Keywords
Prophecy
Kris Vallotton
Bill Johnson
Christ's presence
theosis
suffering
Lutheranism
heroic anthropology
How to Cite
Abstract
In this article, we discuss the possible adoption of prophetic ministry, as it is practiced at the Neo-Pentecostal Bethel Church in Redding, California, in a Scandinavian-Lutheran context. Using an empirical qualitative study design, a selection of lay prophetic ministers at Bethel have been interviewed, supplemented with data from Bethel’s sermons and literature. Through the empirical study, we identified some key theological themes that we find to be particularly important to assess, if personal prophecy, or similar practices, are to be used in Scandinavian churches and parachurch organizations. Some of these themes correspond to themes that emerge from Pentecostal-Lutheran dialogues, like the interpretation of divine presence and the evaluation of divine and human agency in particular (spiritual) practices. Following this second theme, questions concerning Bethel’s theological anthropology and theology of suffering are evaluated, drawing on, amongst others, Reinhard Hütter’s theology of Christian practices. Prophecy appears to be a sort of semi-sacramental practice at Bethel, and a Lutheran understanding of Christ´s presence in practices offers a constructive and critical interpretative lens as we discuss the Pentecostal notion of manifest presence. When it comes to the (theological) limitations of human agency in Christian practices, the Orthodox-Lutheran dialogue on divinisation, or theosis, proves helpful. Towards the end of the article, we draw on these elaborations on theological anthropology to discuss the relationship between notions of suffering and prophetic ministry, suggesting that an underdeveloped theology of suffering may result in a superficial prophetic ministry focusing on blessings and prosperity. Hence, Scandinavians who seek to adopt a prophetic ministry, would benefit from integrating a complex Lutheran theology of a) Christ`s presence and b) the cross in their practice. Such a theological emphasis includes acknowledging that humans are at best secondary agents ministering God’s grace and mercy to those whom they minister to and with.
References
Almelid, Johanna & Bjørn Olav Hammerstad (2024, November 19). “Menigheter i Bergen vokser kraftig blant unge: Flere vil utforske tro.” Dagen https://www.dagen.no/korsets-seier/menigheter-i-bergen-vokser-kraftig-blant-unge-flere-vil-utforske-tro/1360928.
Alminana, M. E.-d. (2013). Reconnecting with the Mystics: Kathryn Kuhlman and the Reshaping of Early Pentecostalism. The Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, 33(1), 58-76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/jep.2013.33.1.006
Baker, S. K. (2022). “Seas of Crimson”: A Biblical Analysis of Elemental Imagery in Bethel Music’s Lyrics. Journal of Contemporary Ministry, 6, 90-112.
Baker, S. K. (2023). A Typology of Ad-Libbing: Performing Authenticity in Contemporary Worship. Religions, 14(3), p.337. 11p. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14030337
Baker, S. K., & Ingalls, M. M. (2022). The Musical Rhetoric of Charismatic Revival: Continuity and Change in the Songs of the Toronto Blessing and Bethel Church. Journal of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity, 42(1), 17-32. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/27691616.2022.2042043
Bennett, D., & Bennett, R. (1998). Nine O'Clock in the Morning with The Holy Spirit and You. Kingsway Publications.
Bjørdal, S. (2022, June 4, 2022). Tross kontroverser: Bethel fortsetter å inspirere norske karismatikere. Vårt Land. https://www.vl.no/religion/2022/06/04/tross-kontroverser-bethel-fortsetter-a-inspirere-norske-karismatikere/
Braw, C. (1999). Mystikens arv hos Martin Luther. Artos bokförlag.
Bustraan, R. (2011). The Jesus People Movement and The Charismatic Movement: A Case for Inclusion. PentecoStudies, 10(1), 29-49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1558/ptcs.v10i1.29
Cameron, H., Bhatti, D., Duce, C., Sweeney, J., & Watkins, C. (Eds.). (2010). Talking About God in Practice: Theological Action Research and Practical Theology. SCM Press.
Cartledge, M. J. (1995). Charismatic Prophecy. Journal of Empirical Theology, 8(1), 71-88. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/157092595X00133
Cartledge, M. J. (2024). Pentecostalism and the Eucharist in a Digital Age: A Theological Reflection on Bill Johnson’s Praxis. Journal of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity, 44(2), 93-109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/27691616.2024.2329548
Christerson, B. & Flory R. (2017). The Rise of Network Christianity: How Independent Leaders Are Changing the Religious Landscape. Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190635671.001.0001
Csordas, T. J. (1997). Language, Charisma, and Creativity; The Ritual Life of a Religious Movement. University of California Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/9780520324022
Dennis, L. L. M. (2018). The Practice of Prophecy: An Empirical-Theological Study of Pentecostals in Singapore. Pickwick Publications.
Dodson, J. D. (2011). Gifted for Change: The Evolving Vision for Tongues, Prophecy, and Other Charisms in American Pentecostal Churches. Studies in World Christianity, 17(1), 50-71. h DOI: https://doi.org/10.3366/swc.2011.0005
Dykstra, C. R. and Bass, D. C. (2002). A Theological Understanding of Christian Practices. In M. Volf, & D. C. Bass (Eds.), Practicing Theology: Beliefs and Practices in Christian Life (pp. 13-32). Eerdmans Publishing.
Eide, M. (2017). Et naturlig "overnaturlig" liv: Bethel Church sin lære og praksis om det profetiske i møte med norske lutherske miljøer [Master’s thesis]. VID Specialized University, Stavanger.
Engelsviken, T. (ed.). (2023). Welcome, Holy Spirit: Charismatic Renewal in the Global Church: Experience, Doctrine and Practice, in Biblical and Missional Perspective (new, revised, updated, and expanded edition). Regnum. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.12949108
Evangelical church shopping, explained. (2016). Christianity Today, 60(10), 21.
Félix-Jäger, S. (2020). Arts and Aesthetics: The Pursuit of Beauty Through the Outpour of the Spirit. In W. Vondey (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology (pp. 33-345). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429507076-37
Finnseth, A. (2012). Salige er de vågale. Magasinet Strek. https://www.strekmag.no/salige-er-de-vagale/
Frantzen, H. (2024, January 20). Fikk kritikk for profetier - nå anklages Bob Hartley for seksuell trakassering. Vårt Land. https://www.vl.no/religion/2024/01/20/fikk-kritikk-for-profetier-na-anklages-bob-hartley-for-seksuell-trakassering/.
Frye, N. (1983). The Great Code: The Bible and Literature. Hartcourt.
Green, C. E. W. (2020). Sacraments: Rites in the Spirit for the Presence of Christ. In W. Vondey (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology (pp. 311-320). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429507076-34
Gudvangen, S. (2013, July 16). Vil lytte til Oase-kritiker. Dagen. https://www.dagen.no/okategoriserade/vil-lytte-til-oase-kritiker/
Harris, T. (2020). The Wacky, the Frightening and the Spectacular: Hearing God’s Voice in Australian Pentecostal Churches. In C. Rocha, M. P. Hutchinson, & K. Openshaw (Eds.), Australian Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (pp. 194-213). Brill. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004425798_011
Harris, T. M. (2021a). Hearing God's Voice: The Theology of Extra-Biblical Revelatory Experiences Among Australian Pentecostals. Journal of Pentecostal Theology, 30(2), 242-262. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/17455251-bja10022
Harris, T. M. (2021b). The Place of Contemporary Revelatory Experiences in Pentecostal Theology. Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, 41(2), 93-107. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/18124461.2021.1954268
Harris, T. M. (2023). Hearing God’s Voice: Towards a Theology of Contemporary Pentecostal Revelatory Experience (Vol. 47). Brill. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004682412
Hollenweger, W. J. (1972). The Pentecostals. SCM Press.
Holmås, G. O. (2018). Ved en korsvei: Åpent brev til mine karismatiske venner. Luther.
Hütter, R. (2000). Suffering Divine Things: Theology as Church Practice. Eerdmans.
Hütter, R. (2007). The Christian Life. In J. Webster, K. Tanner, & I. Torrance (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Systematic Theology (pp. 285-305). Oxford University Press. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199245765.003.0017
Johnson, B. (Preacher). (2024, September 15). The Priority of His Presence [Audio Podcast episode]. In Bethel Redding (Publisher), Bethel Redding Sermon of the Week. https://open.spotify.com/episode/7slDyIf7B6aJy0n0jklMBJ.
Joiner, A. J. (2021). Finding Spirit: A Non-Representational Ethnography of the Affective Geographies of Religion at Bethel Church [Doctoral thesis, Durham University]. Durham, UK. http://etheses.dur.ac.uk/14002/.
Kärkkäinen, V.-M. (2004). One With God: Salvation as Deification and Justification. Liturgical Press.
Kärkkäinen, V. M. (2006). Salvation as Justification and Theosis: The Contribution of the New Finnish Luther Interpretation to Our Ecumenical Future. Dialog: A Journal of Theology, 45(1), 74-82. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0012-2033.2006.00296.x
Kizanis, C. J. (2015). Eliminating Hurdles: Toward Recognizing How Culture and Theology Shape Ministry Opportunities for Norwegian Women. [Doctor of Intercultural Studies, Fuller Theological Seminary]. Pasadena, CA.
Luther, M. (1957). Luther's Works: Vol 31, Career of the Reformer I (Helmut T. Lehmann, Ed.). Fortress.
Luther, M. (1961). Luther's Works: Vol 37, Word and Sacrament III. (R. H Fischer, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.). Fortress.
Luther, M. (1958). Luther's Works: Vol 41, Church and Ministry III (W. E. Gritsch, & H. T. Lehmann, Eds.). Fortress Press.
Lutherans and Pentecostals in Dialogue (2010). Institute for Ecumenical Research. Strasbourg.
MacIntyre, A. (1984). After Virtue: A Study in Moral Theory. University of Notre Dame Press.
Mannermaa, T., & Stjerna, K. (2005). Christ Present in Faith: Luther’s View of Justification. Fortress Press.
Mattes, M. C. (2002). The Thomistic Turn in Evangelical Catholic Ethics. Lutheran Quarterly 16, 65-100.
McClymond, M. (2016). After Toronto. Pneuma, 38(1-2), 50-76. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/15700747-03801007
McGuire, M. B. (1977). The Social Context of Prophecy: “Word-Gifts” of the Spirit among Catholic Pentecostals. Review of Religious Research, 18(2), 134-147. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/3509648
Muindi, S. W. (2012). The Nature and Significance of Prophecy in Pentecostal-Charismatic Experience: An Empirical-Biblical Study [Doctoral dissertation, University of Birmingham]. Birmingham University. https://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/3752/
Norheim, B. E. H. (2014). Practicing Baptism: Christian Practices and the Presence of Christ. Pickwick.
Norheim, B. (2022). The Presence of Christ in Qualitative Research. Four Models and an Epilogue. In P. Ward, & K. Tveitereid, The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Theology and Qualitative Research (pp. 514-524). Wiley Blackwell. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119756927.ch49
Norheim, B. (2023). Leadership as a Christian Practice. Scandinavian Journal for Leadership and Theology, 10, 533–544. DOI: https://doi.org/10.53311/sjlt.v10.100
Perez, A., Baker, S., Dummer, E., Jolicoeur, M., & Tapper, M. (2023). “Do It Again”: Chart-Topping Worship Songs and the Churches Behind Them. Liturgy, 38(4), 31-40. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0458063X.2023.2259766
Peters, A. (1991). Kommentar zu Luthers Katechismen, vol 2. Der Glaube, Die Apostolikum. Vandenhoeck&Ruprecht.
Peura, S. (1998). What God Gives Man Receives: Luther on Salvation. In C. E. Braaten, & R.W Jenson, Union with Christ: The New Finnish Interpretation of Luther (pp.76-95). Eerdmans.
Shuttleworth, A. D. (2015). ‘On Earth as it is in Heaven’: A Critical Discussion of the Theology of Bill Johnson. Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Association, 35(2), 101-114. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1179/1812446115Z.00000000012
Shuttleworth, A. D. (2016). On Earth as it is in Heaven: A Study of the Healing Praxis of Bill Johnson. University of Birmingham.
Simonnes, H. (2021). Trump, Gud og kirken. Verbum.
Stibbe, M. (1998). This Is That: Some Thoughts Concerning Charismatic Hermeneutics. ANVIL-BRISTOL, 15, 181-194.
Synan, V. (1997). The Holiness-Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century (2nd. ed.) Eerdmans.
Tangen, K. I. (2012). Ecclesial Identification Beyond Late Modern Individualism? Brill. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004184800
Teigen, A. H. (2021). Profetiene om Donald Trump, USA og NAR-bevegelsen. En kritisk undersøkelse av profetier om Donald Trump, USA og Guds rike innen New Apostolic Reformation-bevegelsen. Theofilos, 12(2-3), 291-309. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48032/theo/12/2/8
Teigen, A. H. (2022). Karismatisk prototyp-kristologi, kvantefysikk og nevrovitenskap. En undersøkelse og vurdering av karismatisk- teologiske begrunnelser for at kristne kan gjøre undergjerninger som Jesus. Theofilos, 14(13), 63-83. DOI: https://doi.org/10.48032/theo/14/1/7
Thornton, D. (2021). A “Sloppy Wet Kiss”? Intralingual Translation and Meaning-Making in Contemporary Congregational Songs. Religions, 12(10), 10. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12100874
Vallotton, K. (2005). Basic Training for the Prophetic Ministry. Destiny Image.
Vallotton, K. (2014). Basic Training for the Prophetic Ministry (Expanded ed.). Destiny Image. https://research-ebsco-com.dtl.idm.oclc.org/linkprocessor/plink?id=600e6012-baf5-338a-9ae9-2468b9f18e6d.
Vallotton, K. (2015). School of the Prophets: Advanced Training for Prophetic Ministry. Chosen Books.
Vallotton, K., & Johnson, B. (2006). The Supernatural Ways of Royalty. Destiny Image.
Volf, M. (2002). Theology for a Way of Life. In M. Volf, & D. C. Bass, (Eds.), Practicing Theology: Beliefs and Practices in the Christian Life (pp. 245-263). Eerdmans.
Vondey, W. (2017). Embodied Gospel: The Materiality of Pentecostal Theology. In M. Wilkinson, & P. Althouse (Eds.), Pentecostals and the Body (Vol. 8, pp. 102-119). Brill. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004344181_007
Wang, B. (2025). How the Prophetic Ministers at Bethel Church are Legitimized. PentecoStudies, 22(2), 185-205. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1558/pent.26023
Wagner, C. P. (1988). The Third Wave of the Holy Spirit: Encountering the Power of Signs and Wonders Today. Servant Publications, Vine Books.
Wilkinson, M. (2016). Charismatic Christianity and the Role of Social Networks: Catch the Fire and the Revival Alliance. Pneuma 38, pp. 33-49. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/15700747-03801005
Wilkinson, M. (2020). Worship: Embodying the Encounter with God. In W. Vondey (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Pentecostal Theology (pp. 117-126). Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429507076-14
Ystebø, B. (2018, November 1). Det handler om å utruste neste generasjon. Norge i dag. https://idag.no/det-handler-om-a-utruste-neste-generasjon/19.29592,
Zeiffert, R. (2023). Why Are Conservative Young Evangelicals in Norway Avoiding Right-Wing Politics? Religions, 14(4), 520. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14040520
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Bjørn Wang, Bård Norheim