Solving the Samaritan Riddle: Peter's Kingdom Keys Explain Early Spirit Baptism

"AN IMPORTANT NEW APPROACH" TO SPIRIT BAPTISM
 
"I find Zarley's suggestion . . . intriguing."--Dr. James D. G. Dunn
"A bold and adventuruous book . . . It is a wonder that someone has not suggested this theory before . . . I commend serious engagement with Kermit Zarley's proposal."--Dr. Scot McKnight
"I strongly recommed this book as an important new approach to this issue."--Dr. Grant R. Osborne
 
DOES SPIRIT BAPTISM OCCUR AT CONVERSION (PROTESTANT) OR AFTER IT (PENTECOSTAL)?

For well over a century, there has been a big disagreement in Christianity about Spirit baptism and speaking in tongues. This book attempts to solve this problem, which academics call the Samaritan Riddle and Pentecostals call the Dunn Debate.
 
Dr. James D. G. Dunn's first book, Baptism in the Holy Spirit (1970), claims the New Testament says baptism in the Holy Spirit always occurs simultaneously at conversion-initiation. In contrast, classical Pentecostals contend that Spirit baptism always occurs subsequently, that is, after conversion and is evidenced by tongues-speaking. Pentecostals mostly cite Acts 8:4-25 for their "subsequence." It says Philip preached to the Samaritans and they "believed." But they did not receive the Spirit until Peter and John came days later and laid hands on them. Dunn says these Samaritans and Jesus' 120 Jewish disciples in Acts 2 were not "Christians" until they were baptized with the Holy Spirit.
 
Zarley agrees with Pentecostals about subsequence in both cases. But he claims these Samaritans and the Gentiles in Acts 10 were Spirit baptized due to Peter's presence, using his metaphorical "keys of the kingdom" that Jesus had promised to give him in Matthew 16:19. After Peter opened kingdom doors for all three of these biblical classifications of people, all people afterwards are Spirit baptized simultaneously upon conversion, as Paul teaches and Dunn says, except for the Ephesians anomaly in Acts 19:1-7.

Kermit Zarley is most known for his career as a professional golfer on the PGA Tour and Senior PGA Tour. In 1965 he co-founded and thereafter led the PGA Tour Bible Study, which thrives today with several spawned ministries. Zarley has also been a student and teacher of the Bible for over forty years. He has established himself as a lucid, cogent author, with books on the life of Jesus Christ and eschatology.