Biography.guide
Home › People › Editor › Amos Yong
Portrait of Amos Yong

Amos Yong

b. 1965

Malaysian-American theologian

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Amos Yong

Born 1965. Amos Yong is a Malaysian and American editor, theologian, university teacher and dean.

Biography Yong was born in Malaysia and immigrated to the United States. His Ph.D. from Boston University is in religion and theology, and he has a B.A. from Bethany College, an M.A. from Western Evangelical Seminary, and an M.A. from Portland State University.

Pentecostal Studies In the last decade, Amos has become one of the most prolific writers among Pentecostal theologians in the academy. He has devoted scholarly monographs to interreligious dialogue and comparative theology, global Pentecostal theology, theology of disability, political theology, dialogue between science and religion, and theology of love. What may be his most important book (Spirit-Word-Community) is an articulation of a trinitarian theological method and hermeneutic that provides the conceptual basis for all his other work. In it he demonstrates his ability to bring a Pentecostal account of pneumatology to bear on a number of perennial theological and philosophical concerns, and thus shows that he is not interested only in parochial Pentecostal issues.

He is a former president of the Society for Pentecostal Studies (2008 – 09) and co-edited its journal, PNEUMA from 2011 – 2014. He was the founding co-chair for the Pentecostal-Charismatic Movements Group for the American Academy of hope and Religion (2006 – 2011) and is co-editor of five monograph series: Pentecostal Manifestos (Eerdmans), Studies in Religion, Theology and Disability (Baylor), CHARIS: Christianity & Renewal – Interdisciplinary Studies (Palgrave Macmillan), Missiological Engagements (IVP Academic), and Mission in Global Community (Baker Academic).

Partial bibliography Monographs/Books

Discerning the Spirit(s): A Pentecostal-Charismatic Contribution to Christian Theology of Religions (Sheffield, UK: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000) Spirit-Word-Community: Theological Hermeneutics in Trinitarian Perspective (Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Ltd., 2002) Beyond the Impasse: Toward a Pneumatological Theology of Religions (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2003) The Spirit Poured Out on All Flesh: Pentecostalism and the Possibility of Global Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2005) Theology and Down Syndrome: Reimagining Disability in Late Modernity (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2007) Hospitality and the Other: Pentecost, Christian Practices, and the Neighbor (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008) In the Days of Caesar: Pentecostalism and Political Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2010) Who is the Holy Spirit? A Walk with the Apostles (Brewster, MA: Paraclete Press, 2011) The Spirit of Creation: Modern Science and Divine Action in the Pentecostal-Charismatic Imagination (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011) The Bible, Disability, and the Church: A New Vision of the People of God (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011) Spirit of Love: A Trinitarian Theology of Grace (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2012) The Cosmic Breath: Spirit and Nature in the Christianity-Buddhism-Science Trialogue (Leiden: Brill, 2012) Pneumatology and the Christian-Buddhist Dialogue: Does the Spirit Blow through the Middle Way? (Leiden: Brill, 2012) Penticostalismul global: Traiectorii teologice ?i impact social (Bucaresti: Editura Pleroma, 2013) The Future of Evangelical Theology: Soundings from the Asian American Diaspora (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014) Renewing Christian Theology: Systematics for a Global Christianity (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2014) The Missiological Spirit: Christian Mission Theology for the Third Millennium Global Context (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2014) The Dialogical Spirit: Christian Reason and Theological Method for the Third Millennium (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2014) The Hermeneutical Spirit: Theological Interpretation and the Scriptural Imagination for the 21st Century (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2017) Learning Theology: Tracking the Spirit of Christian Faith (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2018) The Kerygmatic Spirit: Apostolic Preaching in the 21st Century (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2018) Mission after Pentecost: The Witness of the Spirit from Genesis to Revelation (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2019) Renewing the Church by the Spirit: Theological Education after Pentecost (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2020) An Amos Yong Reader: The Pentecostal Spirit (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2020) Revelation, Belief: A Theological Commentary on the Bible (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2021) The Holy Spirit and Higher Education: Renewing the Christian University (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2023) The Dialogical Spirit II: Contextual God, Pluralistic Selves, and Dialectical Imagination after Pentecost (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2024)

Edited volumes

Editor, Toward a Pneumatological Theology: Pentecostal and Ecumenical Perspectives on Ecclesiology, Soteriology and Theology of Mission, by Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 2002) Editor, with Peter Heltzel, Theology in Global Context: Essays in Honor of Robert Cummings Neville (New York: T & T Clark, 2004) Editor, Philip's Daughters: Women in Pentecostal-Charismatic Leadership (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2009) Editor, The Spirit Renews the Face of the Earth: Pentecostal Forays in Science and Theology of Creation (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2009) Editor, with James K. A. Smith, Science and the Spirit: A Pentecostal Engagement with the Sciences (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2010) Editor, with Barbara Brown Zikmund, Remembering Jamestown: Hard Questions about Christian Mission (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2010) Editor, with Clifton Clarke, Global Renewal, Religious Pluralism, and the Great Commission: Toward a Renewal Theology of Mission and Interreligious Encounter (Lexington, KY: Emeth Press, 2011) Editor, with Estrelda Y. Alexander, Afro-Pentecostalism: Black Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity in History and Culture (New York: New York University Press, 2011) Editor, with Katherine Attanasi, Pentecostalism and Prosperity: The Socioeconomics of the Global Charismatic Movement (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2012) Editor, with Matthew T. Lee, The Science and Theology of Godly Love (DeKalb, IL: Northern Illinois University Press, 2012) Editor, with Matthew T. Lee, Godly Love: Impediments and Possibilities (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2012) Editor, with Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen and Kirsteen Kim, Interdisciplinary and Religio-Cultural Discourses on a Spirit-Filled World: Loosing the Spirits (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013) Editor, with Chandler H. Im, Global Diasporas and Mission (Oxford: Regnum Books International, 2014) Editor, with Cecil M. Robeck, Jr., The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2014) Editor, with Scott Sunquist, The Gospel and Pluralism Today: Reassessing Lesslie Newbigin for the 21st Century (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2015) Editor, with Nimi Wariboko, Paul Tillich and Pentecostal Theology: Spiritual Presence and Spiritual Power (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2015) Editor, with Monique Ingalls, The Spirit of Praise: Music and Worship in Global Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity (University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2015) Editor, with Vinson Synan, Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered Movements Past, Present, and Future, vol. I: Asia and Oceania (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House Publishers, 2016) Editor, with Vinson Synan and Miguel Álvarez, Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered Movements Past, Present, and Future, vol. II: Latin America (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House Publishers, 2016) Editor, with Vinson Synan and J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered Movements Past, Present, and Future, vol. III: Africa (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House Publishers, 2016) Editor, with Dale M. Coulter, The Spirit, the Affections, and the Christian Tradition (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 2016) Editor, with Sarah J. Melcher and Mikeal C. Parsons, The Bible and Disability: A Commentary (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2017) Editor, with Vinson Synan, Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered Movements Past, Present, and Future, vol. IV: Europe and North America (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House Publishers, 2017) Editor, with Love L. Sechrest and Johnny Ramírez-Johnson, Can "White" People Be Saved? Triangulating Race, Theology, and Mission (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2018) Editor, with Steven M. Studebaker, Pentecostal Theology and Jonathan Edwards (New York: Bloomsbury, 2019) Editor, with David J. Downs and Tina Houston-Armstrong, Vocation, Formation, and Theological Education: Interdisciplinary Perspectives from Fuller Theological Seminary (Claremont, CA: CST Press, 2021) Editor, with Elaine Wei-Fun Goh, Kah-Jin Jeffrey Kuan, and Jonathan Yun-Ka Tan, From Malaysia to the Ends of the Earth: Southeast Asian and Diasporic Contributions to Biblical and Theological Studies (Claremont, CA: CST Press, 2021) Editor, with Patrick Oden and Peter Goodwin Heltzel, The Dialogical Evangelical Theology of Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen: Exploring the Work of God in a Diverse Church and a Pluralistic World (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic, 2022) Editor, with Mark A. Lamport and Timothy L. N. Lim, Uncovering the Pearl: The Hidden Story of Christianity in Asia (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2023)

Articles

"Many Tongues, Many Senses: Pentecost, the Body Politic, and the Redemption of Dis/ability.” Pneuma 31, 2 (2009): 167-188. (with Dale M. Coulter) "From West to East: The Renewal of the Leading Journal in Pentecostal Studies.” Pneuma 10, 2 (2011): 147-173. "Sons and Daughters, Young and Old: Toward a Pentecostal Theology of the Family.” PentecoStudies 10, 2 (2011): 147-173. "Science and Religion: Introducing the Issues, Entering the Debates--A Review Essay.” Christian Scholar's Review 40, 2 (Winter 2011): 189-203. "Reading Scripture and Nature: Pentecostal Hermeneutics and Their Implications for the Contemporary Evangelical Theology and Science Conversation.” Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith 63, 1 (March 2011): 3-15. "Disability and the Love of Wisdom: De-Forming, Re-Forming, and Per-Forming Philosophy of Religion.” Evangelical Review of Theology 35, 2 (April 2011): 160-176. "The Spirit of Science: Are Pentecostals Ready to Engage the Discussion?" Cyberjournal for Pentecostal-Charismatic Research (April 20, 2011). "Disability Theology of the Resurrection: Persisting Questions and Additional Considerations--A Response to Ryan Mullins.” Ars Disputandi 12 (2012). "Pentecostal Scholarship and Scholarship on Pentecostalism: The Next Generation.” Pneuma 34, 2 (2012): 161-165. "What's Love Got to Do With It?: The Sociology of Godly Love and the Renewal of Modern Pentecostalism.” Journal of Pentecostal Theology 21, 1 (2012): 113-134. "Informality, Illegality, and Improvisation: Theological Reflections on Money, Migration, and Ministry in Chinatown, NYC, and Beyond.” Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion 3, 2 (January 2012). "Sanctification, Science, and the Spirit: Salvaging Holiness in the Late Modern World.” Wesleyan Theological Journal 47, 2 (Fall 2012): 36-52.

Chapters "The Buddhist-Christian Encounter in the United States: Reflections on Christian Practices." In Ecumenical Directions in the United States Today: Churches on a Theological Journey, eds. Antonios Kireopoulos and Juliana Mecera. New York: Paulist Press, 2011. "The Spirit, Vocation, and the Life of the Mind: A Pentecostal Testimony." In Pentecostals in the Academy: Testimonies of Call, eds. Steven M. Fettke and Robby Waddell. Cleveland: CPT Press, 2012. "Relational Theology and the Holy Spirit." In Relational Theology: A Contemporary Introduction, eds. Brint Montgomery, Thomas J. Oord, and Karen Strand Winslow. Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2012. "Pentecostal and Charismatic Theology." In The Routledge Companion to Modern Christian Thought, eds. James Beilby and Chad Meister. New York: Routledge, 2013.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Education
Boston University, Portland State University, Boston University School of Theology, Bethany University
Employers
Fuller Theological Seminary, Regent University, Bethel University, Bethany University

People in Amos Yong's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Amos Yong's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Amos Yong?

Malaysian-American theologian

When was Amos Yong born?

Amos Yong was born on 26 July 1965 in Malaysia, Taiping.

What is Amos Yong's occupation?

Amos Yong is an editor, theologian, university teacher and dean.

What nationality is Amos Yong?

Amos Yong is Malaysian and American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Amos Yong

· Wikidata: Q3202615

· DBpedia: Amos Yong

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Amos Yong. https://biography.guide/amos-yong/

MLA: "Amos Yong." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/amos-yong/.

Chicago: "Amos Yong." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/amos-yong/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:30 UTC