PneumaReview.com: Please tell our readers briefly about your conversion experience.

Carol Kaminski: I grew up in Australia in a Christian family, but my parents got divorced when I was young, and they stopped going to church. I continued to attend youth group at the local Baptist church and God provided wonderful “spiritual parents” who invited me to events and youth group camps. I received great Bible teaching, and when I was in my late teens, I responded to a gospel message and met Jesus. My life changed that day, and I have been walking with the Lord for over four decades.

PneumaReview.com: What ministries have you participated in since you became a Christian?

Carol Kaminski: Shortly after becoming a Christian, I got involved in youth ministry in my local church and helped to lead worship. I also led Bible studies and lived in a Youth for Christ home for homeless young women. When I was in my mid-twenties, I felt God calling me to go to Bible college. I studied at the Bible College of Victoria (now called Melbourne School of Theology) for several years, and then God called me to study overseas, which is what led me to study at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. After completing two master’s programs at the seminary, the Lord opened up an opportunity for me to do further study at Cambridge University in England. After completing my doctorate, I began teaching at the seminary, which is what I’ve done for the past two decades.

PneumaReview.com: A major focus of your work now is CASKET EMPTY. Please tell us the significance of the name as well as a bit about the ministry.

PneumaReview.com: Casket Empty is being used around the world. What languages have portions, or in some cases the complete CASKET EMPTY timelines been translated into?

Carol Kaminski: The Casket Empty material has been translated into several languages, including Chinese, Korean, Arabic, Farsi, Thai, and more recently, Spanish. God has been blessing this material and it has been a wonderful way to contribute to the global church. I was in Thailand at the beginning of this year and had the opportunity to train pastors and church leaders using the Casket Empty curriculum. What a blessing!

PneumaReview.com: You recently had a major commentary on 1 & 2 Chronicles published. Please tell us about some of the features of that commentary.

Carol Kaminski: Sometimes people are surprised to learn that I have written a commentary on Chronicles because it is one of the more neglected books in the Old Testament. I’ve always loved the stories of Israel’s kings like Asa and Jehoshaphat. They are such great kings who trusted in God amid insurmountable circumstances. It was great blessing to write a commentary on this theologically rich book. My commentary has been published in Zondervan’s Story of God Bible Commentary. What I love about this series is that each book is interpreted within the redemptive story of the Bible, so this means that books are not interpreted in isolation, but each one is interpreted in the context of Scripture. Another distinctive feature of the series is that each volume has forty percent devoted to application. This is unusual for a commentary on the Old Testament, but it is one of the great benefits of the series. This means that every chapter in Chronicles has a section on application!

PneumaReview.com: In addition, you have also written an eight-week Bible study based on these books. What is the format of the study, and how can it best be used?

Carol Kaminski: I wrote a Bible study on Chronicles because I wanted to make sure that the material would be accessible in the local church. My Bible study is called Cultivating Godliness because this title highlights so many of the important themes in Chronicles, like prayer, seeking the face of God, crying out to God for help, and singing joyfully to God. Through this book, God is calling his people to focus on his kingdom, and to cultivate prayer, seeking God, and trust in him. The Bible study is eight weeks, and each week one of these key topics is explored, so it’s a great opportunity for people to dive deeper into Chronicles in a small group setting.

PneumaReview.com: Do you think most Christians read 1 & 2 Chronicles in the course of a year? If you don’t think they do, why are these books neglected?

Carol Kaminski: I think Chronicles has been neglected for two reasons. First, since some of the stories are already in Samuel and Kings, people assume that there is nothing new in Chronicles or that it simply repeats material from these other books. But there are many additional stories in Chronicles that are not found in Samuel or Kings. Most importantly, the familiar stories have been applied to Israel’s new context, and we find may sermons and sermonettes in Chronicles that are rich in theology and applicable for our lives

The second reason why Chronicles has been neglected is that it begins with nine chapters of genealogies, and that tends to put off most people! But in the commentary, I explain how to understand the opening genealogies because they really do have a theological purpose. I think once people start to understand why they are included, the genealogies make more sense.

PneumaReview.com: What advice would you give to believers to help them see the value of these two biblical books?

Carol Kaminski: I would encourage someone to start to read through Chronicles, perhaps initially skipping over the genealogies to begin with, but to focus on the lives of Israel’s kings and the themes that are highlighted. People will find that these topics are highly relevant for our lives, and they provide wonderful examples for us, showing us what it means to walk with the Lord and trust in him.

PneumaReview.com: Please identify some of the major themes in 1 & 2 Chronicles for us.

Carol Kaminski: I’ve already mentioned some of the themes like prayer, seeking the face of God, crying out to God for help, but there are also other themes like generosity, listening to wise counsel, and unity. The book also presents a vision for God’s people, who are called to be a worshipping and witnessing people among the nations. So, there’s also a global vision in Chronicles, this is why it begins with all those genealogies!

PneumaReview.com: What do these books have to say to the church today?

Carol Kaminski: The book of Chronicles was written during the final period of the Old Testament. God’s people had been in exile in Babylon for seventy years and now they have returned and rebuilt the temple. But life has not been easy back in Jerusalem. God’s people are living under the Persian Empire. They must rebuild their homes and start all over again. And there is no king ruling on the throne in Jerusalem. But it is during this time of transition and upheaval that God calls his people to focus on his heavenly kingdom and to cultivate godly habits in the covenant community. In our context, we haven’t been into exile, but we are facing a major transition because our Christian values that used to be so much part of our culture have become increasingly secular. The question for us is: How do we live in this new context? The book of Chronicles can help us. The Chronicler, inspired by God’s Spirit, is presenting a vision of God’s everlasting kingdom with worship at the center. This is surely a much-needed vision for us today!

PneumaReview.com: Where can people learn more about Casket Empty and your books on 1 & 2 Chronicles?

Carol Kaminski: People can find out more about Casket Empty by going to our website casketempty.com. My commentary on 1-2 Chronicles is available on Amazon simply by Googling “Chronicles” with my last name “Kaminski.”

First a caveat–I’m quoted in this article; so I had to be cautious about my subjectivity.  But the truth is that I found myself saying quiet “Amens” throughout.  Several overall impressions:

• Briggs’ 7 ideas are sophisticated, in the best sense of the word. So much Bible Engagement advice is simplistic, little “tips”: Set aside a time every day, find a quiet place, choose a translation that suits you, etc.  I recently stumbled on a new “tip” that suggested drinking a strong cup of coffee before devotions. I am glad Briggs went much deeper than this.
• Before presenting his 7 Ideas, Briggs first addresses the nature and purpose of the Bible. What is the Bible?  And what are we to do with it? Understanding this is foundational to reading the Bible well, but it’s seldom part of the Bible Engagement conversation.  The Bible isn’t a random collection of commands to be obeyed and promises to be claimed.  Reduced to its essence, the Bible is a historical drama, a wild and wooly tale, full of mystery and majesty, and yes, sometimes misery.  The Bible’s invitation is for us to step onto the stage in our era, and to live faithfully into that story in our generation.  Deeply immersing ourselves in the Bible’s history is foundational to being faithful to the story’s trajectory.  There are no shortcuts.

Briggs offers seven imaginative ideas for stellar Bible Engagement. My three favorites:

1. Write out Scripture by hand. “Write yourself clear” says the ancient proverb.  Writing slows us down and calms our racing minds.  Writing out Scripture is a timely strategy in the middle of the internet revolution where our attention spans are being truncated, interfering with our ability to meditate, to think deeply and critically!

2. Ask questions–even tough ones. Bible readers who graduate from “Bible McNuggets” to bigger readings, discover that questions pop up everywhere. This, it seems, is part of the Bible’s design–the Spirit’s genius to get us wrestling with the text. It was in the wrestling that Jacob evolved into Israel.

3. Read the Bible communally and ask five simple questions. I’ve been a serious Bible reader since I was 17, mostly as a solo activity.  Then 20 years ago I made a decision to read Scripture communally.  Most often that takes the form of reading privately and then getting together with a group that’s following the same reading schedule.  In addition, we pivoted from directed Bible studies to a book club model, with open ended questions that provoke far more interesting and honest conversation.  I encourage all my friends to take the book club model for a test drive.  R.’s open-ended questions are a good place to start.

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Dr. Briggs tips his hand to his target audience– “Improving Bible Engagement in Your Church.”  If you follow J.R.’s work you know his passion is influencing Kingdom leaders.  In this article I hear him prodding church leaders to restore the Bible to a place of primacy; to admit that in the modern era, programming, not Bible Engagement, has become king.  But dazzling programming has had its day in the sun, and proven to be inadequate for the indomitable problems we’re facing.  Briggs presents compelling research that deep Bible Engagement is the #1 catalyst for individual and church vitality!

Improving Bible Engagement in Your Church–the rally cry for the next generation of church leaders? May it be so!

Reviewed by Paul Caminiti

The byline reads: “COVID got us used to staying home. But it’s the work of God’s people to lift up the name of Christ and receive God’s Word—together.”

Dr. James F. Linzey as the keynote speaker for the Easter Sunrise Service 2017 outside the Airman-Marine Memorial Chapel, MCAS Miramar, former “Home of Top Gun.”

Jonathan Sciano, “Department of the Air Force ‘Mentoring Resources’ Includes Historical Battle of Midway Documentary by Dr. James F. Linzey” Christian News Wire (October 14, 2024).

Leadership resources from the US Air Force includes PneumaReview.com author James F. Linzey‘s speech about about the Battle of Midway and moral leadership. The speech has been made available here: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/embed/511646

Roger E. Olson, “What Is a ‘Form of Life?’ Can an Outsider Understand?” Patheos (October 24, 2024).

Historian of religion, Roger Olson, introduces Wittgenstein’s “forms of life” in the context of language games, arguing that outsiders (particularly to movements such as Pentecostalism) are unable to understand forms of life they are observing. Therefore, Olson argues, outsiders should be careful to criticize what they have not participated in. “The deep ‘logic’ of Pentecostalism is an experience that can’t be described. It can only be felt. It’s a profound connection with God but even ‘connection’ is not a word often used. It’s a feeling without words to describe it. It can be provoked by a fervent prayer, by speaking in tongues, by a powerful sermon, by a hymn or gospel song, by … many things.”

J. R. Briggs, “7 Ideas for Improving Bible Engagement in Your Church: How to encourage a deeper experience of Scripture” CT Pastors (July 19, 2018).

“The Christians Living Under Buddhist Nationalism: Yale scholar David Moe explores the faith and identity of ethnic minorities in his home country of Myanmar” Christianity Today (October 29, 2024).

Angela Lu Fulton interviews Dr. David Thang Moe, who studies and writes about religion in Southeast Asia.

Kelly K, “How to Disagree and Still Keep it Holy” Charisma (October 28, 2024).

Image: Natalia Fogarty

Roger E. Olson, “Why ‘Panentheism’ Is False” Patheos (November 14, 2024).

Historian of religion, Roger Olson, provides a basic definition of classical or traditional panentheism of the Hegel and Whitehead varieties and contrasts them to what is being said about a “Christian Panentheism” (as expressed, for example, by Moltmann). Olson is making the point that those that deny creation ex nihilo (as classical panentheism does) are not within orthodox Christian theism. But this so-called Christian panentheism is not automatically heterodox if creation ex nihilo is embraced.

PR

We cannot be thankful for something until we have thought about it. You cannot thank the Lord without thinking about what Christ did for you in His death, burial, and resurrection. God redeemed and reconciled you for the purpose that we too would reconcile and forgive, as well. That’s something to be thankful for!

Image: Kevin Turcios

When we are thankful, this action keeps our priorities straight. This thinking helps us trust in the Lord and allow Him to be God in our lives. The Bible says in Psalm 22:3 that God “inhabits the praises of the people.” Our thanksgiving to God cultivates an atmosphere which moves us forward in life.

Next Thursday is Thanksgiving Day in America. Let us spend time thinking about who God is and how good God has been to us. Then let us thank God for what He has accomplished in 2024 and will do in 2025!

Pastor Cletus

 Interview with Rev. Dr. Tania Harris about her new book, God Dreams: How to Hear God’s Voice in Dreams and Vision

PneumaReview.com: You have recently published a new book about dreams and visions. Please name some New Testament believers who experienced dreams and visions.

Tania Harris: All the key characters – Joseph, Stephen, Paul, Peter, Agabus, John. Dreams and visions are the most common mode of divine communication under both the Old and New Covenants.

PneumaReview.com: A modern-day Christian might say “Those were the experiences of the biblical characters. But why should we think that we might have these same types of experiences in our time?” How would you answer that question?

Tania Harris: Because the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost gave every believer full and direct access to the voice of the Holy Spirit through visions and dreams (Acts 2:17, 2:39).

PneumaReview.com: Would you say that some Christians are more prone to experience dreams and visions than others?

PneumaReview.com: Do these experiences seem to come regularly in a person’s life or only at important or critical points in their life?

Tania Harris: It’s not really possible to accurately answer that question since everyone’s walk with the Holy Spirit is unique. It’s similar to the question, how often does the Holy Spirit speak? Perhaps the best answer is, as often as God needs to and as readily as we listen. The measure of someone’s walk is not the number of experiences or the level of their ecstatic nature, but how we respond to them. As Jesus said, “my people hear my voice and they follow.” (from John 10:27)

PneumaReview.com: Dreams and visions are very subjective experiences. What can we as individual believers do to help us determine which ones are from God and which are not?

Tania Harris: Every encounter with the Holy Spirit is subjective and must be tested (1 John 4:1). We need to have the confidence to know that we can hear from God as well as the humility to know we can get it wrong. As the Apostle Paul said, we don’t hear and see clearly (1 Cor. 13:12).

PneumaReview.com: In view of the fact that dreams and visions are personal experiences, can input from other Christians be helpful in determining the correct interpretation

Tania Harris: This is the second element of discernment we see in the early church. When God spoke to Peter in a dream-vision about the Gentile inclusion, others were involved in the discernment process – including Cornelius, and later – because it was a church-wide issue – the church leadership at the Jerusalem council (Acts 15:28)

PneumaReview.com: Why do you think that some visions are symbolic in nature rather than plainly stated? Peter’s vision in Acts 10 is one example.

Tania Harris: In fact, nearly all dream-visions are symbolic. They speak the language of pictures and imagery, which neuroscientists tell us is the most powerful and effective form of communication. Perhaps this is why dream-visions are God’s favoured mode in Scripture! It is the most basic of languages and transcends all communication barriers. You may have heard the phrase: “a picture tells a thousand words!” Once you understand the language of pictures, dream-visions are not difficult to understand.

PneumaReview.com: In your research have you found that more people have dreams or visions?

Tania Harris: I haven’t done quantitative research so can’t give a definitive answer on this. (Note also, in the biblical terminology, the terms for dreams and visions are interchangeable). I suspect more people admit to having visions because it is more socially acceptable to say, “I saw a picture as I prayed” rather than “I saw a picture/scene as I slept.” Having said that, anecdotally, I have noted it is not uncommon for at least 50% of congregations to say they’ve have had a God-dream – they’ve just never shared it with others for fear of being labelled strange!

PneumaReview.com: What advice would you give to pastors to help them guide the people under their care to be open to dreams and visions but not fall into error or fanaticism regarding them?

Tania Harris: As with any hearing God experience, we need to train our congregations to discern the voice of God. Telling people they can hear God’s voice without training them to discern it is like giving a toddler a loaded gun. In my experience, this is a common problem and why we have a strong emphasis in the God Conversations ministry in this area. See our resource that leads the whole church community on the hearing God journey, 50 Days of God Conversations.

PneumaReview.com: Please tell our readers a little bit about your latest book God Dreams: How to Hear God’s Voice in Dreams and Vision as well as where they can purchase it.

Tania Harris: Here is the blurb:

God Dreams: How to hear God’s voice in dreams and visions

God’s most common way of speaking in biblical history is through dreams and visions. But today many of us are more likely to dismiss our visionary experiences as the product of a spicy meal rather than a potential message from God. But could we be missing out on the voice we so long to hear?

Drawing on her ministry experience, theological research and the Revelation experiences of the early church, Tania Harris explores the nature of dream-visions, where they come from, and how to interpret their symbolic and sometimes confusing language. You will learn how to hear God’s voice more clearly and that a picture truly can tell a thousand words.

“A brilliant book!” (Pete Greig)

Available here.

Available from Amazon (USA): https://amzn.to/40PYyGI

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched an historic attack against the Jewish nation. It became a line in the sand. For some, it prompted support for the Palestinian Authority. For others, it inspired prayers to bless the children of Abraham and the State of Israel. The question, “Who holds the deed to the Holy Land?” played everywhere in the media and continues to weigh on the hearts and minds of justice-seeking people around the world.

Tim Mahoney

It also begins Tim Mahoney’s latest documentary, Patterns of Evidence: The Israel Dilemma – Ancient Prophecies.

In the spirit of full transparency, I have enthusiastically followed Tim Mahoney’s work since his 2015 release of Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus. I came to appreciate his thoughtful approach, captivating scenery, his willingness to hear and present opposing viewpoints, and ultimately, to share the logical conclusions of the evidence. I found those elements represented again in The Israel Dilemma.

A cast of historians, archeologists, politicians, and theologians examine God’s covenants as the “plot structure” to Israel’s biblical story. The Israel Dilemma – Ancient Prophecies quickly becomes less about who holds the deed and the remarkable, even miraculous way God spoke through Moses as a prophet and how the Almighty God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob keeps his promises.

While many of us are caught up watching the grand events: the blood red moons, the wars and rumors of wars, and the imminent sacrifice of the red heifers, The Israel Dilemma – Ancient Prophecies shares the testimonies of bullas, seemingly negligible clay seals no larger than your thumb, but which reveal significant—and who some might deem insignificant—characters of the Bible. But it is this minutia and the smallest of things which confirm how no one in Scripture, from the greatest to the least, is wasted in Yahweh’s economy.

Though we have the Bible as God’s authoritative Word, there are those in the secular world who do not recognize its credibility. Mahoney provides the evidence of its reliability not merely from internal scriptural sources, but unexpectedly from Israel’s ancient foes, with numerous archeological records that serve to reinforce the Bible, its Author, and His prophecies as trustworthy.

“We have an abundance of material which either directly or indirectly relates to the biblical evidence, no doubt,” remarks Gabriel Barkay, Director of the Temple Mount Sifting Project, Bar-Ilan University, one of the many experts Mahoney interviews in the documentary.

Patterns of Evidence: The Israel Dilemma – Ancient Prophecies is the first in a two-part docu-series, and is in cinemas nationwide for a limited release, November 13, 14, and 17, 2024. Grab a Bible skeptic or someone confused by current Middle-east events and go see this two-hour, eye-opening film. Purchase tickets now at iconicreleasing.com/events/the-israel-dilemma/tickets.

You may have plenty to talk about afterward.

Reviewed by Kevin Williams