The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements

The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements is a comprehensive reference work on charismatic Christianity (which includes the three streams of Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Movement, and the Neocharismatic movement). It is edited primarily by Stanley M. Burgess. Published in 2002, it is the "revised and expanded edition" of the 1988 Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Both editions have received positive reviews from scholars. The book has won several awards. Both editions are published by Zondervan.

The original edition states the contributors to the volume come from both within and without the movement(s), and a "balanced overview" is attempted. It concentrates on North America and Europe, where the movement originated; rather than Latin America, Africa, and Asia, where the majority of members are found.[1] The revised and expanded edition again asserts a "balanced overview" and breadth of contributors. While very comprehensive, it does admit some imbalances in coverage mainly due to the absence of complete scholarly data for some countries.[2]

Editions and editors

As of both editions, Stanley Burgess is Professor of Religious Studies at Southwest Missouri State University (later Missouri State University) in Springfield, Missouri. As of the first edition, Gary McGee is Associate Professor of Church History at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary also in Springfield; and Patrick Alexander is an editor in Republic, Missouri. As of the second edition, Eduard van der Maas is a former editor of textbooks and reference works at Zondervan.

Awards

The book has received several awards.[3]

First edition:

Second edition:

Scholarly reviews

There have been at least 20 or so scholarly reviews (of either edition), as well as other references. They are listed in chronological order.

First edition reviews

The editors of Christian History stated, "Any student of Pentecostalism should own a copy", and "[its entries are] written and edited by the top scholars of Pentecostalism".[6]

Also four reviews are printed on the back cover: Donald Dayton described it as "a major publishing event of great ecumenical significance", "indispensable" to students of the movement, and "useful, exciting, objective and scholarly." Jack W. Hayford described it as "Enlightening!" and furthering "broadened understanding" and "unity". Leo Joseph Suenens called it "a precious instrument for research and dialogue." Thomas F. Zimmerman commented, "A dependable resource tool" and "comprehensive overview"; "It should be a part of every minister's study and religious library."

See also Gary B. McGee, A Kaleidoscope of Pentecostalism: The Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements. Missiology 27:1 (January 1999), p59–63. This was a paper presented at the 1998 annual meeting of the American Society of Missiology.

Second edition reviews

A Christian History article described it as an "indispensable tome" in 2002.[7] A single review by Donald Dayton is printed on the back cover, abridged from the first edition, "A major publishing event of great ecumenical significance ... indispensable to those wishing to understand the movement."

References

  1. ↑ "Editorial Preface" to the first edition, page vii
  2. ↑ "Preface" on page xv–xvi of the revised edition
  3. ↑ Product detail page on Zondervan.com. Accessed 2009-07-16
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Christianity Today Book Awards" from Zondervan.com. Accessed 2009-07-16
  5. ↑ Winners, but not presently finalists, are listed on the ECPA.org website
  6. ↑ "The Rise of Pentecostalism: Recommended Resources" by the editors. Christian History 58 (1998)
  7. ↑ "Timeline of the Spirit-gifted" by Chris Armstrong. Christian History October 2002

External links