Roman Catholics and Pentecostals in Dialogue

Ecumenical Review, The, April, 1999 by Walter J. Hollenweger

In 1971 Sandidge and his wife were approved for foreign missionary service with the Assemblies of God. After two years as dean of students at a Bible college in Belgium, he served for eight years (1974-82) as founder and director of "University Action", a kind of ecumenical chaplaincy at the Catholic University in Louvain. After finishing a master's degree in 1976 and a special PhB from the Higher Institute of Philosophy in Louvain in 1977, he embarked on a most ambitious programme: a doctoral dissertation in Louvain in which he described and analyzed the Vatican-Pentecostal dialogue, especially the second quinquennium (1977-82).

That an Assemblies of God minister should receive the greater part of his academic education from a Belgian Catholic university is in itself remarkable (though he was not the only Pentecostal studying at Louvain). During his time there he was introduced by Du Plessis into the Catholic-Pentecostal dialogue and was subsequently given access to all confidential reports of the dialogue at the secretariat in Rome. Du Plessis also allowed him free use of his extensive personal files (now in the David Du Plessis Center in Pasadena, California).

During the second quinquennium Sandidge read a paper on "A Pentecostal Perspective on Mary",(11) a remarkable piece of research accomplished in face of serious illness and hospitalization for throat cancer. On the basis of unconfirmed and highly exaggerated press reports on the discussion on Mary during the dialogue, Sandidge lost his financial support from the Assemblies of God (although not his ministerial credentials). His wife stepped in and provided for the family,(12) and he remained undeterred in bringing his work a conclusion. From 1985 to 1987 he was assistant professor of church history at the School of Theology and Missions, Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Following several years on the faculty at CBN University, Sandidge accepted a pastoral call at Evangel Temple, Springfield, Missouri, where he remained until his untimely death in 1992.

Sandidge's two volumes on the Vatican-Pentecostal dialogue constitute an extremely important work, compiling all relevant sources and giving an inspiring and critical interpretation of the dialogue.

Paul D. Lee: A third scholarly analysis comes from the pen of the Catholic scholar Paul D. Lee. It was submitted as a doctoral dissertation to the Pontifical University, Rome. This dissertation (which I have not had the opportunity to read) was very well received especially in the Roman Catholic Church.(13)

David Cole: A fourth dissertation on our topic was written by another Pentecostal from the USA, David Cole of the Open Bible Standard Churches, now principal of the church's Bible college in Eugene, Oregon. Cole's work is a first-class scholarly analysis.(14) It is well-presented, well-written and superbly documented, one of many recent works by Pentecostal scholars which are helping to destroy the stereotype of Pentecostals as zealous and well-meaning enthusiasts who are not very intellectual. If scholars around the world were to begin to take Pentecostals seriously as fellow researchers, not only on the topic of ecumenicity but also in ethics, missiology, hermeneutics, systematics, biblical and historical studies, they would be in for some surprises.(15)