“The Art(s) of Worship: Resourcing ‘Reception Pneumatology’”

I have two main objectives in this paper. First, I will argue that Pentecostal/Charismatic spiritualties, broadly speaking, draw our attention to the creative imagination that works somewhere in-between art forms of representationalism and constructivism by exploring ways in which these traditions, to varying degrees, have kept the hermeneutical, historical, and narrative tasks at play in worship and theology. By emphasizing the Spirit’s activity in the Church and wider culture through the arts, Pentecostal/Charismatic spiritualties have greatly contributed to the ongoing conversation regarding the role of the imagination in constructive, philosophical theology. Secondly, I will briefly argue that Pentecostal/Charismatic spiritualities embody a “reception pneumatology” that continues to emphasize “the God given responsibility of being active, creative, imaginative receivers of revelation – for God’s sake.”