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Dennis Lum,The Practice of Prophecy: An Empirical-Theological Study of Pentecostals
in Singapore(Eugene,OR: Pickwick Publications, 2018). 262 pp. $33.00 paperback.
Practical theology seeks to discover how God is working in the world and how the church can best partner with those efforts. Dennis Lum’s book, The Prac- tice of Prophecy, is one of a growing number of works of practical theology seeking to use the methods of empirical social science research to better under- stand experiences most Pentecostal Christians perceive to be supernatural. However, whereas the vast majority of Pentecostal empirical studies have been conducted in North America and Europe by North Americans and Europeans, Lum makes a unique contribution as an Asian studying Asian Pentecostals and their use and understanding of prophecy. Lum’s quality of research and writ- ing is on par with similar studies completed by William Kay, Margaret Paloma, and Mark Cartledge and confirms that much of what they discovered about WesternPentecostals’beliefs andexperienceswithprophecyisalso trueof Pen- tecostals in Singapore.
Lum begins with a brief overview of the study and its background then pro- vides a solid survey of the discipline of practical theology, citing and summa- rizing the leading names in the field, including Pentecostal scholars and those from other strands of Christianity. He goes into particular detail explaining Johannes van der Ven’s empirical approach to practical theology, as this is the model he used in his two-part empirical study of Assemblies of God ministers in Singapore. Lum’s methods also drew from KevinVanhoozer’sTheo-Dramatic Model that takes Scripture beyond a series of propositions to be proved and makes it a canonical script with the Holy Spirit as director and the theologian as the dramaturge. James Loder’s Chalcedonian Model of merging disciplines in study just as the Council of Chalcedon acknowledge the merging of divine and human natures in Christ also contributed to Lum’s approach to the study.
Lum conducted a mixed-method empirical study starting with qualitative case study interviews of ten Singapore Assemblies of God pastors before con- ducting a literature review and following up with a quantitative survey of all Singapore Assemblies of God credentialed ministers willing to respond. He explains that he took this approach so that the literature would not influence his perception. The qualitative interviews brought out the core themes he put into the quantitative survey. The case studies suggested a core concept of love that he found missing in previous empirical studies of prophecy. Yet, as he points out, the Apostle Paul clearly puts love in the middle of prophecy with the renowned theme of love in ICorinthians 13 embedded between Paul’s two most substantial passages on prophecy and other spiritual gifts inICorinthians 12 and 14.
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The review of literature on prophecy begins with a chapter surveying bib- lical theological studies on the nature and purpose of prophecy as described in the New Testament. Lum draws from both Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal theologians and biblical scholars to support arguments that all believers have the ability to prophesy at one level but that prophecy functions as a spiritual gift not given to all Christians at another level.The NewTestament, much as the Old Testament, shows prophecy to be spontaneous revelation of things previ- ously secret or unknown. Although some prophecy can be predictive of future events, it is not limited to this in either testament. The New Testament makes a distinction between preaching and prophecy, but Lum argues that speaking in tongues with interpretation can be considered equivalent to prophecy in its effect. Lum sees the primary purposes of New Testament prophecy as encour- aging and edifying the church, a sign of God’s presence and favor, and a tool for evangelism and church growth.
Lum is very hesitant to support a possible fourth use in personal guidance, and he eschews the Apostolic-Prophetic Movement’s heavy reliance on per- sonal prophecy. Lum claims the New Testament record only supports personal prophecy confirming decisions believers have already made on other bases. However, Acts 13:1–2 strongly implies prophecy inspired the Antioch Church to send Paul and Barnabas out on their first missionary journey with its mention, “Now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fast- ing, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’” (ESV).The mention of prophets before teachers then attributing a specific verbal call to the Holy Spirit is best explained as one or more of those prophets being the instrument of the message. In Galatians 2:1, Paul says he went to Jerusalem because of a revelation, a word even Lum says must be a synonym for prophecy. Each of these examples was clear personal direction to Paul. Certainly, caution must be exercised in personal prophecy and every message should be tested (ICorinthians 14:28), but this fourth pur- pose of personal, or even corporate, direction is a biblically valid one.
A second chapter surveys popular and academic literature, including empir- ical research, on prophecy in this current era. Lum found support for the con- cept of all Spirit-filled believers having the potential ability to prophesy. Lum identifies a three-step process of prophecy in synthesizing the literature includ- ing 1) reception, 2) analysis, and 3) relaying. Lum cites several empirical studies and used many of their questions in his larger quantitative survey of Singa- pore ministers to be able to compare results accurately. Lum also uses the three dimensions of Hans Eysenck’s Personality Theory that other studies have used
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to show that extraversion is the only dimension to show more prominence in those who prophesy. Lum also explains Benson, Donahue, and Erickson’s Faith Maturity Scale with its Godward love and compassion for others that he used in his quantitative survey as a measure of the respondents’ spiritual maturity.
Of the 321 available credential holders in the Singaporean Assemblies of God, 168 completed the second survey, and Lum accepted 148 responses for evaluation. Over 99% of respondents had observed prophecy, and 87.16% said they had given a prophecy. 73.65% of the sample said their churches actively encourage prophecy in their gatherings.
Most of the data gathered in the quantitative study confirmed both Lum’s hypotheses and findings from similar studies from around the world. The Singaporean respondents believe: 1) prophecy is distinct from preaching, 2) prophecy is subordinate to Scripture in authority and Scripture should be used to evaluate prophecies, and 3) all believers have the potential to prophesy. Those whose self-reported spiritual practices exemplify Lum’s definition of spiritual maturity are more likely to prophesy, use Scripture in prophecy, and evaluate prophecies. Lum’s unique hypothesis that love is a factor in prophecy was confirmed with respondents reporting higher levels of love toward God and people experiencing more prophetic activity. The empirical results also supported the purposes of prophecy Lum uncovered in his literary study: edi- fication, a sign of God’s attitude toward the community, evangelism, and guid- ance in personal decisions. Although Lum does not make this point, the sim- ilarity of findings from Western studies is evidence in favor of prophecy as an authentic transcendent occurrence.
Lum advocates for training of Pentecostal ministers to include several in- sights from his study: 1)The relationship of prophecy to Scripture, 2) the impor- tance of the personal spiritual growth of those who would prophesy, 3) those open to hearing God in private prayers are more likely to prophesy, 4) common mechanics of prophecy are not bizarre, 5) the content of prophecy is usually comfort or encouragement, 6) churches should set a strict protocol for its prac- tice, and 7) believers should begin practicing prophesy in small group settings rather than large worship services.
Lum’s book makes an important contribution in both expanding the geo- graphic realm of empirical Pentecostal research but also confirming its value, both as a tool to understand what is happening and to equip the church around the world to effectively use an important gift.
Alan J. Ehler
Southeastern University, Lakeland, Florida [email protected]
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