A Dramatic Pentecostal/Charismatic Anti-Theodicy
Improvising on a Divine Performance of Lament
by Stephen Torr
Foreword by David Cheetham
Imprint: Pickwick Publications
The response of Pentecostal and Charismatic churches to those suffering in their midst has generally been to seek the intervention of the Holy Spirit to bring about healing and transformation, or perhaps, education. But what happens when the suffering continues, it appears to be innocent and meaningless, and God seems to be absent? This study, drawing on Kevin Vanhoozer's "dramatic" approach to theology, argues that the way God calls us to "perform" as we seek to communicate with him amidst such situations is to lament, and to do so with the aid of the Holy Spirit. Rather than offering such an approach purely in opposition to the more "triumphalistic" responses common in Pentecostal/Charismatic theology and practice, this book seeks to show how a performance of lament is conducive to such theology and practice while acting as a much-needed corrective to certain aspects of it. What is provided here is therefore relevant reading for both scholars and pastors alike, particularly of Pentecostal/Charismatic church tradition, who grapple with the realities of suffering and the questions such realities produce.
Rev'd Dr. Stephen C. Torr is Assistant Curate in the Abbots Bromley Benefice, England. Having completed undergraduate studies at the University of Birmingham, he continued on to complete a PhD in Theology as part of the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies, also at the University of Birmingham. Having trained for Ordination at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, he is now serving his first post as Assistant Curate.
"Torr's study arises from his own experience of grief in seemingly unanswered prayer. He convincingly proposes the biblical performance of lamenting with the aid of the Spirit while waiting for eschatological relief. I commend this book warmly to all those seeking answers to the real challenges of suffering and pain."
--Allan Heaton Anderson, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
"Stephen Torr has written a rich, thoughtful, and critical exposition on the reality of suffering in the vista of faith. . . . This will be an important study for those in Pentecostal traditions; beyond that it merits the close attention of the wider community of faith as a contribution to our thinking about the problem of evil in the context of actual church practice."
--Walter Brueggemann, Columbia Theological Seminary
"Stephen Torr has provided an insightful account of how those working from within the Pentecostal and charismatic traditions might approach the problem of evil and suffering. His position, especially his advocacy of the genre of lament within a theo-dramatic approach, deserves to be widely read. It makes an original contribution to theological scholarship and assists the church in its pastoral practice."
--Mark J. Cartledge, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom
"Using a canonical approach with a Christocentric key, Torr invites the reader to consider the role of the Spirit in prayers of lament. Centering on the practice of testimony, he offers concrete direction for revitalizing the oft-neglected practice of lament among Christians. This is a must-read for scholar and minister alike."
--Scott Ellington, Emmanuel College