But the society has also opened the door for other discussions. Creating a forum has enabled Pentecostals to enter into dialogues with the Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Church and the Wesleyan Theological Society. Other members, who apprise the society of their discussions, are in conversation with the Roman Catholic Church. Aligning itself with the Council for the Study of Religion in the late 1980s was another crucial step in refining the society's position academic study and ecumenism. Unlike strictly academic societies, such as those for church history or biblical studies, and unlike strictly religious societies, the SPS stands, sometimes uncomfortably, with a foot in each camp.
Annual meetings offer a full complement of sessions, be they academic or praxis oriented.
Membership, now over 600, comprises every major Christian denomination, and some outside Christianity. Meeting participants are as apt to be graduate students from secular schools as they are professors from religiously affiliated colleges. Adapted from an article written by Kate McGinn and D. William Faupel which appeared in the December 1998 issue of Ecumenism. All Rights Reserved.