Every now and then, I run into a pastor from the Pentecostal denomination "The Assemblies of God" (AG), and they are often surprised that I know a great deal about their religious tradition. In fact, I once was "Pentecostal adjacent" in my theology and spiritual orientation. Indeed, I still believe it is normal for the Holy Spirit to do amazing things in the lives of those who are open to Her presence and power working through them (including healing, casting out evil, inspiring mystical experience, and speaking through them in known and unknown languages). Even though I am fairly progressive, inclusive, and academic by nature, I think that a robust faith in the Trinity revealed in Jesus entails a robust experience of the Divine Spirit.
The reason why I know so much about the AG is that in the mid-1990's a pentecostal college professor was my friend and a member of my extended family. His name was Dr. Steve Badger, and he passed away in 2021. At the time I knew him, I was a budding theology student who had just learned Greek, as well as a social worker, and a volunteer youth minister. It was Dr. Badger, and several of his friends at AGTS (Assemblies of God Theological Seminary), who first introduced me to systematic theology and bought me my first theology books. Steve represented a beautiful fusion of the intellectual and experiential pursuit of Christ, and he became an integral part of my circuitous path to the Episcopal priesthood and school chaplaincy.
To this day, when I talk to an AG pastor in the United States, they invariably know Steve or know about him. The sheer number of men and women who were shaped by his ministry or the classes he taught is amazing. His daughter said it best: "Steve was a legend in his own time, man of God with a big personality, a big heart, a big brain. He was always helping a neighbor, friend, student, stranger". His career was defined by the unique intersection of natural science and Christian theology. He held a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Southern Mississippi (1973) and an MA in Biblical Literature from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (1995). He spent decades balancing laboratory research with academic instruction. His career included five years at Jackson State University and a thirteen-year tenure as a professor of science at Evangel University (2001–2013). In addition to working with dozens of churches in the United States, his ministry has a significant global footprint: He taught and preached in numerous countries, including Kenya, Bulgaria, South Africa, and Cuba.
Why do I bring all of this up? Well, first and foremost it is to honor someone who God worked through to help me become who Christ was shaping me to be (see Sirach 44). Second of all, when I think of Steve and his influence on my life, I often think of a series of emails we exchanged on the theology and experience of the Holy Spirit. These were later edited together into an article published in the Pentecostal Evangel magazine in 1996. Because Steve's website is no longer functioning, and because the archives for this magazine are sometimes hard to find, I have decided to repost the article here in full (indeed, the Evangel archives were not working today when I wanted to share the article with a friend, which prompted me to post this nearly 30 years after it was published!).
Every half-decade or so, I will revisit it just to see where I have come from, and where I am going, as the Holy Spirit leads me in unfurling and unfolding the fullness of Truth found in Jesus Christ the Lord (cf. John 16.12-13). So, without further ado, here is Steve's article:
"Dear Nathan", published in the Pentecostal Evangel, April 21, 1996 (page 13)
An open letter discussing the difference between Pentecostals and non-Pentecostals
By Dr. Steve Badger
Dear Nathan,
I have enjoyed getting to know you these past several months. Your commitment to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the central role of the Scriptures in determining doctrine have impressed me. I’ve also appreciated your candor in questioning my understanding of our common faith. This letter is prompted by your recent questions concerning the differences between Pentecostal and non-Pentecostal Christians.
Once you told me something like, “When you talk of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, you make me feel like I’m an inferior Christian— because I’ve not had this experience.” At the time I merely said that this is unfortunate, but did not fully explain myself. I’d like to correct that omission now.
I do not think that you or other non-Pentecostal Christians are “inferior Christians”— or conversely, that I am a superior Christian— because of this Pentecostal experience. God does not love me more; I’m not more saved; and I’m not any “holier-than-thou.” I know that the Bible does tell us that everyone who has been born-again has also received the Holy Spirit, but I do not think that this is the same as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
Before Christ ascended to the Father, He told His followers not to leave Jerusalem until they received the promised gift of the Holy Spirit baptism (Acts 1:4-8). These men had already received the Spirit (John 20:22), but it wasn’t until the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) that they received the power Jesus spoke of. The rest of the Book of Acts tells how this Pentecostal baptism transformed timid followers into powerful miracle working preachers who took the Gospel to the then-known world.
Acts 19 reinforced my conviction that the baptism in the Holy Spirit is not the same as receiving the Holy Spirit upon conversion. And Paul’s admonition in Ephesians 5:18 leaves no doubt in my mind that this Spirit-filled life is supposed to be customary, not optional.
I know you enjoy reading, so let me suggest a few books you might read that discuss some of these issues. The first is George Mallone’s Those Controversial Gifts (IVP, 1983). Although he and the other writers are not Pentecostals, they argue that Christians should expect the gifts of the Holy Spirit to function in their lives today. A couple of other books you might find helpful are Four Views of Miraculous Gifts (ed. Wayne Grudem, Zondervan, available early next year), and Martyn Lloyd-Jones’ Joy Unspeakable (Saw Publishers, 1984).
While I do not think non-Pentecostals are inferior, I do believe we have a scriptural warrant to teach that the Christian who has been baptized in the Holy Spirit has an advantage in living an empowered Christian life—and this is crucial for the life and effective ministry of the corporate body. I think an analysis of Acts supports this, and, as you know, this has been my own experience. This advantage is primarily through the functioning of the gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12), but I also believe that the Holy Spirit baptism provides for a greater yield of the fruit of the Spirit in the life of the believer (Galatians 5:22-24).
But I am not interested in arguing you or anyone else into accepting my Pentecostal position. Instead, I encourage all Christians who have not had a Pentecostal experience to do what I did shortly after I became a Christian: study the Word. Probably because I was not raised in a Pentecostal tradition, I ignored the arguments of those pushing me to seek this baptism, determined instead to discover for myself its validity (or lack thereof) from the Scriptures. A re-reading of the New Testament— especially the book of Acts— revealed a ministry of the Holy Spirit with which I was unfamiliar. About this same time, while praying with a couple of friends in my home, I found myself uniquely yielded to God’s Spirit and asked Him to completely fill me. In spite of my reluctance, I started speaking in tongues. So my experience fit what I had already found in the Scriptures.
I don’t want to argue you into accepting my Pentecostal position because I am confident that you can discover it for yourself— both in the Bible and in your own faith-walk— if you will seek it. That is why I encourage Christians to be open, search the Word for themselves, and ask God’s Spirit for this experience.
Alas, I must admit that the lives of too many Pentecostal believers fail to substantiate my position— and that greatly disturbs me! But just as the lives of hypocrites who pretend to be Christians do not negate the reality of our rebirth, the shortcomings of Pentecostal believers do not annul the reality of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. So don’t be dissuaded by the failures of others.
Instead let the words of Jesus produce faith in you. We often quote Jesus’ words, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened” (Luke 11:9,10). But immediately after this He said, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:13). While Jesus may not have been speaking here directly of the Holy Spirit baptism in v.13, His comment about the gift of the Holy Spirit is quite broad. I’m confident that if you will seek you will find what countless others have found: the baptism of the Holy Spirit and His gifts are as available to believers today as they were new Christians in the Book of Acts.
Let me echo one of Paul’s prayers: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13). I hope we continue our dialogue.
Your brother in Christ Jesus,
Steve Badger
P.S. I guess you noticed that all of the Scriptures were quoted from the NIV.
Copyright (C) 1996 Steve Badger
Document last revised: February 7, 1997
Thank you Steve. Well done, good and faithful servant.
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