discuss this kind of research,
which is a move away from the model of a university that is aloof, critical
and detached (the hermeneutically distant). This is good news for those
under research. Nevertheless, critical conversations need to be had with
everyone involved in this kind of research because traditions of enquiry are
not neutral. Disciplines have ingrained conventions that shape our ways
of looking and thinking. These cherished ways are guarded by signifi cant
people, funders, peer reviewers, the editors of journals, the editors of book
series, and the organizers of conferences.
T HE SPIRIT IN PENTECOSTAL EXPERIENCE
Now we come to the central issue that theologically orientated empiri-
cal research of Pentecostalism needs to address. How can we understand
and interpret the work of the Spirit among Pentecostals when considering
their religious experiences?
The nature of “experience” is diffi cult to defi ne and often includes
information gathered by the senses, cognition, events that occur in life,
and general circumstances. Of course, particular experiences never occur
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