Sisters, Mothers, Daughters: Pentecostal Perspectives on Violence against Women
Pentecostals from around the world talk about the epidemic of violence against women.
Ministry
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Jackie Pullinger at Harvard
This year from March 26th through March 29th a gathering called Faith & Veritas 2026 was held at Harvard University. The official website for this conference (https://faithandveritas.law.harvard.edu/) says that the participants in this conference include: “Harvard alumni, faculty, chaplains, and students.” Many noteworthy speakers were brought in for this multi-day event. One of the speakers…
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Baptists and Charismatics: How Wide Is the Divide?
In a time when division seems to define both culture and the church, it is worth asking a simple question: how wide is the divide between Baptists and Charismatics, really? The answer may surprise us. Despite long-standing stereotypes and theological disagreements, the truth is that there is far more that unites these two groups than…
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Bobby Welch: You, The Warrior Leader
Bobby Welch, You, The Warrior Leader (Broadman & Holman, 2004) 0805431365. Are you a warrior-leader? Bobby Welch’s book is an impassioned and heartfelt call for Christians, laymen and clergy alike, to adopt a warrior-like approach to Kingdom work and Christian living. One of the later chapters, “Dying Words Of A Warrior Leader,” illustrates the title’s…
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It Takes a Steady Hand to Hold a Full Cup
A group of young pastors have asked that I meet with them monthly for lunch to answer questions and provide help. At our last meeting I gave them the pop-quiz below. I recommend that you read it. If you are a pastor you may be helped by examining your answers. If you are not a…
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A Pentecostal Perspective on Healing from Sexual Violence: An interview with Pamela F. Engelbert
Introduction from the Publisher: #MeToo. #ChurchToo. #pentecostalsisterstoo. Since 2018, hashtags and stories of sexual violence have appeared in all sectors of life from Hollywood to the Olympics; from politics to religion; from universities to seminaries; and among pentecostals. But amid all these stories of sexual abuse and assaults, one may wonder if any stories of…
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Randy Frazee: The Connecting Church
Randy Frazee, The Connecting Church: Beyond Small Groups to Authentic Community (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2001), 245 pages. Frazee’s book started off with three forewords; one by Larry Crabb, George Gallup Jr. and Dallas Willard. Its back cover contained words of praise from Willard, Ken Blanchard, J. I. Packer, Marshall Shelly and John C. Maxwell. I…
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Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry
Scott M. Gibson, ed., Preaching Points: 55 Tips for Improving Your Pulpit Ministry (Bellingham: Washington, Lexham Press, 2016), 123 pages, ISBN 9781683592082. No matter how many homiletic courses taken and sermons delivered, preachers are always looking to improve their sermons. Many times the pastor leaves the pulpit on Sunday and although many hours of prayer…
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Pentecostal Encounters with Suffering: an interview with Pamela F. Engelbert
From the publisher: What transpires when Classical Pentecostals pray for God to intervene amidst their suffering, but God does not? Traditionally, Classical Pentecostals center on encountering God as demonstrated through the relating of testimonies of their experiences with God. In seeking to contribute to a theology of suffering for Pentecostals, Pam Engelbert lifts up the…
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Reflecting on Contextualization
I’ve been thinking on the need for contextualization for Christians that seek the unity of the Spirit, as we all should. I’ve been reflecting on how we can be more effective as followers of Jesus as we seek, live, and share God’s kingdom with grace. For many of us, our public square and our parish…
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Teaching Preaching as a Christian Practice
Thomas G. Long and Leonora Tubbs Tisdale, eds., Teaching Preaching as a Christian Practice: A New Approach to Homiletical Pedagogy (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008). I enjoyed reading this book. It is written for teachers of homiletics, but pastors would also benefit from reading it. It is written by some of the leading homileticians…
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Michael Plekon: Ministry Matters
Michael Plekon, Ministry Matters: Pastors, Their Life and Work Today (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2024), 173 pages, ISBN 9781666789959. “Congregations are shrinking and in decline in the United States and elsewhere” (xiii). Michael Plekon (Emeritus Professor of Baruch College), begins the introduction to his new book, Ministry Matters, with this matter-of-fact statement, not to frighten…
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Christian Leadership: Growing a Church or Impacting a Community?
Is your church making a lasting impact on the community? As a pastor, I am dedicated to not only grow my church, but to lead them in reaching out to those around us. In this issue of Pastor’s Coach, I share the difference between being focused on church growth and being dedicated to influencing society….
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Apostolic Practice
Nothing has stirred more interest in Pentecostal-charismatic circles in recent years than the restoration of the “fivefold ministries” Paul mentioned in Ephesians 4:11-13: “It was [Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service,…
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MP3, Oral Learners and Christian Mission
Pastor Ojoli Moses takes Proclaimer MP3 players throughout rural Uganda. Cybermissions funds this outreach ministry. Most of those Pastor Ojoli Moses speaks to are partially literate, they are not comfortable with reading and writing, but they love listening, They are oral learners! Solar-powered MP3 players, radio, podcasts and downloadable audio files (for mobile phones) are…
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Charismatic Leaders Fellowship 2025
The 2025 Charismatic Leaders Fellowship Conference (CLF) met again at the Alleluia Christian School in Augusta, Georgia, on February 17-20. The CLF originated over 50 years ago as a fellowship of charismatic and Pentecostal leaders concerned with keeping the Charismatic Renewal within the bounds of biblical orthodoxy and practice. One of the original concerns was…
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Reflections on a 200-day Revival
In 2024, we were blessed to minister in a 200-day revival with 205 consecutive services held across six European countries and two territories. We ministered as a family at all these meetings accompanied by our two small children. To say that there is a lot to be grateful for in such a life-changing experience is…
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The Seduction of Public Leadership: Principles of Morality for Christian Leaders, by Stephen M. King
Editor’s note: Much has happened since Professor King wrote this article in March 2000. The principles he outlines, however, are as applicable today as when it was first published on the Pneuma Foundation website. Public leadership has greatly diminished in societal value, primarily because it is based less upon moral and religious foundations of civil…
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William De Arteaga: Battling the Demonic
William De Arteaga, Battling the Demonic: The Kingdom of God vs. the Kingdom of Darkness (2023), 174 pages, ISBN 9798857919569. In Battling the Demonic, prolific writer and chronicler of the moves of the Holy Spirit in the Western world, the Rev’d William L. De Arteaga PhD, has collected a series of essays on a selection…
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Workshop of the Holy Spirit: An Invitation to Theological Education
Doug Strong and Jess Bielman, Workshop of the Holy Spirit: An Invitation to Theological Education (Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2022), 152 pages, ISBN 9781532689093. Doug Strong and Jess Bielman offer this short volume intent on reimagining and reoffering an ancient medieval metaphor (the “workshop”) for contemporary practices of theological education that are integrative of the life…
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Why Pentecostal Churches Are Growing
In 2009 the University of Southern California established the Pentecostal and Charismatic Research Initiative (PCRI) with a $6.9 million grant from the John Templeton Foundation. In a news release dated February 24, 2009, PCRI spokesperson Donald Miller states, “We are interested in why Pentecostalism is growing so rapidly, what impact it is having on society,…
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Transformation in the Presence of God: an interview with Dr. Ian R. Hall
PneumaReview.com: You have been in ministry for many years, please tell our readers a little bit about the different kinds of ministries that you have been involved in. Dr. Ian R. Hall: For 17 years I was a pastor and evangelist first with the Church of the Nazarene and then with the Elim Pentecostal Church,…
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Thomas Oden and J.I. Packer: One Faith
Thomas C. Oden and James I. Packer, One Faith: The Evangelical Consensus (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004), 223 pages, ISBN 0830832394 Oden and Packer have done evangelicalism a valuable service in this work affirming and outlining its underlying unity contra a reputation for fragmentation. Drawing upon a wide array of trans-denominational and international confessions,…
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Amos Yong and Dale Coulter: The Holy Spirit and Higher Education
Amos Yong and Dale M. Coulter, The Holy Spirit and Higher Education: Renewing the Christian University (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2023), 320 pages, ISBN 9781481318143. Amos Yong and Dale Coulter bring to bear a fruitful and constructive offering in The Holy Spirit and Higher Education whose primary audience are those engaged in work and…
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An Invisible Postmodern Pentecostal Church
In this guest article by David Redden, he discusses what an integrated paradigm of worship and discipleship might look like for today’s Pentecostal/charismatic. There is much talk about today as to what is Postmodern. You can read books and articles from Leonard Sweet to Peter Wagner and get as many variations on that theme as…
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Aldwin Ragoonath: Preach the Word
Aldwin Ragoonath, Preach the Word: A Pentecostal Approach (Agape Teaching Ministry, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 2004.) 246 pages, ISBN 9780973446807. Preaching has always been central to the life of church life, and especially following the Reformation of Luther and Calvin. However, preaching can take on a different hue in the Pentecostal revival that has and continues…
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Charismatic Leaders Fellowship 2024
The Charismatic Leaders Fellowship had their annual meeting at the Alleluia Covenant Community School in Augusta, Georgia, from Monday, Feb. 19 through Thursday, Feb. 22. This is the fourth time in a row that the group has met at Alleluia. Members of the community offers CLF participants free bed and breakfast and a glimpse into…
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Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future
Editor Introduction (Winter 2007) David Livermore (Winter 2007) Is “cultural relevance” an effective and theologically sound wineskin for the emergent church or is it moving Christianity toward oblivion? Suggested Reading (Spring 2007) Winfield Bevins (Spring 2007) Dony Donev (Spring 2007) Suggested Reading (Summer 2007) B. Keith Putt (Summer…
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Fenggang Yang: “Xi Jinping is Not Trying to Make Christianity More Chinese”
Missionary-scholar Robert Menzies looks at what one China scholar says about recent changes in religious policy in China: this is not an attempt to make churches more Chinese. Rather, this is a move to politically domesticate the church in China. Despite this, there are reasons for hope. Fenggang Yang, “Xi Jinping is Not Trying…
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Robert Banks: The Versatility of Paul
Robert Banks, The Versatility of Paul: Artisan Missioner, Community Developer, Pastoral Educator (Baguio City, Philippines: Asia Pacific Theological Seminary Press and Robert Banks, 2022) 132 pages, ISBN 9786218350007. Robert Banks’ ministry experience includes being a professor and an author, he has also lectured at seminaries in various Asian countries (biographical information on the back cover)….
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Response to Hannah Agustin’s Article “Colonialism Brought Evangelicalism to the Philippines: Churches Are Now Untangling the Two”
In this review essay by seasoned missionary-scholar Dave Johnson, he takes a more nuanced approach to globalism, colonialism and the Filipinos efforts to contextualize the gospel and Church practices in the Philippines. Hannah Keziah Agustin, “Colonialism Brought Evangelicalism to the Philippines. Churches Are Now Untangling the Two: Five Filipino Christian leaders weigh in on the…
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Leadership: Improving Your Spiritual Service
All leadership skills are learned. No Christian has the edge over anyone else. In other words, believers are born with equal abilities to lead. Spiritual leaders must have a moral compass on which to build these skills. Spiritual leadership provides the moral compass to broaden one’s sphere of influence, to empower people and to create…
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Reflections on the 2023 Asbury Revival and its Implications for Pentecostal Christians
Here we are post-pandemic, surprised and encouraged by a move of God in the campus of Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky. The revival (or renewal as some call it) started on February 8, 2023, during the school’s chapel service and went on for fifteen days. Basically, it was fifteen days of 24-hour prayer and worship….
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Charismatic Leaders Fellowship 2023
The 2023 Charismatic Leaders Fellowship was held at the Alleluia covenant community in Augusta, Georgia, on February 20-23. That location has now become standard, as the families that make up this Christian community host us graciously with bed and breakfast at no cost. Charismatic leaders who have never attended the CLF should come if only…
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Asbury Outpouring Documentary
There is a new documentary out about the outpouring of the Spirit that recently took place at Asbury University. The film is 52 minutes long and can be watched for free on Redeem TV. If you go to the link below just follow the buttons to watch the movie. The website will make you create…
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How Should we Lead the Church? A Pneuma Review Conversation
How should we lead the church? A Pneuma Review conversation Over several issues, from Summer 2010 through Winter 2012, The Pneuma Review heard from theologians and pastors from around the world about how we should lead the local church. If you could write a letter to church leaders everywhere, what would you say? Join us as we…
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Looking Backward, Forward, and Inward to Move Forward Victoriously: 2022 Manila International Mission Conference
Dr. Elijah Kim reports on the 7th Manila International Mission Conference that took place on August 5-6, 2022. The theme of the conference was “Revive Us in the Midst of COVID-19,” attracting nearly 2,000 delegates from 17 countries. After finishing the Manila International Mission Conference of 2022, it really feels like we’ve been running at…
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Pentecostal Theological Education in the Majority World
Dave Johnson and Rick Wadholm Jr. eds., Pentecostal Theological Education in the Majority World: The Graduate and Post-Graduate Level, Volume 1 (Baguio City, Philippines: Asia Pacific Theological Seminary Press, 2022), 213 pages, ISBN 9789718942994. The editors of this volume, Dave Johnson and Rick Wadholm Jr., are both Assemblies of God ministers. As the back cover…
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The Toronto Blessing in the Philippines: an interview with Lora Timenia
The Pneuma Review speaks with Lora Timenia, an Asian Pentecostal scholar, about her book, Third Wave of Pentecostalism in the Philippines: Understanding Toronto Blessing Revivalism’s Signs and Wonders Theology in the Philippines, and what she learned about the Toronto Blessing as a classical Pentecostal. PneumaReview.com: Please tell our readers a little bit about your spiritual…
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A look at ministry dynamics for Latinos
A friend of mine, Pastor Eli Garza, recently shared with me some links about Latino evangelicals in the US. First up is a podcast from the National Association of Evangelicals. Their introduction is: “Hispanics make up nearly 20 percent of the U.S. population. They have played a major role in driving population growth in…
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John Lathrop: The Power and Practice of the Church
John P. Lathrop, The Power and Practice of the Church: God, Discipleship, and Ministry (Waltham, MA: J. Timothy King, 2010), 120 pages, ISBN: 9780981692555. In John P. Lathrop’s second book,[1] The Power and Practice of the Church, readers will find a stimulating compilation of various seminary papers, previously published magazine articles, and sermons which have…
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Amos Yong: Renewing the Church by the Spirit
Amos Yong, Renewing the Church by the Spirit: Theological Education After Pentecost, Theological Education Between the Times (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2020), 167 pages, ISBN 9780802878403. Renewing the Church by the Spirit: Theological Education After Pentecost by Dr. Amos Yong is part of the series entitled “Theological Education Between the Times”…
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The Beautiful, Challenging, Deliberate, Fulfilling Call to be a Missionary
PneumaReview.com speaks with Dave Johnson about the publication of his book, Answering God’s Call: Reflections of a Veteran Missionary in Asia. Pneuma Review: Please tell our readers how you came to understand that the Lord was calling you into missions. Dave Johnson: I was in the Navy when God called me to the ministry….
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Reflections on Andy Lord: Network Church
I believe highly relevant to some current issues dealing with how the Christian tradition engages or might engage contemporary cultural artefacts (such as film and art) or themes expressed via these artefacts, is Andy Lord’s reflection on how we might more deeply inform Pentecostal assumptions about the church in mission with the Missio Dei concept…
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The Church’s Wounded Tradition of Exorcism and Deliverance
This guest article is a chapter adapted from America in Danger, Left and Right: Biblical Analysis, Actions and Intercessions for the Current Crisis (2022), by William De Arteaga. To introduce his book and this chapter, William De Arteaga writes: America in Danger, Left and Right: Biblical Analysis, Actions and Intercessions for the Current Crisis, gives…
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Charismatic Leaders Fellowship 2022
This year’s Charismatic Leaders Fellowship met Monday, February 21st thru Thursday the 24th in Augusta, at the Alleluia Covenant Community. This was our fourth year in a row there.[1] It is a great place to have a meeting as the families of the Community host us for “bed and breakfast,” and the quality of the…
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Tom and JoAnn Doyle, Women Who Risk
Tom and JoAnn Doyle with Greg Webster, Women Who Risk: Secret Agents For Jesus In The Muslim World (Nashville, TN: W Publishing Group, 2021), 240 pages, ISBN 9780785233466. Tom Doyle was a pastor. About twenty years ago he and his wife, JoAnn, felt a call to be missionaries to the Middle East. They are the founders…
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Reach the Unreached and Stand with the Persecuted: an Interview with Tom and JoAnn Doyle
PneumaReview.com: Please tell our readers how the two of you were called to be missionaries to the Middle East. Tom and JoAnn Doyle: After twenty years of pastoring, God gave us a definite call to go to the Middle East and serve Him in multiple countries. I had become a tour guide for the State…
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To the Ends of the Earth: Building a National Missionary Sending Structure
Arto Hämäläinen and Ulf Strohbehn, To the Ends of the Earth: Building a National Missionary Sending Structure (Baguio City, Philippines: Asia Pacific Theological Seminary Press, 2020), 126 pages, ISBN 9789718942833. Both of the authors of this book are Pentecostals with extensive experience in international ministry. As the subtitle clearly indicates, this is a book about missions….
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Churching Men
Making your church a modern-day Addullam: Reach, Teach, Release. As you finish your prayer, you realize that the weeping man at the altar has come to Christ. The leather, tattoos and body piercings clearly no longer agree with the transformation you know has changed his soul. As you praise God for this new soul, a…
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Interview with Pastor Philip Mantofa
Introducing Philip Mantofa: Pastor Philip Mantofa graduated from Columbia Bible College, in British Columbia, Canada, with a degree in theology. Since 1998, he has been serving Mawar Sharon Church, a growing church of 30,000 in Indonesia. Currently, he is one of the leaders of the Mawar Sharon denomination, which has a network of 70 local…
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Successful or Fruitful?
Are we measuring success in ministry the wrong way?
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Anti-Semitism in the Church, by Kevin Williams
As we begin this topic on anti-Semitism in the church, the body of Christ, please understand that at times I may sound harsh. I am not harsh. I ask many questions for the purpose of making people think introspectively, to review their own actions and attitudes, and this can be a difficult task. I pray…
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Russ Turney: Leave a Legacy
Russ Turney, Leave a Legacy: Increasing Missionary Longevity (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2017), 124 pages, ISBN 978-1498294812 . Dr. Russ Turney and his wife, Patsy, served for a number of years as missionaries in Asia. He eventually became the Regional Director of the Asia Pacific Region of the Assemblies of God World Missions. One of…
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Ryan Burge: Most Nones Still Keep the Faith
Ryan Burge “Most ‘Nones’ Still Keep the Faith: When research looks beyond affiliation, the move away from religious institutions becomes more nuanced,” Christianity Today (February 24, 2021). This is an important article for pastors and especially for those involved in evangelization in America. The article is a distillation of Ryan Burge’s just published book, The…
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Charismatic Leaders Fellowship 2021
The 2021 Charismatic Leaders Fellowship (CLF) met on Feb. 22nd and 23rd in Augusta Georgia, at the Alleluia Community School. This was the third consecutive year the CLF has met there, much to the satisfaction of the participants. The Alleluia Covenant Community is well known for the spirit of generous hospitality it offers to…
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The First Bible and The Fishing Net
More than twenty years ago Donald Stamps, an Assemblies of God missionary to Brazil, had a vision to create a study Bible that would provide Brazilian pastors, most of whom did not have the financial resources to invest in a personal library, with a one volume theological goldmine of biblical truth. Shortly after completing the notes,…
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Charles Simpson: Walking in the Footsteps of David Wilkerson
Charles Simpson, Walking in the Footsteps of David Wilkerson: The Journey and Reflections of a Spiritual Son (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2018), 210 pages, ISBN 9780768417524. Walking in the Footsteps of David Wilkerson is the journal of a young man (the author) who walked much the same journey as the famed David Wilkerson (founder of Teen…
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Benevolence
Dan Reiland writes to church leaders: Meeting the needs of the poor and needy is difficult to say the least. It’s not just a matter of limited resources, but understanding vision, direction and God’s heart in the matter. This article provides thought to stir you and your church to assess and strengthen your local church benevolence….
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Getting Spiritually Equipped for Ministry that Matters
Like Peter’s failing attempt to walk on the water, many believers try to approach Jesus from the realm of intellect and knowledge. While we thank God for the mind and its amazing ability, human wisdom is not enough. Man is a spiritual as well as a mental being. To be genuinely equipped for life-in-the-Spirit, our…
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Miracles, Persecution, and Transformation in China: An interview with Dennis Balcombe
Dennis Balcombe has been sharing the story of Jesus in China for over 50 years. Read what this veteran missionary has to say about following God’s call, cultural immersion, watching revival unfold, and how you can be part of the work God is doing wherever you are. PneumaReview.com: You were called to missions while…
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Leaders Use Godly Wisdom to Control their Authority
A biblical definition of headship, submission, and wisely using authority. In this brief encouragement for church leaders, Dr. Harbuck points to Jesus as our example for servant-leadership. A good leader guards against the human tendency to abuse and control others for selfish gain. The average person would rather be the head and not the tail….
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New Creation Healing Center: A Convergence of Whole-Person Ministry
If you had the good fortune of driving through Kingston, New Hampshire, on some bright fall day you might have the good fortune of noticing a boxy 18th Century type building with a fenced “widow’s walk” on top. This recently build structure is the meeting, workshops and events building to a truly remarkable organization, New…
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Michael Brown: The Power of Music
Michael L. Brown, The Power of Music: God’s Call to Change The World One Song At A Time (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2019), 224 pages, ISBN 9781629995953. Dr. Michael Brown is a very well-known author who is quite prolific. He seems to be ever widening the field of topics that he writes about. The Power…
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Richard Noble: On Mission Together
Richard Noble, On Mission Together: Integrating Missions into the Local Church (Beaver Falls, PA: Falls City Press, 2019), 224 pages, ISBN 9780986405136. Dr. Richard Noble is the founder and director of the Center for Missional Engagement. He is also a pastor, an adjunct faculty member at Geneva College and Crown College, and the missions mobilizer for…
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Report Card for the Church: Response to COVID-19 and How to Do Better
This guest article by Christian historian William De Arteaga is not merely a historical and theological reflection. By way of introduction, he writes, “The end of the article contains specific, biblical ways of praying against viruses. I have done this for years with very good effect, but have not been allowed into a hospital to…
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The Falls Church Anglican: The Long March to Healing Ministry Excellence
This article is a chapter from the Rev. William De Arteaga’s forthcoming book, Saints, Heroes and Villains of the Anglican Healing Awakening. To my knowledge no other Anglican church, or any other church, has such an effective and robust ministry of healing and deliverance as The Falls Church Anglican of Falls Church, Virginia…
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Marian Devotion and the Coming Second Wave of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal
Marian Devotion and the Coming Second Wave of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Catholics and Protestants Together in Charismatic Renewal? Perhaps nothing makes more of a laughingstock out of global Church unity in Spirit and worship than the contentious issue of Marian devotion. Some Catholics truly worship Mary as if she were the fourth person of…
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Charismatic Leaders Fellowship 2020
This year’s Charismatic Leaders Fellowship Consultation, formerly called the CLF Conference, was held in Augusta, Georgia, February 24-27. Yearly, this group of Charismatic leaders meets to discuss news and issues about the world-wide Pentecostal/charismatic movement. The group was originally founded in 1970 by Dennis Bennett, of Nine O’Clock in the Morning[1] fame, to discuss and…
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Elijah Kim: The Rise of the Global South
Elijah J. F. Kim, The Rise of the Global South: The Decline of Western Christendom and the Rise of Majority World Christianity (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2012), 524 pages, ISBN 9781498263092. Dr. Elijah J. F. Kim is Founder and President of Grain of Wheat College and Graduate School in the Philippines. He is also the…
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Leader’s Authority
Where does your authority come from? Your answer to that question makes a difference. Leaders deal in the realm of authority—it’s the currency with which we get things done. We prefer the word “influence.” It is a better term. It more accurately describes the innate function of leadership. It communicates what we are about better…
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Church Structure
Pastor Daniel Brown says that when it comes to organizing a local congregation, “structure” should be a verb, not a noun. Sometimes the most obvious truths escape our attention until we find ourselves in a new setting. For instance, even though I had been taught the truth of God’s word from boyhood, it was not…
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Church Staffing Suggestions: Delegation Fears
Pastor Daniel Brown discusses the roadblocks and complexities that keep church leaders from inviting others alongside to help shoulder the burdens of ministry. Why is it so difficult for pastors to delegate significant work and ministry to the people in their churches? There are several basic reasons, and it is often a combination that gives…
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The Modern Day Warrior (Pressure is Pressure)
Let’s face facts, we are all going to face some type of pressure in our ministry. How are you reacting to pressure and how do you overcome it? My nearly-sixteen-year-old daughter’s favorite movie is Braveheart. Naturally, if William Wallace can capture Mackenzie’s heart I want to be all that Wallace is and more. In…
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Mark Rutland: Courage to be Healed
Mark Rutland, Courage to be Healed: Finding Hope to Restore Your Soul (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2019), 208 pages, ISBN 9781629996479. Dr. Mark Rutland is the president of a ministry called Global Servants, this ministry has a base in Africa and in Asia. He is also the president of the National Institute of Christian Leadership….
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Discipleship Through Community
Every follower of Jesus is called to be a disciple maker. In this excerpt from his book, The Community of God, Pastor Doug Bursch shows us that the New Testament says discipleship happens in and through community. God cares equally about the individual and the group. He does not give preference to the development…
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For Prayer, For Unity, For a Continent: United Prayer Rising Europe 2019
Pastor Wesley Zinn shares a report from the prayer and worship gathering, United Prayer Rising (UPRising) Europe, held July 8 through 11th at Ashburnham Place in the UK. From the United Prayer Rising webpage: In July 2016 in Ilsan, South Korea, we witnessed a spiritual “UPRISING (United Prayer Rising)” where generations from across nations…
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Test the spirits
Every Christian and every Christian leader must practice discernment because there are real deceptions and dangers to our faith. Historian and Bible teacher Eddie Hyatt brings a clear warning in this article originally titled “Angels of Light: Is the Spirit of Mormonism Being Revisited in the Contemporary Charismatic-Revival-Prophetic Movement?” Beloved, do not believe every…
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Douglas Bursch: The Community of God
Douglas S. Bursch, The Community of God: A Theology of the Church from a Reluctant Pastor (Seattle, WA: Fairly Spiritual, 2017), 240 pages, ISBN 9780692868386. As the last word of the title of this book indicates Douglas Bursch is a pastor; he is affiliated with the Foursquare Church. In addition to pastoring he serves on…
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The Power of the First Move
There is a powerful dynamic set in motion when someone takes the first move. It was Thursday afternoon, and I was on my way to a local bakery to pick up a box of goodies for a family I would visit that night. And, yes, I got one of their huge and unbelievably delicious…
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United Prayer Rising: Jakarta 2019
We are quick to lament the declining numbers of young adults who are active in our churches or even give the church and Christ a second thought. We describe them as apathetic, filling their lives with a busyness that doesn’t satisfy. A truer assessment is that this description applies to every generation and locale down…
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Ministry and Money: Why People Give
Pastors, is it hard to talk about money with your church? In this article, Pastor Dan Reiland looks into the reasons behind why people give, wanting to fuel fellow church leaders to speak about finances well and with the right spiritual emphasis.. I find it interesting that many good pastoral leaders are hesitant or…
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Substance Abuse and Alcoholism: How the Church can Make A Difference
How can your church help your surrounding community escape life-controlling addictions and the havoc they wreak? This guest article by Sharon Torres offers practical suggestions. According to reports, 70% of young people engage in drinking by the age of 19. This report should be worrying given that underage drinkers are likely to develop a…
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The Persecution of Christians Worldwide
Most Christians in America are unaware of the horrific persecution their brothers and sisters are experiencing in other countries. It is estimated that every year, 150,000 Christians are martyred for their faith. (Matthew 10:22). The top 10 countries on the list of persecutors are North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Maldives, Mali, Iran, Yemen,…
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Leadership Crisis
In a strange sort of way I hope you don’t need this article. But just in case, if you and your church are in a difficult season with a potential leadership crisis, I trust the thoughts in this article will be helpful to you. I love the local church, and at God’s invitation, I have…
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Gordon Smith: Institutional Intelligence
Gordon T. Smith, Institutional Intelligence: How to Build an Effective Organization (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2017), 225 pages, ISBN 9780830844852. With a cover made to look like an organizational chart (indeed, the author believes in hierarchy), and the catchy, contemporary title, a potential reader might assume the content is similar to the business leadership manuals…
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Beware of Professional Christians
How does a local church flourish, by building the Kingdom of God or by offering a cafeteria of amenities to its surrounding community? Pastor Dan Reiland warns of appeasing cultural or consumer Christians, instead calling for bold and courageous leadership. At Crossroads, we pray what can seem like a strange prayer. We pray that God…
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The City of Darkness, an excerpt from The Mind of a Missionary
The Kowloon Walled City in Hong Kong is one of history’s great anomalies. It was, in fact, a world unto its own.[i] Two governments claimed jurisdiction, but neither actively administered it; anarchy reigned while secret societies presided over the no-man’s land. High-rise apartments situated atop a labyrinth of dark, filthy corridors. A mere six acres…
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Charismatic Leaders Fellowship 2019
The Charismatic Leaders Fellowship (CLF) is the descendent of the Charismatic Concerns Committee (CCC). The CCC was an important group of charismatic and Pentecostal leaders formed in the 1970s to monitor, advise and correct the disparate currents and personalities of the Charismatic Renewal. For instance, the CCC was instrumental in correcting the “Florida Four” and…
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Revival, Truth, and Persecution: An interview with Eugene Bach
PneumaReview.com: The Back to Jerusalem ministry that you work with recently released a new study resource called Chasing Revival: A Road Trip Bible Study, where did the idea for this resource come from? Eugene Bach: I travel more than 300 days a year for ministry and see a lot of different types of Christians. I…
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Passion for the Good News: an interview with David Joannes
Missionary David Joannes speaks with Pneuma Review about his book, The Mind of a Missionary, and about sharing the story of Jesus no matter the cost. PneumaReview.com: You are involved in cross-cultural missions. Please tell our readers how long you have served overseas and where. David Joannes: I got started in missions in 1994…
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Mike Mariani: American Exorcism
Mike Mariani, “American Exorcism: Priests are fielding more requests than ever for help with demonic possession, and a centuries-old practice is finding new footing in the modern world,” Atlantic (Dec 2018). This article, “American Exorcism,” by Mike Mariani, which appears in the recent issue of The Atlantic is an important resource for those in the…
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Global Pentecostalism in the 21st Century, reviewed by Dave Johnson
Robert W. Hefner, ed., Global Pentecostalism in the 21st Century (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2013), ISBN 9780253010810. This book lives up to its claim to study global Pentecostalism, not because it covers it country by country, but because it is grounded in the places in the world where Pentecostalism has had a major impact…
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David Joannes: The Mind of a Missionary
David Joannes, The Mind of a Missionary: What Global Kingdom Workers Tell Us About Thriving on Mission Today (Prescott, AZ: Within Reach Global, 2018), 312 pages, ISBN 9780998061153. David Joannes has a burden for unreached people groups. For approximately twenty years now he has ministered in Asia bringing the good news of Jesus Christ to…
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A Miracle in Pakistan – and a Few More are Needed
Frank Gaffney, President and CEO of Center for Security Policy, shared this statement today on his “Secure Freedom Minute” Radio feature. A miracle just happened. The Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled today that Asia Bibi, a Christian woman falsely accused of blasphemy – a capital offense under Islam’s totalitarian Sharia code – is not…
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Lutheran-Pentecostal Dialogue 2018
This press release from the 2018 meeting of the Lutheran-Pentecostal dialogue was shared with PneumaReview.com by Mel Robeck. He commented: “I believe that it was a very fruitful week.” Third meeting of the International Lutheran-Pentecostal Dialogue, 7 – 12 October 2018, Santiago, Chile Representatives of various classical Pentecostal churches and the Lutheran World Federation…
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Wolfgang Vondey: Pentecostal Theology
Wolfgang Vondey, Pentecostal Theology: Living the Full Gospel (London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2017). Over the last decade Wolfgang Vondey has ascended the ranks of Pentecostal theologians, writing several important monographs, and his book Pentecostal Theology only enhances his stellar reputation. In short, Vondey principally argues that “Pentecost is the core theological symbol of Pentecostal theology,…
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Pope Francis Recognizes Dialogue with Pentecostals is Important
Dear Friends and Colleagues, This past Friday morning (September 28, 2018), Pope Francis met with the bishops who oversee the work of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (PCPCU). Cardinal Kurt Koch is President of the PCPCU and Bishop Brian Farrell is its Secretary. The bishops responsible for ecumenism who relate to the PCPCU…
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Prosperity Gospel in Zambia: The Problems of Engaging African Theology Using English
In this review essay, missionary-scholar Jim Harries challenges Western assumptions used to decry the prosperity gospel as it is taught and believed in Africa. Hermen Kroesbergen, ed., In Search of Health and Wealth: The Prosperity Gospel in African, Reformed Perspective (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2014). In reviewing a book about Africa written in English,…
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Churches Bring #MeToo To The Pulpit
100 Pastors Preach Out Against Sexual and Domestic Violence Washington, DC – High profile cases of pastors and priests both perpetuating sexual violence or covering up domestic violence have dominated the media in recent months. As a nation we have witnessed a rush to silence or blame women by individuals claiming to represent entire denominations. This…
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Ryan Lokkesmoe: Paul and His Team
Ryan Lokkesmoe, Paul and His Team: What The Early Church Can Teach Us About Leadership and Influence (Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2017), 224 pages. ISBN-10: 0802415644, ISBN-13: 978-0802415646 Ryan Lokkesmoe has a doctorate in New Testament from the University of Denver. He currently serves as lead pastor of Real Hope Community Church, which he helped plant in…
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Experiencing Life in the Spirit: an interview with Frank Billman
PneumaReview.com speaks with Christian historian and renewalist, Frank Billman, about John Wesley, the Methodist Church, and the supernatural ministry of the Holy Spirit today. PneumaReview.com: You have written a book called The Supernatural Thread in Methodism. Please tell our readers a little bit about the book. Frank Billman: I have always had an interest in…
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Ronald Sider: Nonviolent Action
Ronald J. Sider, Nonviolent Action: What Christian Ethics Demands But Most Christians Have Never Really Tried (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Brazos Press, 2015), 191+xvi pages, ISBN 9781587433665. In the book under review, Ronald Sider provides an alternative to the just war vs. pacifism discussion. Just war activists will accept “killing as the last resort” to overcome…
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Global Renewal Christianity: Latin America
Vinson Synan, Amos Yong, and Miguel Álvarez, eds., Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered Movements—Past, Present, and Future, Volume 2: Latin America (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2016), 544 pages, ISBN 9781629987675. Global Renewal Christianity: Latin America, provides a broad lens that not only captures the breath and the renewing influence of the Holy Spirit in the…
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Reflections on a Term at the Gregorian University
A Pentecostal in Rome: Fuller Seminary Professor Mel Robeck shares his story about teaching a course at the Gregorian University in early 2018. Over the past thirty-one years, I have flown 127 round trips between Los Angeles and Europe. Eighteen of those trips have been to Rome, nearly all of which included work with the…
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Marcus Moberg: Church, Market, and Media
Marcus Moberg, Church, Market, and Media: A Discursive Approach to Institutional Religious Change (Bloomsbury Academic, 2017), 216 pages, ISBN 9781474280570. Perhaps the strongest attributes of Church, Market and Media is the manner in which it is structured. Many books pertaining to social media, even ones academically produced, are structured around the use of social media…
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Presenting the Beautiful Gospel: Ten Theses about Contemporary Christian International Mission and Cross-Cultural Evangelization
In former times, some missionary efforts were aligned with militaristic imperialism. Are the terrible expressions of colonialism being promoted by contemporary missionaries? Professor Celucien Joseph reminds us there is a better way. For many years, I have been thinking about the interreligious conflict between Christianity and other religions in the world, and the work…
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Sexual Abuse, by Any Other Name?
When it comes to addressing sexual abuse today, we crave data but avoid dialogue. But if we’re going to tackle the pandemic of abuse, particularly in communities of faith, we need clearer conversation not simply more. Society’s romance with intersectionality is a functional distraction to the Church’s calling to help heal wounds, regardless of their…
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Good News of the Kingdom of God: An Interview with Paul Pomerville
Author of The Third Force in Missions, Missionary-scholar Paul Pomerville speaks with PneumaReview.com about theologies and attitudes he believes have hindered the effectiveness of the church, particularly the church in the West. He urges Pentecostals to throw off the poisonous ideas of colonialism and the Enlightenment and instead be filled with the Holy Spirit of…
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Joan Paddock Maxwell: Soul Support
Joan Paddock Maxwell, Soul Support: Spiritual Encounters at Life’s End (Resource Publications, 2017), 230 pages, ISBN 9781532618741. Having served as a chaplain in two Pennsylvania State psychiatric hospitals for twenty-nine years, I was interested in reading the memoirs of hospital chaplain, Joan Paddock Maxwell’s, Soul Support: Spiritual Encounters at Life’s End. Maxwell chronicles her reminiscences…
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Knud Jorgensen: Equipping for Service
Knud Jørgensen, Equipping for Service: Christian Leadership in Church and Society (Oxford: Regnum Books International, 2012; Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2013), 150+xiv pages, ISBN 9781908355065. The Reverend Dr. Jørgensen’s Equipping for Service is a substantially revised version of two of his earlier teaching modules: his manual, Equipping for Service (1995) and his Norwegian book…
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Transforming Communities with the Clergy Patrol
Antipas Harris introduces the Norfolk Police Department Clergy Patrol. Watch the story that was featured on national television. Norfolk pastors and the Norfolk Police Department discussed the Clergy Patrol on the 700 Club (CBN), Monday morning, Feb 12, at 9am EST. Learn how pastors and clergy work together to engage Norfolk, Virginia residents.
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Charismatic Leaders Fellowship 2018
This year’s Charismatic Leaders Fellowship took place in Augusta, Georgia, and was hosted February 19-22 by the Alleluia Community of that city. The Alleluia Community is a predominantly Catholic (but ecumenical) covenant community where families live in close proximity to worship together and support each other. Like other covenant communities, the Alleluia Community attempts to…
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Ed Silvoso: Ekklesia
Ed Silvoso, Ekklesia: Rediscovering God’s Instrument for Global Transformation (Bloomington: MN: Chosen Books, 2014, 2017), 272 pages, ISBN 9780800798444. Ed Silvoso has written a number of books, two of his best known works are: That None Should Perish, and Anointed for Business. He is the founder and president of Harvest Evangelism and is the leader…
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Charles Kraft: Power Encounter In Spiritual Warfare
Charles H. Kraft, Power Encounter In Spiritual Warfare (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2017), 124 pages, ISBN 9781532617140. Charles Kraft has taught at Fuller Seminary and has served as a missionary in Nigeria. In addition to these ministries he has also written a number of books including: Christianity With Power: Your Worldview and Your Experience…
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From Jerusalem, Around the World, and Back to Jerusalem
PneumaReview.com speaks with Eugene Bach, a spokesman and leader of the Chinese mission movement, Back to Jerusalem, about their vision and the amazing things they have seen God do as they carry the good news to the world’s most restrictive places. Please tell our readers where and when the Back to Jerusalem Movement began. The…
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Adam McHugh: Introverts in the Church
Adam S. McHugh, Introverts in the Church: Finding Our Place in an Extroverted Culture, Revised and Expanded (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2017), 240 pages, ISBN 9780830843916 Introverts in the Church was first released in 2009. The book caught my eye back then because I am an introvert. I reviewed the first edition of the…
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Global Renewal Christianity: Africa
Vinson Synan, Amos Yong, and J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, eds., Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered Movements—Past, Present, and Future, Volume 3: Africa (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2016) liv+ 499 pages. This volume focused on the Spirit in Africa is the third in a series of now four texts. Produced for the enrichment of anyone intrigued with…
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Global Renewal Christianity: Asia and Oceania
Vinson Synan and Amos Yong, eds., Global Renewal Christianity: Spirit-Empowered Movements—Past, Present, and Future, Volume 1: Asia and Oceania (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2016), 544 pages, ISBN 9781629986883. The current volume under review is a collection of twenty-one essays written by scholars from a variety of academic and geographical backgrounds; moreover, it is the…
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A Great Mission Field and a Place to Spread Blessings From
Dear friends at PneumaReview.com, We are now in France and Spain for ministry where we have been for two weeks. Last week we had our Revival Europe Training Conference with about 700 Chinese from the whole of Europe and many from China. Among the speakers was Pastor Niko of Bethany Indonesia, who has 250,000 in…
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Good News to Change the World: An Interview with Lisa Sharon Harper
Lisa Sharon Harper is a follower of Jesus calling all followers of Jesus to love every person the same and seek their flourishing. PneumaReview.com speaks with her about her story and how God is inviting each of us to participate with him in making his Gospel of Peace real in our communities today. PneumaReview.com: Please…
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Healing ministry began after an Immersion in Love for Jesus: An Interview with Jack Sheffield
PneumaReview.com: When were you baptized in the Holy Spirit what differences did this experience bring to your ministry? Jack Sheffield: In 1973, I was converted to Christianity out from a pagan background, and I was baptized in the Holy Spirit in the same moment I was saved. I spoke in a heavenly language not even…
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New Wine 2017: Elephants Explored
In June 1960, the seeds of the New Wine movement began as David and Mary Pytches responded to God’s call to Chile. During time in South America over seventeen years, they experienced earthquakes, a military coup and illness. All of this caused Mary to call on God for the power of his Holy Spirit and…
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Dexter Low: God’s Mandate For Transforming Your Nation
Dexter Low, God’s Mandate For Transforming Your Nation: Touching Heaven, Changing Earth (Lake Mary, FL: Creation House, 2016), 208 pages, ISBN 9781629985190. Dexter Low attended Fuller Theological Seminary and was mentored by the late Dr. C. Peter Wagner (page xi). He is an apostolic leader who founded the Latter Rain Church of Malaysia. In this,…
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Reflections on Engaging our Muslim Neighbors
Evangelical leaders from around the world gathered at Calvin Theological Seminary from Thursday, August 24 through Saturday, August 26 to discuss Christian-Muslim relations. This was a private consultation and I invite you to read what participants have written about this. Tony Richie: Consultation on American Evangelicals and Islam Antipas Harris: How Can Christians and Muslims…
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How Can Christians and Muslims Relate?
I was blessed to participate in “A Consultation on Christianity and Muslim Relations” that was convened at Calvin Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan from August 24-26. The meeting consisted of outstanding conversations among pastors, missionaries, seminary presidents, deans, professors and seminary students about godly ways to engage and to relate to Muslims. When we…
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Consultation on American Evangelicals and Islam
As any observer of contemporary media well knows, the religion of Islam and its Muslim adherents have for some time been at the center of much public attention. Previously, American evangelicals have responded to Islam in various ways. Some regard Islam with fear and condemnation. These view Islam primarily in terms of terrorism and violence….
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Exorcism in Public Places
Charismatic historian and prayer warrior, William De Arteaga, invites readers to visit his blog and be challenged to rethink how casting out demons can have a powerful impact on your community. This posting, “Exorcism in Public Places,” is doubly controversial. Some Christians still doubt the reality of the demonic world and the possibility of Christians being…
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Amos Yong: The Future of Evangelical Theology
Amos Yong, The Future of Evangelical Theology: Soundings from the Asian American Diaspora (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014), 255 pages, ISBN 9780830840601. Amos Yong begins this monograph by emphasizing the global diversity of Christianity. He argues that, in terms of demographics, we can no longer view it principally as a Western religion. After all,…
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Pentecostal Theological Education: Asia Pacific Theological Seminary
Asia Pacific Theological Seminary What does Spirit-filled education look like around the world? Dave Johnson, part of the faculty and leadership at Asia Pacific Theological Seminary, introduces us to the school and the state of education in the Asia Pacific region of the world. Part of the Pentecostal Theological Education Around the World series from…
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Ways to Minister to Cancer Patients This Summer
How can you serve friends and the people of your congregation who are battling cancer? In this guest article, Rev. Percy McCray suggests practical ways to demonstrate you care. The sun is heating up and that is cause for alarm for some cancer patients. Not everyone can get out and enjoy the weather, or work…
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The Insanity of God: An Interview with Nik and Ruth Ripken
PneumaReview.com: Please tell our readers briefly what your film The Insanity of God is about. Nik and Ruth Ripken: The Insanity of God journeys with Nik and Ruth Ripken as they seek to walk in obedience and follow what God has asked of them. From the hills of Kentucky to the villages of Africa they…
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Randy Clark: Supernatural Missions
Randy Clark, compiler, Supernatural Missions: The Impact of the Supernatural on World Missions (Mechanicsburg, PA: Apostolic Network of Global Awakening, 2012), 406 pages, ISBN 9781937467340. Randy Clark is very well known in the Spirit-filled community, having been involved in supernatural ministry for over 20 years. He is both a contributor to and the compiler of Supernatural…
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Leadership and Gardening
Pastor and ministry coach, Dan Reiland, says there are important lessons to be learned in the garden about leadership. My brother Lan is the one in the family with a green thumb. He and his wife Stacey live in Southern California, and their yard is a registered wildlife habitat. When he first told me, I…
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Resources for Churches: Raising Awareness about Child Sexual Abuse
April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, and I invite you to avail yourself of some excellent resources being offered by the Church Law & Tax Report. Richard R. Hammar, “Child Sexual Abuse: Far too many churches are legally vulnerable” Church Law & Tax Report (March-April 2016). Samuel Ogles, “Answering Church Leaders’ Common Questions About…
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Pentecostal Theological Education: Indonesia
What does Spirit-filled education look like around the world? Theologian and educator, Ekaputra Tupamahu speaks with PneumaReview.com about Pentecostal theological education in Indonesia. Part of the Pentecostal Theological Education Around the World series. PneumaReview.com: When did American Pentecostal missionaries start to go to Indonesia? Ekaputra Tupamahu: To make a long story short, early American…
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The Insanity of God, reveiwed by John Lathrop
The Insanity of God (LifeWay Films 2016). The film, The Insanity of God, is based on the book with the same title; it tells the story of Nik and Ruth Ripken’s involvement in missions. Ripken, by the way, is not their real name, it is a pseudonym. The film is narrated by the Ripkens and…
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Pentecostal Theological Education: FIRE School of Ministry
FIRE School of Ministry What does Spirit-filled education look like around the world? Brandon Paul, Director of Academic Affairs for FIRE School of Ministry, gives a brief sketch of the school and how they prepare men and women for ministry that makes a difference in the USA and beyond. Part of the Pentecostal Theological Education…
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The Power of the Cross and Healing in a Pastor’s Ministry
Introduction As a Christian youth, the first book I read from cover-to-cover was David Wilkerson’s The Cross and the Switchblade. For my senior paper in college, I wrote about “The Wisdom of the Cross in 1 Corinthians 1:18.” Throughout my life, the theme of the cross of Jesus has appeared in my life and academic…
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The Shepherding Pastor
Becoming spiritually successful in ministry means becoming a spiritual shepherd. Psalm 23:5 … You anoint my head with oil … Luke 10:34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. The search for becoming a successful minister in a successful ministry appears to be a fundamental task to all…
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The Future of the Church in China: Why China’s House Churches will Prevail
If you are a Christian from North America or Europe, when you enter the Holy Trinity Church in Kunming, China, the architecture of this beautiful, stately structure will immediately remind you of home, of traditional churches in the West. It even has a steeple. The atmosphere of quiet reverence will also seem familiar to Western…
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Amos Yong: The Bible, Disability, and the Church
Amos Yong, The Bible, Disability, and the Church: A New Vision of the People of God (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2011), viii+ 161 pages. Amos Yong is professor of theology and mission and director of the Center for Missiological Research at Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California. His other books include The Spirit Poured Out on All…
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Miracles in Mendi
I am Evangelist Matti Wendelin from Finland, and I was able to hold a crusade at Mendi, Papua New Guinea, January 8 through 12. Local churches came together to make this outreach possible. Thousands of people come every night, and hundreds got saved every single evening. That was glorious. Starting at the first meeting, many…
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Journey with the Orthodox: Biography of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew reviewed by Harold D. Hunter
John Chryssavgis, Bartholomew: Apostle and Visionary (Nashville, TN: W. Publishing Group, an imprint of Thomas Nelson, 2016), 272 pages, ISBN 9780718086893. My journey with Orthodox brothers and sisters started with Brighton ’91. With assistance from Monsignor Peter Hocken, I put together this first global conference for Pentecostal scholars. The keynote speaker was Professor Jürgen Moltmann…
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5 Ways to Strengthen Your Church in 2017
In this guest article by Rev. Percy McCray, he offers excellent practical suggestions for strengthening your local community of Jesus followers. It’s the start of a new year and thoughts turn to eating better, getting more organized, or even reconnecting with old friends. But within your New Year’s resolutions, are you considering the health of your church? The following are…
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Opoku Onyinah: Spiritual Warfare
Opoku Onyinah, Spiritual Warfare: A Centre for Pentecostal Theology Short Introduction (Cleveland, TN: CPT Press, 2012), 196 pages. The Centre for Pentecostal Theology (CPT) Press is initiating an ongoing series of “short introductions”. To date they include the present volume by Onyinah under review and Lee Roy Martin, Fasting: A Centre for Pentecostal Theology Short…
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Staff and Salary, Part 2
Continuing with the second part of this mini-series on staff and salary, we’ll cover — the wrong reasons to increase salary, key issues in setting the first salary, and key issues to consider when increasing a salary. As you pray and do your homework, this will help you as you design your compensation plan for…
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Staff and Salary, Part 1
What people get paid is a sensitive and personal topic. It is no different for church staff, and particularly so for pastors who often live under standards and scrutiny higher than of volunteers. This mini-series will dive into a candid look at this practical and often complicated topic. In my first full time job out…
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Pneumatic Medicine and Mental Health
I spoke with the Pennsylvania Society of Chaplains in Carlisle, Pennsylvania on October 11, 2016 about my ministry work with mental illness, patients, and staff in 3 psychiatric hospitals for 28 years with what I call “Pneumatic Medicine.” Pneumatic Medicine is the combination of prayer with medical and psychiatric expertise. I have discovered that the…
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Neil Plantinga: Reading for Preaching
Cornelius Plantinga Jr., Reading for Preaching: The Preacher in Conversation with Storytellers, Biographers, Poets, and Journalists (Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2013), 133 pages. “There is no end to the writing of books” says the Preacher of Ecclesiastes; the same can be said about the writing of books about preaching. Every year countless books are published on…
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Pentecostal Theological Education: Latin America Theological Seminary
What does Spirit-filled education look like around the world? The President of Facultad de Teología, Allen Martin, tells us how this seminary is training men and women across the Spanish-speaking world. Part of the Pentecostal Theological Education Around the World series from PneumaReview.com. My name is Allen Martin and I have been a missionary with…
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Pentecostal Theological Education: Filadelphia Bible College India
What does Spirit-filled education look like around the world? The principal of Filadelphia Bible College, Finny Philip, tells us about this ministry training center in Udaipur City in Rajasthan, India. Part of the Pentecostal Theological Education Around the World series from PneumaReview.com. PneumaReview.com: How readily available is theological education for Pentecostals in India? Finny Philip:…
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Paul Pomerville: The Third Force in Missions
Paul A. Pomerville, The Third Force in Missions: A Pentecostal Contribution to Contemporary Mission Theology (Hendrickson Publishers, 2016), 276 pages, ISBN 9781619707689. In the updated version of The Third Force in Missions: A Pentecostal Contribution to Contemporary Mission Theology (Hendrickson Publishers, 2016), Paul A. Pomerville offers an amplified reiteration of the major premises of his…
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Prayer Stations to Bless Your Community
Looking for a practical way to reach your community and share the love of Jesus? The Prayer Station is a wonderful evangelistic ministry. It enables you to touch many persons who have never experienced healing prayer with the power of God. Being healed on the spot will utterly astound the “nones” (those with no religious…
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Pentecostal Theological Education: Shiloh Bible College China
What does Spirit-filled education look like around the world? Seasoned missionary Dennis Balcombe introduces us to Shiloh Bible College in Shenzhen, China. Part of the Pentecostal Theological Education Around the World series from PneumaReview.com. PneumaReview.com: What does Pentecostal Theological Education look like in China? Dennis Balcombe: For this answer I will focus on Shiloh Bible…
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Contemporary Applications of Humility from Teachings of the New Testament
A review essay of two books on biblical humility by Michelle Vondey. Two books: both on humility, both using the Bible as a framework, both of interest to those who study humility academically and who take the need for humility seriously in their vocation. Though similar in topic, the books differ in intended audience…
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Preserving Evangelical Unity
Michael L. Meiring, ed., Preserving Evangelical Unity: Welcoming Diversity in Non-Essentials (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2009). In Preserving Evangelical Unity, editor Michael L. Meiring brings together a variety of voices from within the Evangelical community to discuss an assortment of theological issues for which there is no uniformity in belief. He maintains that the…
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The Christian Seder Meal as Sacrament and Precursor to the Fulfillment of Romans 11
Several weeks ago I posted a Facebook notice with pictures enthusiastically describing a Christian Passover I participated in at the church of Christ the King (Anglican) in Hiawassee, GA. The service was marked by observing the Jewish Passover rituals and prayers, but with Christian interpretations added. Some of the men of the parish, including the…
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Roger Olson: What Baptists get wrong about the Sacraments
Roger E. Olson, “Why I Think Baptists (and ‘baptists’) Have It Wrong about the Sacraments” Patheos (May 27, 2016). I have found this article by Dr. Olson, professor of theology at Baylor University, most interesting. It is specifically limited to his fellow Baptists, but has much to commend it to a broader audience. Dr. Olson’s…
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Roger Olson: Should Western Christians Rediscover Exorcism?
Roger E. Olson, “Should Western Christians Rediscover Exorcism?” Patheos (June 9, 2016). This is a most interesting article. The author, a noted Evangelical scholar and pastor, was involved in the early charismatic movement where he saw some of the extremes of the early charismatic deliverance movement. For instance, in some meetings, charismatic evangelists/exorcists provided the…
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Denzil Miller: Spirit-Empowered Mission
Denzil R. Miller, Spirit-Empowered Mission: Africa’s Decade of Pentecost and the New Testament “Strategy of the Spirit” (Springfield MO: AIA Publications, 2013). I had been given opportunity to review Denzil R. Miller’s 35 page booklet, Spirit-Empowered Mission: Africa’s Decade of Pentecost and the New Testament “Strategy of the Spirit.” Miller gives us here a brief…
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Denzil Miller: How to Preach on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
Denzil R. Miller, How to Preach on the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Springfield MO: AIA Publications, 2013). Dr. Denzil R. Miller has written an important and timely work that will be a great tool for pastors and teachers of the Pentecostal persuasion. This small e-book lists all the ingredients that are necessary for a…
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Simon Holley: Sustainable Power
Simon Holley, Sustainable Power: Creating a Healthy Culture of the Supernatural in the Church Today (Crownhill, Milton Keynes: Authentic Media Limited, 2013), 259 pages, ISBN 9781860248849. Sustainable Power is the story of a pastor, who along with his congregation, took a journey toward ministering in the supernatural power of God. Though this was not a significant…
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Rolland Baker: Keeping the Fire
Rolland Baker, Keeping the Fire: Sustaining Revival Through Love: The Five Core Values of Iris Global (Kent, United Kingdom: River Publishing & Media Ltd., 2015), 152 pages, ISBN 9781908393555. Rolland Baker, along with his wife, Heidi, have served on the mission field for the last 35 years, most of their time has been spent in…
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Ed Shaw: Same-Sex Attraction and the Church
Ed Shaw, Same-Sex Attraction and the Church: The Surprising Plausibility of the Celibate Life (Downers Grove: IVP Books, 2015), 172 pages. Ed Shaw was educated at Durham University and Oak Hill Theological College. He is the pastor of Emmanuel City Centre in Bristol, England, and part of the editorial team at livingout.org. He has worked…
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Jim Goll: Deliverance from Darkness
James W. Goll, Deliverance from Darkness: The Essential Guide to Defeating Demonic Strongholds and Oppression (Grand Rapids, MI: Chosen Books, 2010), 224 pages, ISBN 9780800794811. In this book, James W. Goll examines the demonic through the lens of spiritual warfare. He argues that every Christian has the responsibility to engage in battle against the forces…
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Zachary Tackett: “Why I Became A Pentecostal Theologian”
Zachary Tackett, “Why I Became A Pentecostal Theologian” Ecclesiam (April 12, 2016). Zachary Tackett has written a beautiful brief personal testimony about why he is a Pentecostal theologian, and I offer my heartiest AMEN to his ecumenical Pentecostal vision. “The message of Pentecost declared that all peoples – of all languages and ethnicities, women and…
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Celebrate the Equipping Church
Every church has an awesome privilege of supporting, encouraging, training, and equipping each person to fulfill their God-given purpose. Party Time? Everyone loves a good party. We all love to celebrate our accomplishments and enjoy our successes—not to mention relishing the flattery of our peers. Relish …That reminds me, we’re going to need almost a dozen…
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George Gallup: The Next American Spirituality
George Gallup with Timothy K. Jones, The Next American Spirituality: Finding God in the Twenty-first Century (David C Cook, 2000), 205 pages. George Gallup outlines what he feels will be the next true spiritual movement in America. This book is a survey that answers two main questions. First, what is the daily shape of faith…
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Meaningful Youth Ministry and Leading the Next Awakening
Here are two of my recent blogs that have caught a lot of conversation. “Meaningful Youth Ministry – Context Is King“ About the four sectors of meaningfulness in a teen’s life: Cultural, Personal, Religious/Theological, and Family. It can be easy to stay within the confines of the Church. But, meaningful Youth Ministry is present where…
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Anglican Pentecostal Perspective on Charismatic Leaders Fellowship 2016
The yearly Charismatic Leaders Fellowship met at Oral Roberts University from February 22nd to the 25th. This group has functioned as a discerning and analytical element of the Charismatic Renewal. In the past, for instance, the group dealt with such issues as the mass deliverance meetings that were fashionable in the 1970s, and the discipleship…
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Getting Your Church Unstuck From Growth Hindrances
Pastor Dan Brown offers practical suggestions for taking your church to the next level of significance. Most of us have been stuck somewhere, somehow—in the desert sand off the main road; up a tree we climbed in our pre-adolescence; or, on a tricky algebra problem. But somehow, someway we got unstuck. When our tires spun…
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Conflict in the Church: The Uncomfortable Reality
Pastor John Lathrop talks about the inescapable reality of conflict in the body of Christ. The apostle Paul, writing to Timothy, said “If anyone sets his heart on being an overseer, he desires a noble task” (1 Tim. 3:1, NIV). The work is definitely noble but the task is not always easy. Timothy knew that…
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How Youth Ministry Could Fail The Church, by Jeff Grenell
Here are five ways that Youth Ministry could fail the Church. Unhealthy Youth Leaders There is a difference between ‘busyness’ and ‘business’. When Youth Leaders are busy, they burn out. Because they spend more time in programming and gaming than they do in relationships and study. When Youth Leaders are about the business of the…
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White House Convention on Religious Pluralism
Tony Richie Summarizes and Reflects on Special White House Convening: “Celebrating and Protecting America’s Tradition of Religious Pluralism” On Thursday, December 17th from 1:00-4:30 PM the White House conducted a special convening on “Celebrating and Protecting America’s Tradition of Religious Pluralism.”[1] Participation was by White House invitation only. Two Church of God ministers, Cheryl…
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Joe Hepler: Four Ways To Connect With College Students In Church
Joe Hepler, “Four Ways to Connect with College Students in Church: How families and individuals can connect and support students away from home” Vital (November 12, 2015). There are innumerable presentations, articles, and books being written on the subject of the Millennials and the Church. These angles include the Church’s lack of connection with the…
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What Women Want: Pentecostal Women Ministers Speak For Themselves
Kimberly Ervin Alexander and James P. Bowers, What Women Want: Pentecostal Women Ministers Speak For Themselves (Lanham, MD: Seymour Press, 2013), 166 pages. The Church of God (Cleveland, TN) is one of the major Pentecostal bodies in the United States. This book contains the results of a study conducted in that denomination regarding women and…
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My Ceiling, Their Floor
Veteran Youth Pastor, Jeff Grenell, introduces five keys for mentoring young leaders. “The reason I have been able to see as far as I have been able to see in my life is because I am standing on the shoulders of great men before me.” This is a more recent adaption traced back to an…
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Allan Anderson: To the Ends of the Earth
Allan Heaton Anderson, To the Ends of the Earth: Pentecostalism and the Transformation of World Christianity (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013), xvi + 311 pages. To the Ends of the Earth examines the historical and theological impact of global Pentecostalism on modern Christianity. Pentecostalism is the fastest growing religious movement in the contemporary world. In…
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Mary Miller: What does Love have to do with Leadership?
Mary Miller, What does Love have to do with Leadership? (Oxford, UK: Regnum Press/Wipf & Stock, 2013), 100 pages, ISBN 9781908355102. The title of the book is both provocative and indeed what draws a potential reader to open the book. Miller’s purpose for writing is to examine the research concerning love as an aspect of…
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Equipping to preach the Bible: an interview with Finny Philip
John Lathrop interviews Finny Philip about the new South Asia Bible Commentary. John Lathrop: Please give us a brief history of the development of this commentary. Finny Philip: The South Asia Bible Commentary (SABC) is a project of Langham Partnership International and partners. Langham is the organization founded by the late evangelical scholar, author…
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Resilient Ministry: What Pastors Told Us About Surviving and Thriving
Bob Burns, Tasha D. Chapman and Donald C. Guthrie, Resilient Ministry: What Pastors Told Us About Surviving and Thriving (IVP Praxis, 2013), 313 pages, ISBN 9780830841035. Resilient Ministry commenced as a five-year research project conducted by Bob Burns, Tasha D. Chapman, and Donald C. Guthrie, colleagues at Covenant Theological Seminary. Collectively they evaluated the stresses…
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Candyce Roberts: Help for the Fractured Soul
Candyce Roberts, Help for the Fractured Soul: Experiencing Healing and Deliverance from Deep Trauma (Minneapolis, MN: Chosen Books, 2012), 203 pages, ISBN 9780800795320. “I have written this book,” writes Dr. Roberts, “to help those who want to bring the healing mercy of Jesus into the despairing and confusing world of the traumatized” (p.23). More specifically…
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Veroni Kruger: What Has Your Church Become
Véroni Krüger, What Has Your Church Become (CreateSpace, 2014), 230 pages, ISBN 9781500556839. Véroni Krüger’s work What Has Your Church Become is a look with historical insight at what the church was at its beginning, at Pentecost, compared to what it has become. Reverend Krüger uses a literary style with scripture as its own interpreter…
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Scott Rodin: The Steward Leader
R. Scott Rodin, The Steward Leader: Transforming People, Organizations and Communities (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2010), 197 pages, ISBN 9780830838783. The Steward Leader begins by telling the reader that the book is not about the “how” of leadership but about the “who”—who God is and who we are as stewards in God’s kingdom. Author Scott…
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Jerusalem 2015 Empowered 21 Global Congress: Renewing the Revelation of a Worldwide Pentecostal Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Some 4,500 Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians from approximately seventy nations gathered in Jerusalem May 20-25, 2015 to reaffirm and clarify the Pentecostal truth restored to the Body of Christ in the first part of the 20th century and to pass the vision of the Pentecostal revival and world missions to the next generation. This revival began April…
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Peter Marina: Getting the Holy Ghost
Sociology and the Spirit: a review of Peter Marina’s Getting the Holy Ghost by Joy Allan. Peter Marina, Getting the Holy Ghost: Urban Ethnography in a Brooklyn Pentecostal Tongue-Speaking Church (Lexington Books, 2014), 322 pages, ISBN 9781498503563. A snapshot: A young man sits alone in an office, adaptable, patient, ready to listen. He is aware…
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While on a quest to find some books
Ever been looking for a hard-to-find book? Whether you find it or not, you’re sure to learn something. In a recent conversation, I wrote to Darrin Rodgers with a question about some hard-to-find titles by early charismatic authors. Just like the abundant research resources of the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center where he is the…
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Building Christian Community
If ministry is only the work of professional clergy and is restricted to what goes on at a church service or a major Christian event, then the church is lost and doomed to implode and die in our century. Why? Because, though these things may serve God, the personal touch is often lacking in them….
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Ministry leaders react to gay marriage ruling
Ministry leaders from across the United States react to the June 26 ruling of the Supreme Court recognizing same-sex marriage. Roger E. Olson blogs: “And Now … What Conservative Churches Must Do.” Churches that believe marriage should only be between a man and a woman now must decide what to do–in light of the…
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Sociologist Josh Packard on Church Refugees with Rob Wilkerson
Rob Wilkerson’s interview of sociologist Josh Packard about the people who say they are done with church. The book being discussed is: Church Refugees: Sociologists Reveal Why People Are DONE With Church But Not Their Faith by Josh Packard and Ashleigh Hope.
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Live interview on Church Refugees
A conversation about the people who say they are done with church. Don’t miss my interview with Josh Packard this Tuesday night. Thanks Pneuma Review for asking me to review the book which led to an interview with Josh. The book is: Church Refugees: Sociologists reveal why people are DONE with church but not their…
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Ida Glaser: The Bible and Other Faiths
Ida Glaser, The Bible and Other Faiths: Christian Responsibility in a World of Religions, Christian Doctrine in Global Perspective, Series Editor, David Smith, Consulting Editor, John Stott (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 255 pages. The Bible and Other Faiths ably brings together a unique set of concerns which aren’t often considered together under a…
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Preaching to the Hungry: An interview with Evangelist Matti Wendelin
PneumaReview.com: Please tell our readers about your ministry. Matti Wendelin: My ministry, Full Gospel for All Nations, was founded 1990 in Finland. I have been preaching the gospel since 1977. This is still a small ministry, but thanks to God we are wining many souls around the world, especially in Asia. My vision is to…
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From the East: A Russian Orthodox Priest Explains His Spiritual Views
In countries such as Russia, it’s almost impossible to ignore the Orthodox Church’s influence. While living in Russia with my American missionary parents, I was exposed to facets of Orthodoxy almost every week. We drove past exquisite cathedrals on the way to my parents’ bilingual Charismatic church, which was held in a movie theater. While…
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Let the Church be the Church Amidst a National Crisis of Trust
A Call for the Spirit-filled Church to be Proactive, Prodigious, and Prophetic: Let the Church be the Church Amidst a National Calamity, Echoing Once Again – Baltimore this Time! The collective heart of a grieving nation continues to shatter as protesters shout in vain over the exploding crises between local citizens and law enforcement….
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The lasting justice of changed minds and hearts
A Statement about Baltimore from The Reconciled Church Bishop Harry Jackson, Bishop T.D. Jakes, James Robison From the April 27, 2015 Press Release. On the eve of the second national meeting of The Reconciled Church (TRC) – a historic multi-racial, multi-denominational and apolitical gathering of church leaders in Orlando, a growing response to Ferguson, Staten…
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Mental Health Matters, reviewed by Joy Allan
Butch and Pam Frey, “Mental Health Matters: It’s not too late for the Church to be an agent of healing for those facing mental illness” Vital (April 6, 2015). This is a good article. Reading it made me feel as though someone is finally saying in public what I have heard said in private far too…
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The language of priests and the role of bishops in Jesus’ day
Kevin Williams responds to questions about the language used in the Second Temple and the role of the Bishop outside of the New Testament. This is part of a conversation that started with Henry Harbuck’s article, “What Bible Did Jesus Use?” and continued with “What Yeshua Quoted” by Kevin Williams. More recently, Henry Harbuck requested…
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Ministry Before a Holy God with Craig Keener
Speaking as Asbury Theological Seminary, Professor Craig S. Keener speaks about Isaiah 6:1-8.
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God is opening a door to China, with Dennis Balcombe
Video introduction by Dennis Balcombe about his new book, China’s Opening Door: Incredible Stories of the Holy Spirit at Work in One of the Greatest Revivals in Christianity (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2014). Read John Lathrop’s review. Originally published on August 12, 2014 by Charisma House.
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Dennis Balcombe: China’s Opening Door
Dennis Balcombe, China’s Opening Door: Incredible Stories of the Holy Spirit at Work in One of the Greatest Revivals in Christianity (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2014), 256 pages, ISBN 9781621365723. Dennis Balcombe is an American missionary who has spent the last four and a half decades ministering in Hong Kong and mainland China. He is…
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The Drop Box, reviewed by John Lathrop
A film documentary about a Korean pastor saving abandoned babies. The Drop Box is a documentary about the ministry of Pastor Lee Jong-rak in Seoul, South Korea. A significant problem in that city is the abandoning of babies. Some of these children are abandoned because they were born out of wedlock; others are abandoned because…
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How to Organize Your Sermon
Aldwin Ragoonath, who regularly instructs church leaders around the world how to become better preachers, teaches on the importance of organizing sermons and gives examples. These sermons will help pastors to better organize their sermons. Read the text for this sermon here: http://atmc.ca/written_sermons.html
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Anglican Pentecostal Perspective on Charismatic Leaders Fellowship 2015
This year the Charismatic Leaders’ Fellowship (CLF) met on February 23 to the 26, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at the Oral Roberts University campus. The weather outside was cold and icy, and in fact about one third of the registered participants could not make it in. But the atmosphere inside the conference was warm with the…
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David McKenna: Christ-centered Leadership
David L. McKenna, Christ-Centered Leadership: The Incarnational Difference (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2013), 118 pages, ISBN 9781620328477. If you haven’t had your leadership paradigm shifted in a while, this book will jumpstart the process. McKenna has more work experience than the average minister’s lifespan and yet he states at the outset of the book that…
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Pentecostal and Charismatic Contributions: Beyond What We Normally Think
With a group of Christians hovering around the 600 million mark worldwide1, one would expect such a collective to have a substantial impact across a host of areas. That is the resounding reality within the Pentecostal and Charismatic branch of the church. Yet, while many might begin with the unique pneumatological perspective or the practical angle…
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Lecture series on Pentecostal Preaching
Editor’s note: With a Doctorate of Ministry in Preaching, a Doctorate of Theology in Pentecostal Preaching, and extensive experience training preachers in the Majority World, Aldwin Ragoonath is uniquely gifted to help today’s church leaders around the world. PneumaReview.com asked Dr. Ragoonath to tell us about the series of twenty-five lectures he had made available…
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Curriculum Suggestions
Can you recommend any curriculum for a children’s school? A few days ago, PneumaReview.com received this request from Pastor Jim in Ethiopia: I am setting up a computer learning center for a missions orphanage of 150 students K-12 [Kindergarten through High school]. I am looking for Bible and other curriculum for these young students. They…
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Consultation on Believers’ Baptism
Report on the Consultation on Believers’ Baptism Kingston, Jamaica January 2015 4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4:4-6 (NRSV)…
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Observations for Baptism Consultation
A Consultation on Believers’ Baptism was held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica, from January 8 through 10, 2015. In my opinion, the consultation on water baptism was especially significant for Pentecostals in a number of ways. First, and most directly, exploring Pentecostal history and theology of water baptism was an eye opening…
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Groundbreaking Consultation explores the meaning and practice of “believers baptism” for the future unity of the church
Groundbreaking Consultation explores the meaning and practice of “believers baptism” for the future unity of the church January 10, 2015 (Kingston, Jamaica) — A three-day consultation took place involving representatives from six different “believers baptism” church traditions to share their understandings and practices of baptism and to explore how their thinking has changed in light…
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Plain Talk for Starting Right in 2015
It may be time to evaluate what you plan to do in ministry in 2015. At the beginning of each New Year, this is what I do: I sit down and reflect on my successes and defeats during the former year and then make a plan. Consider the Following Ten Points: Spiritual Warfare: Engaging…
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Dave Kraft: Leaders Who Last
Dave Kraft, Leaders Who Last (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2010), 155 pages, ISBN 9781433513183. Leaders Who Last is written for church leaders—pastors, teachers, small group leaders, volunteers, and ministry staff—by a church leader who posits that this book is about leaders finishing well. Kraft encourages now and future leaders in the church to lead in a…
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Coping with Criticism Constructively
“Criticisms are the nails which keep us on the cross dead to self.”[1] At least they puncture the soul and lodge in the memory for a long time. Few church leaders maintain any self-esteem after an executioner (i.e., critic) nails them. Leaders fear criticism in large part because it often determines how their followers…
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Interview with William David Spencer
In this video, Jeanne DeFazio, contributor to and co-editor of the book Creative Ways to Build Christian Community interviews Dr. William David Spencer about his latest book Name In the Papers. Dr. Spencer is Ranked Adjunct Professor of Theology and the Arts at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. All of his students know him to be…
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Helping create Christian community
In this video, Dr. William David Spencer, a theology professor at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, speaks with Jeanne DeFazio about the book Creative Ways to Build Christian Community. Jeanne and I served as co-editors of this book. In this interview Jeanne speaks about her chapter and about how each of us can help create Christian…
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Video Introduction to Creative Ways to Build Christian Community
Here is a video about the book Creative Ways to Build Christian Community. In this film you will meet the founders of the House of Prisca and Aquila publishing line, the editors, and some of the contributors. I was one of the co-editors so I make a brief appearance in the film.
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Solving a Language Puzzle: Between England and Africa
Missionary Jim Harries presents a cogent argument for using indigenous language. Words originating in English are often written and even pronounced in a different way than in English when in a different language. This always brings a challenge when using a foreign language. Let me give some examples to illustrate this. The biblical…
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Highlights from the Charismatic Anglican 2014 Prayer Conference
A report from the 2014 Anglican Diocese of the South Intercessory Prayer conference by William De Arteaga. The conference was convened at Holy Cross Anglican Church in Loganville, Georgia, from August 27 – 28, 2014. I had the privilege of speaking and participating in the intercessory prayer conference sponsored by the Anglican Diocese…
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America shall be Saved: An interview with Reinhard Bonnke
Reinhard Bonnke is an evangelist anointed by God to preach the good news around the world. His intense focus on proclaiming the love, power, and forgiveness found only in Jesus Christ has been blessed by the Lord in amazing ways. Pastor Bonnke has preached in front of more than 74 million. PneumaReview.com: How did…
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In Conversation with Andrew Schmutzer, Part 3
An interview with Andrew Schmutzer about The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused, and part 1 of the chapter, “A Charge for Church Leadership: Speaking Out Against Sexual Abuse and Ministering to Survivors” as appearing in Pneuma Review Winter 2014. Note from the Editors: Beginning a conversation about sexual abuse…
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Gary Graff: Can a Christian Have an Unclean Spirit?
Gary Hal Graff, Can a Christian Have an Unclean Spirit? Volume I: Satan and the Angels (El Cajon, CA: Christian Service Network, 1999), 200 pages, ISBN 9781879854802. Gary Hal Graff, Can a Christian Have an Unclean Spirit? Volume II: The Theology and History (El Cajon, CA: Christian Service Network, 1999), 249 pages, ISBN 9781879854147. Gary…
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Eddie Hyatt: Pursuing Power
Eddie L. Hyatt, Pursuing Power: How the Historic Quest for Apostolic Authority & Control Has Divided and Damaged the Church (Grapevine, TX: Hyatt Press, 2014), 136 pages, ISBN 9781888435511. Dr. Eddie Hyatt is known in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles as a man who is passionate about the Word of God, the ministry of the Holy Spirit,…
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A Charge for Church Leadership: Speaking Out Against Sexual Abuse and Ministering to Survivors, Part 2
Read part 1 of this chapter, “A Charge for Church Leadership: Speaking Out Against Sexual Abuse and Ministering to Survivors” as appearing in Pneuma Review Winter 2014. A Pastoral Perspective: Pastor-to-Pastor One of the unfortunate lessons of the past few decades is that although sexual abuse within churches and church families has been…
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Cleophus LaRue: I Believe I’ll Testify
Cleophus J. LaRue, I Believe I’ll Testify: The Art of African American Preaching (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2011), 160 pages, ISBN 9780664236779. In American black churches the most important qualification for the pastor is the ability to preach, according to author Cleophus J. LaRue (p. 57). This skill, he says, has remained important to…
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Gordon Smith: Transforming Conversion
Gordon T. Smith, Transforming Conversion: Rethinking the Language and Contours of Christian Initiation (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2010), 208 pages, ISBN 9780801032479. Gordon Smith’s book deals with a central piece of Pentecostal life: conversion. Thoughtfully read, it can deepen understanding and expectations of conversion, which in turn have evangelistic and pastoral implications. On the other…
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A Charge for Church Leadership: Speaking Out Against Sexual Abuse and Ministering to Survivors, Part 1
Timid at first, tentative as it were, he began the long journey down the aisle toward the altar rail. I, too, began to walk, slowly, watching each step as I descended the stairs that led from the chancel to the nave and down the aisle. He was large-framed, older, with a look that I took…
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Pentecostalism and Christian Unity 2, reviewed by Jim Purves
From Pneuma Review Fall 2013. Wolfgang Vondey, ed., Pentecostalism and Christian Unity, Volume 2 (Pickwick Publications, 2013), 301 pages, ISBN 9781620327180. It can be a terrible thing when we believe that we ourselves are right and all others are wrong. Terrible, because it can reinforce an arrogance caused by insecurity, causing us to be unwilling…
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Prophetic Preaching, reviewed by Jonathan Downie
From Pneuma Review Fall 2013. Leonora Tubbs Tisdale, Prophetic Preaching: A Pastoral Approach (Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 138 pages, ISBN 9780664233327. There are some occasions where the reader finishes a book unsure whether they should praise the author for writing a challenging and necessary work or criticise them for missing vital emphases. Prophetic Preaching…
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Global Voices, reviewed by John Lathrop
Craig Keener and M. Daniel Carroll Rodas, eds., Global Voices: Reading the Bible in the Majority World (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2013), 144 pages, ISBN 9781619700093. The chapters that make up this book were originally papers that were presented at a meeting of the Institute for Biblical Research which was held in San Francisco, California…
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In Conversation with Andrew Schmutzer, Part 2
An interview with Andrew Schmutzer about The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused, and part 2 of his chapter, “A Theology of Sexuality and its Abuse: Creation, Evil, and the Relational Ecosystem” as appearing in Pneuma Review Fall 2013. Note from the Editors: Beginning a conversation about…
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A Theology of Sexuality and its Abuse: Creation, Evil, and the Relational Ecosystem, Part 2, by Andrew J. Schmutzer
An excerpt from The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused, edited by Andrew J. Schmutzer. From Pneuma Review Fall 2013. The Long Journey Home A Theology of Sexuality and its Abuse Creation, Evil, and the Relational Ecosystem Part 2 by Andrew J. Schmutzer The Relational Ecosystem: Sexuality Amid Consequences Christian theology…
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Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future, by Amos Yong
Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future (Part 1 of 5) Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future (Part 2 of 5) Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future (Part 3 of 5) Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future (Part 4 of 5) Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future (Part 5 of 5)…
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Reflections on New Directions, by Dave Johnson
Baguio City, Philippines, November 5, 2013. Two events happened last week that leave me wondering if, at long last, some demonic strongholds over the Philippines are being broken. For the last twenty or twenty five years or so, evangelicals in the Philippines have been giving increased attention to ministry to Muslims. However, I believe that…
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The Spirit and the Prophetic Church, Part 2, by Antipas L. Harris
The Spirit and the Prophetic Church Building Ministry Coalitions for Urban Ministry Part 2 of 2 Editor’s Note: Read Part 1 in the Spring 2013 issue of The Pneuma Review The Situation of Post-Katrina New Orleans The situation of Cradock in Portsmouth is not an anomaly. This is important to note. The city of New…
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The Long Journey Home
In Conversation with Andrew Schmutzer An interview with Andrew Schmutzer about The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused, and part 1 of his chapter, “A Theology of Sexuality and its Abuse: Creation, Evil, and the Relational Ecosystem” as appearing in Pneuma Review Summer 2013. Note from the Editors: Beginning…
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Global Awakening
Mark Shaw, Global Awakening: How 20th-Century Revivals Triggered a Christian Revolution (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2010), 221 pages, ISBN 9780830838776. This book by Mark Shaw is a welcome contribution to the study of world Christianity. His innovative thesis is that global revivals are the primary delivery system of religious change in the modern world….
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A Theology of Sexuality and its Abuse: Creation, Evil, and the Relational Ecosystem, Part 1
Editorial Introduction Please join us for a short series reprinting chapters from The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused. Beginning a conversation about sexual abuse is uncomfortable, but we feel strongly that this topic is something the church needs to address. We believe the testimonies of authentic recovery can help us…
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Andrew Clarke: Serve the Community of the Church
Andrew D. Clarke, Serve the Community of the Church: Christians as Leaders and Ministers (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2000), 305 pages, ISBN 9780802841827. This book is a recent release of Eerdmans (2000), as the second volume of the series called “First-Century Christians in the Graeco-Roman World” for the Institute of Early Christianity…
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Jerry Tousdale, Miraculous Movements: How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims Are Falling in Love with Jesus
Jerry Tousdale, Miraculous Movements: How Hundreds of Thousands of Muslims Are Falling in Love with Jesus (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2012), 208 pages, ISBN 9781418547288. Jerry Tousdale is the Director of International Ministries for CityTeam International. He has also served as a church planter in the Muslim world. This volume is sure to be a source…
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The Spirit and the Prophetic Church, Part 1, by Antipas L. Harris
As appearing in the Pneuma Review Spring 2013. The Spirit and the Prophetic Church Building Ministry Coalitions for Urban Ministry Part 1 of 2 Thesis and Introduction Scholars from disciplines other than the theological guild have observed the value that congregations play in their members’ everyday lives. When churches engage in the affairs of the…
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Following Jesus’ Example: Empowering Leaders in Global Missions, by Victor H. Cuartas
How Shall We Lead the Church? In this Pneuma Review conversation, church planter Victor Cuartas asks, what do Spirit-empowered leaders look like? There is an urgent need for equipping leaders in global missions. Leadership is about service and influence. We found in Jesus the best example to follow in global missions. This article will…
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Evangelical and Frontier Mission: Perspectives on the Global Progress of the Gospel, reviewed by Malcolm R. Brubaker
Beth Snodderly and A. Scott Moreau, eds., Evangelical and Frontier Mission: Perspectives on the Global Progress of the Gospel (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock, 2011), 312 pages, ISBN 9781870345989. To the Pentecostal/charismatic readers of The Pneuma Review this work’s title may not seem all that relevant. However, here are some reasons why this collection of…
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The Prayer of Jesus: Our call to unity, by John P. Lathrop
This chapter is from John P. Lathrop’s book Answer the Prayer of Jesus: A Call for Biblical Unity. The Prayer of Jesus In John 17 we find the longest recorded prayer of Jesus; the apostle John, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, included it in his gospel. In fact, it is preserved for us…
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Neil Cole’s Organic Leadership, reviewed by Michelle Vondey
Neil Cole, Organic Leadership: Leading Naturally Right Where You Are (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2009), 314 pages, ISBN 9780801072383. Organic Leadership presents a way for ordinary Christians to emerge as leaders both inside and outside the church. Cole argues that church leaders often get in the way of members participating fully in the life and…
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Tim J. R. Trumper, Preaching and Politics
Tim J. R. Trumper, Preaching and Politics: Engagement without Compromise (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2009), 97 pages, ISBN 9781606080085. How do you avoid extremes in the pulpit on controversial affairs of state? As a Reformed Calvinist pastor, Trumper writes for conservative and Reformed evangelicals. He advocates for a middle position between not preaching on…
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Martyn Percy, Shaping the Church
Martyn Percy, Shaping the Church: The Promise of Implicit Theology, Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empirical Theology Series (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2010), 193 pages, ISBN 9780754666004. Martyn Percy, Principal of Ripon College Cuddesdon and professor at King’s College and Heythrop College London, and the Church of England’s Oxford Ministry Course (for equipping ordinands), adds to…
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Forming a Community of the Spirit: Hospitality, Fellowship, and Nurture, Part 2 of 2, by Steven M. Fettke
This chapter is an excerpt from Steven M. Fettke, God’s Empowered People: A Pentecostal Theology of the Laity (Wipf & Stock 2011). Read Part 1 in the Winter 2012 issue of Pneuma Review. Forming a Nurturing Community A mother was preparing breakfast for her two sons, Kevin, age five, and Ryan, age three. The boys…
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Eddie Gibbs: Churchmorph
Eddie Gibbs, Churchmorph: how megatrends are reshaping Christian Communities (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2009), 222 pages, ISBN 9780801037627. This work is the product of a teacher and scholar’s lifetime experience. Eddie Gibbs has taught at Fuller for many years, and before that had extensive experience in England. He has intimate knowledge of the development of…
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A Pentecostal Perspective on Evangelism and Religious Pluralism: The Right Moment for an Important and Unprecedented Document, by Tony Richie
On Tuesday, June 28, 2011 the news became public that an important, and in some ways, unprecedented, document on Christian witness and mission has been finalized and published. In the interest of full disclosure, along with several others, I helped write it. That doesn’t mean that what follows is a defense. Although some of us…
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Principles of Church Leadership by John P. Lathrop
How Shall We Lead the Church? In this Pneuma Review conversation, Pastor John Lathrop says that New Testament leadership should be scripturally based, marked by servanthood, Spirit-empowered, and equipping everyone for ministry. Jesus Christ has a very real relationship with the church. He described the church as His and said that He would build…
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Holistic Mission, A Review Essay by Tony Richie
Brian Woolnough and Wonsuk Ma, eds., Holistic Mission: God’s Plan for God’s People, Regnum Edinburgh 2010 Series (Oxford, UK: Regnum, 2010), 279 pages, ISBN 9781870345859. Holistic mission, or integral mission, implies God is concerned with the whole person, the whole community, body, mind and spirit—and, that’s just what this book is about. Specifically, it discusses…
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Translation is Important But Worth Less Than Love: A Review Essay by Jonathan Downie
Collin Hansen, “The Son And the Crescent: Bible translations that avoid the phrase ‘Son of God’ are bearing dramatic fruit among Muslims. But that translation has some missionaries and scholars dismayed” Christianity Today (February 2011), pages 18-23. Translation choices continue to be a major issue for the church. While preparing this review, news showed that…
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Forming a Community of the Spirit: Hospitality, Fellowship, and Nurture, Part 1
This chapter is an excerpt from Steven M. Fettke, God’s Empowered People: A Pentecostal Theology of the Laity (Wipf & Stock 2011). Read Part 2 in the Spring 2012 issue of Pneuma Review. Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows…
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Who are “the Called”? Mission, Commission, and Accountability
This chapter is an excerpt from Steven M. Fettke, God’s Empowered People: A Pentecostal Theology of the Laity (Wipf & Stock 2011). Another chapter appears in the Winter 2012 issue of Pneuma Review. We need to recognize that such a sense of call [as Jeremiah had] in our time is profoundly counter-cultural, because…
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Healthy Leadership and the High Cost of Caring
How should we lead the church? In this Pneuma Review conversation, Christian counselor, Dr. Eric Scalise answers this question by saying that ministry leaders need to recognize how pastoral ministry causes stress and how they need to develop a plan for self-care. Pastors and ministry leaders, much like those who work in the caregiving professions,…
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Leading a Church in the Twenty-first Century: An International Perspective
How Shall We Lead the Church? In this Pneuma Review conversation, preacher and international instructor Aldwin Ragoonath asks, what is hindering church growth in North America? How can we can lead towards growth in the church in the Twenty-first century? Where I am Coming From I was born into a nominal Hindu home that…
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Thomas Reynolds: Vulnerable Communion
Thomas E. Reynolds, Vulnerable Communion: A Theology of Disability and Hospitality (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2008), 256 pages, ISBN 9781587431777. Difference, normalcy, embodiment, community, and redemption are all topics that relate to disability. Disability studies have greatly increased with the onset of late modernity, and this is a blessing to all those who seek…
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Elephant in the Church: Identifying Hindrances and Strategies for Discipleship
Introduction “Nondiscipleship is the elephant in the church.” So Dallas Willard1 pictures the obviousness and enormity of the problem. Richard Foster agrees, “Perhaps the greatest malady in the Church today is converts to Christ who are not disciples of Christ—a clear contradiction in terms. This malady affects everything in church life….”2 Brian McLaren asks,…
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Church and Unity: Wolfgang Vondey on Ecclesiology and Ecumenism
From the Conversations with Readers department appearing in the Spring 2011 issue. A Reader writes about a review that appeared in the Winter 2011 issue: In his review of Brad Harper and Paul Louis Metzger, Exploring Ecclesiology: An Evangelical and Ecumenical Introduction (Brazos, 2009), Wolfgang Vondey writes, “At least in their understanding of…
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The Case for Anonymous Leadership
How should we lead the church? In this Pneuma Review conversation, Dr. Woodrow Walton reveals the humility and anonymity of true servant leadership. Picture if you would a regatta where there are several vessels slicing across a river. Where is the leader of any one of those streamlined vessels? Is it the rower…
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Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods
Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears, Vintage Church: Timeless Truths and Timely Methods (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 335 pages, ISBN 9781433501302. This is an engaging production by the dynamic, founding pastor of Mars Hill Church together with an experienced, theological teaching collaborator. It expresses the experimental fusion of mission focused churchmanship with a particular style of…
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Wolfgang Vondey: Pentecostalism and Christian Unity
Wolfgang Vondey, ed., Pentecostalism and Christian Unity: Ecumenical Documents and Critical Assessments (Eugene, Oregon: Pickwick, 2010), 277 pages, ISBN 9781608990771. This book is a collection of critical essays that addresses issues of ecumenism from a variety of Pentecostal perspectives. It is primarily the outcome of papers contributed to meetings for the ecumenism interest groups of…
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Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity
Dietrich Werner, David Esterline, Namsoon Kang, and Joshva Raja, eds., Handbook of Theological Education in World Christianity: Theological Perspectives, Ecumenical Trends, Regional Surveys, Regnum Studies in Global Christianity (Oxford: Regnum Books, 2010), 800 pages, ISBN 9781870345804. Parochialism is passé. The importance of understanding Christianity in global perspective is becoming crystal clear. A spate of…
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How to Lead a Missional Church that Expands God’s Kingdom
How should we lead the church? In this Pneuma Review conversation, Dr. Victor H. Cuartas describes how to expand the vision of the local church to reach the world. Introduction God’s plans for His beloved Church are marvelous. One of the most important aspects in the life of the church is leadership. Leadership…
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Performance in Preaching
Jana Childers and Clayton J. Schmit, eds., Performance in Preaching: Bringing the Sermon to Life (Baker Academic, 2008), 256 pages, ISBN 9780801036132. While whole libraries of books have been written on the preparation of sermons, the art of successfully delivering them is much less studied. In this collection of articles, leading scholars on the…
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Michael Milco: Ethical Dilemmas in Church Leadership
Michael R. Milco, Ethical Dilemmas in Church Leadership: Case Studies in Biblical Decision Making (Kregel Academic & Professional, 1997), 192 pages, ISBN 9780825431975. Are you facing a crisis? Need to make a sensitive decision? How you aware of how your personality affects how you make difficult decisions? Ethical Dilemmas In Church Leadership is an…
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Deliverance Ministry in an African Cultural Perspective, by Jim Harries
Editor’s Preface: When The Pneuma Review asked seasoned missionary Jim Harries to explain what “vulnerable mission” is, he wrote an article showing us how one aspect of understanding the host culture can change everything for a foreign missionary. Introduction Can there be appropriate deliverance ministry in Africa? The viability of deliverance ministry in sub-Saharan Africa…
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Cindy Jacobs: The Reformation Manifesto
Cindy Jacobs, The Reformation Manifesto: Your Part in God’s Plan to Change the Nations Today (Bloomington, Minnesota: Bethany House, 2008), 238 pages, ISBN 9780764205026. Texan Cindy Jacobs is an international leader in the modern prayer movement. With her husband, Mike, she founded Generals International which works to achieve social transformation through intercession and prophetic…
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Leadership in the Local Church: Discerning Practical Value and Developing Theological Foundations
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…
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John Lathrop: Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers
John P. Lathrop, Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers: Then and Now (Xulon, 2008), 152 pages, 9781606474594 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…
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An Interview with Paul: What might the Apostle say about the church today?
How should we lead the church?
New Testament scholar Andrew D. Clarke imagines what it would be like to interview the Apostle Paul about church leadership today. -
Is it Full Partnership or Partial? The Church of God Struggles with the Role of Women
The Church of God 73rd International General Assembly met in Orlando, Florida July 27-30, 2010. This biennial meeting is a significant event on the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) calendar. Among other things, during this time denominational leadership is nominated and elected and contemporary issues facing the organization are discussed, debated, and decided, first by…
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Darrell Johnson, The Glory of Preaching
Darrell W. Johnson, The Glory of Preaching: Participating in God’s Transformation of the World (IVP Academic, 2009), 278 pages, ISBN 9780830838530. With the massive growth in multimedia ministries, it might seem that preaching could go the way of vinyl LPs and telegrams. However, in The Glory of Preaching, Darrell W. Johnson not only aims…
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Kevin Greeson: The Camel
Kevin Greeson, The Camel: How Muslims Are Coming To Faith In Christ (Arkadelphia, AR: WIGTake Resources LLC, 2007), 210 pages, ISBN 9780974756295. The Camel is a book of both testimony and teaching. The author shows us that God is at work among Muslims, he also shows us some things that we can do that will…
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Andrew Clarke: A Pauline Theology of Church Leadership
Andrew D. Clarke, A Pauline Theology of Church Leadership (New York: T & T Clark, 2008), 189 pages, ISBN 9780567045607. This work is important for those considering how best to ‘do church’ and who are also seeking after a Biblical model of leadership. The volume, a theological monograph in the Library of New Testament…
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Shepherds and Sheepdogs
Every shepherd needs a sheepdog. Knowing this, God sends them.
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Paradigm for Pentecostal Preaching
What are the marks of biblical and Spirit-filled preaching?
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Phyllis Tickle: The Great Emergence
Phyllis Tickle, The Great Emergence: How Christianity Is Changing and Why (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2008), 173 pages, ISBN 9780801013133. Chances are you have heard of Phyllis Tickle. As the founder of the religion department of Publishers Weekly, the author of at least two dozen books, and a popular speaker on religion in America, Tickle’s latest…
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Greg Heisler: Spirit-Led Preaching
Greg Heisler, Spirit-Led Preaching: the Holy Spirit’s Role in Sermon Preparation and Delivery (Nashville: B & H Academic, 2007), 156 pages, ISBN 9780805443882. Every Pentecostal minister should read this book. We Pentecostals agree strongly with Heisler when he says that the anointing of the Holy Spirit is very important in preaching. He strikes a…
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Blaine Allen: When People Throw Stones
Blaine Allen, When People Throw Stones: A Leader’s Guide to Fielding Personal Criticism (Kregel, 2005), 176 pages, ISBN 978-0825420146. Blaine Allen’s book, When People Throw Stones, is important and necessary. The ugly truth is that Christian service has downsides. All too often, the chief downside is criticism. The book is organized in ten chapters;…
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Harriet Harris: Fundamentalism and Evangelicals
Harriet A. Harris, Fundamentalism and Evangelicals (Oxford Theological Monographs; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998 [2008 in paperback]), 400 pages, ISBN 9780199532537. Fundamentalism and Evangelicals is a revealing and fascinating book. Harris gives a close and objective reading of the evidence that modern evangelicalism is ruled by a fundamentalist mindset, which, as Harris defines it,…
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David A. Livermore: Cultural Intelligence
David A. Livermore, Cultural Intelligence: Improving your CQ to Engage our Multicultural World (Baker Academic, 2009), 288 pages, ISBN 9780801035890. What is ‘cultural intelligence’ and why is it important? In today’s multicultural and multilingual world, it is more necessary than ever for church leaders and lay believers to learn how to express “love and…
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Andrew Schmutzer: A Theology of Sexual Abuse: A Reflection on Creation and Devastation
Andrew J. Schmutzer, “A Theology of Sexual Abuse: A Reflection on Creation and Devastation” JETS 51:4 (Dec 2008). In what follows I plan to intersperse a review of Andrew J. Schmutzer’s “A Theology of Sexual Abuse: A Reflection on Creation and Devastation,” with my own reflections as both a survivor of sexual abuse and…
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Philip’s Daughters
Estrelda Alexander and Amos Yong, eds., Philip’s Daughters: Women in Pentecostal-Charismatic Leadership, Princeton Theological Monograph Series (Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2009), 251 pages, ISBN 9781556358326. Looking for a historical, biblical, theological, and even philosophical discussion about Pentecostal Charismatic (PC) women in ministry? This collection of twelve essays that resulted from a series of colloquia in…
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Forming the Life of the Congregation Through Music
Part One: Three Questions All churches come together to sing, and most Christians would readily affirm that this shared musical practice is a significant element in spiritual life. Yet the exact manner in which music exerts powers of spiritual formation may seem amorphous and elusive. I will approach the subject by asking three questions:…
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Stephen Hill: Would the Real Apostles Please Stand Up?
Stephen W. Hill, “Would the Real Apostles Please Stand Up?: The truth about apostles, authority and the kingdom of God” Ministry Today (Jan 2009), p. 68-72. This rather brief article is an attempt by Stephen Hill to question the pre-eminence given to apostles in churches today. Hill begins this task by recalling for the…
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Wayne Cordeiro: Leading on Empty
Wayne Cordeiro, Leading on Empty: Refilling Your Tank and Renewing Your Passion (Minneapolis; Bethany House, 2009), 213 pages, ISBN 9780764203503. I know this author well. He is my pastor, and I love him. I am 22 years his senior and have been on his pastoral staff since 1995, longer than any other pastor still…
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What Kind of Spirit Are We Really Of? A Pentecostal Approach to Interfaith Forgiveness and Interreligious Reconciliation
Becoming agents of reconciliation that glorify Jesus, not compromise His Gospel. Introduction An especially fruitful interfaith dialogue I was recently privileged to participate in released a cooperative statement containing several descriptive suggestions about the nature of religion and the religions. Among other things, it admitted that “religion has often been used, rather misused,…
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Graham H. Twelftree: In the Name of Jesus
Graham H. Twelftree, In the Name of Jesus: Exorcism among Early Christians (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), 352 pages, ISBN 9780801027451. The world’s leading expert in the subject of exorcism in the Jesus tradition has now turned to exorcism in the early church, covering the period from the earliest traditions to the end of the…
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Maria Cimperman: When God’s People Have HIV/AIDS
Maria Cimperman, When God’s People Have HIV/AIDS: An Approach to Ethics (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2005), 159 pages, ISBN 9781570756238. How should Christians affected by HIV/AIDS be understood? Maria Cimperman, an Ursuline sister, challenges the church to view those affected or threatened by the pandemic as God’s children in need of help—just as…
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Amos Yong: Hospitality and the Other
Amos Yong, Hospitality & the Other: Pentecost, Christian Practices, and the Neighbor, Faith Meets Faith Series (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2008), xvii + 169, ISBN 9781570757723. The theology and literature of hospitality is a hot topic. Over the last decade a plethora of theses, dissertations, monographs, books, and articles, whether scholarly or popular, sacred or…
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Communicating and Ministering the Power of the Gospel Cross-culturally: The Power of God for Christians Who Ride Two Horses
There are consequences to a powerless Gospel, yet there is a way forward. Communicating and Ministering the Power of the Gospel Cross-culturally: The Power of God for Christians Who Ride Two Horses By Charles and Marguerite Kraft “Man of God, we will beat you,” the demon said, “because your people ride two horses.”…
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Winter 2009: Suggested Reading
Suggestions for Further Reading Ed Stetzer, “Writing on the Wall: The Future of the Church and Its Mission” Enrichment (Spring 2008), pages 36-41. http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200802/200802_036_Writing.cfm Scot McKnight, “The Ironic Faith of Emergents: McLaren shows us not only where ‘post-evangelicals’ are going, but also how they get there.” Christianity Today (September 2008). http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2008/september/39.62.html …
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Donald Sunukjian: Invitation To Biblical Preaching
Donald R. Sunukjian, Invitation To Biblical Preaching: Proclaiming Truth with Clarity and Relevance (Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic & Professional, 2007), 375 pages, ISBN 9780825436666. This book is about the application of the Biblical text—moving from the Biblical text to where people live today, “the take home truth.” This book is very good on pulpit…
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Eric Redmond: Where Are All the Brothers?
Eric Redmond, Where Are All the Brothers?: Straight Answers to Men’s Questions about the Church (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 112 pages, ISBN 9781433501784. Where Are All The Brothers? Growing up in the Black church, I asked myself the question, more than once. The follow-on question is just as hard: “If there aren’t any men here,…
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A Movement Actually on the Move: An Appreciative Response to An Evangelical Manifesto
There seems to be a move by some Evangelicals to engage more effectively today’s culture and society. This has been building for some time. Neither do these appear to be isolated incidents. Several Evangelicals are moving in similar directions. “An Evangelical Manifesto: A Declaration of Evangelical Identity and Public Commitment” (see www.evangelicalmanifesto.com) is an…
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Paul Elbert: Pastoral Letter to Theo
Paul Elbert, Pastoral Letter to Theo: An Introduction to Interpretation and Women’s Ministries (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2008), xxiv + 97 pages, ISBN 9781556355462. Is it possible that basic hermeneutical principles are violated in an effort to be politically correct in modern society? Some women have felt betrayed or underutilized in the church…
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Becoming All Things, Spoiling the Egyptians, and Occupying Culture till Christ Comes
Reflections on the Recent Postmodernism Conversation: Pastor Tony Richie wraps up our discussion on how the church should respond to postmodernism. Introduction and Overview The editorial staff of Pneuma Review (PR) is to be commended for its facilitation of this conversation about “Postmodernism, the Church and the Future” through a series of interactive…
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Marty Stevens: Temples, Tithes, and Taxes
Marty E. Stevens, Temples, Tithes, and Taxes: The Temple and the Economic Life of Ancient Israel (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2006), 209 pages, ISBN 9781565639348. Marty Stevens’s Temples, Tithes, and Taxes is a wonderful book on a subject that can be really difficult. We all owe a tremendous debt to those who wade through the…
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Mark Driscoll: A Book You Will Actually Read On Church Leadership
Mark Driscoll, A Book You Will Actually Read On Church Leadership (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008), 96 pages, ISBN 9781433501371 Christians and even churches seem to find traditional NT leadership issues a bit boring, if not irrelevant, to modern church culture. An ever increasing trend in developing leadership teams is to adapt a more corporate style of…
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Ministry in India: 2008 Report
India is a complex and diverse nation. People are trapped in tradition, superstition, and religions that do not promise any hope of eternal life. Hindus believe in re-incarnation: that one is re-born several times. While westerners go in search of truth through meditation, and follow Hindu spiritual leaders, their teachings have not helped the average…
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Fall 2008: Suggested Reading
Suggestions and Comments from Readers Reader T.S. writes: I thought this critique of postmodern thinking on today’s college campuses was insightful: “The postmodern idolatry is that all spiritual ways of life lead to the same place. Any local truth is a valid truth. In the postmodern mind, they’re all paths to being…
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Pentecostals Needed: New NCC Director Partners with Pentecostals
Explanatory Note: Dr. Antonios Kireopoulos, a Greek Orthodox theologian, formerly Associate General Secretary for International Affairs and Peace at the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, was recently (January 1, 2008) appointed Senior Program Director for Faith & Order and Interfaith Relations at the NCC. The following is an exclusive…
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The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity
Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, revised and expanded edition (New York: Oxford, 2007), 316 pages, ISBN 9780195183078. Philip Jenkins’ award winning study of developments in Christianity outside of the Western hemisphere should be riveting reading for anyone interested in the future of Christianity and of Christian ministry. It particularly informs…
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Terry L. Cross: Answering the Call in the Spirit: Pentecostal Reflections on a Theology of Vocation, Work and Life
Terry L. Cross, Answering the Call in the Spirit: Pentecostal Reflections on a Theology of Vocation, Work and Life (Cleveland, TN: Lee University Press, 2007), 164 pages, ISBN 9781596843301. The author’s stated purpose is “expanding the definition of calling” (p. 6) as understood in traditional Pentecostal theology and to “show that a theology of calling…
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Invading Secular Space: Strategies for Tomorrow’s Church
Martin Robinson & Dwight Smith, Invading Secular Space: Strategies for Tomorrow’s Church (Grand Rapids: Monarch Books, 2003), 221 pages, ISBN 9780825460500. This book assesses the crisis of the Western church and proposes strategies for recovering the missional character of the church. According to Robinson and Smith, the mission of the church in the apostolic period…
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Bridges To People: Communicating Jesus to People and Growing Missional Churches in a Multi-Ethnic World
Sean S. O’Neal, Bridges To People: Communicating Jesus to People and Growing Missional Churches in a Multi-Ethnic World (Xulon Press, 2007), 288 pages, ISBN 9781602662681. My longtime friend, mentor and colleague, Sean O’Neal, who serves as the Director of Evangelism and Youth Ministries for the Church of God California/Nevada State Executive Office, has published…
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Brian McLaren’s A Generous Orthodoxy, reviewed by Raul Mock
Brian D. McLaren, A Generous Orthodoxy: Why I am a missional +evangelical +post/protestant +liberal/conservative +mystical/poetic +biblical +charismatic/contemplative +fundamentalist/calvinist +anabaptist/anglican +methodist +catholic +green +international +depressed-yet-hopeful +emergent +unfinished Christian (Zondervan/Youth Specialties, 2004), 297 pages, ISBN 0310257476 No reader of this book will finish it unaffected. Critics of McLaren or the emergent conversation will have more disdain and…
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Summer 2008: Suggested Reading
Suggestions for Further Reading Tim Keel, “An Efficient Gospel?: The modern world was inclined toward reduction, efficiency, and things you can count” Leadership Journal (Winter 2008). http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2008/001/3.19.html Earl G. Creps, “Moving Target: Reframing Discipleship for Postmoderns” Enrichment (Winter 2008), pages 68-73. http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200801/200801_068_MovTarget.cfm TS says, “Christianity Today has a number of…
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A New Kind of Church for a New Kind of World, by Frank Viola
The modern era has past us by. Modernism stood in stark contradiction to the Christian faith. It asserted that man’s scientific and objective knowledge could save the problems of the world. God wasn’t necessary. In fact, according to the tenants of modernism, God didn’t even exist. Why? Because modernism arrogantly taught that only…
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Response from Winfield Bevins
I do have a few things to say about the postmodern discussion in The Pneuma Review. In my opinion, there has not been given any practical or relevant answers for how the church should engage our postmodern world. Many of the panelists have dealt with theory and not praxis. In many ways, there…
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Is the Reformation Over?
Mark A. Noll and Carolyn Nystrom, Is the Reformation Over?: An Evangelical Assessment of Contemporary Roman Catholicism (Baker Academic, 2005), 272 pages, ISBN 0801027977. “Is the Reformation Over?” This is the question raised in a recent book by Mark Noll and Carolyn Nystrom. In this work, the authors do not attempt a “final” or…
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David Ravenhill: Surviving the Anointing
David Ravenhill, Surviving the Anointing: Learning to Effectively Experience and Walk In God’s Power (Shippensburg, PA: Destiny Image, 2007), 198 pages, ISBN 0768424437. David Ravenhill, son of the late Leonard Ravenhill, served in pastoral ministry for a number of years, in more recent times he has embarked on an itinerant preaching ministry. Surviving the…
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Spring 2008: Suggested Reading
Suggestions for Further Reading Readers have suggested the following as places to find good articles online for further reading on this important subject. Brian McLaren, “Good Marginal Thinking: The heroes of church history began as reflective Christians who doubted what everyone else took for granted” Leadership Journal (Fall 2007). http://www.christianitytoday.com/le/2007/004/14.110.html …
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Answers to Questions with Philip Ryken
Note from the Editors: Pastor Ryken has graciously taken time to answer questions that readers of this discussion have raised about how the church should respond to postmodernism. Question from reader: Why does it seem that some of the great themes of the past are fading from emphasis? What happened to Hell, lostness…
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Orthodox and Wesleyan Scriptural Understanding and Practice
S. T. Kimbrough, Jr., ed., Orthodox and Wesleyan Scriptural Understanding and Practice (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2005), 330 pages. “I sit down alone: only God is here; in His presence I open and read this book to find the way to heaven” – John Wesley Our search for the theological and practical…
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Daniel Tomberlin: Encountering God at the Altar
Daniel Tomberlin, Encountering God at the Altar: The Sacraments in Pentecostal Worship (Cleveland, TN: Center for Pentecostal Leadership and Care, 2006). Since the beginning of the Pentecostal movement, experiencing the Spirit of God has been central to Pentecostals in both private and corporate worship. When it comes to congregational worship, Pentecostals have critiqued what…
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Glocal Church Ministry
Mark Galli, interviewer, “Glocal Church Ministry: Bob Roberts has an idea that may change American congregations, if not the world” Christianity Today (July 2007), pages 42-46. I have often thought of the concept of glocalzation and questioned myself, “In what ways does a local church become global?” On one hand, the local church does not…
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David Buschart: Exploring Protestant Traditions
W. David Buschart, Exploring Protestant Traditions: An Invitation to Theological Hospitality (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 373 pages, ISBN: 083082832X. This book skillfully explores a number of contemporary Protestant traditions by tracing their historical and ecclesiastical backgrounds, their theological and hermeneutical methods, and their characteristic beliefs. Buschart offers the reader “an invitation to theological…
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Winter 2008: Suggested Reading
Suggestions for Further Reading Readers have suggested the following as places to find good articles online for further reading on this important subject. Robert C. Kurka, “Before ‘Foundationalism’: A More Biblical Alternative to the Grenz/Franke Proposal for Doing Theology” JETS 50:1 (March 2007). Albert Mohler, “Christian Apologetics for a Postmodern…
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The Myth of Relativism: Christianity in a Postmodern World
Professor Carter unpacks what relativism is to give us a better understanding of what postmodernism really is. We are told frequently today that the great problem of the postmodern world is relativism. This problem is said to take two related forms: moral relativism and epistemological relativism. The first says that there are no…
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Gospel Riches: Africa’s rapid embrace of prosperity Pentecostalism provokes concern – and hope
Isaac Phiri and Joe Maxwell, “Gospel Riches: Africa’s rapid embrace of prosperity Pentecostalism provokes concern—and hope” Christianity Today (July 2007), pages 22-29. Does faith bring wealth? The 2006 Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life study asked if God would “grant material prosperity to all believers who have enough faith” (24). Nearly nine out…
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Fall 2007: Suggested Reading
Suggestions for Further Reading ♦ Rick Wade, “Confident Belief: What Does it Mean to Know Truth?” PneumaReview.com/confident-belief-what-does-it-mean-to-know-truth/ Please add your comments, questions, and suggestions below.
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Dennis Cahill: The Shape of Preaching
Dennis M. Cahill, The Shape of Preaching: Theory and Practice in Sermon Design (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker, 2007), 175 pages. Cahill builds this book on the foundation of master-preacher predecessors. He gleans from Haddon Robinson, Fred Craddock, David Buttrick, and other notable contemporary preaching coaches to fortify this how-to book on sermon preparation. Cahill…
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Effectively Engaging Pluralism and Postmodernism in a So-Called Post-Christian Culture
A Review Essay of Lesslie Newbigin’s The Gospel in a Pluralist Society. “Pluralist!” “Postmodern!” Lately these two terms are increasingly, and sometimes carelessly, bandied about as especially descriptive of the present age. They signify such complex concepts that sometimes even defining the terminology can be difficult. To make matters even more intimidating for many…
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From Babel to Pentecost: Proclamation, Translation, and the Risk of the Spirit
Can postmodernism tell us something about how the church is to function, how we tell the story of Jesus, and how the Spirit works in our lives? The wind (pneuma) blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes….
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Summer 2007: Suggested Reading
Suggestions for Further Reading Readers have suggested the following as places to find good articles online for further reading on this important subject. Crystal Downing, “Yolking With Postmodernism: Where is postmodern culture headed? Two recent films, Chicken Run and The X-Men, suggest a neo-Romantic turn” Books & Culture (October 9, 2000). http://www.booksandculture.com/articles/webexclusives/2000/october/oct09.html Scot…
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Thomas Long: Preaching and the Literary Forms of the Bible
Thomas G. Long, Preaching and the Literary Forms of the Bible (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1989), 144 pages. I recommend this book to all preachers who are serious about being true to the specific genres within the Scriptural text. Applying the principles in this book will help you in your preaching ministry and open up…
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Spring 2007: Suggested Reading
Suggestions for Further Reading Although there are numerous scholarly papers that have been written on the subject of the church and postmodernism, here are some that readers have suggested. ♦ Stanley J. Grenz, “Beyond Foundationalism: Is a Nonfoundationalist Evangelical Theology Possible?” http://www.luthersem.edu/ctrf/Papers/1998_grenz.pdf [as of Oct 14, 2014] ♦ D. Lyle Dabney, “The…
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Thomas C. Oden: Turning around the Mainline
Thomas C. Oden, Turning around the Mainline: How Renewal Movements are Changing the Church (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006), 270 pages. This latest book by Thomas C. Oden gathers together for the first time the prevailing themes and documents of the confessing and renewal movements within mainline denominations. It also includes a case study concerning the…
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David J. Hesselgrave: Paradigms in Conflict
David J. Hesselgrave, Paradigms in Conflict: 10 Key Questions in Christian Missions Today (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2005), 368 pages, ISBN 9780825427701. It is rare to find a very readable and theologically sound volume that examines current missiological issues perceptively with historical backgrounds, biblical exegesis, and practical insight by a recognized giant in the field. David…
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Postmodern Rebels
Almost one hundred years ago, Pentecostalism emerged as a rejection of the current social structure. Sin, corruption and lack of holiness were pervasive, spreading not only throughout society, but also establishing strongholds within the mainstream denominations. With its Wesleyan holiness roots, Pentecostalism took an open stand against the sin that ruled both the…
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John Mortensen on Triumphalistic Worship
Responding to the “Other Significant Article” review of John Mortensen’s “How Then Shall We Write?” Editor’s Note: that link to the full issue is http://vineyardusa.org/site/files/cutting-edge/06-Spring-Worship.pdf [updated Dec 11, 2104] I followed the link included at the end of the brief review for the article: John Mortensen, “How Then Shall We Write? A Guide…
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Retro Faith: A Christian Response to Postmodernism
Bob Dylan wrote a song in the 1960’s entitled “The Times They are A-Changin” that describes the changing times that we now live in. Change is all around us. There is rapid development and technology such as the world has never seen before. In the past 100 years we have learned how to…
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Austin Tucker: A Primer for Pastors
Austin B. Tucker, A Primer for Pastors: A Handbook for Strengthening Ministry Skills (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 2004), 221 pages, ISBN 9780825438868. This book is “A Handbook for Strengthening Ministry Skills,” it is a guide full of good counsel about what pastors will encounter in their careers. Pastor Tucker writes from the perspective of one who…
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Emerge or Submerge
Is “cultural relevance” an effective and theologically sound wineskin for the emergent church or is it moving Christianity toward oblivion? I remember right where I was sitting. The 5 of us gathered in the coffee shop were the executive team of a para-church ministry that was really interested in re-inventing itself for ministry…
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Editor Introduction: Postmodernism, The Church, and The Future
How should the church respond to postmodernism? With great anticipation and some caution, I am pleased to announce the beginning of our discussion on Postmodernism, the Church, and the Future. As North American culture has become increasingly postmodern, some church leaders have perceived this shift to be a threat and others an opportunity. Church…
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Three Views on Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism
Stanley N. Gundry and James Stamoolis, eds., Three Views on Eastern Orthodoxy and Evangelicalism, Counterpoints (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 294 pages. This book is a fine addition to Zondervan’s Counterpoint series, in which controversial theological issues are examined from a variety of stances by reputable scholars and/or denominational leaders. This particular book offers a…
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Wolves or Tares?
In this review essay, Father William De Arteaga responds to Episcopal Bishop Edward Little’s article “Living with Tares: Why I stay in a Church that has seriously strayed from biblical teaching” that appeared in the March 2006 issue of Christianity Today. Edward S. Little II, “Living with Tares: Why I stay in a…
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Preaching to Every Pew, reviewed by Aldwin Ragoonath
James R Nieman and Thomas G Rogers, Preaching to Every Pew: Cross-Cultural Strategies (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2001), 159 pages, ISBN 9780800632434. This book is a “must-read” for every city church pastor because most city congregations have become multicultural. I have found in my own study that the majority of Pentecostal churches are racially, ethnically…
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Arturo Azurdia: Spirit Empowered Preaching
Arturo G. Azurdia III, Spirit Empowered Preaching: Involving the Holy Spirit in your Ministry (Great Britain: Christian Focus Publications, 1998), 192 pages. Arturo Azurdia III graduated from Westminster Theological Seminary, California, in 1998 with a Doctor of Ministry in Preaching degree. Azurdia’s book was a requirement for his graduation. (Westminster does not usually allow…
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Voyle Glover: Protecting Your Church Against Sexual Predators
Voyle Glover, Protecting Your Church Against Sexual Predators: Legal FAQs for Church Leaders (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel, 2005), 133 pages. The author of Protecting Your Church Against Sexual Predators is a lawyer. It is no surprise then, that the book is first and foremost a legal primer – one intended to help pastors and…
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Bill Hull: It’s Just Not Working
Bill Hull, “It’s Just Not Working” Leadership (Summer 2005), pages 26-28. Bill Hull challenges the philosophical foundation upon which many ministries are based. We live today in a world where the church attendance number—that one number—allegedly speaks volumes about that church, its leaders, and its mission. The undue importance of that number should be seriously…
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Precedents and Possibilities: Pentecostal Perspectives on World Religions
An introduction to theology of religions: Pentecostal/charismatic leaders cannot afford to ignore the fact of religious pluralism. How should we engage people of other religions in such a way as to share the love of Jesus without compromising the message?
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Carl Raschke: The Next Reformation
Carl Raschke, The Next Reformation: Why Evangelicals Must Embrace Postmodernity (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 235 pages. Perhaps no other word is feared (or misunderstood) by evangelicals in the current theological vocabulary than postmodernism. Read most any evangelical Christian publication and you will read some article or editorial warning about the dangers of postmodernity….
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Praying for Mission
The beginnings of the CRC church in Wollongong were soaked in prayer. As the pastoral team ministered to God, they sensed the need to call the congregation to all-night prayer gatherings. Beginning around 8 p.m. on Saturday nights, intercessors persevered until daybreak. In those times of prayer, praise and proclamation, the Spirit often spoke…
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Harold Netland: Encountering Religious Pluralism
Harold Netland, Encountering Religious Pluralism: The Challenge to Christian Faith & Mission (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2001), 368 pages. Netland capably considers all the angles for a thorough study achieving an informed, sophisticated, and faithfully Evangelical theology of religions. This is a must read for anyone seriously studying theology of religions within the bounds…
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Aldwin Ragoonath: Preach the Word, reviewed by Thomas Long
Aldwin Ragoonath, Preach the Word: A Pentecostal Approach (Agape Teaching Ministry, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 2004) 246 pages, ISBN 9780973446807. Aldwin Ragoonath, a Canadian pastor and homiletician in the Pentecostal tradition and a participant in the Academy of Homiletics, has written a book that is shaped as a basic preaching textbook but that also serves as…
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Online Evangelism in a Secular Culture
How can we use the internet to effectively introduce people to Jesus?
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David Murrow: Mild At Heart
David Murrow, “Mild At Heart: The disturbing exodus of men from the church, and how you can change it.” Ministries Today (May/June 2005, Vol 23, No. 3), pages 40-44, 46. David Murrow starts his article with statistics. They tell a poor story. Men make up less than 40% of U.S. Churches and that number…
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Ian Stackhouse: The Gospel-Driven Church
Ian Stackhouse, The Gospel-Driven Church: Retrieving Classical Ministry for Contemporary Revivalism (Milton Keynes, UK: Paternoster Press, 2004), 291 pages. This, in the words of the Foreword, “is the first in a series of books that reflect the work of an ecumenical conversation,” where Stackhouse reflects from his own, earlier Restorationist roots, on his own…
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C. Peter Wagner and Joseph Thompson: Out of Africa
C. Peter Wagner and Joseph Thompson, eds., Out of Africa: How the Spiritual Explosion Among Nigerians is Impacting the World (Ventura, CA: Regal, 2004), 219 pages, ISBN 9780830732920. Every once in a while, I get to review a “must read” book and this is one that every sensitive person in Christendom must read. I…
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Tim Keel: Naked in the Pulpit
Tim Keel, “Naked in the Pulpit: How my preaching became an act of intimacy” Leadership Journal (Winter 2005). What a scary thought: being vulnerable to your congregation. Yet, this is the approach that Tim Keel suggests we pastors should take—a valuable suggestion indeed. Too often I find myself being more concerned with the passing…
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We Dare Not Fall: Dealing With the Peril of Clergy Sexual Misconduct
Stanley J. Grenz, “We Dare Not Fall: Dealing With the Peril of Clergy Sexual Misconduct.” Enrichment (Fall 2004), pages 38-47, 51. Sexual misconduct on the part of the clergy is fast becoming a national problem of epidemic proportions. In an over-sexed society, bombarded by sexual themes and images on all sides, increasing sexual misconduct on…
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Michael Brown: Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus
Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Vols. 1-3 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000 and 2003). When you encounter a Jewish man or woman willing to enter into a dialogue about Jesus, and you face the inevitable hurdles many Jewish people can raise, would it not be nice to have resources that could provide…
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Andrew Clarke: Serve the Community of the Church
Andrew D. Clarke, Serve the Community of the Church: Christians as Leaders and Ministers (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 305 pages. Clarke’s interest lies in discerning the attitude towards leadership in the early church, in New Testament times. Rejecting the traditional, protestant position that the early church was essentially a charismatic community which, through time,…
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Practical Theology: Charismatic and Empirical Perspectives
Mark L. Cartledge, Practical Theology: Charismatic and Empirical Perspectives (Carlisle, Cumbria, UK: Paternoster Press, 2003), 271 + xiv pages. Theology. Charismatic spirituality. Sociology. Theories of knowledge and truth. Heady topics which Mark Cartledge has successfully integrated into one book, “Practical Theology,” one of the newest volumes in the continuing series “Studies in Pentecostal and Charismatic…
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John the Baptist and the Prophetic Spirit of Pentecost
In this article, Professor James Hernando is sure to challenge you with the urgency and mandate of prophetic preaching. But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voice and declared to them: “Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you and give heed to…
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Earl Creps: Fighting the Future
Earl Creps, “Fighting the Future: What’s in store for the charismatic/Pentecostal movement: adaptation or extinction?” Ministries Today (Jul/Aug 2004), pages 50-54. A fight for survival? An exciting challenge? The culture in North America has experienced a significant shift. Many call this new philosophy of life “postmodernism,” even if using such labels recall the old…
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Brian McLaren: Emerging Values
Brian D. McLaren, “Emerging Values: The next generation is redefining spiritual formation, community, and mission” Leadership (Summer 2003), pages 34-39. What are the values of the thirty-somethings entering ministry today? Brian McLaren says that there is a lot to be hopeful about in the emerging Christian leaders who grew up in a postmodern culture….
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Empowered to Serve: an interview with French L. Arrington
Pneuma Review: How do you feel the Pentecostal/charismatic church today is doing at understanding and effectively communicating the teachings of the Bible? What can leaders do to improve? French Arrington: Generally speaking Pentecostal/charismatic preaching and teaching is not substantive in biblical content. In making this observation I must ask, however, what sector is being…
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Martyn Percy: Power and the Church
Martyn Percy, Power and the Church: Ecclesiology in an Age of Transition (London and Herndon, Va.: Cassell, 1998), xv + 239 pages, ISBN 9780304701070. Widely published in the area of conservative religion in general and conservative Christianity in particular, theologian Martyn Percy turns in this book to questions concerning the nature of power in…
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Rick Warren: Pastors Who Lead the Way
Rick Warren, “Pastors Who Lead the Way” Enrichment 9:1 (Winter 2004). “The good news is that while we may never achieve excellence in administration, we can learn to lead the way.” In this article, Rick Warren states that he knows his leadership style. He is the big picture, vision-casting leader. Details do not appeal…
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Robert Bowman: The Word-Faith Controversy
Robert M. Bowman, Jr., The Word-Faith Controversy: Understanding the Health and Wealth Gospel (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001), 254 pages, ISBN 9780801063442. When I came across Bowman’s book The Word-Faith Controversy, I was very interested in his approach and conclusions because I had earlier done my Th.D. dissertation on nineteenth and twentieth century “faith theologies.”…
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Amos Yong: Beyond the Impasse
Amos Yong, Beyond the Impasse: Toward a Pneumatological Theology of Religions (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003), 192 pages, ISBN 9780801026126. The goal of this thorough and erudite book by Amos Yong is explicit in the title, Beyond the Impasse, the impasse in question being the Christological question that throws up immediate blockades to inter-faith…
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Jack Hayford: Practicing What We Preach
Jack W. Hayford, “Practicing What We Preach” Ministries Today (Nov/Dec 2003), pages 22–27. Jack Hayford sees the church in a moral crisis. “Favoritism, greed, shoddy morals and shady ethics have found a comfortable home in the church. At the same time, both inside and outside the church there is a rise in intolerance towards…
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Adrienne Gaines: Punching Prejudice
Adrienne S. Gaines, “Punching Prejudice” Ministries Today (July/August 2003), pages 30-34. When Scott Hagan became pastor Grand Rapids First Assembly of God (Grand Rapids, Michigan) he was aware of the city’s racially troubled past. It was in that same city in 1947 that “the Assemblies of God General Council made an infamous decision against…
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Encouraging the Team
“Encouraging the Team” by Rick Kamrath. From the Worship Leader series. No matter what kind of team, and for whatever purposes the team exists, (ministry, sports, business, etc.), individual players are likely to perform better if they receive encouragement from their leadership. In a worship band, this is often vital to success. Ideally, a worship…
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John Eckhardt: Can a Christian Have a Demon?
John Eckhardt, “Can a Christian Have a Demon?” Charisma (March 2003), pages 66-68. The subtitle of John Eckhardt’s article states, “Church people have been arguing for years over the issue of deliverance. I think that it is time to stop arguing and start setting people free.” He then relates how his church used to…
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H. B. London: Stemming the Tide of Clergy Fallout
H. B. London Jr., “Stemming the Tide of Clergy Fallout: Lessons from a Marriage” Enrichment (Winter 2003), pages 42-51. Dr. London and the pastoral ministry team at Focus on the Family take an insightful look at the contemporary problem of ministers leaving the ministry. They take the rich picture of marriage and compare it…
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Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches and Ecumenism: An Interview with Mel Robeck
A conversation with Professor and Pentecostal Statesman Cecil M. Robeck, Jr. PneumaReview.com: As a Pentecostal, how do you define ecumenism? Mel Robeck: The term “ecumenism” is derived from the Greek word oikoumene, which comes from the noun, oikos. The basic meaning of oikos is “house,” and by extension, oikoumene refers to those things,…
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Doug Murren: Churches that Heal
Doug Murren, Churches that Heal: Becoming a Church That Mends Broken Hearts and Restores Shattered Lives (W. Monroe, LA: Howard Publishing Company, 1999), 256 pages. The church needs to be about the work of healing people. Churches need to be places where the whole gospel is heard and people are wholly restored to what…
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Highlights from European Pentecostal Theological Association 2002
The 24th annual EPTA (European Pentecostal Theological Association) conference was held on the campus of Continental Theological Seminary, located in Sint-Pieters Leeuw, Belgium – just a few miles outside the city of Brussels. More than 60 individuals attended the conference. The conference theme, “Pentecostal Education in the 21st. century: Promises and Challenges”, was initiated by…
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Two Views On Women in Ministry
James Beck and Craig Blomberg, eds., Two Views On Women in Ministry (Zondervan, 2001), 383 pages. In the first century the apostles had to struggle with the Gentiles. Can they be accepted as equals in the faith? Can they be raised to positions of deacons, overseers, and elders? Can a Gentile actually be ordained…
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State of the Church 2002
Half of the Churches in America are growing have fewer than 100 participating adults (25% have less than 50) are located in a rural or small town setting Less than 10% of all churches in America have more than 1000 in attendance. Keys to Growth Growing churches report that they: welcome change have cultural affinity—finding…
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Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future (Part 5 of 5) by Amos Yong
Amos Yong challenges classical Pentecostals to re-examine what ecumenism really is. V. Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Future Prospects and Tasks My conclusion is that Pentecostals need the larger Church even as the larger Church needs Pentecostalism. Thus, the quest for a biblically based and Spirit inspired Christian unity must include both movements. In this last section…
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James Edwards: A Unity Not of Our Making
James R. Edwards, “A Unity Not of Our Making” Christianity Today (Vol 45, No 10, August 6, 2001), pp. 48-50. “Unity in Diversity” has become one of the most popular ecumenical catchphrases. Especially among Pentecostal churches, the phrase seems to open up ways to engage in ecumenical dialogue without threatening the ecclesial independence or…
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Compliments: Stumbling Blocks or Treasures of the Heart? by Rick Kamrath
From the Worship Leader Series Here’s a quiz: The service is ended. People are milling around and you are putting your equipment away. Suddenly a face appears in front of you with a look of total elation. “Worship was a-a-a-w-e-s-o-m-e!” they exclaim. Your answer? a) “Yes, I knew that the worship was awesome. But did…
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Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future (Part 4 of 5) by Amos Yong
Amos Yong challenges classical Pentecostals to re-examine what ecumenism really is. IV. Pentecostal Ecumenism: A Survey If it is true to say that Pentecostalism has always been ecumenical, it is also true to say that in certain respects, the ecumenical movement has always been “pentecostal.” In what follows, I want to tease out three elements…
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Should It Sound Like That?
From the Worship Leader series. “All the earth shall worship at the throne of the …BZZZZZ!” What in the world was that? All eyes turn to the previously unnoticed sound guy sitting sheepishly at the back of the church. Feedback, the wah-wahs, boominess in the lead vocalist—these sound distortions rivet everyone’s attention on the sound…
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Healthy Church Apostles: Every local church should have a healthy apostolic covering in order to be effective beyond its four walls
John Kelley with Paul Costa, “Healthy Church Apostles: Every local church should have a healthy apostolic covering in order to be effective beyond its four walls” Ministries Today (May/June 2001), pages 53-56. He was young in the Lord; rash and impulsive. He was also a born communicator, and immediately went out preaching and teaching, unencumbered…
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Lynn Anderson’s They Smell Like Sheep, reviewed by C. J. Halquist
Lynn Anderson, They Smell Like Sheep (West Monroe, Louisiana: Howard Publishing Co., 1997), 248 pages, ISBN 9781582292977. Shepherd and sheep. Pastor and congregation. Dr. Lynn Anderson has employed the age-old analogy of shepherds and sheep as a tool for teaching us pastors how to lead our congregations. In the busy-ness of our duties as a…
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Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future (Part 3 of 5) by Amos Yong
Amos Yong challenges classical Pentecostals to re-examine what ecumenism really is. III. Ecumenical Pentecostalism: A Historical Overview I hope to have shown that Pentecostal anti-ecumenism stems in part from theological convictions imported into rather than derived from the Pentecostal experience of the Spirit. Such importations have inhibited Pentecostals from a genuine understanding of what the…
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Power House: How Prayer Can Saturate the Life of Your Church
Alen Martin and Dian Ginter, “Power House: How Prayer Can Saturate the Life of Your Church,” Pray! (Issue 23, Mar/Apr 2001), pages 14-17. Looking for some practical advice on transforming your church into a house of prayer? This issue of Pray!, and this article in particular may offer the simple steps needed to get…
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God’s Heart for Unity
From the Worship Leader series. How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity (Psalm 133:1). When my teenage daughter walks out the door, and I say, “Drive safely” she looks at me and says, “Absolutely, Dad.” I reassure myself that I have really communicated. I assume she understands “Drive safely,” the…
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Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future (Part 2 of 5) by Amos Yong
Amos Yong challenges classical Pentecostals to re-examine what ecumenism really is. II. Classical Pentecostal Objections to Ecumenism Given this biblically defined ecumenism [Editor’s note: please see part 1 in the Winter 2001 issue], then, why is it that most Pentecostals remain staunchly anti-ecumenical? While many reasons have been given, three stand out as representing a…
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How to Birth Worship Leadership
More than 3000 years have passed since King David paused from his dancing to make a sacrifice as he transported the Ark of God the place of God’s enthroned Presence from its place of isolation to its place of prominence in the nations’ capital. However, history’s course has been marked much more by sacrifice than…
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Matthias Wenk: Community-Forming Power, reviewed by Amos Yong
Matthias Wenk, Community-Forming Power: The Socio-Ethical Role of the Spirit in Luke-Acts, Journal of Pentecostal Theology Supplemental Series 19 (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 2000), 368 pages, ISBN 9780567043504. Those who have been keeping abreast of the developments in biblical scholarship by Pentecostal scholars are in for a treat with this book. A pastor…
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Pastor’s Paraklesis: A Time of Confusion
Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had bricks for…
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Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future (Part 1 of 5) by Amos Yong
Amos Yong challenges classical Pentecostals to re-examine what ecumenism really is. Editor’s Introduction to “Pentecostalism and Ecumenism: Past, Present, and Future” I am pleased to present this important series by Professor Amos Yong. The subject of what ecumenism truly is and what it means to the Pentecostal/charismatic is an important one today. This article has…
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Ten Things I’ve Learned About Raising Up Worship Leaders
From the Worship Leader series. I like the “Five Step Discipleship model” I learned from John Wimber: Lead worship with a worship leader in training in attendance. Have that person play alongside you while you lead. Have that person lead while you play alongside him or her. Talk about the worship time afterward. Finish the…
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Jeff Bailey: Worship and Spirituality in the New World
Jeff Bailey, “Worship and Spirituality in the New World” Cutting Edge (Vol 4, No 2, Summer 2000), pages 16-18. Jeff Bailey, co-editor of Vineyard Churches’ (USA) church planting magazine Cutting Edge, has been interviewing and conversing with a number of postmodern theologians in the last few issues. In the July 2000 issue of Cutting…
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The Art of Exhortation
From the Worship Leader series. We must never assume that simply because people are gathered together in one place, they are necessarily ready to worship. They seem to be ready, but they must in fact be brought to a place of readiness. The people do not need whipping-they have been battered by the world…
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How to Work toward Racial Reconciliation
The “Memphis Miracle”* was a triumphant moment in the history of Pentecostal race relations in North America. But it was only a moment. Pastors and other church leaders returned to their places of ministry with a great deal of good will. They wanted to do the right thing, but they have not always known…
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Pastor’s Paraklesis: The Difference in Our Homes
Do we want the Holy Spirit in our homes? I was listening to a message preached by an evangelist that held services at Trinity Assembly of God in Mt. Morris, Michigan. As he was preaching about our desire to have the Holy Spirit in our homes, the Holy Spirit quickened a few thoughts in…
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Peter Wagner: Churchquake
C. Peter Wagner, Churchquake!: How the New Apostolic Reformation Is Shaking Up the Church As We Know It (Ventura, CA: Regal Publishers), 274 pages, ISBN 9780830719181. I started reading Peter Wagner’s books soon after he began to be published, and I took his class on ‘Signs and Wonders’ at Fuller Seminary. I recall some…
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A.D. 2000: State of the Church in America
As the rest of the world is experiencing unparalleled church and Christian growth, America has become an unchurched nation.
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Roger Olson: Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Arminian
Roger E. Olson, “Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Arminian: My Reformed friends sometimes treat me like the enemy, but actually we need each other,” Christianity Today (September 6, 1999), pages 87-94. Many remember the schism between George Whitefield and John Wesley as a microcosm of the debate between Calvinists and Arminians. Roger E Olson…
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Racial Reconciliation Manifesto
The Memphis Miracle was a meeting of North American Pentecostals in October of 1994 where the Racial Reconciliation Manifesto was drafted and signed and the Pentecostal Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA) Task Force was formed. Challenged by the reality of our racial divisions, we have been drawn by the Holy Spirit to Memphis,…
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The Memphis Manifesto: Five Years Later
On October 17-19, 1994 the leadership of the essentially all white Pentecostal Fellowship of the North America (PFNA) met in Memphis to confront its racial past and to meet with African American Pentecostals to establish an integrated fellowship. The result was a new organization known as the Pentecostal/Charismatic Churches of North America (PCCNA). As…
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Pastor’s Paraklesis: Keeping Alert
“And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent; the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor…
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Finding the Grace Gates
Marshall Shelley and Eric Reed, “Finding the Grace Gates: An interview with Pastor Joseph Garlington” Leadership (Spring 1999), pages 22-28. Pastor Garlington is the pastor of Covenant Church of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and a frequent speaker and worship leader at Promise Keeper events nationwide. “Finding the Grace Gates” focuses on the role of pastors as…
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John Maxwell and Jim Dornan: Becoming a Person of Influence
John Maxwell and Jim Dornan, Becoming a Person of Influence: How to Positively Impact the Lives of Others (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1997), 214 pages. In one of his latest of a growing list of writings, John Maxwell, pastor, conference speaker, and leadership mentor teams up with businessman Jim Dornan to write, Becoming a Person…
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Pastor’s Paraklesis: Character
Editor Note: This issue introduces an on-going word of exhortation from Pastor C. J. Halquist. He has served as a pastor for over 35 years in the Assemblies of God, serving the last 16 years at Central Assembly of God in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Pastor Halquist has been ministering to other shepherds and those…
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Keith Bailey: Servants in Charge
Keith M. Bailey, Servants in Charge: A Training Manual for Elders and Deacons (Camphill, PA: Christian Publications, 1979), 186 pages. One can find about as many a different ministry philosophies as there are church groups or denominations these days. Leadership styles and structures also seem to abound. Yet the Bible is quite clear on…
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Internet Resources
The Internet You probably already know that the Internet has become a tremendous resource to many pastors, professors and Bible students. It can be a seamless tool for research of all kinds, from locating a Bible school to looking up ancient sources. In this issue, just a few of the countless internet resources that…
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Do Full-Gospel Ministers Need Theology?
Pastor, scholar, businessman Larry Taylor shows that there is no need to fear theology and answers that there is a great need for a Biblical theology today.
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Crossroad Bible Institute: A Bible Institute for Prisoners
Have more effective Prison Ministry follow-up by utilizing this Institute devoted to training inmates in God’s Word. Ask anyone who has been involved in prison ministry what the biggest difficulty is and they will tell you: Follow-up. Nothing is a greater obstacle to effective ministry to the incarcerated than the inability to establish relationships with…
