Editorial
Mark Hutchinson
This edition displays the range of interests emerging in the intellectual life of Australasian pentecostalism. Not only is there the continuing concern to unpack the cultural boundaries written into the movement, but a desire to create understandings about our origins and influences which are wide enough to embrace the growth of the church. Reiher and Grey concern themselves with the theme of women ministers, a critical issue if we are to indeed provide sufficient lay and ordained mobilization to meet the needs of an Australia where traditional religion is declining and new forms of church are needed. David Jull is a young American pentecostal who has taken an interest in colonial revivals, as reflections both of the theology of revival which emerged in the Great Awakening, but also as reflections on the revivalist history and heritage of pentecostalism in Australia. There are approximately twice as many pentecostals in New Zealand than there are in Australia (per capita). This sort of study helps us understand why. A recent conference on the history of revival in Australasia, and a forthcoming conference on the history of the Charismatic movement in Australia (July 2004 Southern Cross College, Sydney), will contribute to this understanding further. A healthy bunch of reviews indicates that our rising pentecostal scholars are engaging with the emerging ideas of broader scholarship. As we will see in the next issue, these scholars are not merely reviewing the literature but also contributing to it in significant ways. Let us know what you are thinking, and what sorts of issues are being engaged with in your neck of the woods.