Walter Jacob Hollenweger (born 1927 in

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; died 10 August 2016) was a

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theologian, recognized as an expert on worldwide

Pentecostalism 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 ...

. His two best known books are ''The Pentecostals'' (1972) and ''Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide'' (1997).

Biography

From 1949-1958, Hollenweger served as the pastor in a Pentecostal Mission, but in 1962 was ordained in the

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), formerly named Federation of Swiss Protestant Churches until 31 December 2019, is a federation of 25 member churches – 24 cantonal churches and the Evangelical-Methodist Church of Switzerland. The P ...

. In 1955 he began studying at the Faculty of Theology of the

University of Zurich The University of Zurich (UZH, ) is a public university, public research university in Zurich, Switzerland. It is the largest university in Switzerland, with its 28,000 enrolled students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of the ...

. He wrote a ten volume doctoral dissertation ''Handbuch der Pfingstbewegung'' (''Handbook of the Pentecostal Movement'') published in 1966. The core of this work was published in various languages and became a standard work on Pentecostalism. His numerous publications in the years following made him one of the premier interpreters of this movement. Hollenweger, who served as the first Secretary for Evangelism in the Division of World Mission and Evangelism of the

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from 1965 to 1971, long continued to be a staunch advocate of

ecumenism Ecumenism ( ; alternatively spelled oecumenism)also called interdenominationalism, or ecumenicalismis the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships ...

for Pentecostal churches. During 1971 to 1989 Hollenweger was Professor of Mission at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university in Birmingham, England. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingham (founded in 1825 as ...

and Selly Oak Colleges at Birmingham, U.K. After his retirement, Hollenweger and his wife Erica relocated to Krattigen. He died on 10 August 2016.

Legacy

The Hollenweger Center at VU University, Amsterdam, was established in his honor as an academic platform for and across different disciplines within the field of Pentecostal/Charismatic studies, providing opportunities to study Pentecostalism on MA and PhD level (theology, missiology, religious studies, anthropology of religion).

Works

* Hollenweger, W. J., ''The Pentecostals'' (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1972). * Hollenweger, W. J., ''Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide'' (Hendrickson Publications, 1997).

References

External links

''The Rise of Pentecostalism: An Interview with Walter J Hollenweger'', Jan 1998
"Christianity Today", Retrieved Jan 11, 2009.
''My Pilgrimage in Mission'' - Autobiographic article by Walter J Hollenweger, Apr 2005
" International Bulletin of Missionary Research" Vol. 29, No. 2, p. 85-88, Retrieved Mar 27, 2017.
''Hollenweger Centre''
at VU University Amsterdam. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hollenweger, Walter 1927 births 2016 deaths Writers from Antwerp Swiss Protestant theologians Pentecostal theologians Clergy from Antwerp Pentecostal writers Academics of the University of Birmingham