The Spirit, Indigenous Peoples and Social Change: Maori and a Pentecostal Theology of Social Engagement

In The Spirit, Indigenous Peoples and Social Change Michael Frost explores a pentecostal theology of social engagement in relation to Maori in New Zealand. Pentecostalism has had an ambiguous relationship with Maori and, in particular, lacks a robust and coherent theological framework for engaging in issues of social concern. Drawing on a number of interviews with Maori pentecostal leaders and ministers, Frost explores the transformative role of pentecostal experience for Maori cultural identity, a holistic theology of mission, an indigenous prophetic emphasis, and consequent connections between pentecostalism and liberation. He thus contributes a way forward for pentecostal theologies of social change in relation to Maori, with implications for pentecostalism and indigenous peoples in the West.