Fall 2016: Other Significant Articles
Ed Stetzer, “Five Fundamentals for an Evangelical Future: The sky isn’t falling for evangelicals” The Exchange (September 19, 2016).
Yes, the last decade has been a challenging time, but no, it’s not as bad for evangelicals as many have made it out to be. What can be done to assure that biblical, compassionate, evangelistic Jesus-followers continue to live out the story God has given us? Stetzer offers five things to keep pursuing for the next ten years.
“Where the Public Stands on Religious Liberty vs. Nondiscrimination” Pew Research Center (September 28, 2016).
Two-thirds say employers should provide birth control in insurance plans, but public is split over same-sex wedding services and use of public bathrooms by transgender people.
Caleb Lindgren, “Evangelicals’ Favorite Heresies Revisited by Researchers: Second study examines what Americans believe about 47 theological statements” ChristianityTodayOnline (September 28, 2016).
How well does the average American understand basic Christian doctrine? For that matter, how about the average evangelical?
Perhaps not all that differently. And perhaps it matters how the questions are asked.
Jason Cook, “How I Learned to Separate Meat from Bone in the Charismatic Tradition” The Gospel Coalition (October 7, 2016).
Jason Cook writes, “As a sophomore in college I was discipled by a Reformed African-American man who challenged me to study Scripture beyond mining it for trite clichés. He graciously and faithfully challenged my unbiblical thinking. Our church boasted a cohort of young African-American men, Reformed in their thinking, who welcomed me into their community.”
Kate Shellnutt, “InterVarsity Asks Staff to Choose a Stance on Sexuality: Campus ministry’s push for theological consistency prompts painful backlash” ChristianityTodayOnline (October 7, 2016).
Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, gives this warning, “There is no place to hide. Soon we’re all going to know what everyone believes on all of these issues, and Christian institutions, Christian organizations, Christian ministries, and Christian churches, indeed every single Christian will eventually have to give an answer.”
Beth Moore, “The Scandal of Election 2016” Living Proof Ministries (October 18th, 2016).
Thanks to William De Arteaga for suggesting this article. “We have convinced ourselves the end of the gospel is near while Jesus stated in no uncertain terms it would be proclaimed throughout the earth before the end of this age. We are convinced government has the power to gag God while 2 Timothy 2:9 says the word of God cannot be chained. Difficult days are ahead. We cannot endure them faithlessly. Opposition is inevitable no matter who makes it to the White House. At some point we’ve got to quit looking to leaders to fight for our faith. Faith we haven’t fought for is faith we don’t possess.”
Craig and Médine Keener, “The Story of a Love Separated by Civil War” Crosswalk.com (October 18, 2016).
Craig S. Keener writes: “For those who would like to read it, Crosswalk published our brief, true ‘Story of a Love Separated by Civil War.’ It gives an inside-experience perspective on one kind of refugee crisis.”
Médine and I had met through an evangelical campus ministry when I was a doctoral student at Duke and she was a doctoral student at University of Paris 7. We were interested in each other, but both of us were too shy to let the other know. Our friendship persisted over the years, however, and we each prayed that God would send the other a good spouse. Now that we had finished our Ph.D.s, I was teaching at a seminary near Philadelphia and writing New Testament commentaries. Médine, no less qualified than I, had returned to her war-torn country of Congo seeking work. Unfortunately, war had now overtaken her, and I had no way to locate her—or even to be sure if she was alive.
Tony Reinke, “Why Christians Love Books: A Brief History” DesiringGod.org (October 22, 2016).
“In Memoriam: C. Peter Wagner” Fuller Theological Seminary (October 25, 2016).
Roger E. Olson, “What Is Pentecostalism? What Do Pentecostals Believe?” Patheos (October 29, 2016).
Theologian and historian Roger Olson describes basic beliefs of Pentecostals, speaking and praying in tongues, and the movement’s struggle with anti-intellectualism. He also shares some of his own story of growing up in a classical Pentecostal home, why he no longer considers himself Pentecostal, and how some of the positive changes he has seen in the movement came too late for him.
Roger E. Olson, “The Dark Side of Pentecostalism” Patheos (October 31, 2016).
Following up with his previous essay about Pentecostalism, Roger Olson, as a former adherent, talks about the errors and shortcomings he sees in classical Pentecostalism.
Lawrence Reed, “Undercover in Auschwitz: The Man Who Volunteered to Be a Prisoner” Intercollegiate Review (Fall 2016).
“Fired by a determination that almost defies description, [Witold] Pilecki made the most of every opportunity during his thirty-month imprisonment at Auschwitz. Despite bouts of typhus and pneumonia, lice infestations, stomach ailments, backbreaking toil hauling rocks, extremes of heat and cold, relentless hunger, and cruelties at the hands of German guards, he formed an underground resistance group, the Union of Military Organization (Związek Organizacji Wojskowej, or ZOW). His initial reports of conditions within Auschwitz were smuggled out and reached Britain in November 1940, just two months after his [voluntary] detention began. Using a radio transmitter that he and his fellow ZOW conspirators built, in 1942 he broadcast information that convinced the Allies the Nazis were engaged in genocide on an unprecedented scale. What became known as ‘Witold’s Report’ was the first comprehensive eyewitness account of the Holocaust.”
Philip Yancey, “Sex and the Elk” (October 16, 2016).
Bobby Ross Jr., “Where’s the Money to Fix This?: Six tips that will keep a church from breaking the bank on big-ticket fixes” Church Finance Today (November 2016).
Karl Vaters, “Why I’ve Stopped Saying ‘Church Growth’ – And What I Say Instead: The words Church Growth are packed with so much emotional baggage that they’ve become virtually useless in my context” Pivot (November 14, 2016).
Hank Berrien, “Earliest Alphabet Ever Identified As Hebrew: Substantiates Biblical Narrative” The Daily Wire (November 21, 2016).
Suggested by Kevin W.
“Glasgow University archivists find John Knox’s Bible” BBC (September 21, 2016).
“Experts believe a unidentified bible held by Glasgow University may have belonged to John Knox – a founding father of the Protestant Reformation.” PneumaReview.com author Jon Ruthven commented: “[Knox was] an amazing, anointed charismatic preacher!” Suggested by Renato C.
Roger E. Olson, “Do Adherents of Abrahamic Faiths Worship the Same God?” Patheos (November 25, 2016).
Amos Yong, “Evangelicals, Pentecostals, and Charismatics: A Difficult Relationship or Promising Convergence?” Fuller Studio.
Issue theme: “Calvin, Councils and Confessions—How the Church Became the Churches” Christian History 120.
The full issue of Christian History is available for online browsing or download and you may order a print version of the magazine.
“‘We’re teaching university students lies’ – An interview with Dr Jordan Peterson” C2C Journal (December 1, 2016).
PneumaReview.com author Calvin Smith writes: “A fascinating, if troubling interview with University of Toronto professor Dr Jordan Peterson. He has steadfastly refused to use trans gender pronouns and is about to pay a serious price. A philosopher and researcher of psychology in totalitarian regimes, he’s making a stance to highlight the huge detriment to Western civilisation currently taking place and its philosophically-bankrupt basis. It’s a long piece, you may not agree with it all (or some of his language), nonetheless for Christians observing and seeking to understand the culture wars, identity politics, safe spaces and what’s coming next, I really think this is a must-read that explains a great deal.”
David Livermore, “We’re All Scared of the Same Things…or Are We? Emotional Differences Across Cultures” Cultural Intelligence Center (December 15, 2016).
PneumaReview.com author David Livermore discusses how everyone reacts to certain things the same, even when our expressions are radically different. He begins his story with, “Last week I had the misfortune of seeing a Chinese man jump from a tall building in Shanghai to his death below. My heart stopped.
What could possibly lead this guy to such immense despair?
“What happened next traumatized me almost as much as the actual suicide sighting. Several people gathered around and were quietly laughing. Some took pictures and others were calling to their friends to come see what happened. I was so unnerved by the whole scene. Why were people laughing? Why wasn’t anyone covering his body?”
Mark J. Cartledge, “C.S. Lewis as Public Theologian: Pentecostal Appreciation, Evaluation, and Challenge” Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 38 (2016): pages 436-455.
J. Lee Grady, “Discernment—the Most Neglected of All Spiritual Gifts” Fire In My Bones (December 14, 2016).
John Lathrop writes: “This is a good word. We need to be discerning and not fall for every claim or gimmick that is presented to us as Christians.”
Category: Fall 2016
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