This article extends the concept of glossolalia to encompass the idea of creaturely “sighs and groans,” emphasizing that animals, despite the apparent absence of reflective consciousness, harbor the capacity for expressions such as praise, lament, and prophecy. Within this research, a model of “animal glossolalia” is introduced, transcending the confines of human experience to delve into how animals engage in this unique form of spiritual expression through the Spirit. It posits that God hears the voices of all his non-human creatures through their sighs and groans. This exploration of animal spirituality and glossolalia challenges prevailing anthropocentric perspectives, advocating for a broader and more inclusive comprehension of glossolalia that embraces all of God’s creatures through the interceding Spirit.
Charismatic theology has engaged little with the concept of the imago Dei and has sometimes emphasized eschatology over creation. This article reconsiders views on the imago Dei in light of the concept of divine presence, building on notions of intensification and suggesting the concept of activation. I propose that as God breathes his Spirit into the first humans and pours out his Spirit on all flesh, a primary way in which we image God is by manifesting his divine presence in the world. Through the indwelling Spirit (a structural aspect of the imago Dei that is activated through belief in Christ), we are united with God the Father and one another (relational aspects of the imago Dei) and enabled to exercise responsible dominion over creation (a functional aspect). Thus the Spirit at creation is continuous with the Spirit at Pentecost.
Over the past two decades, the Swedish pentecostal movement has undergone a major transformation in its way of organizing and collaborating around mission work. In this explorative study, the purpose is to investigate how these and other changes have influenced how contemporary Swedish pentecostal churches understand and make use of the concept of mission. The data for the study consists of texts from the churches’ websites and draws on conceptual history in its theoretical and methodological approach. The findings of the study indicate a theological shift within the Swedish pentecostal movement. Among other things, it highlights a disconnect between the concept of mission and eschatological urgency and notes that priority is no longer given to mission as evangelism, over social work. The study also points to a linguistic instability associated with the concept of mission wherein the term “international work” is being used interchangeably with it and has, on some churches’ websites, even replaced the “mission” altogether, a finding that suggests an ongoing dispute over the definition of mission.
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