Atlanta, Georgia
Image: Brett Weinstein / Wikimedia Commons

That was not the only session where forgiveness and justification was more than hinted at as interrelated with each other. Needless to say I found this ETS meeting exhilarating, not only because of the program[s] but also because of the mix of the people present, old friends and new, and the variety of Christian experience. There were others with the Assemblies of God besides me. There were men from Central Bible College in Springfield, MO, and Southwestern Assemblies of God University at Waxahachie, TX. But to mingle with the Mennonites, the Presbyterians, the Methodists, Baptists of different affiliations, Adventists, Anglicans, Brethren in Christ, Lutherans, and whoever else has always been helpful to me. I am somewhat a “High Church Pentecostal.” What is most interesting to me is the extent to which the Holy Spirit affects the entire spectrum of the Christian experience irrespective of denominational membership. For myself, I was with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for many years as a minister before crossing over to the Assemblies of God. My baccalaureate was gained from Texas Christian University. My Seminary training was at Duke Divinity School. My doctorate came from O.R.U. I have preached in predominantly African-American Churches, Baptist and AME, and a Church of the Brethren. On the Walton side are Adventists; on mother’s side are Brethren and Mennonites. I serve “a Kingdom without Borders,” to borrow a phrase from writer Miriam Adeney.

How should we lead the church?

In this Pneuma Review conversation, Pastor-scholar Tony Richie discusses what having good leadership means for a local church

Introduction

“We’re a good church, but we need a good leader!” The preceding sentence expressed the sentiment of the good people of the John Sevier Church of God in Knoxville, Tennessee, during our interview for the pastorate (December 1997). These words also resonated with my own experience a few years prior when had I entered the Doctor of Ministry program at Asbury Theological Seminary. My Bachelor of Arts degree had been in Philosophy-Religion, with a minor in Biblical Languages, and I had earned a Master of Divinity degree from the premier seminary of my denomination. As I surveyed the various emphases offered by Asbury, I realized that my training in theology, language, hermeneutics, homiletics, and counseling had not practically prepared me specifically for the role of pastoral leadership; nevertheless, as a pastor I was consistently called upon to function not only as a preacher or a counselor but as the leader of my congregation. Accordingly, contrary to my previous approach to education and yet with a deep sense of divine direction, I chose the leadership track for my studies at Asbury.

Tony Richie chairing a panel discussing ecumenism at the 2014 convention of the Society for Pentecostal Studies.

My experiences at John Sevier and Asbury have been echoed in my overall pastoral experience. I have been in the ministry for nearly thirty years, more than twenty-seven of which have been spent serving as a pastor. I have enjoyed relatively successful ministry in each pastorate, yet I have not infrequently felt an absence of confidence concerning my leadership duties and abilities. Slowly, I have come to suspect that the missing sense of certainty may be due, at least in part, to a failure to understand and apply a specific, sound theology of leadership for the pastoral setting, especially in my own ministry context as a Pentecostal Christian and churchman.¹

Discerning Practical Value

The almost incomparable worth of morally and practically competent leadership and the tragedy of evil or inept leadership is a consistent and recurring theme in Scripture. Further, an important element of the leadership challenge includes carefully defining leadership in local church settings.

Incomparable Worth of Competent Leadership

Throughout the biblical record the issue of leadership is noticeably prominent. Very early on the problem of corrupt leadership is latent. Hartley notes that Nimrod was the first empire builder.² An enigma to scholars, he appears to have been regarded in almost godlike terms.³ He was apparently a powerful leader. Nimrod’s rule was centered in the region of Shinar (Gen. 10:8-12). The account of the height of human arrogance and divine displeasure over the tower of Babel is set in Shinar, later known as Babylon (11:1-9). That this “famous city symbolizes commerce, human achievement, and the pursuit of pleasure” appears clear.⁴ The attitude of heaven toward haughty human leadership is underscored in the divine dispersion and division of the human race. Throughout the Scriptures Babylon is often encoded as the enemy of God and of God’s people (e.g., Rev. 17-18).

In complete contrast to the pride and pomp of Nimrod and Babylon stands the piety of the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph. A comparison of the patriarchal narrative of Scripture with ancient historical evidence strongly suggests the patriarchs lived in a dimorphic society consisting of pastoral nomads and village dwellers, probably early in the second millennium BC. The family units of the patriarchs were basically “autonomous tribal chiefdoms”.⁵ In the culture of the ancient Near East, “the patriarchs themselves were chiefs of seminomadic clans”.⁶ The patriarchs exercised definite leadership influence within the realm of their usually somewhat large family unit and its accompanying assortment of servants, friends, visitors, and, to some extent, neighboring peoples. For instance, Joseph’s timely leadership position and ability is of key import to Israel’s physical and national survival and divine destiny as the people of the Abrahamic covenant (Gen. 37, 39-50).

How do experiential truth and the bondage-breaking power of the Spirit support every believer to have a right relationship with God?

Given the fact that the Bible’s primary concern is our relationship to God, a relationship that starts with commitment or allegiance to Him, where are the contextualization studies dealing with relationship? What are the culturally appropriate varieties of commitment and relationship to God through Jesus Christ? And, since spiritual power is high on the list of concerns for both biblical peoples as well as for most of the peoples of the present world, where are the contextualization studies dealing with spiritual power? Doesn’t the Bible have a lot to say about this subject? And might there not be culturally appropriate differences in the ways God’s authority and power are to be exercised from society to society?

Charles Kraft asks: Where are treatments of the more experiential side of Christian life and practice—theology as it is lived, not just as it is thought about?

In 1991 and 1992¹ I published articles dealing with three encounters that are crucial to the experience and communication of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I labeled these encounters: Allegiance (or Commitment), Truth and Power. As I have pondered these encounters, I have come to the conclusion that these areas are even more important than I had realized.

In my articles, I pointed out that each of these encounters leads to a specific very important dimension of Christian experience: allegiance leads to relationship, truth leads to understanding and spiritual power leads to freedom. Each of these areas is a crucial dimension of the God-connected life. I now believe the areas of encounter are pointing to the three crucial dimensions of Christian experience and witness. If so, we need to theorize concerning contextualization in each of these areas, rather than simply dealing with the truth (knowledge) area.

What I Mean By Dimensions

A dimension is an aspect of Christianity that, though closely interrelated with the other dimensions, is quite distinct in its content and, therefore, needs to be defined and treated as a distinct entity. We can focus on this distinctness in several ways. One way is to look at the distinctness of the human problems in view under each category.

There are those in the evangelical community who are cult watchers. Though they know a lot about cults and biblical truth, they seem to poorly understand spiritual power. They, therefore, are very good at exposing the errors of the cults, but can do nothing with their power. In fact, some of them in their lack of understanding of power, actively condemn legitimate Christian power ministries along with the cult groups.

Everyday Theology deals with the daily encounters that influence people’s thoughts, those multitudes of encounters that no theologian can afford to ignore. The book considers popular cultural texts and trends that occupy the minds of Christians, aiming to create a methodology of interpreting them theologically. The authors contend that theology cannot be done in a vacuum; culture provides the platform for theologizing.

Vanhoozer and his counterparts see culture as an arena of interpretation where context must be understood. Culture is an objectification of the human spirit, ideas and essences made real. A major question dealt with is whether culture is profitable or detrimental to someone’s spiritual well being. If you find an aspect of your culture to be corrupted, should you run from it or try to cleanse it?

The book’s approach to interpretation is the text-context methodology where the context of the author, the context of the text, and the context of the reader are highly considered.

Everyday Theology is organized into four parts with contributions from various scholars. “Part 1: Introduction: Towards a Theory of Cultural Interpretation,” lays the foundation for the rest of the book. In this part Vanhoozer endeavors to answer the question; “why do a cultural interpretation?” He defines cultural hermeneutics, defends the rationale for doing cultural hermeneutics and then proposes a methodological approach towards cultural exegesis. “Part 2: Reading Cultural Texts” offers real life examples on how to read cultural texts and trends. In this section different cultural trends are explored. For example, Darren Sarisky offers a theological account of Eminem and David G. Thompson deals with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. “Part 3: Interpreting Cultural Trends” explores some major cultural trends within the society, while “Part 4: Concluding Untheoretical Postscript” concludes the book by offering a concrete example on how to apply knowledge gained in cultural exegesis to the contemporary life.

Everyday theology is not a theological discipline but rather the theological practice of every believer. Christians should read the Bible as well as their cultural “texts” and trends so that they can understand how their culture is influencing their own faith and those around them. What are theological takeaways from Rap culture? How should your theology affect your interactions concerning Human Rights in the Blogosphere? Can theologians afford to ignore such questions?

I appreciate how the book engages issues of both local American and international concern. This makes more room to ask how to do theology that connects with everyone. How should we challenge trends that are undermining Christian belief and values? By becoming more culturally literate, the Church will be able to advance her mission in the world effectively.

Reviewed by Michael Muoki Wambua

Read excerpts from Everyday Theology: http://assets.bakerpublishinggroup.com/processed/book-resources/files/Excerpt_Vanhoozer_EverydayTheo.pdf?1362590645

John Lathrop has written an excellent survey of what is commonly called the “five-fold ministry gifts” of Ephesians 4:11, giving special attention to the ministries of the “apostle” and “prophet” since these are the most controversial in the contemporary Pentecostal\charismatic movement. He carefully examines each ministry in the light of Scripture and brings balance and clarity to what has been, in recent years, an over-emphasis on the restoration of apostles and prophets and their governmental authority.

He brings balance by showing from Scripture why these ministry gifts should be seen as ministries and functions rather than offices and titles. He clearly shows that all who function in these ministries do so as servants, not as despotic rulers. In a unique and clever way he alleviates potential concern about designating people as apostles or prophets by pointing out that these words have taken on unwarranted connotations of magnitude and importance, and reminds his readers that apostle can mean “messenger” and prophet can mean “an inspired speaker.”

Lathrop is not only Biblical and theological in his approach, but also practical. He is very thorough in delineating what a modern apostle or prophet will look like and what they will not look like. He also shows from Scripture that women may also function as prophets, apostles and pastors and points out that, apart from Jesus, no Christian leader in the New Testament is referred to as a pastor.

Overall, I consider this an excellent work and I highly recommend it to anyone who desires to better understand the five-fold ministry in the Church today, especially that of apostles and prophets.

Reviewed by Eddie L. Hyatt

Publisher’s page: www.xulonpress.com/bookstore/bookdetail.php?PB_ISBN=9781606474594

Preview this book: books.google.com/books?id=UmOHZYHbgegC

Alister E. McGrath, A Fine-Tuned Universe: The Quest for God in Science and Theology (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2009), xv + 262 pages.

Alister McGrath is Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Education at King’s College, London, holding doctorates in both the natural sciences and theology. This title could be seen as an extension of his title from 2008, The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology, being a reformulation of his 2009 Gifford Lectures. In this newest title, McGrath examines the apparent ‘fine-tuning’ of the universe and its significance – if any – for natural theology. In so doing, he explores a wide range of physical and biological phenomena and draws on the latest research in biochemistry and evolutionary biology. He purports to set out an approach to natural theology within the context provided by a distinctly Trinitarian framework. Notably, he does not attempt to ‘prove’ the existence of God or the truth of Christian teaching; instead, McGrath’s claim is that there is a coherent ‘fit’ between the observable world and the resources of Christian tradition. The book is divided into two sections, the first of which sets out his ‘Trinitarian Natural Theology’ (seven chapters), and the second of which gives a case study, of sorts, regarding the apparent fine-tuning of the universe, or the so-called ‘anthropic principle’ (seven chapters). The majority of what follows will focus on the first part of McGrath’s text, note.

Of particular significance, the second chapter reviews the crisis of confidence in modern natural theology, which leads him to posit a renewed vision for natural theology in chapter three. The fourth chapter discusses possible challenges to his proposal, whereas the fifth provides his argument that natural theology should be seen as an endeavour that seeks consonance between theology and science. Chapter six purports to be a presentation of the ‘dynamics of a Trinitarian natural theology’, whereas chapter seven approaches the idea of counterfactuals. The eighth chapter, which could very well be seen as the core of the book, is a re-reading of St. Augustine, during which McGrath argues that Augustine’s creation theology provides resources for making sense of both the origins of the universe and the processes of Darwinian evolution. Chapters nine through fourteen all highlight the apparent fine-tuning and directionality present within the universe. The constructive portion of the book ends with some reflections on what the relatively recent developments within the emergence debate might entail for natural theology; McGrath promises, in a footnote, to address these issues more fully in subsequent titles.

The name J. Lee Grady should be familiar to those who have been part of the Pentecostal or charismatic Movements for any length of time. For a number of years now he has served as editor of Charisma, which is perhaps the most well-known magazine given to the subject of Spirit-filled life and ministry. Grady is also the author of a number of books. His most recent offering, The Holy Spirit is Not For Sale, should be of particular interest to those who are part of churches that emphasize the supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit. In this volume the author calls for radical change; he calls for the church to deal with the sins in her midst. He demonstrates that there have been some serious moves away from scriptural standards among those who believe in the present-day gifts of the Holy Spirit, areas of particular concern are morality, finances, and ministry practice. This book is a clear call for reformation, a return to biblical foundations.

Grady is a firm believer in the anointing and gifts of the Holy Spirit and thus he urges the church not to settle for “strange fire,” for cheap imitations of the real anointing of the Holy Spirit, or for ministers who are seriously errant in life, ministry practice, or teaching. In short, the author calls for the church to “stop the funny business.” He urges the church to have real fire: the fire of supernatural anointing, the fire of boldness, the fire of purity, the fire of integrity, the fire of humility, the fire of truth, the fire of justice, the fire of spiritual liberty, the fire of prayer, and the fire of genuine love. In the course of his writing Grady draws from the Bible, church history, and the experience of the church overseas.

What may be disturbing to some readers is that in certain cases Grady names names as he addresses various types of abuse. While this may make some people uneasy what is truly disturbing are some of the things that are actually taking place in the church. For example, in chapter 6 he refers to a minister who had a list of requirements in order to be booked for a conference. The list included: a five-figure honorarium, a $10,000 gas deposit for a private plane, a hairstylist for the speaker, a suite in a five star hotel, a luxury car to drive him from the airport to the hotel (make and model of the car were specified), and room temperature Perrier water (pages 115-116). Another example concerns a large charismatic church in Georgia in which pastors participated in sexual immorality and were encouraged by the senior pastor to participate in wife-swapping (pages 83-84). While cases like these are not typical of the majority of charismatic churches or ministers they involve prominent people. Their prominence can cause some people, who lack discernment, to believe that because these ministers “have the anointing” that what they do must be okay. The examples that Grady cites are known cases: is the abuse and corruption more prevalent than we want to admit? As the author writes about various forms of failure and abuse he takes no pleasure in them, it is clear that he is pained by them.

The biblical judges are well known for their less than exemplary behavior. In the past, these judges have been appreciated largely as examples of how a charismatic leader should NOT behave. In spite of the judges’ questionable morals, the writer of the book of Hebrews commends four of them (Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson) for their faith. This paper evaluates these judges in light of their characterizations in the book of Hebrews and in the book of Judges and suggests that our struggle with the judges parallels the contemporary integrity crisis in Christian leadership.

Introduction

‘Time would fail me’, declares the writer of Hebrews, ‘to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets—who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight’ (Heb. 11.32-34; NRSV).¹ With these words the judges of the Old Testament are forever enshrined as heroes of the faith, and consequently they have served as examples to Christian believers from the First Century until now. Careful readers of the book of Judges, however, might suggest a few changes to Hebrews 11, so that the text would read: ‘Time would fail me to tell of the judges, … who through unbelief tested God, committed murders, pursued pleasure, enabled idolatry, and turned Israel into a land of anarchy’.

As these hypothetical changes to Hebrews show, we are faced with paradoxical depictions of the judges; for although the book of Hebrews applauds the faith of the judges, the book of Judges records the obvious flaws and failings of those same judges.² Both Jephthah and Samson are particularly unfit for the designation ‘heroes’, given their apparently immoral character. Jephthah is an outlaw who makes a rash vow that results in the sacrifice of his daughter, and Samson is a divinely chosen nazirite who breaks his sacred vows, marries a forbidden foreigner, sleeps with a prostitute, and loses his God given power while asleep on the lap of Delilah.

Did Jephthah really kill his daughter?
The debate over this question has persisted at least since the 18th Century.
This image comes from the Maciejowski Bible (France, c. 1250), via Wikimedia Commons.

In my monograph on the book of Judges, I point out that the human characters of Judges have received the primary attention of biblical scholars while the character of Yahweh has not been sufficiently treated. I argue that considerable theological insight can be mined from Judges by paying attention to the previously unappreciated speeches of God in the book.⁸ It remains to be seen, however, if anything good can be salvaged when it comes to the actions and attitudes of the judges themselves. Biblical scholarship has doubted that the lives of Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, and Samson can offer any positive theological models for righteousness, holiness, or faithful leadership. Recent interpreters, however, have constructed a theological view of the book of Judges that promises hope for redeeming the judges from the hands of their judges.⁹

In this paper, I will examine the place of the judges within the argument of the book of Hebrews, and I will evaluate the judges as they are characterized in the narrative of Judges. I will attempt to discover the ways in which the judges may serve as positive figures, and I will suggest connections between the biblical portrait of the judges and our own integrity crisis in contemporary Christian leadership.

Professor Coulter invites us to discover some of the surprising similarities between these two renewal movements.

Full issue of AG Heritage: ifphc.org/pdf/Heritage/2010.pdf (updated Mar 10, 2014)

W. Rodman MacIlvaine III, “How Churches Become Missional” Bibliotheca Sacra 167 (April-June 2010), pages 216-233.

MacIlvaine says it is crisis that drives churches to become missional. He explores what such crisis may look like and discusses the crucible model of leadership.

Enrichment (Spring 2010).

The theme of this issue is “Church and Law: Navigating the Legal Maze.” Find articles on estate planning for pastors, finding legal counsel and several others including: Frank Sommerville, “Rendering to Caesar What is Caesar’s: How Tax Laws Affect the Church” and an interview with Richard R. Hammar, Bradley Jacob and Michael Paulsen discussing the US First Amendment and religious liberty.

Full issue of Enrichment Spring 2010: enrichmentjournal.ag.org/201002

The Kingdom and the Power. The Pneuma Review has received permission to reprint chapters from this important work that asks: “Are Healing and the Spiritual Gifts Used by Jesus and the Early Church Meant for the Church Today?” The Winter 2011issue will conclude this series with “The Sufficiency of Scripture and Distortion of What Scripture Teaches About Itself.”

Veteran missionary Jim Harries introduces us to what vulnerable mission looks like in “Deliverance Ministry in an African Cultural Perspective.”

How should we lead the church?

As part of our continuing discussion, Victor Cuartas will present “How to Lead a Missional Church”

Some reviews to look for in the Winter 2011 issue:

Wolfgang Vondey reviews the book by Brad Harper and Paul Louis Metzger, Exploring Ecclesiology: An Evangelical and Ecumenical Introduction (Brazos, 2009).

The second edition of James D.G. Dunn’s The Living Word (Fortress, 2009) is reviewed by John R. Miller.

Tony Richie reviews Cindy Jacobs’s book, The Reformation Manifesto: Your Part in God’s Plan to Change the Nations Today (Bethany House, 2008).

Woodrow Walton reviews Marvin Olasky’s The Tragedy of American Compassion (Crossway Books, 2008).