Hundert Jahre Deutsche Pfingstbewegung
1907 – 2007

lt may come as a surprise to the North American reader acquainted with the history of Classical Pentecostalism that a German publication claims the first centennial of the Pentecostal movement in Germany. Even more surprising may this claim be to the German audience, where Pentecostalism is still relatively unknown in most parts of the country. Paul Schmidgall, however, is no stranger to die Pentecostal scene. Overseer of die Church of God in Germany since 1994 and director of die European Theological Seminary, Schmidgall published a similar work on the occasion of die ninetieth anniversary of Pentecostalism in Germany (90 Jahre Deutsche Pfingstbewegung) [Ninety Years of the German Pentecostal Movement], Leuchter-Verlag eG, 1997). The new edition however, is much more than a simple update of an additional decade of events. Sornewhere along the line, Schmidgall has rethought his approach to the presentation of Pentecostal history. The result is a detailed study of Pentecostalism that embraces die movement in its global and diverse theological influences and paints a positive picture of die future of the Pentecostal churches in Germany.
The differences between Schmidgall's centennial edition and his earlier work grant important insights into die development of Pentecostal scholarship in Germany. In his earlier work, Schmidgall began his presentation with a historical and theological explication of Spirit baptism, followed by a sketch of spiritual renewal movements in church history, an overview of the origin and development of Classical Pentecostalism in North America, an outline of Pentecostal communities worldwide, and, eventually, a situating of German Pentecostalism in this context. The centennial edition, on the other hand, begins with the global Situation and immediately situates the Pentecostal Movement in Germany among foreign and indigenous influences that have led to die formation of Pentecostal thought and praxis in die European context. Emerging from this basis, Schmidgall highlights the origin of the movement and its development until World War I, followed by a chapter on Pentecostalism during the Weimar Republic a description of Pentecostalism during the Nazi regime, and a chapter on postwar Pentecostalism. This large historical section then leads to five chapters on theological education, ecumenical relations, ecclesiastical organization, evangelization and mission, and social involvement among Pentecostal groups in Germany. The book concludes with an outlook on the future of Pentecostalism and an extensive bibliography.
Schmidgall's work is without doubt a major contribution to die historical study of the "German story" of Pentecostalism. However die book, in all its historical prowess, avoids addressing the genuine "German" element of the Pentecostal Movement indicated by the tidle. A more accurate choice for the book, rather than an emphasis on the German Pentecostal movement, would have been to speak of the Pentecostal movement in Germany. Schmidgall continues to speak of German Pentecostalism throughout die text although there is nothing particularly "German" about the movement as it is portrayed in the book. This is particularly surprising in light of the author's approach to situate the movement in the global context. Even the chapter on indigenous influences provides an image little different from Classical Pentecostalism in North America. This aspect is largely the result of the fact that the theological sections of the book depend heavily an North American scholarship, and no theologian has yet set out to produce a Pentecostal theology in the German context.
Overall, the historical framework of the book is built on German speaking sources. The theoIogical issessment, however, is largely based on North American material, much of it not reflecting current scholarly debates. Schmidgall also does not make use of recent publications on the migratory character of Pentecostal communities in Germany, a branch of study that portrays Pentecostalism not rnerely as an immigrant community but as a movement in transition. In contrast Schmidgall frequently speaks of Pentecostal groups as "founded" by particular individuals or "influenced" by certain theological reachings. The text gives the impression that Pentecostalism is the result of historical developments that originated with Topeka and Los Angeles rather than a worldwide renewal movement with unexpected manifestations of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Germany as well. While the text is for that reason historically comprehensive, it is not attuned to the global questions that arise from the formal framework of the book.
This criticism notwithstanding, the heart of the book is in the careful historical account of Pentecostalism in Germany, and for that purpose, the book provides at least a threefold service. First of all, Schmidgall offers a comprehensive addition to the relatively small amount of literature on the subject. This book is one of the first to cover diachronically the origin and development of the Pentecostal Movement over the last one hundred years. From this perspective Schmidgall's work is a recommendable resource for those who study the global history of Pentecostalism and perhaps the most comprehensive resource for the German context to date. Second, Schmidgall provides an important critique and correction of previous works on the subject matter, which sometimes lacked proper citation and proved to be unreliable in their interpretation of primary source material. Third, the book draws from the results of recent scholarship an d provides a good entry point to the study of Pentecostalism in Germany. The large bibliography presents indispensible resources for further research. A study edition is also available for this purpose (Hundert Jahre Deutsche Pfingstbewegung 1907 - 2007 -Studienausgabe, Traugott Bautz, 2008). While a more thorough theological treatment still awaits, this book is a dependable account of the history of the Pentecostal Movement in Germany.

Reviewed by Wolfgang Vondey