Pentecostal Scholar Urges Openness to Holy Spirit's Work Beyond Christianity

Finnish theologian Dr Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen, Professor of Systematic Theology at Fuller Theological Seminary, delivered a keynote address at the Europe-Asia Pentecostal Summit in Singapore (May 13-18, 2025) challenging Pentecostals to recognize the Holy Spirit's activity beyond Christian boundaries. Drawing from his dual Lutheran-Pentecostal upbringing and 15 years of pastoral work in multi-religious Thailand, Kärkkäinen argued that the Spirit 'blows where it wills' (John 3) and can be active in Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim communities without compromising salvation through Christ alone. His presentation 'Does the Spirit Blow Where It Wills?: Pentecostals and the Struggle of Discerning the Holy Spirit among Religions' emphasized biblical examples like Cyrus the Persian king (Isaiah 42) whom God used despite his paganism. Kärkkäinen, ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America while maintaining Pentecostal identity, has authored 30+ books including a five-volume series on pluralistic theology during 2013-2017.