Principles for a Charismatic Approach to Other Faiths

Abstract

"For many, to be charismatic and have a positive approach to other faiths seems a contradiction in terms. There is a tendency to stress the Christian “no” to other faiths rather than to explore how we might also say “yes.”2 And yet many Charismatics and Pentecostals in the world live in places of religious plurality and they have at their heart an openness to religious experience and a strong belief in the work of the Spirit of God. There is a tension that is built into the roots of Pentecostal-Charismatic identities that is only just beginning to be explored. As thinking in this area is at an early stage it is important to identify a framework of principles that might guide us. In this article I want to outline the key issues to be explored and, through a critical appreciation of the theology of religions proposed by the Pentecostal scholar Amos Yong, suggest such a framework that can form the basis of further work in this area."