Craig Keener, “Who Comes to Steal, Kill, and Destroy?: The ‘thief‘ may not be who you think it is” Christianity Today (April 2017).

Andrea Lathrop, “Going Deeper with God for All the Right Reasons: Why leaders should invest in their spiritual growth and how,” Influence (Feb/Mar 2017).

Roger E. Olson, “What Should Contemporary Evangelical Christians Think about the Reformation?” Patheos (March 28, 2017).

Caryn Rivadeneira, “How to Escape America’s Anger Problem” Christianity Today (March 2017).

The subtitle of this article urging that Jesus followers find Christian disciplines says: “In this rancorous post-election season, some women are turning to tried-and-true solutions.”

J. Lee Grady, “4 Ways People Misuse the Bible” Fire in My Bones (April 5, 2017).

Dan Van Veen, “Holy Spirit Confirms God’s Love for Teen” PE News (April 7, 2017).

A story of salvation and the Holy Spirit using xenoglossolalia to encourage a young immigrant. Thanks to John Lathrop for sharing this article.

“WCC and Pentecostals discuss discipleship and formation in California” (April 11, 2017).

PneumaReview.com writers Mel Robeck and Amos Yong participated in the six-day Joint Consultative Group between Pentecostals and the World Council of Churches.

Ryan Lambert, “Is Jesus the Jewish Messiah?: A summary of an important recent debate” First Fruits of Zion (April 18, 2017).

A torah observant Messianic Jew reflects on the recent debate in Atlanta between Rabbi Freitag and Dr. Michael Brown.

Jerry Root, “Cease Squirming and Know That I Am God: Why Don’t We Share the Gospel?: We share the gospel because men and women need to know they are loved by God” The Exchange (April 22, 2017).

Timothy George, “Fosdick’s Reformation” First Things (May 1, 2017).

William De Arteaga says, “Excellent summary and analysis of one of America’s premier liberal theologians.”

Matthew Bell, “The biggest megachurch on Earth and South Korea’s ‘crisis of evangelism’” PRI’s The World (May 1, 2017).

Cindy Wooden, “Pope plans Pentecost celebrations with charismatics and Pentecostals” CruxNow.com/Catholic News Service (May 2, 2017).

The subtitle reads, “Pope Francis, in a show of openness, invited Catholic charismatics and members of Pentecostal and Evangelical churches to Rome to join him in celebration of Pentecost and the 50th anniversary of the birth of the Catholic charismatic movement.”

Praying in the Spirit was first released in 1987. Now, thirty years later, it has been re-released in an updated and expanded edition. Robert Graves is eminently qualified to write about this subject because of his longstanding connections to the Pentecostal Movement. He is a member of the Society of Pentecostal Studies, has taught at an Assemblies of God College, and is the co-founder and President of the Foundation for Pentecostal Scholarship.

The book consists of a forward, preface, introduction, ten chapters, afterword, and four appendixes. As you read through this volume you will see that it contains some history, theology, practical instruction, and apologetics for the biblical practice of speaking in tongues. The historical element can be seen in the first chapter in which the author refers to a number of people from outside of the Pentecostal Movement who have spoken in tongues. The individuals mentioned were largely part of what is commonly called the Charismatic Movement; they came from both the mainline Protestant churches and the Roman Catholic Church. Some of the people mentioned include: Dennis Bennett, Terry Fullam, Michael Harper, Larry Christianson, Cardinal Suenens, and Kevin and Dorthy Ranaghan. Some of the theological content of the book can be seen in chapters given to a consideration of what some non-Charismatics are now saying about speaking in tongues (Chapter 2), a description of the effects of praying in the Spirit (chapter 3), and a description of the nature of the prayer language (chapter 5). Practical instruction is particularly evident in chapter 8, “How the Prayer Language Comes,” where Graves offers instruction, encouragement, and counsel about how one may enter into the biblical experience of speaking in tongues. The apologetic for the contemporary practice of speaking in tongues can be found in the appendixes. These appendixes make up almost half of the book and are much more academic in content than the chapters of the book. The appendixes are: “Foreign vs. Unknown Languages,” “When Will Tongues Cease?,” “The Acts-As-History Argument Against the Lukan Theme of Spirit-Baptism,” and “The Day Tongues Left the Leaders Speechless.” In the appendixes the reader will learn some of the ways that cessationists attempt to invalidate the present day practice of speaking in tongues. However, each of the arguments set forth by cessationists are soundly answered. Continuationists will surely find this section of the book very affirming. I have read much over the years about the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues but I learned some new things in this section of the book.

Author Robert W. Graves

This book has many commendable qualities. I enjoyed one statement made in the Introduction of the book. On page 1 it says “Someone has pointed out that the majority of the New Testament, if not all of it, was written by men who spoke in tongues.” This is a good point to keep in mind when considering this subject. Early Christian leaders spoke in tongues. The fact that this book is a re-release contributes to its value; it contains input from both older and more recent scholarship. One example of newer scholarship that is reflected in this volume is the inclusion of references to the works of New Testament scholar, Dr. Craig Keener. I was pleased to see that Graves devoted a chapter to the topic of singing in the Spirit. Continuationists, both Pentecostals and Charismatics, will for the most part enjoy this book. However, the author does set forth a scriptural truth that will challenge the practice in many Pentecostal and Charismatic gatherings. In many Spirit-filled gatherings when a person exercises the spiritual gift of speaking in tongues that requires interpretation (see 1 Cor. 12 and 14) the interpretation that comes forth is quite frequently a message from God. That is, God speaks to His people, encouraging or directing them. But Graves points out that Scripture does not teach that tongues and interpretation result in a message from God. The author calls the reader’s attention to the fact that the various words connected with speaking in tongues in 1 Corinthians 14, words like praise, and thanksgiving indicate that what is spoken is addressed to God not to men (pages109-110). Tongues and the interpretation of tongues taken together are not the same as the gift of prophecy, which is a word from God to His people 1 Cor. 14:3).

“Simplifying in the extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.”¹

“A massive intellectual revolution is taking place that is perhaps as great as that which marked off the modern world from the Middle Ages. The foundations of the modern world are collapsing, and we are entering a postmodern world. The principles forged during the Enlightenment (c. 1600-1780), which formed the foundations of the modern mentality, are crumbling.”²

The current situation, which is being referred to as postmodern, is intimately connected with the notion of metanarrative and its demise. Western civilization has, until recently shared a common story. This common story was not explicit, nor was it intentionally constructed. In the pre-modern period and in the modern period, Western civilization has held had a common story.

Such is no longer the case.

Definition

The word metanarrative is a compound word coming from the word “narrative” and the prefix “meta.” Narrative refers to story and meta has the meaning of “with, after, from”. Combined, they give the notion of going beyond the story. More familiar is the term metaphysics. Physics has to do the material composition of reality and its function. Metaphysics goes beyond physics to look at being or the essence of reality. It asks the questions such as “What is real?”, “What is ultimately real”?, and “What is man’s [sic] place in what is real?”³

Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, defines metanarrative as follows:

A metanarrative can include any grand, all-encompassing story, classic text, or archetypal account of the historical record. They can also provide a framework upon which an individual’s own experiences and thoughts may be ordered. These grand, all-encompassing stories are typically characterized by some form of ‘transcendent and universal truth’ in addition to an evolutionary tale of human existence (a story with a beginning, middle and an end). The majority of metanarratives tend to be relatively optimistic in their visions for human kind, some verge on utopian, but different schools of thought offer very differing accounts.⁵

Note the terms “grand”, “all-encompassing”, “classic”, and “archetypal.” One cannot overestimate the unifying role and nature of metanarratives.

Metanarrative and Worldview

Yesterday was Father’s Day. I am grateful for my father. He has always been fully present in my seven siblings’ and my life. We certainly credit his involvement, as well as mom’s participation for any good that we have experienced.

Thank God for parents!

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education convened a group of faith, education, and governmental leaders to discuss the national situation of fathers, families and education. I was humbled to join the conversation on behalf of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conferences’ Faith and Education Coalition.

In our conversation, it was evident that social scientific research and sacred texts agree that fathers are crucial figures in the life and development of children. Indeed, there is an opportunity for private-public partnerships (faith-based and governmental organizations) to address the dismal reality of absent fathers in our society.

The National Center for Fathering points to our society’s appalling extent of fatherlessness:

More than 20 million children live in a home without the physical presence of a father.  Millions more have dads who are physically present, but emotionally absent.  If it were classified as a disease, fatherlessness would be an epidemic worthy of attention as a national emergency.

To add to this research, a few years ago Prison Fellowship re-published a very thought-provoking article concerning children with fathers in prison. The article points out, in part:

There are 2.7 million children with a parent in prison or jail. Ninety-five percent (95%) of all inmates will eventually be released. Ninety-two percent (92%) of parents in prison are fathers. Most — 2 out of 3 inmates — will re-offend and be back in prison.

When it comes to fatherhood and prison, we are locking too many dads in jail with little to no help.

Yesterday, I preached the Father’s Day Sermon at Victory Church in Yorktown, Virginia. The title of the sermon was “Rise Up and Walk,” based on Acts 3:1–10.

1. The message explained that the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2was the Jesus’ name power in Acts 3 that Peter and John offered to the lame man;
2. The message challenged men to get up and get moving with their lives in the name of Jesus;
3. The message showed how in the text, the lame man needed other men to help him. Peter and John commanded the man to get up and walk and then gave the man a hand up.

They reached out to grab the man’s right hand because in Hebraic tradition, the right hand is the hand of power.

The lame man needed men to empower him to do what they commanded him to do. As a result, the lame man was able to do what he had never been able to do but always wanted to do.

This documentary, produced for the Public Broadcasting System, is a very fine introduction to the life, writings and influence of Reinhold Niebuhr, perhaps the most prominent and influential American theologian of the 20^th Century. His theology of social justice, peace and the sometimes tragic necessity for war, helped guide the leadership of World War II and the Cold War.

This documentary by Martin Doblmeier includes a wonderful series of photos of Niebuhr’s life and teaching career at Union Theological Seminary. It has multiple commentaries from a wide range of Niebuhr’s admirers such as David Brooks (conservative commentator for the New York Times) Andy Young (Civil Rights leader of the 1970s) various contemporary theologians and two presidents, Obama and Carter.

It is a balanced and fair presentation, and I heartily recommend it for both those who have never heard of Niebuhr and for those who already are familiar with some of his works. It is available as a free download for viewing at your leisure. It is also a great teaching tool for those doing, for instance, a survey class of modern theology, or an adult Sunday school class.

The link is:  http://www.pbs.org/video/2365984011/

Reviewed by William De Arteaga

As a writer of both fiction and non-fiction (and an English teacher), I have read countless books on writing, but I’ve never read one quite like Jen’s (full disclosure: I know Jen from various conferences and as a recipient of a grant from a foundation that I am an officer of).

As I was saying, Jen’s book is unique. Several things make it so: first, it’s a book on writing, yet it doesn’t touch on grammar or style (she admittedly leaves that for others, some of whom she recommends); second, it is not just a book, it’s a workbook—so expect some interacting exercises (one criticism: the exercises could be a bit more vigorous and challenging; perhaps they were written for a seminar she teaches, which might require more abbreviated exercises); third, the book is written from a thoroughly Christian perspective (one might even say a Charismatic perspective); fourth, Jen, although an academic, becomes a coach, and waxes pastoral at times.

The genius of Jen’s approach is attributable to the third and fourth items, as Jen becomes to the reader the Charismatic coach, full of passion and inspiration, driving the reader to, well, write!

But first, a physical description of the contents: Writing in the Glory is composed of eight parts (counting the Introduction and Epilogue), which are composed of 34 chapters. Most chapters are very short; some with only one paragraph before getting to the “Activation” section, which is Jen’s term for exercises, yet the term means so much more to the Christian writer. For example, in the first chapter, “Writing in the Anointing,” the reader is advised to “Take a few minutes now to surrender your book to the Lord” (20). We are urged to invite the presence of the Holy Spirit, not just on our writing but on us! This technique/perspective transforms the book into a person-centered rather than product-centered workbook.

Of course the product is important, but it is subservient to the servant of God who is bowed to His will and anointing. A wonderful product does not issue from a producer who has no intimacy with and knowledge of his/her Creator. Or, in Jen’s words, “greater anointing and power will come when that book is birthed from a place of intimacy with God” (21).

Perhaps no chapter focuses as much on the writer as the chapter titled “You Were Born for This” (29-33). Here, Jen passionately coaches, “There is destiny in the message you carry. Nothing is by accident. … God has been preparing you to write and release the masterpiece inside of you. You are simply embarking on the journey of discovering what He has already formed within you” (29).

Protest against Ahok on March 31, 2017.
Image: Cahaya Maulidian / Wikimedia Commons

The southeast Asian country is home to the world’s largest Muslim population and has not allowed Saudi Arabia’s intolerant Wahhabism to take root. It’s not only tolerant and plural, but also a large functioning, stable democracy unlike any other country in the Muslim world. It’s a country whose religious expressions are not a top-down phenomenon.

Under the authoritarian President Suharto’s New Order regime from 1966 to 1998, Indonesia was equally moderate and tolerant but without religious freedom. Islamist groups were not allowed to function. While the process of Reformasi (reformation) that began after the fall of Suharto opened the gates for radicals to preach their versions of Islam and Islamist ideologies, the roughly 250 million people in the archipelago have largely shunned Wahhabism for about two decades.

However, Ahok’s conviction and sentencing based on a video that showed him speaking out of context about a verse in the Quran, could be a turning point for the country. It represents the biggest breakthrough in the ongoing efforts of the Indonesian cleric Muhammad Rizieq Shihab, who mobilised massive protests against Ahok, to turn the country towards conservatism.

It’s not surprising that Shihab, who leads the radical organization Islamic Defenders Front, locally known as FPI, is currently in Saudi Arabia. He fled Indonesia to avoid his arrest after a pornography-related case was filed against him. Ironically, his group has been opposing prostitution, gambling and bars to cleanse Indonesia of “sin.”

The FPI, which targets liberal Muslims, Ahmadiyah and Shia mosques, churches and embassies of countries that it perceives to be hostile towards Islam, was founded in 1998. It has managed to gain about 200,000 members. The number is miniscule compared to the membership of moderate and pluralistic Muslim groups Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and Muhammadiyah, which oppose attempts to spread Wahhabism in Indonesia and claim to have 50 million and 29 million followers respectively. However, the head count estimates or claims are neither a major concern nor any consolation.

Despite being seen as a negligible minority, Islamist groups have been able to flout local laws by physically attacking minorities and collecting protection money from the entertainment industry. More importantly, they have now been able to cause the defeat of a popular official, Ahok, by making his religious and ethnic identity an issue in the recent gubernatorial election. Furthermore, they managed to get the court’s endorsement of their narrative of blasphemy, which includes the assertion that non-Muslims should not be allowed to comment on the Quran’s interpretation. In the verdict against Ahok, a judge quoted a verse from the Quran (Al-Maidah 51) which purports to suggest that Muslims should not elect non-Muslim leaders.

PneumaReview.com: Please tell our readers briefly what your film The Insanity of God is about.

The Insanity of God (LifeWay Films 2016).
Read the review by Pastor John Lathrop.

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 see God working and shaping and moving them until they come face to face that sometimes it costs a lot to believe and follow Christ. This fact became a stark reality in the civil war, famine, drought and death of Somalia. How do you make Christ known when it could cost those who hear the message their lives?

Nik and Ruth are faced with the tragedy of the death of their son and then go on a pilgrimage that takes them around the globe to answer the question, “Is Jesus Worth It?” They do this by going to believers living in places where persecution for their faith is an everything event and they ask them to share their stories.

The Insanity of God allows the viewer to see and hear some of the stories of faith and then struggle with that question along with Nik and Ruth.

PneumaReview.com: How did you choose the nations you went to in order to conduct your interviews?

Nik and Ruth Ripken: When we first felt the urgency of this task we developed a “Persecution Task Force” to help guide us. The group sat together and decided to open the Bible and see where the verses that addressed persecution and the cost of faith and found that from Genesis to Revelation this has been the plan. Following Christ costs something. The countries were selected by using Open Doors “World Watch List”. Nik looked at the list of the 50 most persecuted places on the planet and then grouped them together. He started in the Soviet areas where they had experienced persecution for many years and were coming out of the worst times. He knew they would have much to teach us. Then he moved to the other Communist areas. After that he moved back through areas of Buddhism, Hinduism and finally landing in places where Islam is in control.

PneumaReview.com: What qualities impressed you most about the people that you met with?

Nik and Ruth Ripken: The answer to this question could take volumes. If we had to narrow it down to a few ways that these believers impacted us, first would be the deep joy they exhibit when they talk about Jesus and who He is in their lives. No matter the persecution that has tried to silence them, they live in joy.

An appreciation for the role that A. B. Simpson (1843–1919), founder of The Christian and Missionary Alliance, played in the shaping of late nineteenth-century trans-Atlantic evangelicalism has been growing in recent years. While the impact that he had on the denomination that he founded is obvious, the impression that he left on early Pentecostalism seems now beyond academic dispute. Only more recently has Simpson’s contribution to a wider Evangelicalism been considered. Michael Yount’s A. B. Simpson: His Message and Impact on the Third Great Awakening will certainly contribute to that growing understanding and appreciation.

At the heart of Yount’s work is the assertion that Simpson played a significant role in shaping the Third Great Awakening, a movement of God that brought new life to the Church and emerged from, among other influences, the Layman’s Prayer Revival of 1857 and Phoebe Palmer’s Tuesday Meetings for the Promotion of Holiness. After providing a very helpful chapter that surveys the religious landscape that led to and marked this Awakening and after providing a chapter laying out an insightful biography of Simpson’s life, Yount moves on to describe those areas, both theological and practical, where Simpson’s contributions may be seen most clearly. These are 1) evangelism, 2) the Holiness Movement, 3) the Healing Movement, 4) the Premillennial Movement, and 5) Urban and Worldwide Evangelization. These, of course, align with Simpson’s “Fourfold Gospel” and his emphasis on mission. Each of these chapters is clearly laid out, starting with an examination of the theological and historical context of the topic at hand and then moving on to describe and analyze Simpson’s particular views and contribution in that field.

Neil B. MacDonald (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is currently a lecturer in theology at the University of Surrey Roehampton in London. Academic specialization can lead to a lack of communication among closely related disciplines, with theology and biblical studies being a case in point. MacDonald attempts to bridge these two disciplines with help from analytic philosophy. So then, this volume is an attempt by a non-evangelical to overcome the barriers between biblical studies, philosophy and systematic theology.

Within this volume, MacDonald covers a broad range of theologians and philosophers, including Aristotle, Anselm, Augustine, and N. T. Wright, though he approaches theology from a broadly Barthian perspective. MacDonald seeks to bridge systematic theology of the Old Testament with systematic theology of the New Testament, and he does so by illustrating the God of Israel as essentially a judging, yet desisting, and forbearing entity. This judging, yet desisting, and forbearing God reveals himself in creation, in the Exodus, in primeval history, in Deuteronomistic history, and ultimately within the Gospel narrative.

MacDonald insists that thinking about God in terms of divine identity is more profitable for a comprehensive systematic theology than is thinking about God in terms of the patristic concept of ousia (i.e., substance). MacDonald believes that it is only by understanding the Old and New Testaments in terms of the identity of the God of Israel – and the historical man Jesus of Nazareth – that systematic theology can be done. Thus, MacDonald argues that the heart of systematic theology is a God who is self-determining. In so arguing, MacDonald asserts that God creates whatever is necessary for the existence of events other than himself. In this way of thinking, God created time and space by determining himself to be the creator time and space. Therefore, MacDonald argues that God creates out of nothing (creatio ex nihilo). In so arguing, MacDonald suggests that God’s self-determining self is a sufficient cause (read that very slowly…). This idea will likely find many supporters within the readership of The Pneuma Review.

However, MacDonald does posit some ideas that may conflict with the readers of The Pneuma Review. For example, he strongly asserts that every sub-discipline within the biological sciences – genetics, molecular biology, immunology, general medicine, and so on – cannot function either theoretically or experimentally without the theory of genetical evolution via natural selection (better known as Neo-Darwinism). Moreover, MacDonald intimates that humanity is imago dei (i.e., in the image of God) only by happenstance, as any relational creature could have been such – if decreed by God – no matter what their natural properties may have turned out to be. In so defining the image of God, MacDonald disregards centuries of scholars and laypeople alike who have thought of the imago dei as consisting of some type of rationality or righteousness.

All in all, MacDonald does a good job of drawing the salvation work of God together in both testaments and firmly integrates Christian salvation history with Jewish scriptural traditions, though he fails to overcome the classic problems of natural theology by inadequately defining the somewhat vague and ambiguous term “determines.” However, MacDonald is not convincing in arguing that God possesses both time and space, nor that the classical view of God as outside of space and time represents a limit upon his freedom.

Reviewed by Bradford McCall

Originally published on the Pneuma Foundation (parent organization of PneumaReview.com) website on May 23, 2008.