Reflections of Heritage and Pentecostalism

The Hebrew Bible records these words in the poetic passage Ecclesiastes 3:1 “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.”  Tradition holds that Solomon, the wisest and wealthiest of all of Israel’s Kings, penned Ecclesiastes or The Preacher to convey to the people “knowledge, weighing and studying and arranging many proverbs with great care. The Preacher sought to find words of delight, and uprightly he wrote words of truth.”  While Solomon had at his disposal all the luxuries great wealth could afford, he ultimately concluded that all of life “under the sun was vanity.”  Solomon’s conclusions are interpreted in light of his refrain “under the sun”, indicating that beyond the sun, there is a far greater purpose to all of history. History has a point. This is Heritage. The interpretations, preservations and perpetuations of these points and perspectives are Heritage Studies.

At the intersection of our personal histories and collective lives emerges a cultural heritage. Heritage Studies involves reflection, contemplation, and recording of those personal and collective histories.
As Lynn Meskell observes, “There is no unmediated past. Our negotiations and endless iterations reveal that the past is always already a representation of a representation.”  All of collective history and personal heritage is viewed through the lens of personal experience and interpretation. This presents challenges to those who seek to preserve heritage for future generations.

It is difficult for me to think of my own personal heritage apart from the religious and cultural perspectives I have inherited. My earliest memories are of kneeling next to my grandmother as she prayed to God in the name of Jesus, and listening to her read aloud from the King James Version of the Bible while offering commentary on its declarations and narratives. My grandmother was the matriarch of her family, practically raising her five children (three boys and two girls) by herself after her husband died shortly after the birth of the fifth child. She chose not to remarry, but instead scraped together a meager existence with her children on a plot of land in the Arkansas Delta just south of the Missouri State line. According to family tradition, and my own memories of her testimonies (perhaps exaggerated), my grandmother came to her particular brand of Christianity through personal Bible study and private interpretation. She would later refer to this as “personal revelation from God”. She passed these personal revelations on to her children and grandchildren and found expression of her religion in a small but enthusiastic sect of Christianity known as Pentecostalism.

Pentecostalism is defined by its exuberant emotional outburst, literal interpretations of Scripture, apocalyptic emphasis, and most importantly a belief that  “Speaking in tongues”, or supernaturally speaking in a foreign language is the initial evidence of “receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost”.  The Pentecostal movement also downplayed the importance of education, emphasizing action over contemplation.

The actions that were rewarded were typically those of a perceived spiritual nature. The most emotional, vocal and enthusiastic responses to Christian songs and Bible expositions were rewarded with recognition within the group that gathered for Sunday and Wednesday worship. It was on the pews of the small Pentecostal church in Blytheville, Arkansas that my religious education continued.
It is difficult for me to imagine a more formative experience than that of my religious upbringing in the Pentecostal Church. In my life, these experiences were central to my personal identity. Therefore, heritage for me has been defined in the relics of my religion. And generally the role of religion in the interpretation, preservation and perpetuation of heritage is one of undeniable influence.

American Southern culture continues to be influenced by religion, and although my particular brand of Christianity may be somewhat obscure, Christianity, in all of its expressions dominates the culture of the Southern United States. This presents challenges to understanding how to best preserve, not just my personal heritage, but also that of the American Southern culture collectively.

For example, progressive times demand that things change. This presents inherent challenges for any institution of conservative leanings, such as the Christian Church. The Church faces the pressure to attract new believers and must at the same time wrestle with the questions of preserving what it believes to be old truths. These challenges are forcing church leaders to grapple with the questions of “What does it mean to be a Christian?”  And central to these questions of identity are also the questions of “sacred places”. Who determines and defines legitimate places of worship and legitimate expressions of worship? Ultimately, these are questions that will be answered, as they are in every age, by those who lead and by those who are willing to follow that leadership.

The nature of defining Heritage Studies will be central to the survival of Christianity in pluralistic societies. There is perhaps no other institution that is wrestling more with the cultural pressures of relevance than the Church. The central question that must be addressed is “What is the point of this two-thousand year old institution in the 21st Century?” The Christian Church with its leaders and constituents must decide how to accurately and effectively represent its core beliefs without denying the problematic aspects of its history. And at the same time recognizing that it will always be at odds with the greater culture due to the exclusivity of its message.

In the final analysis, Heritage Studies is the recognized and recorded point of history as interpreted by preservationist. And any given point of history may look different depending on the perspective of those involved in its preserving and perpetuating. As C.S. Lewis has observed, “What you see, depends on where you stand.” In the case of the Christian Church, its survival will depend on those with the insight to be careful preservationist of heritage with a keen eye on the evolving cultural landscapes, in order to perpetuate its influence.

In order for this to be accomplished, the study of Heritage, and specifically the preservation and perpetuation of Christian Heritage must look more like a well and less like a fence. A metaphor employed by David Livermore, “Most farmers in the United States build fences around the land where their animals roam as a way to keep their livestock in and the livestock of neighboring farms out. But in many rural communities around the world fencing is not an option, either because of the cost or because of the expansiveness of the region. In many of those places, such as several ranches across Australia, farmers use wells instead. It is assumed that livestock, though they will stray, will never roam too far from the well, lest they die…As long as there is a supply of clean water, the livestock will remain close by.”

Inside and outside of Christianity, Heritage Studies provides the points and perspectives of history, boring wells that will continue to provide sustaining water for generations to come.