Torsten Löfstedt

My main areas of research are New Testament theology, Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity, Canon and Authority in the context of Evangelical Christianity, and Didactics of religion.

What is New Testament theology? Unlike historical Jesus research, New Testament theology does not try to reach behind the text to reconstruct what Jesus 'really' said or did. New Testament theology also differs from systematic theology in that it is a descriptive rather than a normative discipline. While systematic theologians have often tended to harmonise the New Testament texts, in New Testament theology we are interested in the differences between the agendas of the various authors. We treat the individual authors as theologians in their own right. Within New Testament theology I have written several articles regarding narratives about the devil and other forces of evil in the NT; these narratives have been subject to less scholarly attention than many other aspects of the NT, probably because they reflect a worldview radically unlike that of contemporary scholars.

My second area of interest is Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity, which is the form of religion that is growing most rapidly worldwide. It is increasingly becoming the subject of scholarly attention. I have written several articles relating to Pentecostal Christianity in the former Soviet Union, an area that has been relatively neglected in scholarship. In this connection I am also studying the Russia Inland Mission, associated with the Swedish Word of Life church, a Charismatic Faith church.

Another area of interest is Evangelical Christianity, especially Evangelical views of the Biblical canon.