Orthodoxy: The Theology of PCPJ

PCPJ is made up of and targeted towards Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians on a global level. As such, we place ourselves in the theological mainstream of Pentecostals and Charismatics.

We believe in the trinitarian God and salvation through Jesus Christ, as the Christian faith is expressed in the Apostles’ and Nicene Creeds. We believe that the Bible is the inspired word of God. We believe that all followers of Jesus can be filled with the Holy Spirit and be bestowed with supernatural gifts.

We firmly believe that one can be a faithful Pentecostal or Charismatic Christian and also be a passionate proponent for peace and justice.

Orthopraxy: Ethical Positions of PCPJ

PCPJ has five focus areas: nonviolence, economic justice, racial justice, gender equality and creation care.

Nonviolence

We take Jesus seriously when he commands us to love our enemies and turn the other cheek (Mt 5:38-48). Like the early Pentecostals, we’re taking a pacifist stance on war and view nonviolent action as the best and most effective means to bring peace. We support conscientious objectors and want to promote reconciliation and peace negotiations in all conflict areas around the world, including Israel/Palestine.

Economic Justice

We’re inspired by how the Biblical Pentecostal church had everything in common so that nobody was rich and nobody was poor (Acts 2:44-45). We believe that it is God’s will that there is equality (2 Cor 8:14). We support generous aid giving, simple living and the end of mass consumption and economic oppression. As Pentecostals and Charismatics, we’re critical to how the prosperity message of “health and wealth” has distorted the Biblical message of being content and putting others first.

Racial Justice

We believe that the Holy Spirit empowers and acknowledges people of all nations, races and cultures as people made in the image of God (Joel 2:28). We stand firmly opposed to all sorts of racism, xenophobia and discrimination. We want to stand with the oppressed and allow them to express their situation. We are critical to how tribalism, nationalism and patriotism isolate rich nations from poor and force refugees and migrants to suffer from persecution and poverty without opportunities to flee to safety.

Gender Equality

We acknowledge that women and men are created equal by God, that he loves them equally and that they are equally capable to live, work and be filled by his Holy Spirit. In Christ, there is no male and female (Gal 3:28); both genders are capable of leadership inside and outside of the church. We are saddened by how women have been oppressed, marginalized and silenced even in our own movement, and we recognize that a world with peace and justice for all is impossible without global women empowerment and gender equality.

Creation Care

We read in Genesis that God created the earth by his Spirit, and he saw that it was good (Gen 1:2, 31). He commissioned the human race to steward it, but in the last few centuries we’ve been on the path of destroying it. We affirm that it is impossible to secure peace and justice for people if their environment collapses, and we acknowledge the reality of man-made climate change, extinction of species, deforestation and other environmental crises. We want to promote sustainability and resilience in all aspects of life, including food, travel, housing and consumption.