The Quest for Legitimacy: American Pentecostal Scholars and the Quandaries of Academic Pursuit

Abstract

Pentecostal scholars today are beginning to make noticeable contributions to the wider fields of theology, church history, and biblical studies. Although many of these scholars still remain on the periphery of America’s academy, they form the backbone of a burgeoning intellectual subculture. This article utilizes both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data on some of this subculture’s more formative voices. It argues that many of these individuals seem to occupy an interstitial space rife with apprehension and uncertainty, where each must negotiate how to pursue greater legitimacy in the larger academic community without somehow forfeiting a part of their Pentecostal identity. The article concludes by reflecting on what sociologist Peter Berger labeled plausibility structures – a theoretical framework that might led some insight into the future of the Pentecostal scholarly community in the United States and beyond.