Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the 21st Century

Rating:
Summary: Will You please correct my former review?
Review: I have sent my review on "Fire from Heaven"by Harvey Cox, which you have put on the column.I am very thankful for this.But I am sorry there are some misspellings in my review. Will you kindly replace the former review by the following one which I have corrected?

I highly value this book mainly for three reasons. First this is the first and only significant research on the Pentecostal spirituality so far published. Based on his own "field work" method, the author both encourages and warns concerning the future of the spiritual movement. Secondly he is keenly aware that the movement has potential power to overcome racial discrimination (at least in its origin). Thirdly as myself one of the tongue-speaking people in Japan, I agree with the author who envisages this spiritual movement will eventually develop into various types of Christianity and will enrich the general trend of world religions.

Rating:
Summary: Worthy of being read....but not fully representative of "us"
Review: Professor Cox has, indeed, contributed to the ever-widening area of Pentecostal/charismatic studies with "FIRE FROM HEAVEN." His breadth of experience, reflected in the book, is to be admired; but it wasn't wide enough. As a life-long Pentecostal, I could identify with only a few parts of his "experience" and have wondered why the "main-line" denominations weren't included more than they actually were. Why did Cox not visit Times Square Church, or the Brooklyn Tabernacle, or any number of other biblically-sound congregations, and see what effective Pentecostal churches are all about? After reading, and re-reading the book, I felt that I was getting a treatise on the "fringe" elements of Pentecostalism, and not the "mainstream." It is worthy of being read...but not very balanced,in the light of world-wide Pentecostalism.

Rating:
Summary: A poorly researched and truly terrible book
Review: Those interested in either Pentacostalism or Comparative Religions would do better to look elsewhere. This is truly one of the most morely researched and speciously written books on any subject, let alone religion, that I have ever read. Cox's work is filled with so many examples of inaccuracy and simple foolishness that I wouldn't know where to begin.

This is definately a book to avoid