Southeastern University Faculty | Dr. Paul Van der Laan

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Dr. Paul Van der LaanDr. Paul van der Laan
Professor of Theology
E-mail Professor van der Laan

BA in theology, Continental Bible College (Belgium)
PhD University of Birmingham (UK)

Biography
Dr. van der Laan was a professor, pastor, evangelist, and Christian TV producer in Holland for many years before accepting a professorate at Southeastern in August 2000. An ordained minister with the Assemblies of God and a Dutch professor of religion since 1980, Dr. van der Laan has published several books and articles on theology, church history, and Pentecostalism, including a book on the history of the Pentecostal movement in the Netherlands. More recently, Pilgrim’s Press has agreed to publish his doctoral dissertation, The Question of Spiritual Unity–The Dutch Pentecostal Movement in Ecumenical Perspective.

In Holland, Dr. van der Laan served as the General Secretary of the Dutch Assemblies of God (1985-1989), the first Dutch president of the Azusa Theological College (A/G) (1989-1993), and an Executive Producer with the Evangelical Broadcasting Organization in the Netherlands (1993-2000). In this last capacity, Dr. van der Laan supervised many nationally televised programs, including more than 70 on signs and miracles that resulted in an average weekly response of over 1,000 people, mostly non-Christian. He has pioneered two churches and is known as a dynamic and creative preacher and teacher, and he is a member of the European Pentecostal Theological Association (EPTA) and the Society for Pentecostal Studies (SPS).

Continuing his trend of enriching his environment, Dr. van der Laan has blessed Southeastern at the student, institution, and academic discipline levels. He is a challenging but beloved professor, winning the first Excellence in Teaching Award given by Southeastern, and he is the first faculty member to be awarded a sabbatical for research. In addition, he researched and wrote the history of Southeastern, finishing the project in 2006.

He teaches Theology I & II, Survey of Church History, History and Theology of the Pentecostal Movement, and Contemporary Theology, on the undergraduate level, and he teaches Pentecostal Theology in Southeastern’s graduate school. His research interests are in Pentecostal theology, Pentecostal history, and Ecumenism.

Brief Highlights:

  • Published “Dynamics in Pentecostal Mission: A Dutch Perspective” in the International Review of Missions, 75/297 (January 1987), p. 47-50.
  • Published “What is Left Behind? A Pentecostal Response to Eschatological Fiction” in the Journal of the European Pentecostal Theological Asociation 24 (2004), p. 49-70.
  • Published “Walter J. Hollenweger: A Pluriform Life” in Pentecost, Mission, and Ecumenism - Essays on Intercultural Theology (Jan A. B. Jongeneel, ed.), Studies in the Intercultural History for Christianity nr. 75, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1992, p. 5-14.
  • Published “Dutch Pentecostal Response on Final Report: Word and Spirit, Church and World,” Pneuma, 23/1 (spring 2001), p. 75-81.