The Asian soil is uniquely enriched in several ways, including its cultures, traditions, faith practices, and spiritual realities. Asian religions take the spirit world very seriously, as seen in their commitments and practices. Thus, it becomes imperative that the Asian Church understand and engage with these spiritual realities and experiences and establish meaningful connections, particularly concerning the role of the Holy Spirit.

In his contribution to Asian Christian Theology,¹ Dr. Wonsuk Ma, Distinguished Professor of Global Christianity at Oral Roberts University sheds light on a crucial topic about the understanding and role of the Holy Spirit in the Asian context.

Ma seeks to portray the current state of pneumatology (study of the person and work of the Holy Spirit) among Asian evangelical churches and promotes ways to develop theology and praxis related to pneumatology in a healthy manner. He desires to construct a pneumatology deeply rooted in Scripture and faithful to Christian orthodoxy through various confessional traditions. Further, he wishes that Asian pneumatology should be relevant to the religious and sociocultural context of Asia.² Ma argues that Asians need to realize that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit should not be developed merely through literary research. Instead, he recommends such development through resources that include sermons, songs, and prayers.³

Perspectives on the Holy Spirit

The church has historically valued teachings on the Holy Spirit. Asian Churches seem to be divided broadly into two camps: On the one hand, those with conservative theological views generally hold that the presence and work of the Holy Spirit are exclusively for the church and God’s people. On the other hand, those with more progressive theological views tend to be open to the presence and work of the Spirit in cultures and other religions.⁴

Beyond these general trends, Ma observes that understandings of the person and work of the Holy Spirit also differ across denominations. Related issues of spiritual gifts, healings, miracles, the Spirit’s baptism, speaking in tongues, regeneration, conviction of sinners to repentance, etc., need to be understood and explained according to denominational distinctives.⁵ Keeping this diversity in mind, Ma still seeks to cast a vision for an evangelical theology of the Holy Spirit in Asia.

Future of Pneumatology in Asia

Ma seeks to find a way forward concerning the doctrine of the Holy Spirit that is:

• faithful to the Scripture,
• informed by Christian tradition, and
• capable of speaking to key cultural-religious and social realities.⁶

In his chapter, Ma acknowledges that, historically and globally, pneumatology is still in the making. Therefore, the Asian church is called to join the global theological effort to continually explore this subject.⁷ The church in Asia has both an opportunity and a responsibility to become more intentional in developing Asian perspectives and understandings about the person and role of the Holy Spirit.

Whose Spirit?

Ma navigates through deep waters as he deals with the question of whether the Holy Spirit works in other religions. Drawing from the work of Korean theologian Koo Dong Yun, Ma encourages readers to consider a distinction between the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ: “The Spirit of God, as the creator and sustainer of life, is universally present in all of his creation, …. The Spirit of Christ, by contrast, is the redemptive Spirit present in the church, the body of Christ.”⁸ While Christian denominations differ in their views on the presence of the Spirit, biblical teaching confirms at least that the Holy Spirit is active outside the Church to convict sinners, causing them to become open to the saving work of Christ.⁹

Life-Giving Spirit

To dig deeper in learning about the person and role of the Holy Spirit, we must also turn to our understanding of the New Testament Church. One key idea in the New Testament is that of the spirit as life-giver. This idea is generally emphasized through the theological concept of regeneration (John 3:5).

Yet aside from giving life, the Spirit also gives power for mission. As Ma demonstrates, the very nature of the Holy Spirit’s work is to lead the world to the redemptive work of Christ (convicting the world of its sin). This redemptive work of the Spirit is evident as the Spirit empowers believers to be effective witnesses.¹⁰

The multi-religious context of Asia is marked by religious persecution and discrimination, which generates fear and lack of motivation. Consequently, fear becomes an obstacle for witnessing, but emphasizing the empowering work of the Holy Spirit becomes motivational for effective witnessing, as it gives newer confidence and courage to embrace the New Life in Christ.

Finally, Ma notes that supernatural manifestations and the role of spiritual powers are common realities in all Asian religions. Encountering evil power and seeking answers to immediate daily matters (sicknesses, misfortune, childbearing) are prevalent in Asia. These situations pose a different level of challenge for Christians in understanding the reality of the spirit world and how to confront it. Therefore, Ma highlights that the church in Asia faces a critical choice to stay away or to engage with courage, he further adds, “Certainly a Western-imported theology would ultimately prove to be handicapped in properly responding to the Asian contextual issues.”¹¹

A Way Forward

The evangelical church is faced with the complexities of doing theology that addresses contemporary issues in Asia, and Western perspectives on the Holy Spirit often fail to adequately respond to these concerns. Ma calls Asian pastors and theologians to collaborate across church and theological traditions, working together as a global Christian household. Ma’s in-depth analysis of the role of the Holy Spirit among the spirits in Asia is brought to a climax in his concluding remarks: “The Churches in the south are called to rise and take leadership of theology-making today, to bring their experiences and reflections to contribute to this global undertaking as well as benefit from it.”¹²

Overall, Ma offers an excellent primer for those seeking to understand the reality of the Holy Spirit among the spirits in Asia. This chapter is essential reading for Christians, offering profound insights to deepen our understanding and enhancing our effectiveness in bearing witness to the faith.

N. Earnest serves as an adjunct faculty member at Colombo Theological Seminary in Sri Lanka. He is the visionary founder and director of iLEAD-Asia (Institute for Leadership Empowerment And Development-Asia), dedicated to empowering leaders throughout the region. As part of his academic endeavors, he has contributed a commentary on the Book of Malachi for the South Asia Bible Commentary. He lives in Colombo with his wife and three children. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Theological Studies with AGST.