Pentecostal Holiness Must Make Us Good Neighbours

Holiness is sometimes imagined as distance. A holy person avoids the habits, beliefs and communities considered impure. A holy church protects its identity by drawing clear lines, strengthening its own language and warning members against compromise.

Moral boundaries matter. Pentecostal Christians should not surrender biblical conviction merely to appear agreeable. Yet separation becomes spiritually distorted when it produces contempt, rivalry, fear of learning, indifference to suffering or the assumption that the Holy Spirit is present only among people who worship exactly as we do.

The Spirit sets a people apart for God and sends that people towards the world God loves. Pentecostal holiness should therefore produce neighbours who can tell the truth, receive correction, cross a boundary, share responsibility and serve the common good without losing their confession.

Holiness is transforming when it crosses the road.

A peer-reviewed study published on 27 July 2026 examines how a Pentecostal theology of unity might contribute to South Africa’s Government of National Unity. Bernard Chingwanangwana, Lufuluvhi Mudimeli and Humbulani Tshamano connect Pentecostal convictions about the Holy Spirit, reconciliation, community and diversity with dialogue, shared development projects, reconciliatory education, inclusion, advocacy and policy engagement.

This is the newest consequential Pentecostal study available at publication time. It uses qualitative content analysis of theological texts, government material, media reports and a final thematic sample of ten academic articles. It did not…