Published Papers by Thomas Lyons
Dictionary of Paul and His Letters, 2nd Edition, 2023
The Holy Spirit served a central role within Pauline thought and the Holy Spirit’s activity was u... more The Holy Spirit served a central role within Pauline thought and the Holy Spirit’s activity was understood to be a cornerstone of ecclesial experience within Pauline communities. While Paul was certainly influenced by conceptions of the Spirit from the Old Testament and the writings of intertestamental Judaism, the contemporary experience of the Holy Spirit by Paul and within the communities he participated was likewise formative. For Paul, the Holy Spirit was to be equated with God and the activity of Jesus and yet also differentiated in some way. The Spirit played a foundational role in the life of a Jesus follower for Paul, both birthing new life and empowering believers in the present and also serving as a down payment for the eschatological fulfillment that is yet to come. This activity of and life in the Spirit for Paul is intimately related with the kingdom of God and the experience of kingdom life in present Christian experience.
Atonement and the Gospel of the Kingdom: Vineyard Perspectives on the Atoning Work of Jesus, 2022
Christian views on hell and final judgement have ranged greatly over the millennia and recent con... more Christian views on hell and final judgement have ranged greatly over the millennia and recent contributions are no different. In recent biblical literature, views of hell portrayed in nontraditional language and images have been espoused by a variety of significant theological voices, such as Karl Barth, C.S. Lewis, John Stott, and N.T. Wright. Such debate and division on these issues is simply not a modern issue either, for there were a diversity of views amongst the early church as well. The goal of this research project is straightforward: to summarize and synthesize the biblical perspectives reflected in the New Testament scriptures on this topic and survey the resulting interpretive positions around the issues of hell and final judgement. The purpose is thus to equip the reader to hear the range of textual voices, enable them to make an informed evaluation of the text for themselves, and to understand how others arrive at their own positions on this contentious topic.
Essays Exploring New Testament Texts
Scholars have broadly accepted Luke’s use of rhetorical techniques at the macro-level of composit... more Scholars have broadly accepted Luke’s use of rhetorical techniques at the macro-level of composition but have been reluctant to analyze his rhetorical shaping on a pericope level. Following Mikeal C. Parson’s study of Luke’s composition according to Theon’s Progymnasmata, this study does a rhetorical analysis of Luke’s redactional shaping of Luke 8:40–56 according to the three virtues of narrative espoused by Theon in his Progymnasmata. This is followed by an exploration of the ancient rhetorical technique of syncrisis with an eye toward how such a rhetorical compositional technique should inform our understanding of this pericope.
Asbury Journal , 2016
At the center of pneumatological Luke-Acts discussions is the function and purpose of Holy Spirit... more At the center of pneumatological Luke-Acts discussions is the function and purpose of Holy Spirit Baptism. Central to these debates is the relationship of water baptism, the laying on of hands, and glossolalia to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This study will explore each of these elements in the Holy Spirit reception accounts of Acts 2, 8, 10, and 19 by considering each element in their historical and literary context before surveying scholarship on the relationship between these elements and Spirit reception. The study concludes by evaluating to what degree any of the elements may appropriately be considered normative. Thomas Lyons is a Biblical Studies Ph.D. candidate at Asbury Theological Seminary. His research interests include the rhetoric and theology of Luke-Acts, the Kingdom of God, and the hermeneutical methodology of Inductive Bible Study.
Journal of Inductive Bible Study, 2014
Despite renewed interest in the book of Joel and its relationship to the “Book of the Twelve,” sc... more Despite renewed interest in the book of Joel and its relationship to the “Book of the Twelve,” scholarly opinions still significantly diverge on the structure of the book of Joel itself. This article surveys recent significant and representative proposals for Joel’s structure before arguing for an alternative unified structure based upon grammar, literary markers or “catchwords,” and structural relationships (as described by David R. Bauer and Robert A. Traina in Inductive Bible Study).
Thesis Chapters by Thomas Lyons
Investigations concerning the Holy Spirit have been a central feature of Luke-Acts scholarship th... more Investigations concerning the Holy Spirit have been a central feature of Luke-Acts scholarship throughout the last century and Luke-Acts has long served as the central battleground for a biblical pneumatology. Just as there was confusion among the crowds in interpreting the events of Pentecost in Acts 2, there has long been confusion on how we understand what people have long called the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’ or Spirit reception. People have long asked “What is this thing?” — “Are these people drunk?”
Claims to normativity or exceptionality of any particular account in Acts riddle biblical scholarship, and this is particularly problematic in Acts 8, dubbed the “Riddle in Samaria” by J.D.G. Dunn. This investigation will use social-scientific comparative methodology in order to untangle Dunn’s Samaritan riddle. Through comparison with four historically analogous revival events, the range of reported experience, phenomenon and praxis of the Acts accounts will be shown to be representative of the internal ranges of continuity and diversity found within analogous historical events. Thus, rather than the delay of the Spirit being a key to interpretation in Acts 8 as Dunn and so many others assert, it will be shown that Dunn’s riddle is in fact no riddle at all.
Popular Content by Thomas Lyons
The Atlantic , 2023
At Asbury University, in Kentucky, a student chapel service turned into a revival that has captiv... more At Asbury University, in Kentucky, a student chapel service turned into a revival that has captivated TikTok.
Faith in the Folds, 2023
Today's episode is part 2 of 2, and in this episode Thomas Lyons and I dig into what is really ha... more Today's episode is part 2 of 2, and in this episode Thomas Lyons and I dig into what is really happening at the #asburyrevival. Tom has hours and hours of firsthand experience, not to mention a critical (i.e. discerning) eye for revival movements. In the first half of the episode I briefly work through the timetable of what started on February 8, 2023, and I remark on some of the criticisms that have arisen. In the second half of the episode, Tom and I discuss his and others' accounts of what is happening in Wilmore. As always, thanks for tuning in!
Faith in the Folds, 2023
On Wednesday February 8, 2023, Asbury University held morning chapel like usual. What was unusual... more On Wednesday February 8, 2023, Asbury University held morning chapel like usual. What was unusual was that chapel service didn't stop. Eyewitnesses say students lingered, the band continued playing, and they haven't stopped a week and a half later. What began as a regular weekly gathering has turned into something garnering international attention and being called a "revival," an "outpouring," or an "awakening" by those most closely associated. Today we're joined by Thomas Lyons, Director of Library Services and Educational Technology, and a professor in the New Testament department at Northern Seminary in the Chicago area wrote his dissertation on revival movements in the 20th century. Tom has a critical eye for understanding these kinds of events and the reported phenomena, and I wanted to talk with him to hear his firsthand experiences with what's going on in Wilmore, Kentucky.
The Sacramental Charismatic , 2023
On this episode of the Sacramental Charismatic, Wes and Luke talk with Dr. Thomas Lyons about the... more On this episode of the Sacramental Charismatic, Wes and Luke talk with Dr. Thomas Lyons about the Asbury Outpouring. We discuss revival, renewal, and lots more!
Conference Papers by Thomas Lyons
Biblical Languages Colloquium, Asbury Theological Seminary, 2021
Society of Vineyard Scholars , 2015
In his recent Paul and the Faithfulness of God, N.T. Wright suggests in a discussion of 1 Corinth... more In his recent Paul and the Faithfulness of God, N.T. Wright suggests in a discussion of 1 Corinthians that the church’s disciplinary practices are intimately connected with its eschatology, such that when “faced with flagrant scandal, the church must do in the present among its own membership what the one God will do in the future in relation to the rest of the world.” For Wright, the same inaugurated eschatology that suggests the church is to be a foretaste of the life to come also suggests the future judgment by the saints is worked out through church discipline in the present by the power of the Spirit.
This paper will survey New Testament passages on church discipline by examining them in their literary and socio-historical contexts in order to assess to what degree eschatology is linked to exclusionary practices of church discipline so that the appropriateness of N.T. Wright’s claim may be evaluated. Finally, the paper will conclude with a brief hermeneutical discussion evaluating how these insights may apply to compassionately ministering and serving within the contemporary church.
Society of Vineyard Scholars, 2013
In a discussion on discernment, defining the sources of authority that serve as guideposts for th... more In a discussion on discernment, defining the sources of authority that serve as guideposts for the believer are essential for the discernment process. One such theological model is the Wesleyan Quadrilateral. First coined by Albert Outler, this constructed paradigm is said to describe how John Wesley conceived the task of theology. The four points of the Wesleyan Quadrilateral (Scripture, tradition, reason and experience) are said to operate as authorities in the life of the believer for discernment and practice. It is my contention that a paradigm similar to the Wesleyan Quadrilateral was operational in John Wimber’s own ministry. This paper explores John Wesley's influence on John Wimber as well as the points of the Quadrilateral as manifested in each of their lives and ministries.
Society of Vineyard Scholars, 2012
The Vineyard movement stormed onto the American stage in the early 1980's preaching the good news... more The Vineyard movement stormed onto the American stage in the early 1980's preaching the good news of Christ and healing the sick. This association of churches, founded by the late John Wimber, galvanized the evangelical world with its contemporary worship, empowered "ministry time," and Kingdom message. Joseph Zichterman, in his recent doctoral dissertation, thoroughly explores the theology and practice of John Wimber and the Vineyard in their contemporary context but does so without exploring earlier historic influences, particularly the evangelistic revivals of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It is this author's contention that these movements had an essential formational influence on the theology and practice of Wimber and the Vineyard movement. The purpose of this paper is to explore these earlier influences on Wimber and the Vineyard movement. The scope of this exploration will be predominantly restricted to the American Holiness Movement of the Nineteenth century and its earlier Wesleyan influences. In the first section, the literature, history, and theology of the Vineyard movement will be surveyed. In the second section, the formational factors that gave shape to the American Holiness Movement will be identified and the influence of these factors on the genesis of the Vineyard will be explored. In the third and final section, some unique contributions and correctives of the Vineyard to the Holiness Movement will be briefly considered.
Book Reviews by Thomas Lyons
This is a review of Ben Witherington III's Invitation to the New Testament textbook.
Papers by Thomas Lyons
The Journal of Inductive Biblical Studies, 2014
The Asbury Journal, 2016
At the center of pneumatological Luke-Acts discussions is the function and purpose of Holy Spirit... more At the center of pneumatological Luke-Acts discussions is the function and purpose of Holy Spirit Baptism. Central to these debates is the relationship of water baptism, the laying on of hands, and glossolalia to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. This study will explore each of these elements in the Holy Spirit reception accounts of Acts 2, 8, 10, and 19 by considering each element in their historical and literary context before surveying scholarship on the relationship between these elements and Spirit reception. The study concludes by evaluating to what degree any of the elements may appropriately be considered normative.
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Published Papers by Thomas Lyons
Thesis Chapters by Thomas Lyons
Claims to normativity or exceptionality of any particular account in Acts riddle biblical scholarship, and this is particularly problematic in Acts 8, dubbed the “Riddle in Samaria” by J.D.G. Dunn. This investigation will use social-scientific comparative methodology in order to untangle Dunn’s Samaritan riddle. Through comparison with four historically analogous revival events, the range of reported experience, phenomenon and praxis of the Acts accounts will be shown to be representative of the internal ranges of continuity and diversity found within analogous historical events. Thus, rather than the delay of the Spirit being a key to interpretation in Acts 8 as Dunn and so many others assert, it will be shown that Dunn’s riddle is in fact no riddle at all.
Popular Content by Thomas Lyons
Conference Papers by Thomas Lyons
This paper will survey New Testament passages on church discipline by examining them in their literary and socio-historical contexts in order to assess to what degree eschatology is linked to exclusionary practices of church discipline so that the appropriateness of N.T. Wright’s claim may be evaluated. Finally, the paper will conclude with a brief hermeneutical discussion evaluating how these insights may apply to compassionately ministering and serving within the contemporary church.
Book Reviews by Thomas Lyons
Papers by Thomas Lyons
Claims to normativity or exceptionality of any particular account in Acts riddle biblical scholarship, and this is particularly problematic in Acts 8, dubbed the “Riddle in Samaria” by J.D.G. Dunn. This investigation will use social-scientific comparative methodology in order to untangle Dunn’s Samaritan riddle. Through comparison with four historically analogous revival events, the range of reported experience, phenomenon and praxis of the Acts accounts will be shown to be representative of the internal ranges of continuity and diversity found within analogous historical events. Thus, rather than the delay of the Spirit being a key to interpretation in Acts 8 as Dunn and so many others assert, it will be shown that Dunn’s riddle is in fact no riddle at all.
This paper will survey New Testament passages on church discipline by examining them in their literary and socio-historical contexts in order to assess to what degree eschatology is linked to exclusionary practices of church discipline so that the appropriateness of N.T. Wright’s claim may be evaluated. Finally, the paper will conclude with a brief hermeneutical discussion evaluating how these insights may apply to compassionately ministering and serving within the contemporary church.