This study develops a missional theology for both process and goals of “Citywide Transformative Revival.” This has been grounded in the local realities of Auckland as a representative modern/postmodern city.
Global discussion among urban missions strategists and theologians have provoked the question: “What is the relationship of the Spirit of Christ to the transformation of a postmodern city?” This has been examined in a limited manner, using two local indicators: the New Zealand revival (for the work of the Holy Spirit) and Auckland city (for emergent modern/postmodern megacities). This has resulted in an exploration of revival theology and its limitations among Auckland’s Pentecostals and Evangelicals and a proposal for a theology of transformative revival that engages the postmodern city.
To accomplish this, a research framework is proposed within an evangelical perspective, a postmodern hermeneutic of “transformational conversations”, an interfacing of faith community conversations and urban conversations.
This is used to develop a new theory of “citywide transformative revival” as an expansion of revival theories, a field within pneumatology. Citywide transformative revival is a concept of synergistic revivals in multiple sectors of a mega-city. This results in long-term change of urban vision and values towards the principles of the Kingdom of God.
A theology of transformative process is developed from apostolic and prophetic themes. These are outcomes of gifts released in revival. Transformative revival results in new transformative apostolic and prophetic structures that engage the postmodern city soul.
Transformation implies goals. The results of revival, the transformative visions for the city, are developed from themes of the City of God and the Kingdom of God. I expand largely “spiritual” Western formulations of the Kingdom to a holistic Kingdom vision of the spiritual, communal and material aspects of the postmodern city. These enable conversation spaces with modern urbanism and postmodernism.
Acknowledgements
Thanks are due to those who have mentored me in revival: Paul Pierson, Geoff & Gayle Stevens, Bob & Prue Wakelin, Howard Snyder, Edwin Orr, John Wimber, the godly pioneers among the poor of Manila, São Paulo and Kolkuta and city leaders of the AD2000 movement; Rev Dr Neil Darragh, as supervisor of this thesis, as a pioneer of contextual theological reflection in New Zealand (1995) and his patient incisive questions at many points in its development; Rev Dr Rob Bellingham as co-supervisor with his accuracy of perception from an evangelical perspective. My wife, Iêda and family paid a heavy price for many late nights and early mornings. My youngest, Bianca, has never known me “not doing my PhD”. My board and church were gracious to give me the freedom to study; the university wise to fund some living costs to free a person to philosophise about 30 years of experience.