An ethical critique of Pentecostal Spirituality in India

Dr. M. Stephen

Introduction

It is difficult to explain what is spirituality.  Spirituality can be defined as the total vision of a community or an individual.  It can include the ethics, the worship and the life style of the people.

Spirituality is used in a holistic sense over here.  It denotes the total life.  The dogmatic and practical elements are included in this term.  The doctrines, worship, rituals and ethics or way of life are the essential aspects of spirituality.

The Pentecostal spirituality means the totality of Pentecostal experience.  The history, teachings, worship and ethics are included.  It is about the belief and life of the people which is integral to their experience.  The Pentecostals have their own particular spirituality as they have a distinct worldview.  They have a particular ideology and understanding of values.  Spirituality is the religious and moral consciousness which regulate a person or a community.  Pentecostal spirituality is the religious and ethical / moral consciousness of that community.

The context or setting of Asia / India

The Asians are a multicultural and multi religious people.  Asia is the birth place of many major world religions.  Asia also had confronted the colonialism and its consequence.  The oppressions of various kinds and extreme poverty are the stark realities of Asia.  The third world counties are under developed or developing nations. Among the Asian countries the condition of Nepal, Burma, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India are worse.  The corruption, unjust structures and exploitation are the factors which hinder the progress of the poor.  The poor are appeared in the form of dalits, tribals or the Minjung.

Though Asia is a land of religions and vast resources, resources are controlled by few and these dominant groups are religious, but are not willing to share the resources.  Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Taoism, Confucianism, Islam and Christianity have a liberative motive, but the religious are very rigid.  They do not have a proper spirituality to meet the neighbours’ needs.  Instead of helping each other, one can notice the ethnic crises, terrorism, communal riots, and human right violations in the Asian context.

The Indian spirituality is both contemplative and liberative.  It affirms a close relationship with God, but the same time urges the bhakta to do what is good.  The Karuna, Tyaga and Ahimsa are the main principles in the Indian spirituality.  Indian spirituality holds a personal, social and cosmic dimension.  It looks inward, and also look at the society, and to the whole of creation.  The Christian spirituality has also these dimensions in a deeper way. Christian spirituality is rooted in love and justice.  It looks for the total well being of the whole universe.

In the Indian context, apart from the Hindu, Jain and Buddhist traditions, there is also a subaltern spirituality, the spirituality of the tribals and dalits.  Their spirituality is their life, as it is based on the religious and socio-political and historical experience of the people or community. They are an oppressed humanity, so they challenge the Brahminic and other kinds of dominance.  They de-legitimise the ‘spirituality’ of the dominant.  They look forward a liberative or praxis oriented spirituality which affirms the egalitarian society where the dignity and rights of all persons are affirmed.  A spirituality of combat is essential in their view.  In this context a prophetic spirituality or spirituality of protest is quite evident.

1. Pentecostal Spirituality: An original vision

The Pentecostal Spirituality is rooted in the holiness.  We have to acknowledge that ‘holiness’ is the watchword of Pentecostalism.  The total life was centred around the holiness.

 a. Teaching and ethics / life

The teaching and life were quite related in the life of a Pentecostal.  They were trying to practice what they believed.  Theology and ethics or belief and practice were integrated and it was so in their life also.  John Stott describes that Apostle Paul relates doctrine and duty or belief and behaviour.  This comment is very suiting to Pentecostal spirituality.  One of the significant marks of a solid community is that it should co-relate the theory and practice.  Jesus was quite unhappy about the life style of the Pharisees as they do not practice what they teach.  So Jesus said, don’t do what they do, but do what they preach.  The spirituality of the Pharisees was based on double morality, it was disintegrating and unwholesome.

The Pharisees and other Jewish elites and Roman officials involve in luxury and they tried to dominate and exploit the poor.  Jesus, on the other hand, was for the total well being of the human beings, especially the neglected ones.  He loved and cared the marginated.  The spiritual and social transformation is found in Jesus’ perspective.  His spirituality can be explained to be liberative. It was restoring, renewing and reconstructing.  He challenged the evil and affirmed the good.  One can find a radical dimension of God’s love in Jesus’ spirituality. Jesus’ perspective of spirituality should be a model for Pentecostal spirituality.

The first Pentecost (Jerusalem experience) gave utmost importance to life and the teaching.  The key of their spirituality was transparency.  They had truthfulness.  They were quite sincere in their dealing, though there are few exceptions.  They had the oneness, love and honesty (Acts, Chapter 2, 4). They had the sense of brotherhood and sharing.  It was a mutually caring community.  They had the Koinonia. They had a deep devotion to God which was reflected deeply in their life.  Their religion and ethics or conduct were never dualistic, but integrative.  It was not a religion which excludes ethics.  Ethics was the essential part of their spirituality.  The values were upheld by the community.  They had integrity in life.  The ethical demand were given utmost importance by them.  Those who violated the norms were strongly dealt with.  This was evident in the case of Ananias and Sapphira, and also in the issue of incest (Acts 5, 1cor.5)

The second Pentecost event at Topeka, and in the Asuza street (1901,1905) were also exposing tremendous amount of moral consciousness, which was part and parcel of their spirituality.  They emphasized the love, unity and holiness.  Their spirituality had a high moral consciousness.  Smoking, drinking, dishonesty and sexual immorality were condemned.  As the early Christian community, they led a life which glorify God.  It was not clear whether the outward expressions were taken seriously by them as part of their spirituality.  As in the early church, they gave importance to the inward change and renewal than the outward expressions.  Moustache and beard were not uncommon among them.  Those who had moustache and beard also preached and performed miracles, the manifestation of the gift of the Holy Spirit were found in their life also.  Holy Spirit worked among the blacks and whites regardless of their race and economic status.  Interestingly the might wind of the spirit moved rapidly though William Seymour.

        The first Pentecostal experience in India was probably in the year 1905 at Pandita Ramabai’s Mukti Mission.  But there was revival or awakening in Kerala also among Christians.  Sadhu Mathai, Kochu Kunju Upadeshi and other charismatic preachers proclaimed the message of love, brotherhood and holiness.  Faith and faithfulness were integral part of their spirituality.  They upheld the integrity in life.  They taught about truthfulness and honesty as against the deception and exploitation.  They believed that their religion is a religion of truth and sexual immorality was understood as an evil.  The social evils were also questioned by them.  The caste discriminations and dowry system were condemned.  Marital fidelity was upheld.  The Pentecostal spirituality promoted the chastity or the Sanctity in life.

b. Worship and ethics / life

The early Christian community and the early modern Pentecostal outburst had given due importance to worship and life.  Worship was so spontaneous and they worshipped the holy one in their holiness.  They had only two sacraments, mainly, the Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.  They had not so many rituals.  They had singing preaching, speaking in tongues and prophecy in the midst of worship.  The life was given importance as the regenerated ones only have to worship God.  Those who worship God has a strong ethical sense.  They acknowledged God’s righteousness and justice.  They had a commitment to God and commitment to others.

The worshippers are supposed to be holy and righteous. No one is to come for worship after involving in immoral acts. Keeping the commandments of God is a requirement for worshipping God.

 c. The view on mission

The Pentecostal view on mission is not very holistic.  It is mainly understood as preaching and the aspect of diakonia and liberation are ignored.  Sharing the Gospel in the holistic sense is to be emphasized.  The whole Gospel to the whole person and to the whole world should be the aim.  Leading people to repentance is very significant, so also leading them to total healing or total transformation.  The lopsided view of dealing only the spiritual has to be corrected.

 II. Pentecostal Spirituality today

In principle the Pentecostal spirituality is rooted in holiness.  It is a life in the spirit, and the renewal of life is upheld.  Pentecostal spirituality is misunderstood by some.  They do not realize the progressive thrust of Pentecostalism.  While Latin American and other progressive Pentecostals stressed the liberative spirit the traditionalists rejects the element of liberation of Pentecostal spirituality.  The traditionalists understand the Pentecostal spirituality as merely singing, dancing, speaking in tongues and exercising charismatic gifts.  There are Pentecostals who have a false understanding or spirituality as they never realize the significance of morality.  They divorce the morality and gave importance to externalities.  They reduced Pentecostal spirituality as a psychological / emotional outburst.  They hold on a double standard.  The sexual morality is nullified by them.  They emphasize the preaching and charismatic gifts over against the moral or ethical assertions.

        Those who upheld a wrong or misunderstood spirituality asserts what is ‘spiritual’ than what is ethical.  It is the outcome of the wrong perception of spirituality.  A growing number of unethical elements are intruded into the Pentecostal community.  There are Pentecostals who involve in sexual immorality (Big scandals are found in their name), marital infidelity and embezzlement of money.  Faith is unrelated to faithfulness to them.  They violate norms and even run the irresponsible banking.  The people with selfish interests exploit the Pentecostal community and their spirituality, and they appear as the custodians of Pentecostalism.  They appear as ‘messiah’ though they are the mafia.  They spoil the community to achieve their wrong motives.  The spirit of capitalism is growing as against the true Pentecostal spirituality which upholds the cause of the marginated or subaltern.  A deliberate attempt is made by the capitalistic forces suppress the moral force.  The vitality of the Pentecostal spirituality is lost as there is discriminations prevail in the name of caste class colour and gender.

Pentecostal spirituality is rooted in their experience.  What is their experience today as people of God? The criteria for dealing Pentecostal spirituality are holiness, honesty, brotherhood and fair relationship. As there is corruption, disparities, injustices and moral laxity Pentecostal spirituality faces grave threat today.  The oppressive elements are at the increase and the community fails to curb these forces as it lacks maturity.

The prophetic consciousness which is the essential element of Pentecostal spirituality which is reduced to be mockery.  The so called ‘prophets’ are the advocates of capitalism and corruption.  They use their ‘gift’ for manipulating the emotions of the people and supporting the unjust system instead of challenging them.  They have lost their goal and vision, though they are supposed to give directions and admonitions to the community.  The prophetic spirituality ought to be challenging evils without intimidation, as they should uphold a high moral consciousness.

The Pentecostal spirituality is peripheral in the Indian context as they are reduced spirituality to outward expressions. The so-called outward expressions are upheld as the true Pentecostal expressions and spirituality.  They are classified as singing, speaking in tongues, prophecy and miracles.  Though they are very significant features, the aversion to the socio – political realities is not a welcome sign.  It is important to harness both the outward expressions and the social concerns.

Another important problem with Indian Pentecostal spirituality is that it is quite dogmatic.  It is centred around certain issues like baptism, tongues and ornaments.  The traditionalists do not see the value of challenging evils, reforming the structure and the prophetic role.  Though dehumanisation is very much found in the Indian context, the traditional Pentecostal spirituality is silent on the issues like oppression, exploitation, poverty or human right violations.  As in the Latin American Pentecostal spirituality, the role of diakonia, liberation and the ecumenical spirit have to be integrated to Indian Pentecostal spirituality also, which will make the Pentecostalism a people oriented spirituality.

In the Indian context, it is important to develop a holistic spirituality which integrates contemplation as well as liberative aspects.  The Pentecostal spirituality should realize the spirituality of the good Samaritan which was to help the helpless in their need.  It also has to relate with the prophetic spirituality and also Jesus spirituality.  These spiritualities upheld the concern to the marginated, the emancipation of the downtrodden, emphasizing the human rights and the liberation the poor.  The women, the dalits and the tribals in Indian contexts are under dehumanising situations and it is quite essential that our spirituality should motivate us to work for their dignity and emancipation. 

Conclusion

The Indian Pentecostals should be critical of their traditional view of spirituality and it should be reformed to develop a holistic spirituality.  The non-egoistic philosophy of Jainism and Buddhism, the tyaga (renunciation), the Ahimsa (non-violence) or shanti (peace), the karuna (mercy) and the liberative vision of Indian religious traditions can contribute to the development of an Indian Pentecostal spirituality along with the biblical insights.  The Indian caste system has to be challenged as it is against a true spirituality.  An Indian Pentecostal spirituality should uphold dignity and rights of the marginated and it should be liberative.

 Rev. Dr. M. Stephen

Faith Theological Seminary

Manakala, Adoor – 691 551

Kerala.

(For the Asian Pentecostal Conference, Bangalore, 20^th August 2002.)