Walter Jacob Hollenweger (born 1927 in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

; died 10 August 2016) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...

theologian, recognized as an expert on worldwide

Pentecostalism Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a Protestant Charismatic Christian movement

. His two best known books are ''The Pentecostals'' (1972) and ''Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide'' (1997).

Biography

From 1949-1958, Hollenweger served as the pastor in a Pentecostal Mission, but in 1962 was ordained in the

Swiss Reformed Church The Protestant Church in Switzerland (PCS), (EKS); french: Église évangélique réformée de Suisse (EERS); it, Chiesa evangelica riformata in Svizzera (CERiS); rm, Baselgia evangelica refurmada da la Svizra (BRRS) formerly named Federation o ...

. In 1955 he began studying at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Zurich. He wrote a ten volume doctoral dissertation ''Handbuch der Pfingstbewegung'' (''Handbook of the Pentecostal Movement'') published in 1966. The core of this work was published in various languages and became a standard work on Pentecostalism. His numerous publications in the years following made him one of the premier interpreters of this movement. Hollenweger, who served as the first Secretary for Evangelism in the Division of World Mission and Evangelism of the

World Council of Churches The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a worldwide Christian inter-church organization founded in 1948 to work for the cause of ecumenism. Its full members today include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Oriental Orthodox Churches, most ju ...

from 1965 to 1971, long continued to be a staunch advocate of

ecumenism Ecumenism (), also spelled oecumenism, is the concept and principle that Christians who belong to different Christian denominations should work together to develop closer relationships among their churches and promote Christian unity. The adjec ...

for Pentecostal churches. During 1971 to 1989 Hollenweger was Professor of Mission at the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

and Selly Oak Colleges at Birmingham, U.K. After his retirement, Hollenweger and his wife Erica relocated to

Krattigen Krattigen is a municipality in the Frutigen-Niedersimmental administrative district in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is located on a hill overlooking Lake Thun. History Krattigen is first mentioned around 1300 as ''Krattingen''. The ...

. He died on 10 August 2016.

Legacy

The Hollenweger Center at VU University, Amsterdam, was established in his honor as an academic platform for and across different disciplines within the field of Pentecostal/Charismatic studies, providing opportunities to study Pentecostalism on MA and PhD level (theology, missiology, religious studies, anthropology of religion).

Works

* Hollenweger, W. J., ''The Pentecostals'' (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1972). * Hollenweger, W. J., ''Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide'' (Hendrickson Publications, 1997).

References

External links

''The Rise of Pentecostalism: An Interview with Walter J Hollenweger'', Jan 1998
"Christianity Today", Retrieved Jan 11, 2009.
''My Pilgrimage in Mission'' - Autobiographic article by Walter J Hollenweger, Apr 2005
"

International Bulletin of Missionary Research The ''International Bulletin of Mission Research'' (or ''IBMR'') is an academic journal covering mission studies and world Christianity, published by thOverseas Ministries Study Center(OMSC). History IBMR was established in 1950 by R. Pierce Bea ...

" Vol. 29, No. 2, p. 85-88, Retrieved Mar 27, 2017.
''Hollenweger Centre''
at

VU University Amsterdam The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded resea ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Hollenweger, Walter 1927 births 2016 deaths Writers from Antwerp Swiss Protestant theologians Pentecostal theologians Clergy from Antwerp Pentecostal writers Academics of the University of Birmingham