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
  • Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements ed. Stanley M. Burgess and Gary B. McGee, assoc. ed. Patrick H. Alexander. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1988). Part of the Regency Reference Library (an imprint of Zondervan); xi + 911 pages.
  • The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, revised and expanded edition. ed. Stanley M. Burgess; assoc. ed. Eduard M. van der Maas. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 2002). xxxi + 1278 pages.

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:

  • 2003 Christianity Today Book of the Year[4]

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
  • Edgar R. Lee, Paraclete 23:2 (Spring 1989), p29–30
  • George R. Knight, Andrews University Seminary Studies 27:1 (Spring 1989), p78–80: link (DjVu format). Knight affirms the article bibliographies as "up-to-date". He commends the work's ideal of an open, balanced overview, yet claims this is met "with varying degrees of success." While he affirms the list of contributors as "impressive", he notes the absence of such leading authorities as Donald W. Dayton and Walter J. Hollenweger on Pentecostalism; and Melvin E. Dieter on the Holiness movement. He also cites imbalance on geographical coverage, and an excess of minor biographies. Yet he concludes it is a "pioneering reference work that is a welcome contribution in a neglected area" and "joins the ranks of essential reference tools for students of modern Christianity."
  • Walter J. Hollenweger, International Bulletin of Missionary Research 13:4 (October 1989), p181–182
  • Donald S. Armentrout, Saint Luke's Journal of Theology 33:1 (December 1989), p71–73
  • David S. Dockery, Review & Expositor 87:1 (Winter 1990), p143–144
  • Stephen R. Graham, Covenant Quarterly 48:2 (May 1990), p40–41
  • Kenneth D. Gill, Missiology 18:3 (July 1990), p351–352
  • Martine Cohen, Archives de Sciences Sociales des Religions 35:72 (October–December 1990), p237
  • Kilian McDonnell, Pneuma 13:1 (Spring 1991), p83–85
  • Watson E. Mills, Perspectives in Religious Studies 18:1 (Spring 1991), p94–96
    • Watson E. Mills, Perspectives in Religious Studies 21:3 (Fall 1994), p264–267 [same?]
  • Timothy P. Weber, Themelios 16 (April–May 1991), p31
  • Timothy Paul Erdel, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 34:3 (September 1991), p386–388. Erdel states, "It stands alone as a comprehensive overview of the [...] movements, filling a huge lacuna [gap] in contemporary Church history [...]. One could scarcely ask for a better reference work at this juncture. It is balanced and authoritative, broad in conception and scope, yet succinct in presentation and exact in detail." It often makes "original, insightful contributions to scholarship", and "marks a new era for understanding and appreciating the fastest growing segment of Christendom". He still cites "major limitations" such as the deliberate bias "toward Europe and North America." "The dictionary certainly does not shrink from the bizarre or the scandalous, nor from searching self-criticism", including of marital problems and falls from glory. He does claim "inadequate" cross-referencing, and cites that "[t]he phenomena of glossolalia and xenolalia in non-Christian religions are barely mentioned", for instance. It is also "invaluable" for understanding non-charismatic evangelicals, because of the currents flowing between the two traditions.
  • Paul R. Spickard, Christian Scholar's Review 20:3 (Fall 1991), p313–314
  • Jean Jacques Suurmond, Bijdragen 53:4 (1992), p456

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. "Christianity Today Book Awards" from Zondervan.com. Accessed 2009-07-16
  5. Winners Archived 2007-04-03 at the Wayback Machine, 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
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