Dr. Tony Richie

April 12, 2010 Tony Richie (BA, Carson-Newman College, M Div Pentecostal Theological Seminary, and D Min, Asbury Theological Seminary) successfully defended his PhD thesis in Systematic Theology at London School of Theology.Tony is a participant in an innovative collaborative research degree program with Asbury Theological Seminary in connection with London School of Theology through Middlesex University. His thesis is titled, Speaking by the Spirit: Exploring the Classical Pentecostal Tradition of Testimony in Developing a Pneumatological Theology as a Model for Interreligious Encounter and Dialogue. Richie says, “This program was just tailor-made for my needs. It is solid academically but suited to individual lifestyle settings. I couldn’t have been happier with it.”

In Speaking by the Spirit Richie argues an inclusivist strand in Classical Pentecostalism’s history and theology suggests positive engagement in interreligious dialogue should be approached in a manner consistent with the movement’s original and authentic identity. However, it is extremely important to develop a dialogue model that is clearly congruous with the movement’s existing self-understanding and established practices. The practice of testimony provides a feasible theological model for interreligious dialogue uniquely suitable to the tradition’s pneumatological identity consistently applicable for contemporary contexts of religious plurality. Further, testimony’s distinctive narrative nature offers a dynamic opportunity for enhancing interfaith conversation moving toward mutual appreciation and transformation. Accordingly, his thesis proposes that Pentecostal Christians intentionally employ testimony in formal and informal dialogue with devotees of other religions.

Tony Richie is missionary teacher at SEMISUD (Quito, Ecuador), guest lecturer at the Pentecostal Theological Seminary and Lee University (Cleveland, TN) andadjunct theology professor for Regent University Divinity School (Virginia Beach, VA). Dr Richie is an Ordained Bishop in the Church of God (Cleveland, TN), and Senior Pastor at New Harvest Church Knoxville, TN, where he resides with his beloved wife and partner in ministry, Sue. He serves the Society for Pentecostal Studies as Ecumenism Interest Group Leader and Liaison to the Interfaith Relations Commission of the National Council of Churches (USA) and represents Pentecostals on Interreligious Dialogue and Cooperation of the World Council of Churches (WCC, in Geneva, SW). He is also an ecumenical representative to the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA), an ecumenical and international think tank and advisory board to the WCC and the United Nations, the first ever Pentecostal appointed in this capacity. Publications include “Mr. Wesley and Mohammed: A Contemporary Inquiry Concerning Islam,” Asbury Theological Journal 58:2 (Fall 2003), 79-99, “Thinking Through the New Theism: A Pastoral Perspective,” Asbury Theological Journal 60:2 (Fall 2005), 111-21, “Healing Fire from Heaven: A Wesleyan-Pentecostal Approach to Interfaith Forgiveness and Reconciliation,” Wesleyan Theological Journal 42:2 (Fall 2007), 136-54, “Approaching the Problem of Religious Truth in a Pluralistic World: A Pentecostal-Charismatic Contribution,” Journal of Ecumenical Studies 43:3 (Summer, 2008), 351-69, “Azusa-era Optimism: Bishop J. H. King’s Pentecostal Theology of Religions as a Possible Paradigm for Today,” The Spirit in the World: Emerging Pentecostal Theologies in Global Contexts, ed. Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2009), 227-44, and “Pragmatism, Power, and Politics: A Pentecostal Conversation with President Obama’s Favorite Theologian, Reinhold Niebuhr,” Pneuma 32:2(Summer 2010). Other publications include several journal articles and book chapters on Wesleyan and Pentecostal theology and experience and interreligious encounter and dialogue.

Dr. Richie says he intends to continue working and writing in Christian theology and interreligious dialogue, gratefully assured that his experience with Asbury Theological Seminary and London School of Theology has helped prepare and equip him for that imposing but pressing task.