ABSTRACT
Given the diversity of Pentecostalism worldwide, this chapter questions whether a global Pentecostal theology is possible. There are as many different kinds of Pentecostalism as there are expressions of Pentecostal theology, and Pentecostal doctrines are interpreted in diverse languages and cultural settings. The chapter begins by outlining the different varieties of Pentecostalism and how their theologies might differ. It discusses the challenges of cultural and religious settings affecting the ways different “contextual Pentecostal theologies” might be understood. The central argument examines the importance of Walter Hollenweger’s “oral structures” and “intercultural theology” for our understanding of Pentecostal theology. It concludes with reflections on the possibility of a Pentecostal global theology and suggests that Pentecostal theology with its emphasis on the experience of the Spirit cannot be contained in one strict form or creed.
