Roger J. Stronstad (died 29 August, 2022) was a Canadian

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

scholar and

theologian Theology is the study of religious belief from a religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of ...

. He was an Associate Professor in Bible and Theology at Summit Pacific College (formerly Western Pentecostal Bible College) in

Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford is a city in British Columbia next to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver, and the Fraser River. With a census population of 153,569 people (2021), it is the most populous municipality in the province outside metropol ...

, having retired from there in 2017.Lauren Stronstad, personal letter to Rev. S. E. Osenbaugh, May 23, 2022. He also published six books.

Works

In ''The Charismatic Theology of St. Luke'' (1984, substantially updated 2012), he argues for a Pentecostal interpretation of

Luke Luke may refer to: People and fictional characters * Luke (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Luke (surname), including a list of people with the name * Luke the Evangelist, author of the Gospel of Luk ...

Acts The Acts of the Apostles (, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; ) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message to the Roman Empire. Acts and the Gospel of Luke make up a two-par ...

. He contends that Luke believed the gift of the Spirit was vocational, rather than soteriological or ethical, i.e. the

Holy Spirit The Holy Spirit, otherwise known as the Holy Ghost, is a concept within the Abrahamic religions. In Judaism, the Holy Spirit is understood as the divine quality or force of God manifesting in the world, particularly in acts of prophecy, creati ...

was given to empower them to be witnesses, rather than to bring them

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

. This book has been translated in French (La théologie charismatique de St Luc). In ''Spirit, Scripture and Theology'' (1995), Stronstad surveys Pentecostal

hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication. ...

(methods of biblical interpretation), examining the views of Gordon D. Fee, Howard M. Ervin and William H. Menzies. Again he returns to Luke-Acts to formulate his own hermeneutical approach. In ''The Prophethood of All Believers'' (1999, reprinted with minimal introductory updates 2010), he builds on his interpretation of Luke-Acts, focusing on the Holy Spirit as the giver of

prophetic In religion, mythology, and fiction, a prophecy is a message that has been communicated to a person (typically called a ''prophet'') by a supernatural entity. Prophecies are a feature of many cultures and belief systems and usually contain divin ...

gifts to the

Church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a place/building for Christian religious activities and praying * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian comm ...

. He is also co-editor (with French L. Arrington and Timothy Jenney) of the ''Life in the Spirit New Testament Commentary'' (2003).

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Pentecostal theologians Living people Pentecostal writers {{Christian-theologian-stub