Spirit-Baptized Church

Frank D. Macchia argues that the Son of God baptized (and continues to baptize) humanity in the Spirit by pouring forth the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. All four Gospels and the book of Acts describe how the Son is sent of the Father and empowered by the Spirit to fulfil this mission; Macchia in turn claims that Christ succeeds by incorporating others into himself and into the love of the Father.The Spirit-Baptized Church proposes a richly pneumatological ecclesiology that is dominated by a Pentecostal confessional concern, while also open to a larger ecumenical conversation. The volume focuses not only on the dogmatic (Trinitarian) foundations and election processes of the Spirit-baptized church, but also on its marks and witnessing practices. As an exceptionally detailed study of the Spirit-baptismal metaphor, this volume is a valuable resource for scholars of ecclesiology, Pentecostalism, and systematic theology.

This monograph completes Frank Macchia’s fifteen year labour towards constructing a systematic theology proceeding from the Classical Pentecostal assent on Spirit baptism., This work by a leading Pentecostal theologian is not just a constructive theology of the church for Pentecostals but also for the wider church. Its ecumenical breadth and distinctive Pentecostal perspective make it a significant contribution to the current conversations on ecclesiology., This book represents Frank Macchia’s definitive contribution to Pentecostal ecclesiology. It is creative and thought-provoking, challenging Pentecostal scholarship to approach the subject in fresh ways through an interaction with ecumenical sources. It deserves to be read widely and discussed deeply. I commend it to scholars and students alike., The Spirit-Baptized Church is without question one of the most important texts on ecclesiology to appear in decades. In its pages, Frank Macchia has effectively overturned the centuries-long tendency of our various Christian theological traditions to ‘quench the Spirit’, by defining the church in Christological terms that relegate the Spirit to a supporting role. Macchia has gifted us all with an ecclesiology that is fully grounded in the Pentecostal tradition, and overflows with Spirit-baptized ecumenical insights capable of renewing all of our traditions., Frank Macchia has developed some impressive systematic studies of key theological themes that deserve wide readership and deep engagement, and this book is no different. He carefully and thoroughly develops an ecclesiology that seeks to be both Pentecostal and ecumenical, energized by the Spirit and turned out towards the world.

Frank D. Macchia is Professor of Christian Theology at Vanguard University of Southern California, USA, and Associate Director of the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies, Bangor University, UK.