I’ve read a lot of Pentecostal theology over the past few years, and I’ve noticed a trend. It seems like almost every book I read on the topic makes reference to Steven Jack Land’s Pentecostal Spirituality. This book is a landmark study. First published in 1993, the book has gone through five reprints and three translations. It has become a standard text in Pentecostal seminaries.

Land’s argues that “the righteousness, holiness, and power of God are correlated with distinctive apocalyptic affections which are the integrating core of Pentecostal spirituality” (12). The affections are the place where the narrative beliefs and practices of Pentecostals are integrated. This integration of the beliefs and practices in the affections is the essence of spirituality.

The first ten years of Pentecostalism provide the material for Land’s analysis. Along with Walter J. Hollenweger, Land believes that these ten years are not the infancy, but the heart of the movement. Land dives deeply into this first decade of Pentecostalism, citing frequently from the Apostolic Faith and early Pentecostal hymnals to illustrate and form his arguments.

My only problem was the book turns out to be a compliment. Nothing in this revolutionary book felt revolutionary. That is a testament to the influence that Pentecostal Spirituality has had on Pentecostal studies. After over a quarter century in print, Land’s main ideas have become absorbed into the academy. Pentecostal Spirituality is still bearing fruit in the works of today’s scholars.

Land, Steven Jack. Pentecostal Spirituality: A Passion for the Kingdom. Cleveland: CPT Press, 2010.