I hope your week has been wonderful. This week holds special significance as we delve into the theological meaning of Holy Week, which is central to the Christian faith. Jesus endured suffering, died, and triumphed over death!

I want to share some insights from my devotions this week. Each day, I reflected on the Passion of Christ and composed 25 meditations on Holy Week. My prayer is that they resonate with you.

With the peace of Christ,

Dr. Antipas

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Meditations on Holy Week

1. As we enter the sacred time of Holy Week, let us take a moment to reflect deeply on the profound journey of Jesus. The gravity of the Resurrection is illuminated through the trials and tribulations outlined during this significant week.
2. Today marks Palm Sunday, the ceremonial beginning of Holy Week. This is an opportunity to learn from Jesus, who exemplified the art of repositioning Himself for what lay ahead. He made a remarkable entrance into Jerusalem, riding on a humble colt, an emblem of simplicity and vulnerability. How might you prepare yourself, adjusting your stance for the divine plans God has in store for your next chapter?
3. Riding a young donkey, though seemingly mundane, speaks volumes of Jesus’ readiness to embrace the challenges ahead. This choice symbolizes the discomfort and struggle that would unfold throughout the week, as He traversed a path marked by pain, ultimately leading to a victorious destiny. Repositioning ourselves often demands radical and even uncomfortable changes.
4. The journey of Holy Week is steeped in profound humility, a call to lay aside our egos and acknowledge something greater than ourselves. Lord, forgive us for the moments when we fail to embody humility, and guide us to walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ’s example!
5. Holy Week serves as a powerful testament of faith played out in the public arena. Jesus showcased unwavering love even amidst brutal and violent opposition. Though love may sometimes be overshadowed or trampled, His steadfast commitment to love remained resolute. Indeed, love is far mightier than hate.
6. Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem was laden with prophetic significance. The crowd recognized His divine essence as they cheered, witnessing the spectacle of His arrival on a colt. Their adoration hinted at the ultimate victory to come, despite the turbulent path ahead, fraught with pain, betrayal, and denial. While we may know the conclusion of the story, it was a profound and challenging faith journey for Him.
7. The journey of faith is not one of flawless perfection but rather one of exploration and growth. As we navigate through life, we encounter moments of learning and reflection. It echoes the sentiment of Bishop Anselm of Canterbury, who spoke of “Fides quaerens intellectum”—faith seeking understanding. May this week serve as a transformative journey filled with fresh insights, nurturing our lived witness to the world.
8. After sharing His last meal with His disciples, Jesus spoke these comforting words: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth… You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) Come, Holy Spirit!
9. During Holy Week, a poignant and transformative moment unfolded as Jesus knelt before His disciples to wash their feet, symbolically commissioning them for a life of unwavering service. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. profoundly stated, “You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” Jesus exemplified this truth, His actions a masterclass in humility! What about us?
10. Faithfully pursuing the depth of Christ’s love demands a spirit of humility and a commitment to serve. The Master Teacher and Lord, in a gesture of unparalleled love, lowered Himself to the dusty ground, knowing that among those He served, two would soon betray and deny Him. Christ’s love is boundless and knows no restrictions, reaching even the most unreachable hearts.
11. As we meditate on the Passion Story, our focus is drawn to the profound hope we find in Christ’s enduring promise. This sacred week serves as a reminder that mental stress and emotional turmoil are transient; they do not linger. Sunday’s resurrection is coming, heralding a new dawn!
12. Holy Week unveils a deep and transformative connection between love and hope. God’s love extends to every individual, even to those who seem difficult to embrace. Lord, in Your infinite mercy, guide us to love as You do. Hope, after all, is a relentless force. Our struggles do not dictate our destiny; rather, through them, we find resilience and emerge even stronger!
13. We must not underestimate the profound devastation of feeling crushed; it brings pain, a burden that resonates with many hearts. Jesus intimately understood the depths of this agony. Yet, it’s essential to recognize that these crushing experiences do not define us—our true beauty does.
14. In the midst of suffering, a glimmer of hope emerges as beauty slowly reveals itself. Just as wine is born from the pressing of grapes and oil flows from the pressing of olives, our life’s true purpose often springs forth from the trials we endure. Jesus faced His own moments of crushing anguish in Gethsemane, a testament to the human experience. Soon, we will gather to celebrate the immeasurable lesson uncovered in such trials: while crushing moments are temporary, the victories they yield are everlasting!
15. J.P. Lederach reminds us that theo-moral imagination invites us to envision ourselves within a vast network of relationships—one that even includes our enemies. It encourages us to embrace the complexities of life without reverting to simplistic dualistic thinking, to pursue creativity boldly, and to bravely accept the inherent risks of venturing into the unknown.
16. Let us not rush to the resurrection; there’s a compelling story that unfolds before the glory! Let’s take time to reflect on that narrative. Jesus endured profound suffering, reminding us that if we seek His resurrection power, we must also partake in His suffering (Phil 3:10). Beyond the shadows of despair lies magnificent glory!
17. The term “Maundy” derives from the Latin word for “commandment,” a poignant reference to Jesus’ profound humility on Maundy Thursday when He washed His disciples’ feet and called them to embody that same spirit of service and love. Lord, in Your boundless mercy, guide us toward a deeper understanding of how to love and serve others with true humility.
18. Have you ever felt the sting of loneliness or the weight of abandonment? Consider that even Jesus experienced such heart-wrenching emotions on the cross, crying out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Remember, even in the heaviest of moments, this is not the end for you—in this life and beyond. A brighter dawn is ahead; just wait and see!
19. “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last.” Luke 23:46. Like Jesus, entrust everything into God’s capable hands. Let it go. Trust that God can carry your burdens with grace and strength.
20. “On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross; The emblem of suffering and shame, And I love that old cross where the dearest and best; For a world of lost sinners was slain….” (Hymn)
21. Through the boundless love of Jesus, vividly revealed on the cross, we encounter a profound and transformative truth: True love, at its core, endures suffering. The ultimate victory of love emerges only through the crucible of pain and sacrifice. In essence, love bears the weight of suffering; yet it also triumphs in unfathomable ways!
22. Good Friday is a sacred moment of reflection, a time to honor a Savior who willingly gave His life for the sins of the world. St. Augustine reminds us, “The death of the Lord our God should not be a cause of shame for us; rather, it should be our greatest hope, our greatest glory.” In the face of the cross, we witness the profound generosity of our loving Jesus. Yet, paradoxically, this true love exposes its vulnerability, open to the wounds inflicted by those who abandon, betray, deceive, strive to sow discord, and walk away. The depth of this love makes the hurt all the more poignant and real.
23. Good Friday beckons us into a deep theological reflection on the suffering Christ—a Jesus who embraces pain with open arms. Theologian Jurgen Moltmann articulates beautifully that the God who suffers is the God who loves deeply. Our God is not distant; rather, He is profoundly moved by our own struggles and heartaches. In our moments of vulnerability and distress, God draws nearer, embodying the essence of true and abiding love.
24. In the words of scripture, “Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matt 26:27-28) Our sins are forgiven, and we can respond with fervent joy: Hallelujah!
25. Revelation 5:9 resounds with triumphant praise, declaring, “They sing a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered, and by your blood, you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation.’” In these words, we find the powerful truth that the blood of Jesus Christ has redeemed us, wrapping us in grace and love beyond measure.

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Jade taught me how pentecostals listen to and wait on God. She spoke of a repeated mystical experience that transpired over an extended period during the Sunday evening worship service of her pentecostal church in which she saw herself as a little girl of approximately five years of age. In this repeated experience, Jesus approached the little girl and said, “I want to take you to meet my Father,” to which she responded, “Okay.” However, after they had taken three or four steps, the little girl announced, “Oh, I’ve changed my mind. I want to go play in the park,” to which he replied, “OK. Let’s go play in the park.” Over and over again, Jade envisioned the two of them going to the park and swinging in the swings together instead of going to the Father. After several months of this repeated scenario, on one particular Sunday evening, the little girl did not ask to play in the park, but she accompanied Jesus to meet the Father. Jade believed this change in her response signaled her having experienced sufficient relational healing regarding fathers, affording her a readiness to encounter Jesus’s Father.

This is an excerpt from: Pamela F. Engelbert, See My Body, See Me: A Pentecostal Perspective on Healing from Sexual Violence (Pickwick Publications, 2024)

As Jesus and Jade continued walking along a pathway, they came to a doorway, and Jesus said, “This is as far as I can go. You can go in, and the Father is sitting in there on a chair.” When Jade went through the doorway, she entered into a brightly lit room in which she saw God the Father without clearly seeing the Father’s face. As she walked over to the Father, the Father picked her up and placed her on his lap. The Father then lifted her high above his head, moving her around a little while simultaneously tickling her so that the two of them laughed together. After the Father put the little girl down, they began to play hide-and-seek in which she peeked around the Father’s chair and looked at the Father, generating laughter first from the Father and then from her. When she returned to the front of the chair, the Father picked her up and again placed her on his lap and said, “I’m your dad, you know.” The shock of this realization caused her to cry as this was quite exciting for the five-year-old-emotional part of her heart. Amidst her excitement, she went to the far corner of the room and pulled on a huge angel’s robe, saying, “He’s my dad, you know,” and the angel nodded. She then walked over to Jesus, pulled on Jesus’s garment, and said, “He’s my dad, you know,” and Jesus replied, “I’ve been trying to tell you that for a long time.”

It was not until after she had repeatedly experienced this mystical encounter that she realized its significance. When she was almost six years of age, she learned that her stepfather was not her biological father. Her older sister informed her that what Jade believed to be her surname was not actually hers. Her sister warned her: “If you’re bad, my dad is gonna send you to your dad, and your dad doesn’t want you.” Such news shattered Jade’s world as she no longer knew where she belonged. The five-year-old Jade realized in that moment: “Everyone else belongs in this family but me.” But God saw and heard and continued to be aware of her need for healing even when she remained unaware as an adult. As she stood in a worship service, being open and listening during these divine-initiated encounters, Jade’s unknown needs for identity and belonging were being healed.

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Image: Pham Manh

Further Reading

More about See My Body, See Me: A Pentecostal Perspective on Healing from Sexual Violence: An interview with Pamela F. Engelbert

As an educated Baby Boomer (but not an American history major), I found much of the narrative informative. For instance, at the pivotal Battle of Kings Mountain, there was only one British officer present who led Loyalist regiments against the Patriots. Throughout the series the Loyalists were presented fairly, as persons who followed their conscience, not as fools or villains, although some, like Colonel Tarlton, were.

George Washington is highlighted as man of tact and courage, indispensable in keeping the poorly supplied Continental Army and its untrained militias together. The series stressed that the American victory ultimately came because the Americans wore the British out, not that they had won many battles.

Washington’s choice of resisting being crowned after the war and retiring to Mt. Vernon, plus his refusal to run for a third term, were shown as pivotal for the democratic development of our nation. We can be especially thankful of this in view of the tragedies and tyrannical governments that followed the 1960s era of independence from French and British colonial governments where insurgent generals often became cruel and long-lasting tyrants.

On the other hand, The American Revolution made a frank presentation of Washington’s involvement in land speculation of Indian-owned territory and his order for the destruction of towns and crops of the Indians in Western New York. The description of that campaign was especially difficult to watch, as it must have been for many of my Baby Boomer contemporaries. We were not normally taught these negative aspects about Washington, even though such things are now routinely taught in practically every American history course. Washington’s role as slave owner was also clearly shown, including how he meticulously administered the return of runaway slaves to their owners at the end of hostilities.

This differs with the traditional versions we Baby Boomers learned as high-school and college students. You can find such a perspective in the video, “The First American” (2015) put out by the Gingrich Foundation and hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich along with a roster of conservative luminaries. In this presentation, the only reference to Washington’s relationship with slavery was about his will, in which he freed his slaves. Also not mentioned were the campaigns against the Indians. However, to be fair about the latter, some sort of military action was necessary to secure the New York and Pennsylvania fronts from constant Indian raids.

But conservative critics do have real reasons for their claim that Burn’s The American Revolution was partly a “hatchet job” (pun intended). A detailed review by Dan McLaughlin in the National Review, “No, Ken Burns, the United States Is Not an Iroquois Nation” (Nov 22, 2025), cites several historical errors including a big ideological misinterpretation.

Most disturbing was the absence of any description of English constitutional history in forming the opinions and attitudes of the Colonists. All but the most uneducated Colonists were aware that their “rights as Englishmen” were related to the Magna Carta and its interpretive development. They also knew that the English Civil War overthrew and executed one King, and later the “Glorious Revolution,” idolized by most colonists as a triumph of Protestantism, deposed another. All of this makes the colonial attitude towards their rights and their King historically located and understandable. None of this was mentioned in The American Revolution. This reflects a Leftist disdain of constitutional history as “bourgeois” and irrelevant. Indeed, this is the most serious error and omission of the series.

Despite these flaws, I would affirm that The American Revolution reflects in a major degree the biblical perspective of history. That is, that heroes have serious flaws, but are still providentially used by God. In the Bible the real hero of the Old Testament is God, with multiple “supporting characters” who are imperfect and sometimes disreputable. Moses sinned by destroying the tablet of the Ten Commandments. His brother Aaron, first High Priest, lied about his role in forming the golden calf. In fact, the heroes in the Book of Judges, who were chosen by God to save the Israelites from destruction and oppression, had major flaws, as in Samson and his inability to keep his pants up. David, certainly Israel’s best king, is not spared narrative criticism. His adultery and murder of Uriah was exposed by the prophet Nathan and detailed in the book of Second Kings (chapter 12). And although David repented (Psalm 51) he could not avoid the consequences of his sins. These included a rebellion against him by his son Absalom and ultimately a divided kingdom.

In the New Testament, we see Peter denying Christ three times. After Pentecost, when he was indeed strengthened by the Holy Spirit, he slid away from the freedom of the Gospel and cowardly appeased the “men from Jerusalem” (Galatians 2:11-14).

So perhaps the “heroes” of the Bible were mostly like our Washington. He was the Father of a nation, hero in battle, master of fortitude and resiliency in the midst of setbacks But he also had the flaws of accepting slavery even though he knew it was evil, and perpetuating injustices towards the Indians.

The Founding Fathers’ faults have been routinely taught in American schools for decades now. Most recently, The New York Times’ “The 1619 Project” exaggerated these to the point of mendacity. The ill effects of such a negative focus will be felt in American educations for decades to come. It has resulted in a noticeable, some say catastrophic, decline in patriotism among the younger generation. (What will be the outcome of some future conflict with China fought by a demoralized and unpatriotic draftee Army?)

We can never revert to the traditionalist narrative of neglecting the negative aspects of American history – that would be both impossible in a free society, and more importantly, unbiblical. The Trump administration has begun to undo some of the gross exaggerations by attempting to mold educational textbooks and curriculum to a patriotic position. But American education is largely a state issue, and reversing decades of the exaggerated anti-American narrative and “The 1619 Project,” now embedded in the attitudes of teachers, would be an especially difficult task. Saying this, I commend reasonable attempts, as for example those done in Florida and other conservative states to correct the anti-American narrative with more balanced textbooks and curricula.

Since if we are not likely to get back the traditional patriotism of “The Greatest Generation” which lived through and fought the Second World War, what type of patriotism can come from a biblical perspective? That would be a reasonable love of country that cherishes its good points and achievements, but does not hide its sinful mistakes. St. Augustine, who did not use the term patriotism but rather love of one’s own homeland, noted: “So long as we are in this mortal body, we are away from the Lord… and we love, as is natural, our own land where we live for a time” (The City of God XIX.17).

Augustine also noted that our love of country was to be subordinated to our loyalty and love for the Kingdom of God, and he was especially aware of the temptation to glorify early kingdoms to the point of idolatry. This happened significantly in the Roman Empire when its citizens were required to offer incense to the Emperor – and many Christians were martyred for not doing so.

I talked about Mexico and how God must be pleased with how – after conquest and much injustice to the Indians by the Spaniards – Mexico has developed a largely “mestizo” culture, where their races have been blended and are now living harmoniously. Other countries, like Bolivia, have no done so well. I also noted how successive Mexican governments since the Revolution of 1917, which many Mexicans idolize, had begun a tradition of government corruption that was never effectively confronted. This led to the present danger of having Mexico divided into a collection of drug “principalities” where gangster lawlessness prevailed. Their patriotism and prayers for Mexico must continue in spite of an imperfect home country.

Then I called on them to love and respect their present homeland where they had come to live and work. Here they establish businesses without having to bribe the police or government bureaucrats. America fought wars for freedom which destroyed both Fascism and Communism, something to be immensely proud of.

And yes, American culture has many faults. But again, my congregants had the biblical obligation to pray for the American presidents and state governors and its governments. It was especially important to pray for wisdom in the American presidents with their ability to begin and end wars. At the time, several in my congregation already had children in the Armed Forces (that was fifteen years ago, I wonder if any died in Afghanistan or Iraq).

All of which is to say, there can be an Augustinian-Christian approach to patriotism that takes into account mankind’s universal sinfulness in its different national manifestations, but celebrates one’s national achievements.

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Presence Is a Verb—a State of Being and an Action

The woman abruptly arose from the Sunday dinner table and accusingly spoke to her husband, “You wouldn’t care if I drowned in the waterhole.” She then turned and walked out the door.

It had been a typical Sunday for the sixteen-year-old girl. The Pentecostal family had dressed in their Sunday best, driven to church, and come home to eat a pot roast that had been cooking in the oven. But the tenor of the day had abruptly changed, and silence now ensued in her mother’s absence. The daughter stared in panic and disbelief while her father paused only momentarily before continuing with his meal. He outwardly appeared unphased by his wife’s startling behavior. Bewildered by his stoic demeanor, her mind whirled, “Why didn’t he say anything? Why didn’t he chase after her?” She learned later that he had not understood his wife’s words. He, too, had been lost amidst the chaos.

The family was aware of the risks of the nearby waterhole. The sudden drop-offs or deep holes underneath the murky water caused it to be potentially perilous. Added to this watery death trap was the reality that her mother could not swim. A brain operation at age twenty had saved the mother’s life but had left her with an inability to walk a straight line on flat terrain, and being in water only exacerbated the unsteadiness. The daughter worried that she had just seen her mother alive for the last time. Like Ebenezer Scrooge facing the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, the teenager envisioned a life of darkness and separation brought on by death—her mother’s. At that moment, she desperately longed for her father to protect their family, to keep them safe from the terrors of death.

Concepts of this article are taken from Engelbert’s first book, Who is Present in Absence?: A Pentecostal Theological Praxis of Suffering and Healing (Pickwick Publications, 2019). The book is based on interviews with eight Classical Pentecostals, and their experiences are combined with psychology, culture, and Scripture/theology. In this article, Engelbert builds from some of the book’s principles to demonstrate how Pentecostals are uniquely qualified through our emphasis on the Spirit to be empowered to be present when God is apparently absent.

Amidst this chaos, the phone rang. The daughter answered. On the other end, she heard the voice of another 16-year-old girl who lived 180 miles away. The familiar voice said, “God told me to call you. What’s up?” Through this voice, God ministered to the panicked teen in her darkness. God revealed Godself as a minister to a 16-year-old teen through another 16-year-old in a void without safety and protection. God saw the daughter’s distress and invited her friend to participate in God’s ministry to be with the scared teen before her mother returned later that day.

God is revealed as a minister to a teenager, bringing healing presence to an impossible situation. God invites a long-distance friend to unite with God in another friend’s despair through listening and prayer. It conveys that God is a minister who invites humans to participate with God in God’s healing ministry of presence in the world. In what follows, I seek to demonstrate how presence is an act of healing ministry in which Pentecostals are uniquely equipped to participate in the power and the presence of the Spirit. To accomplish this, I draw from Pentecostal experiences, the field of psychology, and Scripture/theology.

Experiencing God’s Presence

The above supernatural incident and others like it are familiar to Pentecostals. We are a people who seek God’s presence. We call on God for revival, an encounter with God in which the Spirit convicts, heals, and renews God’s people. Our worship creates space in a service, which nurtures an expectation of experiencing God’s presence. We emphasize coming forward to the front (the altar) to a place where people may encounter God, be it for salvation, the baptism of the Spirit, healing, or sanctification. We stress the importance of prayer, which includes requests that God would supernaturally intervene. We highlight testimonies that give reports of our experiences of God, such as divine healing. In short, Pentecostals seek, hope, and/or expect to experience God’s presence.

I draw from our emphasis on God’s presence when I teach a course on Pentecostal pastoral care, in which I stress the importance of being present. At first, students push back on this idea. They desire action, such as learning how to use Scripture to solve people’s problems. For them, learning how to be present to others via empathy is not action. Presence does not fix it, so it is equated in their minds with doing nothing. It is devoid of the action necessary to generate transformation (similar to state of being verbs). As one who was born and raised Pentecostal, I relate. We are a pragmatic people who want a theology that works—an action that culminates in a definitive solution. I learned from my junior high English teacher, Mrs. Folkestad, that a noun is a person, place, or thing, and a verb expresses action or state of being; therefore, presence is a thing, not an action. But later in life (my apologies to Mrs. Folkestad), I came to see how presence is also a verb—it is both an action and a state of being.

Consider this question: What transpires when you experience the presence of God? Pentecostals typically respond with phrases like, “I felt love”; “I experienced a tremendous peace”; “I was no longer alone.” Many admit that although their circumstances did not change, they were strengthened through God’s presence. In that moment, they knew God was with them. This gave them courage to walk through their difficult valley, their impossibility. God’s presence transformed them, and it is this transformation that validates their experience as being a genuine act of ministry. When a sixteen-year-old friend participates in God’s ministry in the Spirit’s power by being present to an overwhelmed teenager through a phone call, God’s healing presence is encountered. This presence is an act of ministry. But Pentecostals are not alone in experiencing presence as being powerful for transformation. Psychology also supports that presence changes a person.

Humans Psychologically Need Healing Presence

At the time John Bowlby introduced attachment theory to the discipline of psychology, Western psychological theories tended to mirror our individualistic culture. Psychoanalysis was the dominating theory, focusing on the internal world of the person (think Freud’s ego, id, and superego). But Bowlby’s observations of children with their parents caused him to focus on relationships, not the inner parts of an individual. As such, he developed his theory of attachment. For Bowlby, humans (from infant to senior) instinctively long for the other’s presence to soothe them.

Image: Samuell Morgenstern

Bowlby believed we have an innate attachment behavioral system. When we are threatened, we seek to be close to someone who is stronger and wiser (an attachment figure) for support. Many of us may recall as children being awakened by a loud clap of thunder, and our fears being heightened by the bright, blinding bursts of lightning during a summer storm. As a two- or three-year-old, I was terrified, which meant my attachment behavioral system was activated. I was alone in the dark, feeling unsafe. Like any small child, I voiced my distress by crying loudly, and my mother responded by coming to be with me. Although my parents were unable to make the thunder and lightning cease, I received their support through their presence. As I curled up between them in the comfort of their bed, I felt safe and secure in their presence. Being with them enabled me to relax, and my attachment behavioral system was deactivated, allowing me to sleep. Their presence changed me without transforming the situation. The thunder was still loud and frightening. The lightning was still bright and scary. But their state of being present to me was an act of ministry—it brought healing comfort to my terrified being.

Scripturally/Theologically God Ministers through Presence

Thus far, we have seen how experiencing God’s presence in our worship services changes us. We have also recognized that psychologically we are created to be near others amidst our distress. The presence of those who are wiser and stronger brings about a sense of safety and security. Scripture and theology, too, reveal that God ministers through God’s being to humanity. Throughout human history, God enters into human chaos, or impossibilities, by joining humans in their powerlessness. For instance, when God enters the impossibility of an elderly couple’s childlessness, Abraham and Sarah have a son. God unites with Hagar and Ismael in their despair in the wilderness, delivering them from death (Gen 21). God joins the Hebrew slaves in their impossible situation by calling Moses, an elderly sheep herder, to participate in God’s ministry of deliverance (Ex 3). God repeatedly enters situations in which people experience separation, helplessness, and hopelessness—places of death. I am not speaking only of a physical death, but I am following Andrew Root by expanding death to include impossibilities, limitations, or a deep need that is beyond our reach. Each time that God comes into human impossibilities, God is revealed as minister through God’s being. God ministers by entering into a couple’s childlessness, a mother and son’s abandonment, a people’s oppression, and a sixteen-year-old’s fear of death.

Image: Vitaly Gariev

Such ministry through God’s being is most clearly seen in the person of Jesus Christ. Humanity is in an impossible situation. We are destined for death. As Paul informs us, the wages of our sin are certain death. All our attempts to escape death fall miserably short. Neither our good works, our praying and fasting, nor our offerings enable us to avoid death’s grip and ultimate separation. It is an impossible situation. And it is in this impossibility where God joins humanity.

John 3 reminds us that God’s love for the world initiates God’s act of sending the Son into the world to be with humanity in death. The Son, who is the very being of God, embodies God’s act of ministry to the world by joining with humanity. We may immediately call to mind that Jesus was present to humanity while he walked on this earth. However, I am referring to a ministry that is deeper than this. It is inward, taking place within the being of Jesus Christ. This ministry is seen more clearly through the theological concept called the hypostatic union. The hypostatic union states that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human. Two distinct natures. One divine. One human. Both are in one person without any blending or altering. Since they are in one person, the two natures are united, or in relationship, while remaining distinct in Jesus Christ. The divine is eternally connected with humanity within Jesus. That is, the divine is forever present to humanity in Jesus’s being. Because of the hypostatic union, God is revealed, and humanity is healed (reconciled). Both of these movements are transpiring in the person of Jesus Christ, who is God’s act of ministry.

This ministry that is taking place in Jesus, as seen in the hypostatic union, is both a healing ministry of presence and a healing action. In Jesus, presence becomes a ministry that is both a state of being and an act. The divine nature is present to and in relationship with the human nature in Jesus while healing humanity. In this light, Jesus is the embodiment of God’s ministerial act of healing presence (state of being and action). This is an ongoing healing ministry of the divine ministering healing presence to humanity. Through the power and the presence of the Spirit, we are now caught up in that healing act of presence. We are joined with Jesus’s humanity through the Spirit.

Moreover, we are invited to participate in this ministry of healing presence through the power of the Spirit. When we unite with other persons in the power of the Spirit in their impossibilities through presence, we are joining with God in God’s healing presence to them, which is occurring in the being of Jesus Christ. Therefore, God invites us, such as long-distance friends, to join others, like an overwhelmed sixteen-year-old, in their deaths. Transformation occurs because through the power of the Spirit, we are uniting with God in the ministerial act of God’s presence. This healing presence communicates, “You are not alone. I see you. I am here.” It ministers peace amidst chaos. It brings healing transformation.

A Pentecostal Response

Joining others in their deaths, limitations, or impossibilities calls for us to see God as a minister and to be dependent on the Spirit’s power. Too often we rely on our understanding in response to a hurting individual. We focus on ways to fix the issue or to find reasons why the impossibility exists. These types of responses to hurting people frequently include a form of avoidance, self-agency, or positivity. Avoidance fails to respond to the person who is hurting. Self-agency informs sufferers that their own action or inaction is causing the pain, e.g., You must pray more. Positivity places the onus on the distressed to be optimistic, believing this will change the circumstances, e.g., Trust that God has something for you just around the corner.

Image: Taiki Ishikawa

The emphasis on God being a minister is essential if we are to abstain from unhelpful responses. It expands our perception of God beyond the narrow view of problem solving. When God is perceived as a minister, our perception moves beyond the image of a genie who grants my wishes. It surpasses the restricted depiction of a mechanic who fixes my car or a lifeguard who rescues me from drowning. While the concept of God being a minister may include those aspects in a limited way, it is more. God is a minister who comes close to those experiencing any kind of death. And now God invites us to join God in this healing place.

But more than a change in perception, we need the power of the Spirit to be present to hurting persons and to refrain from avoidance, self-agency, and positivity. We require the Spirit’s power to have courage and strength to sit amidst uncertainty and ambiguity with those in despair rather than fleeing from or fixing them. We need to be empowered by the Spirit so that we are exhibiting the Spirit’s fruit, not blame and shame. We must have the power and presence of the Spirit to be present to those in pain in a similar way that God is present to them. Through our act of ministry of presence, the hurting then may see that God’s healing presence is with them, strengthening and upholding them. And that is ministry, which is both being and action.

Further Reading

Pentecostal Encounters with Suffering: an interview with Pamela F. Engelbert

My mother, Assemblies of God Evangelist Verna M. Linzey, enjoyed taking time out of her busy schedule to fellowship with fellow Navy Officers’ Wives as part of her “Ministry of Presence” on the base. My father, first-ever Assemblies of God Active Duty Navy Chaplain Stanford E. Linzey, Jr., was stationed on the USS Holland, which was homeported at Charleston. Mother was on the Navy Wives Bowling League and had won a trophy for being an outstanding bowler.

I was looking forward to my donut on that mild, sunny day in October 1963. Then a short while after crossing the Wappoo Creek Bridge, we came to the railroad tracks before an intersection, and the light turned red. The cars ahead of us did not cross the intersection and we had to come to an abrupt stop on the railroad tracks.

It seemed like an eternity that we waited for the green signal so that we could get off the tracks, but finally the light turned green. Then, just as the car in front of us accelerated, the railroad lights started blinking and the bells began ringing. Mother pressed on the gas pedal, but the front tires were stuck on the railroad tracks. The car would not accelerate. The train was quite a distance away, but it was coming quickly. Mother kept pressing the accelerator pedal while praying, but the car would not budge. We were stranded on the tracks.

I was in the far back of the station wagon, which was off the tracks, and Mother knew there was no time to get me out of the back of the car. She figured that I would survive if the train hit the car. So, praying all the while, she threw open the door and jumped out of the car so that she, too, could survive.

Suddenly, a man appeared and told her to get back in the car and floor the gas pedal, and “don’t let off.” She risked her life for me, rushed back inside the car, and floored the gas pedal, with her heart pounding and the palms of her hands and forehead perspiring. Then the tires screeched and the car abruptly “jumped” off the railroad tracks to safety just before the train crossed the street. After the train cleared the street, the stranger was nowhere to be found. We had never seen him before, nor did we ever see him again. But I’ll never forget the day when my life was saved by an angel.

Image: Jad Limcaco

Not only did the angel come to us in our time of need, but also my mother’s unhesitating obedience to what the angel told her to do saved both of our lives.

Looking back, I think about what would have happened had I been killed. How deeply would this have impacted the lives of people to whom I would not have ministered as a military chaplain and as a civilian minister? And what about the lives of those who would never have been spiritually impacted by the Modern English Version Bible, which I edited?

God had plans for my life. He gave me a mother who risked her life for me and He sent an angel to intervene that day so that His purpose for me would be fulfilled.

When we talk about our identity in Jesus, we often use terms that are singular and individualistic. “I am a child of God.” “My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and I am a member of the Body of Christ.” These are truths we need to be reminded of. However, we should also use plural and collective statements to identify with the people of God’s redemptive covenant.

Paul describes what being in Messiah means in Romans 6 when he answers the rhetorical question, “Shall we continue in sin so that grace may grow even more?”

Romans 6:2-5 (NKJV): “Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united [planted] together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection.”

In the early passages of his account, Nehemiah learns of the grave difficulties Jewish people are experiencing in the conquered and devastated land of Israel. Although he was born in captivity and was serving as cupbearer to the king of Persia, he identified not only with those suffering in the land of their ancestors but with those ancestors who broke covenant with God. He owned the sins of his fathers as if they were his own. Nehemiah knew he was a participant, he was in the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.

Image: Andrea Lightfoot

We are in Messiah more completely than when the nation of Israel was in David, the runt of Jesse just in from tending sheep, when he went up against the champion, a giant named Goliath who was trained for war all his life.

In all our beautiful difference, despite our shortcomings and failures, from many tribes and cultures, we are one in Messiah.

This article disputes the idea that it is ok for Christians to be rude. Bad manners are not trivial. Rudeness is hurtful to believers and a poor witness to the world. I am not talking about ordinary believers who are having a bad day. I am talking about emotionally abusive churchgoers who enjoy operating that way. I am addressing the careless, cruel, deliberate rudeness of many Christians, including some members of the clergy, who are humiliating and offending other believers as a form of self-amusement, bullying or self-glorification. Deliberately causing emotional distress to others is wrong.

There is absolutely no place for rudeness in the life of the Christian disciple. We are not Old Testament prophets or Jesus rebuking the Pharisees. We have no absolute spiritual authority. We have no right to take a whip to the Temple courts. We need to move in gentleness and meekness.

1 Corinthians 13:4-6 (ESV) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (5) or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; (6) it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.

The word “rude” in 1 Corinthians 13:5 is asxemoneo (ἀσχημονέω)– or “lacking good form, inappropriate, unseemly, to act unbecomingly, to be rude”. The rude person expresses themselves with utter disregard for others, for the culture, or for good manners.

Jesus described Himself as “meek and lowly of heart” (Matthew 11:29), and the most frequently mentioned emotion of Jesus is considerate compassion (Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 15:32).

A truly spiritual Christian will display the nine fruit of the Spirit which are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22,23). And the heavenly wisdom of God is pure, gentle and peaceable:

James 3:17-18 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (18) And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

James condemns the way rich church members and the clergy were rudely treating the less fortunate:

James 2:1-4 My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. (2) For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, (3) and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “You sit here in a good place,” while you say to the poor man, “You stand over there,” or, “Sit down at my feet,” (4) have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

Many rich, glamorous and famous people are rude to the poor and needy, and even to each other. But, is it “cool” to imitate that which is evil? It is “cool” to imitate bullies, to be sarcastic, to shun others and to put people down? Do not imitate evil, but rather imitate that which is good!

3 John 1:11 Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. Since rudeness is the precise opposite of agape love, then deliberately rude and unloving pastors, deacons or elders are outside of God’s will! Christian leaders should be holy, considerate servants of God’s people.

1 Peter 5:3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.

Being loving kind and considerate is a hallmark of the true Christian: 1 John 4:8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love (see also 1 John 3:16-18).

If someone is inconsiderate, if they don’t care about how other people feel, if they only care about their own self-expression, then they are completely outside of Christianity with its central commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself”.

Romans 13:9-10 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (10) Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

And we all know the Golden Rule from the Sermon on the Mount:

Matthew 7:12 “So whatever (in all things) you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. If we want others to be kind and polite to us, then, in all things, we should be kind and polite to them!

None of these rude “Christians” want other people to be rude back to them. They want to be rude to others for the fun of it, but if someone was deliberately rude to them they would burst out in rage!

Putting off the Old Nature

The old nature and its lifestyle need to be put off!

Ephesians 4:20-24 But that is not the way you learned Christ!— (21) assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, (22) to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, (23) and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, (24) and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

We are to put away rudeness, uncouthness, cussing, coarse jesting, humiliating others, dominating others, and being emotionally cruel. We are to put on kindness, gentleness, meekness, graciousness, fitting speech, tactfulness, love and wisdom.

Ephesians 4:29-32 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (30) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (31) Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (32) Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

We don’t just put off the old self we must put off its practices as well, its culture, it habits, and its entire mode of being!

Colossians 3:8-10 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. (9) Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices (10) and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

The Christian is a new person who is continually being renewed into the image of God, and our lifestyle and manners should demonstrate this! There needs to be repentance for rudeness. A “metanoia”, a complete change of mind and manners! New Christians should be discipled into the new graciousness of the Holy Spirit.

Being Like Jesus

Our mode of being should imitate that of Christ. In the Bible this is referred to as “walking”, it is the habitual tone of one’s existence.

1 John 2:4-6 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, (5) but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: (6) whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Galatians 5:16 But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.

The only way we can get out of the snare of our ego and into a Christ-like lifestyle is by the power of the Holy Spirit! Prayer, worship, reading the Bible, getting into some good, faithful Bible teaching, fellowship with good Christians, and daily asking to be filled with the Spirit will assist you in your spiritual growth. My brief book The Spiritual Continuum outlines the Spirit-Filled life.

Learning Graciousness

The best way to learn graciousness is by observing very well-mannered Christians in your culture and age group. Admire those who are admirable, watch how they handle social situations, observe how they manage stress and conflict, note how they make everyone feel comfortable and at ease. Then do as they do!

Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (9) What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.

Even if you grew up in a rude and abusive family, it is up to you to break the cycle! I am not referring to crystal bowls and fish forks and fine etiquette. I am talking about your attitude toward other people.

Some tips:

1. Don’t just blurt things out, pause your response, then filter your words
2. Pray before you speak, pray for a long time before important meetings
3. Let Scripture guide your words
4. Most of the time there is absolutely no need to win the argument
5. Assertively interrupting other people in order to assert dominance is wrong
6. Try not to be dismissive of those you vehemently disagree with, see them as persons
7. Put some time and effort into figuring out the nicest way to say things
8. You are not God’s Sheriff, don’t go around unnecessarily correcting people!
9. Be considerate, put yourself in their shoes
10. Be courteous, do the small things that make people feel noticed
11. Be kind and don’t be mean
12. Don’t attack the self-worth of someone else
13. Correct the problem without destroying the person
14. Rage solves nothing
15. Don’t go on power trips, don’t deliberately ignore people, don’t belittle people
16. Don’t put people down for the sheer fun of it
17. Don’t make people squirm, don’t victimize them, don’t be cruel
18. Choose to make people comfortable, not uncomfortable, meet their small needs
19. Don’t needle others or provoke them, or deliberately get under their skin
20. Be hospitable, relaxed and easy-going, “hail fellow, well met”. Greet people cheerfully.
21. Give people second, third and fourth chances
22. Uproot all resentments and bitterness from you heart, forgive and forget, be Christlike

Conclusion

We are to be polite, not rude. We are to love our enemies, be kind to the ungrateful, be patient with the weak, and to associate with the humble and lowly. We are to put the character of Jesus on display!

Romans 12:16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.

Image: Jason Leung

Christians are a new people, a new creation of God, with a new spiritual nature. We are called to a higher calling of agape love and love is not rude! Let us put on love, not haughtiness!

Colossians 3:12-14 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, (13) bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. (14) And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

PR 

Image: Kwon Junho

On Pentecost Sunday the Person of the Holy Spirit, the advocate, the one called alongside to help you, was the presence of God to come upon them. What does this mean for you? With the Holy Spirit, you wake up with a fire in your heart and the passion to serve Jesus. The Spirit reveals the way to move forward by faith every day.

Pray with me…“Come, Holy Spirit”…stir up your faith and relationship with the Spirit. Then with the message of the Bible in your hand and the Spirit in your heart, you will hear God’s voice lead you through your daily life!

PR

It was like a ghost town. The ancient parade fields were still there just as they looked in 1878, lined with the original antiquated officers housing. They were mansions, mostly empty, but well maintained.

Fort Meade, South Dakota, as it appeared in 1888. Bear Butte is in background.

Now called Fort Meade, it is used occasionally by the South Dakota National Guard as a training site. I was the chaplain, with the rank of Captain, for the Officers’ Candidate School there that summer for the western region of the United States Army National Guard. The officer candidates were Second Lieutenant university students, preparing to be Army officers. All strangers, we converged for a mission to make officers out of them. They numbered at about 100.

When the Fourth of July came, they displayed their mettle. They could have gone to Mount Rushmore or even to Rapid City to go drinking without getting caught. Interestingly, they all re-enacted a deadly Civil War battle on the parade field to get a feel for what war was like during the Civil War (1861-1865). It was sobering. I facilitated with my role as a Civil War chaplain. They knelt on the ground, bayonets in hand, as I conducted a worship service on the field before the battle ensued.

In those days, when soldiers came to your house to conscript you for battle, it was a death warrant. You did not return. There were rare exceptions. For the most part, it was a departure forever from your family. If you refused, they killed you on the spot. National security was at stake for the North and the South.

Because rifles were not accurate in the 1800s, soldiers were not to shoot until they saw the whites of the eyes of those they shot. Or else, they wasted bullets, and while it could take a minute to reload, they could be shot while the other side encroached upon them. Timing was everything. They looked into the eyes of those they killed. Sometimes it was one’s friend, brother, uncle, or worse, one’s father, or grandfather.

When each battle was over, hundreds or thousands would cover the fields, wounded, moaning for days until they died. Doctors were scarce, but saved who they could. It did not take much to die in battle during the Civil War. A mere gunshot wound in the leg is all it took in many cases. If you could not walk off the battlefield at the end of the battle, you died. You were left lying on the ground, suffering for days perhaps, until you died, if no soldiers were available to assist you.

Officers and chaplains walked the fields speaking to the wounded and praying with them as they died in unbearable pain. Listening to the choruses of deep groans of hundreds of soldiers lying across vast fields was horrifying. Officers and chaplains relayed soldiers’ messages to their mothers, wives, and next of kin if they could.

Today, we kill people whom we never see, who could be miles away. Then we get in our vehicles and drive away or fly away. For me, the re-enactment was a spiritual experience. I was honored to minister to the candidates on the field when we taught them that the price of freedom is usually separation, pain, and death.

Beyond Belief It is a, fascinating, extensively researched, encouraging, insightful (but sometimes exasperating) description of the expansion of the worldwide Pentecostal/charismatic churches. For the American Spirit-filled believer, it is also an important source for understanding of the various ways Pentecostal/charismatics are “doing church” throughout the world.

The author, Ms. Elle Hardy, is not an academician, but a master reporter with a proven track record. For Beyond Belief she traveled to 12 countries where Pentecostalism is prominent as well as many parts of the United States. Her methodology involves an immersion into the worship and life of the various and very different Pentecostal/charismatic churches she investigates. She also seems to have an ability to contact and win the confidence of the leaders she interviews. Yet she keeps a certain critical distance from the topic by the fact she is not a born-again believer – despite the many attempts by her Pentecostal friends and contacts to make her so. Hardy’s descriptions of the various forms of Spirit-filled congregations are an encouragement that the Holy Spirit revival begun at Azusa Street has not been stymied despite local scandals and setbacks – which Hardy often details.

Beyond Belief is divided into two parts. Part 1 is entitled “The Good News: The Unstoppable Rise of Pentecostalism.” The title gives the book’s central thesis, Spirit-filled Churches are growing and will be the future of the Church at large. Part 2 is called “Spiritual Warfare: The battle to build heaven on earth.” This Part explores the author’s fear that Spirit-filled churches will attempt to establish forms of theocratic rule over the Earth.

As a historian, I found chapter one, which deals with the origins of Pentecostalism, especially interesting in its interpretation. Hardy gives special credit to Aimee Semple McPherson as the person who brought Pentecostalism to wide public attention, if not acceptance. She understands McPhearson as a proto-charismatic and proto-Televangelist through her pioneering use of radio evangelism and relief work for the poor.

Chapter 4, entitled “The Father, the Sons, and the Holy Mess,” deals with the Pentecostal movement in Brazil which is overtaking Catholicism as the majority religion in that country. Brazil now has a bevy of megachurches with Pentecostal pastors who mostly preach an exaggerated “prosperity Gospel” and live lavishly. The author makes much of this seeming contradiction, unaware that there can be moderate and biblical expressions of prosperity teaching, such as was developed by Puritan theologians in the 18^th Century.[1] Significantly, Hardy also admits that the prosperity Gospel motivates the poor to be honest and work hard and ultimately helps elevate them out of poverty. Also, Pentecostalism has become a major factor in the lives of Brazil’s lower classes, as opposed to the Catholic Church which was predominantly a middle- and upper-class church with “outreach” to the poor, not centered on their transformation out of poverty. She summarizes, “…research has found that people who come from poverty or cycles of violence and addiction have more chances of escaping that world if they joined an evangelical [Pentecostal] church …” (p. 90).

Chapter 5, “The Bigger the Prophecy the Bigger the Pocket,” covers how strong Pentecostalism has become in sub-Saharan Africa. Like the churches in Brazil, there are many “prosperity Gospel” megachurches in Africa for the same reasons—they help the poor come out of poverty. But to a greater degree than Brazil’s Pentecostal churches, the ones in Africa can manifest dangerous levels of syncretism, that is, incorporating animist and pagan elements of belief and practice into their churches. For instance, the role of the “prophet” is highly esteemed in Africa and this office is often blended with unscriptural elements, such as ongoing communications with dead ancestors. All of this raises interesting questions on how far the Gospel can accommodate to culture, before it becomes “another Gospel” (see Gal 1:6).

Chapter 6 entitled, “Did you Know About the Good Samaritan,” is about Pentecostalism in the UK. This is an inspiring account of how the Gypsies (Roma people) in the UK and Europe have been rapidly and successfully evangelized into Pentecostal churches. The Gypsies have been transformed into hardworking and stable populations and are now often accepted members of European communities where they were formally despised and rarely evangelized.

Part 2 of the book develops Hardy’s view of spiritual warfare. Unlike most readers of The Pneuma Review, her concern and focus is not on the theology or practice of battling the “principalities and powers.” Rather she is focused on the trend that the theology of spiritual warfare, especially the concept of “occupying” the seven mountains of human culture, education, government, medicine, entertainment, etc. is an attempt to usher us to some sort of theocratic state.

This section begins with chapter 7, “A Company Town.” This is the study of Redding, California, which is the home of Bethel Chapel, one of the largest megachurches in America. The church has achieved a great amount of influence in Redding, to the point that people must be careful of what they say and to whom they say it. Hardy also faults an overenthusiastic Christian healing ministry in Redding, were volunteer laypersons at times barge into medical facilities uninvited (Personally, I would rather have to deal with that problem, which is easy to fix, than with the problem of not having enough volunteers to minister at hospitals). Hardy’s complaints in this case seems exaggerated and trivial.

Chapter 8 is entitled, “Fully cursed and abundantly blessed.” In a fascinating section, it describes an Islamic denomination that has adopted many Pentecostal practices, such as tithing, ecstatic states of worship, and a modified Islamic prosperity gospel. The denomination goes under the acronym NASAFAT and has many branches in West Africa and the US. This chapter then turns to the Church in Nigeria, where it is flourishing. Many churches are extremely influential in Nigeria and provide all sorts of services including dating for singles, Christian schools, etc. to a degree not known in the United States.

A point of sadness. Hardy notes that friction between Christians and Muslims are high in Nigeria and believes that Nigeria may be very close to civil war. She believes a major contributing factor is the Christian spiritual warfare ideology of the “seven mountains” which attempt to control the nation (p. 190). Hardy claims that many Nigerian pastors are ex-Muslims, and rather than having great compassion for Muslims, generally act with discourtesy and nastiness towards them.

“Not your grandmother’s church,” is the title of chapter 9. The main point here is that Christians in the United States have sometimes gone overboard in combating sex trafficking by prosecuting the easy target, the soliciting “Johns.” At times their lives are ruined with felony convictions and embarrassing publicity. Hardy claims that Christian ministers often use the popularity of this type of ministry to enhance their church’s standing while avoiding the very serious issue of the semi-slavery of many Asian immigrants in nail polishing shops, dishwashers, etc. All of this is related to the attempt to prove that Pentecostals are molding secular power and laws for their seven mountain campaigns without much discernment. I found this chapter unconvincing and the least satisfactory of the book.

To the contrary, the new Pentecostal pastors and lay leaders are intolerant of shamans and their practices. Unfortunately, as Pentecostals increase in numbers and political power, this can lead to mob action, violence and even murder. Hardy amply documents this and shows a similar pattern in Brazil. Certainly, those actions are wrong, unbiblical, and sinful. Again, the author relates these actions to seven mountain theology.

Hardy assumes that the traditional Catholic approach is the correct one. I believe her position is erroneous and spiritually destructive as it leaves the demonic activity and its realms unchallenged. Part of her confusion is that her immersion style reporting opened her to demonic influences. She recounts how after an interview with a Mayan shaman: “We lit candles from a small flame pit and prayed to each of the four energies as we turned in each direction. Ramulu [the shaman] gave Mother Nature an offering of palm tree and asked for her blessings” (p. 218).

The proper New Testament response to witchcraft and shamanism is outlined in Acts 13: 8-12, where Paul disables a sorcerer, but does not permanently harm him. Tragically this has not been appropriated by Christians as something possible in the post-Apostolic age, so this effective tool has been used only infrequently in Church history.[2]

Hardy links the negative and hostile actions of Pentecostals towards non-Christians to dominion theology, which is perhaps an overreach, as that type of theological sophistication is unlikely in the Mayan areas. Also, there is problem in that she doesn’t really understand the demonic dangers and energies of shamanistic worship and objects.

Chapter 11 is entitled, “We ain’t going round that mountain another seven years.” This deals with the fact that many Pentecostal congregation are gravitating to right-wing and populist, identity politics. She finds this especially dangerous for the future of Christian witness and the Church universal. Only time will tell whether her fears are prophecy or hysteria.

In summary, Beyond Belief is an extremely informative, but flawed book, full of eye-popping accounts of congregations in all parts of the world doing church enthusiastically, if not always with true discernment.

Reviewed by William De Arteaga

Publisher’s page: www.HurstPublishers.com/book/beyond-belief/

Notes

[1] On this issue see my book Quenching the Spirit (Lake Mary: Creation House, 1996), chapter 15. [Editor’s note: see the review by Mike Dies]

[2] See my essay, “The Ministry of command Disablement,’ in: William De Arteaga, Battling the Demonic (2023). [Editor’s note: see the review by Anders Litzell]