Appearing with the byline "A call to Evangelical Dialogue", this is a father-and-son co-operation. Chapter 1, the postscript in chapter 13, and the conclusion were written by William W. Menzies, the rest by his son Robert. Much of it is derived from Robert's own research into the pneumatology of Luke.
The work consists of two major sections: Theological foundations (chapters 1 to 6) and theological affirmations (chapters 7 to 15). The first section deals mainly with the role of Scriptural narrative in formulating theology, and culminates in chapters debating this issue with James Dunn and Max Turner. The narrative in question is primarily Luke's and the theological issue mainly pneumatology. The second section deals with a number of issues that raise debate within and outside of pentecostalism: the issue of subsequence, tongues as evidential-and available to all-signs and wonders, healing in the atonement, the providence of God, spiritual gifts and fruit of the Spirit.
As the byline indicates, the context of the work is dialogue between pentecostals and evangelicals. This is certainly true of the first section. The first chapter, "Understanding the context", makes it clear that the writers are arguing in the context of North American pentecostalism and evangelicalism. This limitation is unfortunate and unnecessary-both of the Menzies are, or have been, foreign missionaries! While it is obvious to a non-American reader that this is a limitation, the authors appear to accept that North America pentecostalism and evangelicalism are somehow exemplary of all pentecostalism and evangelicalism. It seems as though, to their minds, it is the friction and rapport between the two movements in North America that is the breeding ground for a strong, articulate and relevant pentecostal theology.
Were this premise true, this would be a tremendous work. The Menzies are both respected theologians of great capacity and widely recognised ability. Indeed, in the limited context they have chosen, they probably do not have peers who can debate the issues as cogently and lucidly as they do. However, in many another context, the first section of this work (and much of the second section) deals with issues that are simply non-issues. The work offers itself in the format of a seminary reader; however, I could not imagine many of its chapters being relevant to the average culturally-representative South African pentecostal classroom. The chapters on healing in the atonement, on signs and wonders, and on the providence of God, could be made relevant. However, they are not articulated in a context with which the average African pentecostal would readily identify.
This is not to say that issues such as the use of Scriptural narrative to formulate theology are not relevant issues outside of North America. In Africa, where tribal society is oral and narrative in its very nature, this is a most important issue. Theology is based upon the telling of stories, and few Africans of any religion would deny the normative role of narrative in theology. If the discussion of this issue in the work were to reflect that the issue goes much wider than the objections raised by evangelical scholarship to this way of doing theology, then the pentecostalism reflected in the work would be more truly global. Similarly, a discussion of signs and wonders that shows awareness of how crucial these elements are in non-western spirituality, and that is not limited to using Third Wavers and cessationists as a foil, could also be more truly global in its implications.
The two Menzies-father and son-have contributed much to the formulation of a distinctive pentecostal theology. While they have chosen to do so in the context of the evangelical-pentecostal debates in the USA, this has at times severely limited their impact and relevance in the wider pentecostal world. Were they truly to get to grips with the context and challenges of global pentecostalism, the contribution of such a duo would be formidable indeed.