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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Putting off the Old Nature

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Being Like Jesus

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

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

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

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

Learning Graciousness

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

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

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

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

Some tips:

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

Conclusion

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

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

Image: Jason Leung

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

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

PR 

Myles Werntz, “You Don’t Need a Rule of Life: What you need is a church” Christianity Today (October 10, 2024).

Paraclete journal now available online

The Consortium of Pentecostal Archives has made the quarterly journal gratis available online. Paraclete (1967-1995) was a journal of practical theology for Assemblies of God pastors (replaced by Enrichment). Emphasizing the person and work of the Holy Spirit, articles covered Bible exposition, theology, and history. All 112 issues may be browsed and are available for full-text searches.

Brad East, “The Loosening of American Evangelicalism” Christianity Today (May 20, 2025).

This look into the current state of Evangelicalism’s morality in the USA is subtitled, “Long-standing norms against drinking, tattoos, and Catholic-coded church practices have rapidly fallen. What’s going on?” Many Pentecostal/charismatics may see similar patterns in their own churches, whether or not they consider themselves part of Evangelicalism with a capital E.

In case you missed it: Craig Keener, “How to Succeed at Suffering: Lessons from the Gospel of Mark” Influence (February 14, 2024).

Jared Michelson, “Why Choose the Path of the Pastor?: Despite fewer pursuing pastoral roles today, the vocation provides the unique privilege of making a profound impact by sharing oneself with others” Christianity Today (May 15, 2025).

Chad Harvey, “From Cessationist to Pentecostal: Discovering the Spirit’s transforming power” Influence (Spring 2025).

PR

Depending on what Christian tradition one finds oneself in, the question of Christian art is a difficult and delicate topic. Are we permitted to have Christian art? Can we represent Jesus? What disposition should we have towards artistic representations of Jesus, the apostles, or Christian saints? Does any of this break the Second Commandment? How and why did the Christian church eventually permit the use, and sometimes veneration, of Christian art? This book, From Idols to Icons: The Emergence of Christian Devotional Images in Late Antiquity by Robin M. Jensen seeks to answer that last question. Jensen is a seasoned and respected scholar of early Christian art and one could not find a more able guide.

Christians, Jensen shows in chapter four, most likely had artistic representations of some kind even as far back as the first century, only avoiding depictions of the Greco-Roman gods. When Christians began developing their own “material culture” by the third century, the artwork they commissioned was primarily narratival–depicting scenes from biblical stories–or symbolic. It was in the late fourth and early fifth centuries that the shift from narrative and symbol to portraits began to take place. With this shift also came, as explored in chapter five, debates about how to relate to such portraits of Christ or the saints. Were they vehicles facilitating a “face-to-face” encounters with the subject portrayed? By the fifth and sixth centuries, Christians felt they could honor such holy portraits while simultaneously distinguishing them from the person they represented. These debates naturally led to questions of how such connections between the subject and the portrait were possible (chapter six). Did it depend on the likeness between the subject and the portrait? Ultimately, the early Christians answered in the negative. As an aside, this chapter was the most interesting to me as she discusses and illustrates both the continuity and polymorphic representations of Christ in Christian art. Chapter seven rounds out the historical narrative of Jensen’s book by looking at the reported miracles associated with “holy portraits.”

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of this book is its brevity (excluding endnotes, the book is only 169 pages). Profound brevity is the mark of a true expert, and Jensen shows herself as such. The book is filled with many fascinating examples of early Christian art that Jensen expertly weaves into her narrative. Coming in at a list price is $65 (USD), which may be cost-prohibitive for some, one hopes a cheaper paperback volume will make this excellent work more widely available.

Reviewed by Ryan Clevenger

Publisher’s page: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/from-idols-to-icons/hardcover

You’ve seen it before … an old house that goes through an extreme makeover—It’s like a brand new home!

The attraction is the compelling contrast between life before and life after.

Image: Milivoj Kuhar

Consider, then, the contrast between the Christian life before and the Christian life after the Holy Spirit comes upon you!

After for Christians:

• receive power, be witnesses (Acts 1:8)
• magnify God (Acts 10:46)
• live according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:5)
• put to death the deeds of the body (Rom. 8:13)
• receive gifts of the Spirit (I Cor. 12:4)
• walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16)
• be led by the Spirit (Gal. 5:18)

This is the Promise. The Gift is the Holy Spirit. Embrace the Spirit on this Pentecost weekend!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Reviewed by William De Arteaga

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

Notes

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

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

Read A Storm of Perfection

The Garden of Scripture

Illusions and Fullness

An enchanted Christian social imaginary will involve revisiting what it means to be human and the nature of the divine–human relationship.^[1]
—Cheryl Bridges Johns

I am a fan of the ocean, particularly the northeast Atlantic, where I spent many summers and lived for six years. Whenever possible, I would spend a whole day at the beach swimming, even though the water temperature averaged sixty degrees. When I got into my late teens and early twenties, I preferred to walk along the beach in the evening and look out at the ocean as if it had an answer I was looking for. I have to admit that I was looking for something. I was looking for purpose and inspiration to figure out who I was and thinking that, at any point, all the answers would pop into my head if I stared out at the horizon long enough. It didn’t happen, and it didn’t happen because I wasn’t looking in the right place.

So, where did I find those answers? It sounds cliché, but I found purpose and inspiration in reading Scripture and discovered who I was when I gave myself to Christ. And something happens; it’s like a path, a process, or a paradox. The more I give up my life to Christ, the more I discover who I am. It’s a continual growth in understanding my identity in Jesus.

Nevertheless, there are some things my time at the beach taught me. I found that crabs prefer to hide under seaweed on the clustered rocks by the water. I discovered that if shattered glass is in the sea long enough, it becomes smooth around the edges and strangely captivating to the eye, so much so that people collect the glass. I also learned that water often magnifies what’s beneath it, giving the illusion that what’s on the bottom is only a few inches or less from the water’s surface. As a child, I would test that illusion frequently in tidepools, thinking them to be only a few inches deep, but I often found that the water would go up to my knee. In school, we learn things under the water; even the surface under the water looks larger and closer because the light is being refracted, not traveling in a straight line anymore, slowing down, which causes magnification. Thus, the illusion comes to life.

In my time as a student, minister, and teacher, I’ve observed that a lot of people, both Christians and non-Christians, sometimes view the Bible the same way as the tidepool. Those who pick up the Bible for the first time, even veterans, might see something beautiful, like one would with the mini eco-systems in a tidepool, and reach their hand in only to find they are in over their head, barely treading water. However, people who oppose Christianity and have already made up their minds about it and what they’ve heard the Bible says only see the illusion of shallowness and don’t even bother to reach in.

Problems With Illusions

I think the illusion partly happens because we don’t always know how much of the Bible we should take literally. But the word “literally” is casually thrown around so often that we must try to discern what the word means in the sense of interpreting the Bible. That is no easy task because it has been bogged down by so much historical baggage from the last hundred and fifty years. Typically, a literal reading of Scripture is supposed to be tied to a type of interpretation called the historical-grammatical method that seeks to discern the meaning of a passage as the author intended it to be understood. Using this method, the setting and circumstances of why the biblical book was written need to be identified, including the historical aspect. The other element, the grammatical, determines what the words and sentences in a passage mean and what genre it is written in so that the passage can be “plainly” communicated.

“You actually believe God made the world in six literal days? You, poor dear. I hope you come out of your cave soon.”

“You don’t believe the number the Bible gives for the Israelites in the wilderness is accurate? I hear hell is hot this time of year.”

The problem is it seems like some Christians gave into the stereotypes. Eventually, those Christians began to interpret the Bible and apply things to their faith that a “literal” interpretation was never meant for us to apply. Suddenly, the Hebrew cosmology of a three-tiered creation seen in Hannah’s prayer, depicting a flat world, must be applied to our time despite a wealth of information that proves otherwise. However, others began dismissing parts of the Bible that a “literal” interpretation was meant for us to apply, such as belief in the resurrection of Jesus and sexual integrity.^[2] And now, a literal interpretation is synonymous with not allowing any other interpretive methods because they’re seen as sinful or worldly by those whose idea of literal interpretation is infused with rigid dogmatism. And those who have a much more nuanced view of a literal view are looked down upon. Then politics had to be injected, and that never helped anything. What’s worse is that the loudest voices in the room are the ones that are on the extreme fringes of each side, each vying for control of the “true” message of the Bible. Interestingly, one part of Christianity always tries to speak for the whole of Christianity.^[3]

I bring all of this up because it has made Bible reading more difficult for many people who already struggle, it makes it harder for those who are called to teach, and it turns people off from even picking up the Bible; it shouldn’t be like this. In the secular world, humanity has found many ways to maim and kill one another, but in Christianity, depending on who we listen to, it can seem like we are acquiring a lot of methods to maim and kill our faith.

Our obsession with time, not having enough, and not having good quality is, of course, symptomatic of our era. So many books and people tell us to slow down, reprioritize, simplify, and be mindful. Yet, we might not have enough time to read or listen to those voices. However, let’s say we do listen, and we then decide to read for fifteen minutes, but then we are overcome with the thought of that not being enough time. We wonder, is that even enough time to gain a worthwhile understanding of God? Can I get to know God more in just fifteen minutes? My answer is yes. God can do more in fifteen minutes than we can imagine, even if we don’t realize it until later. But we have to be okay with that small amount of time.

The reason I believe we need to be okay with only being able to give God a small amount of our time has to do with motive. When we reach our hand into the tidepool, our motive is to grab what’s at the bottom because we are eager to get an up-close look at whatever the object is, be it a starfish or a periwinkle shell; we’re curious. We will only learn so much through mere curiosity; we learn much more through faithful, consistent, and committed curiosity. The award for that accrues over time, and suddenly, we find we know that object at the bottom of the tidepool intimately. The dedication to reading the Bible consistently, even if it’s only for a short amount of time, is like that, but only sort of. It is only “sort of” like that because even though God is the object of our faith and study, and we are getting to know him more intimately, God is not an object like a periwinkle shell or a sand dollar. Instead, he reveals that we are one of his most prized objects and demonstrates how intimately he already knows us. So, over time, our motive must shift from genuine curiosity to one that accepts and tries to understand how God uses the Bible to form his people into an object, a living vessel that reflects his glory.

The issue of time can be healed when the above motive shifts along with the petition to God for more time. God is perfectly able to move us out of what restricts us from him, whatever our excuses, especially in the hyper-distracted West. Our job is to relent, sacrifice, and use that time wisely. Part of using time wisely is coming to terms with the fact that we will not instantaneously learn everything we need to know about the Bible and what God is saying to us in one reading. When we heed that wisdom, we become like the trusty characters in Jesus’ parable of the talents. In the parable, Jesus tells his disciples that a person who owns a lot of property needs to head out of town, so he asks three of his workers to manage the property, giving one worker five talents (an amount of money equal to 75 years’ wages), the second worker two talents, and the third worker one talent. While the property manager was away, the two with the most money invested what they had in unnamed things and doubled the amount given to them. When the property owner returns and the first two workers tell him the good news, he rewards them with more responsibility, which is joyfully received. However, the worker with only one talent buried the money in the field and attacked the property owner’s character upon his return (Matt 28:14–28). The parable ends with that worker being fired and evicted from the property. Jesus’ lesson is that those who receive from God and put it into action will receive more from him. When we ask God for more time to get closer to him, he’ll give it to us.

John and Rachel

Indeed, it will take time to read the Bible, as it should. Relationships take time, and finite humans encounter the infinite God in Scripture. We will not master the Bible over our lifetime either, even if we better understand it toward the end of our lives. That means it will not always be simple. We should probably be wary when people say the Bible has a “simple teaching” about God. A “simple teaching” is like looking at a flower and saying, “This is a flower.” Though it is true that the Gospel, the message of Christ, is simple enough for a child to understand, it by no means stays simple but grows more profound the more we mature as readers. So, while some are intent on staying at a simple teaching, the Bible continues to the depths God meant it for. It can be kind of like John and Rachel’s story here:

John was strolling through his neighborhood on a splendid midsummer evening. As he climbed a small hill, he saw a bush dotted with vibrant red shapes. The closer John came to it, the more he realized it was a rose bush. John then noticed that the owner of the home where the rose bush was, an older woman who appeared to be in her mid-fifties, was watering the lawn. John picked up his stride to reach her before she finished and went inside.

“Excuse me,” John said, panting.

“Hello,” she returned warmly. “You’re John, right?”

“Yes, that’s right,” he returned as he caught his breath. “I apologize; I don’t believe I’ve ever asked you your name.”

The woman chucked and batted a hand at him. “Don’t worry, I’m afraid I’m somewhat of a busybody, but my name is Beverly. Oh, but I prefer Bev.”

“Excellent,” John replied. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Listen, I stopped by because I was wondering if I could get a closer look at the rose bush? It’s magnificent!”

“Of course,” she said, smiling warmly again at him while waving him over.

The roses were even better up closer. Examining the lushness and vitality of the rose petals, John was mesmerized. “I don’t believe I’ve ever seen such a healthy rose bush before,” he exclaimed.

“Ah, yes,” Bev replied kindly. “I bought them at a nursery on the other side of town at the recommendation of a friend. It’s called Vera’s.”

Still entranced by the roses, John replied, “I wouldn’t mind having these in my yard as well.”

“I can give you the address if you’d like? The owner is wonderful! She’s younger than I thought she’d be but packed full of knowledge,” said Bev.

Bev’s question put John on the spot, and he had to think it over briefly. John wondered if he said he wanted a rose bush like the one in front of him because he really desired it or said it because he was being friendly. He at least decided to take the address.

“Yes, thank you,” he replied as he got out his phone to type in the address.

When she finished, John politely said goodbye and continued his evening walk.

Later in the evening, as John was shaving after a shower, he found his mind becoming fixated on the rose bush again. He’d been telling the truth when he said they were magnificent. Perhaps it would be nice to step out into his yard and see something like that daily; maintaining them would be worth the effort. John then determined that he’d visit the nursery the next day, talk to the owner, and decide.

The following morning, John ate his breakfast, got dressed, and made good on the decision the night before to visit Vera’s. He pulled up the address on his phone’s navigation app and found it was only fifteen minutes from his home. Finally arriving, John discovered a modest-sized shop with an attached greenhouse a shade larger. He entered, and what he found surprised him. So many healthy flowers, both common and uncommon, were all arranged in humble but enchanting displays. Colors popped out at him from every direction, and plants in the greenhouse resembled a picturesque tropical island; there was even a place in the back of the property filled with young trees and various shrubs. It reminded John of the imagery in C. S. Lewis’s Perelandra, which he read back in college. No wonder the rose bush appeared so wonderful, coming from a place like this!

John then tried to track down the owner. The nursery was a bit busy with it being a weekend, but it wasn’t crowded. He asked one employee at the cash register, a young college-aged boy if he knew where the owner was. The boy was unsure and told him to ask the assistant manager who was in the greenhouse. Stepping down in the greenhouse, he spotted a young woman in a forest green polo with a badge bearing the name “Kristen.”

“Excuse me,” he said, walking up to her. “The cashier told me you might know where I could find the owner.”

The young Kristen looked up at him politely but uneasily. “Yes, she’s out in the back,” she replied. “I can take you to her.”

“Thank you,” John replied as friendly as he could.

As the two walked back into the shop, where the doors leading to the back part of the property were, John tried to strike up some small talk.

“So, how long have you been working here?” John asked.

“Oh, about two years,” she replied casually.

“Do you like it?”

“Yeah, I do. My aunt is the owner. Yay, nepotism!” She said jokingly.

They passed through the double doors into a sizable open-air but fenced-in area. Kristen spied around quickly and spotted her aunt, who had her back to them and was inspecting a few pots containing stargazer lilies. She then continued to escort John toward the woman.

“Aunt Rachel?” Kristen called out.

The woman turned around, revealing her somewhat bookish appearance, but had sun-kissed skin, deep brown hair, and a welcoming smile. To John’s embarrassment, he found himself quite taken with her looks.

“Aunt Rachel,” Kristen said again as they approached her. “I think this man had a few questions for you.”

“How can I help you,” she asked with a soft yet assertive voice, removing her glasses.

She had large and captivating blue eyes. John tried not to stare. “Hi, thank you. This place was recommended by my neighbor, Bev.”

“Oh, I love Bev!” Rachel replied. “She is a dream customer and so pleasant.”

“Well,” John continued, “I saw the rose bush in her yard, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. To be honest, I don’t think about flowers that much. I’m not exactly one for gardening, but the rose bush was brilliant, and she told me she got the bulbs from here. So, I thought I’d come by and check this place out and ask why those roses looked so good.”

Rachel blushed somewhat at his comments. “Well, a lot of that has to do with the gardener, but our website offers a lot of information on how to tend a garden.”

“I see. Did you go to school for all of this?” He asked awkwardly.

“Not exactly,” Rachel replied. “I spent my summers with my grandmother, the “Vera” in Vera’s Nursey, and she’s the one who taught me all I know. Although, to be fair, she was a botanist turned horticulturalist.”

“Does she work here as well,” John asked.

Rachel’s face became a bit downcast at the question, which made John feel a little stupid.

“No,” she said. “Unfortunately, she passed away a few years after I got out of college,” she trailed off. “But this shop is dedicated to her legacy.”

After a few more minutes of conversation, John decided to buy a bulb of a rose bush and try his hand at growing it. When he arrived home, he looked up the store’s website and followed its instructions on properly planting and maintaining it to ensure growth. Over the next two weeks, he watched it as it grew, noticing several healthy buds. John also thought of Rachel and how there was more of a story behind her relationship with her grandmother based on her solemn response to his question.

A few more days went by, and over that time, he prepared a place in his backyard to plant more flowers, following the website’s instructions. While genuinely wanting to grow more things, he also wanted to see Rachel again. When the garden bed was finished, he returned to Vera’s Nursery. John was able to track her down and thanked her for the success he experienced. He then asked if she had any advice on what else he could plant as a beginner, to which she suggested Daylilies. John did something else, though, something as risky as planting roses with no experience; he asked her out for coffee. Although she eyed him carefully when he asked, Rachel agreed.

To John’s amazement, they met several more times after their coffee date. During one meeting in particular, Rachel decided to share more about the relationship between her and her Grandmother, Vera. The relationship the two shared wasn’t just based on gardening but on the bond of love. Rachel’s grandmother passed on her wisdom as well as her skills. When she wasn’t with her grandmother in the summer, they’d talk on the phone several times a week. Rachel even shared how she’d gotten pregnant in college, thinking her grandmother was going to kill her, and admitted her parents were furious. Vera was upset with her, naturally, but continued to offer the love she always had. Then, through tears, Rachel recounted the care her grandmother gave her when she went through the devastation of miscarrying the pregnancy.

That admittance by Rachel marked a turning point in John’s relationship with her; it was a brave step to take in sharing with him. John knew then that he wanted to marry Rachel, and after a few more months, he popped the question, to which she answered with an excited “Yes!”

Soon after their marriage, the imagery of Perelandra became a reality. Rachel transformed his yard into a paradise. No, it was their yard now, their paradise.

In this story, John avoided the error of thinking he had all of the information he needed about the roses just by looking at them. Had he not taken the time to go on the journey of finding the owner of the nursery, he would have missed out on a world of meaning, on a grand story that spans generations, and John would have missed out on the person he’d spend the rest of his life with. John was faithful to his journey even though it led him away from himself and to another. However, he also finds a more complete version of himself when he develops a relationship with Rachel. Although it is not a perfect example, the story illustrates that a faithful reading—which keeps context in mind—of the Bible leads us away from ourselves and to the God who revealed himself in it. Yet, the more we are led away from ourselves and to God, the more we find a complete version of ourselves as we find that God has authored us. Like John and Rachel’s story and the way flowers unfold as they bloom, the story of Scripture unfolds as we take the steps that lead beyond the surface of a “simple teaching.” We must be humble then and not rush to conclusions, nor should we be intent on thinking we will understand everything correctly when the Bible is meant to consume a lifetime of study.

Prismatic Fullness

The unfolding of meaning in the Bible reflects another thing about God. In chapter 3 of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul says, “Through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places” (Eph 3:10). The word Paul uses for “rich variety,” which can also be translated as “manifold,” is the Greek word polypoikilos. The word can mean many-sided or many-colored. We can think of God’s wisdom then as a jewel with many facets. When light passes through this jewel, the eye is treated to seeing the color spectrum when it’s cast onto a surface. The difference, though, is that God emits his own light. So, in this sense, he is both the jewel and the light. What God gives us in Scripture is layered; it is multifaceted because he is multifaceted, but everything he gives us leads to himself. That is why we must be careful of people who teach their method of reading Scripture as the only valid method and disregard what others can contribute. Not only does it smack of fundamentalism, which is more of an attitude than a denomination, but it isn’t humble either. God is more significant than even the most faithful reading we can devise.

Understanding God’s fullness might look like what theologian and pastor Tony Richie discusses in his book Essentials of Pentecostal Theology [Editor’s note: read the review by John Lathrop]. In it, he attempts to trace out the “theology of fullness” to support the Pentecostal practice of Spirit-baptism. While defending such a doctrine is not the focus of this section (even though I’m a Pentecostal Christian), Richie guides readers of the Bible by pointing out how the language of “filling” is a prominent and favored figure of speech throughout Scripture, especially relating to divine truth and spiritual experience.^[4] To do this, he teases it out in a few ways. First, Richie points out how God fills creation, citing several verses such as Numbers 14:21, where God says, “Nevertheless—as I live, and as all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD.”^[5] The author then points out that God even fills the homes of his people and their mouths with praise (Neh 9:25, Ps 71:8).

The nature of filling continues all the way through the New Testament in the disciples and onlookers reactions to Christ’s miracles and provision (Luke 5:26, John 2:7). Then, filling takes on another dimension in the book of Acts as the disciples are filled with the Holy Spirit who empowers them to preach the Gospel boldly and perform signs and wonders (Acts 2:1–4, 3:1–8, 5:12–16, 8:4–13, 9:40–41, etc.). Many whom the Apostles encountered, however, also experienced a filling/baptism of the Spirit, such as when Peter and John ministered to the same Samaritans as Philip (8:14–17) and when Cornelius came into the faith through Peter’s preaching (10:44–46).^[6] Richie gives several other examples, but his work recalls the words of King David when he says, “Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there” (Ps 139:7–8).

On the other hand, we must also acknowledge that we can be filled in different ways that don’t reflect God. To see this, we only need to look back to Genesis 1. At the end of the chapter, God gives Adam and Eve the divine mandate to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it” (Gen 1:28). Instead, they fill the earth with violence because they disobeyed God’s command of not eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.^[7] This indicates that it turns into negative behavior when humanity tries to supplement God’s fullness for their own. For example, when coming across Jesus, religious leaders were “filled with wrath (Luke 4:28).” The infilling of rage would continue as they schemed and devised (the harmful use of imagination) how to arrest and execute Jesus, which eventually culminated with his execution.

As the gospels tell us, however, Jesus is resurrected, thereby defeating sin, the power of death, and Satan. He then bestows his promise of the Spirit’s coming (Acts 1:8), fulfilled in Acts 2. While we see miraculous signs performed by the Apostles through the power of the Spirit throughout the book of Acts, the Holy Spirit is given to all believers. He inhabits our lives (Eph 1:13) and pours out God’s love into our hearts (Rom 5:5); He is “God with us.” The primary activity of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to sanctify and form our characters to resemble Christ, along with empowering our witness of Jesus. We are pressed by the Apostles to keep in step with the Spirit’s guidance (Gal 5:25), and in this way, we can be victorious over the works of the flesh that seek to fill us with the desires of a fallen world.

Nevertheless, we still see through a mirror darkly, as Paul says (1 Cor 13:12). We only know in part, so we don’t always understand we are surrounded by the fullness of God. This is because even though Jesus inaugurated the Kingdom of God at his resurrection, his return will fully realize the Kingdom of God. As the Apostle John wrote, “Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is” (1 John 3:3). That is why, as readers of the Bible, we need to be dependent on the leading and filling of the Spirit of God. It’s in this filling and dependence that we experience the fullness of God in this life and in Scripture, in its rich variety, so that we can prepare for the face-to-face fullness of God in the eternal life to come.

As we grasp this fullness of God, which is experienced both temporally and spiritually over our whole life, the illusion begins to fade, and the truth becomes clear because we are consistently learning. The sea we had mistaken for a tidepool and had become over our heads then suddenly turns into the water of life whose depths we humbly explore.

PR

This chapter is an excerpt from Tim Tschida’s book, The Garden of Scripture: Growing Your Confidence in the Bible (Resource Publications, 2025). Used with permission.

Notes

[1] Johns, Re-Enchanting The Text, 43.

[2] The disbelief in the resurrection has existed since at least Enlightenment in some capacity but has become more widespread among those who promote Jesus only for his moral and ethical teachings.

[3] Lewis, God In The Dock, 217. In an essay featured in the book, Lewis confronts the idea of a Christian political party in England noting it wouldn’t be successful because as soon as it makes certain accommodations or takes money from non–Christian financiers, it would cease being Christian. It also wouldn’t be able to speak for the whole of Christianity simply because English Christianity is only part of the body of Christ, not the whole thing. The same can be said for Christian denominations who try to control the definition of a “true” interpretation of the Bible.

[4] Tony Richie, Essentials of Pentecostal Theology, 133.

[5] Tony Richie, Essentials of Pentecostal Theology, 133.

[6] Tony Richie, Essentials of Pentecostal Theology, 133.

[7] Tony Richie, Essentials of Pentecostal Theology, 133.

He has been called a boring windbag who “…deliberately sets out to be tortuous.”[1] Philip Yancy acknowledges that at times his writings have perplexed him.[2]

They are speaking about the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, whom many have call the Father of Existentialism, although he did not coin the term.

In his book, Philosophy & The Christian Faith, Colin Brown writes that “Kierkegaard deliberately sets out to be tortuous and…in order to bring his reader to the desired goal, Kierkegaard often found it necessary to be devious.”[3]

The author of over 35 books, Soren Kierkegaard’s (1813-1855) writings were mostly ignored outside of his native Denmark until the 20th century.

Anna Louise Strelis Söderquist, St. Olaf College curator of the Hong Kierkegaard Library argues that “Kierkegaard’s work still has burning relevance for us today, wherever we live and whatever our backgrounds, for he meets his reader in the inner depths, where reside the personal, yet universal questions about who one is and how one ought to live.”[4]

Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was a devout Christian who was grieved over the condition of the Lutheran church in Denmark, the State Church.

Shelley O’Hara writes, “Kierkegaard was incensed by the lack of involvement it took to be a Christian, and he felt that Official Christianity or Christendom had departed so far from the New Testament teachings that it needed to be torn down and rebuilt…Kierkegaard…was not attacking the teachings of Christianity, but the official way it was sanctioned and carried out by the Lutheran Church at the time.”[5]

His anger was so great toward the Lutheran Church he refused communion while on his death bed.

If you have read or attempted to read Kierkegaard you know that he can be a difficult read and one may wonder if it would be beneficial to read his works.

One would benefit greatly by reading Lee C. Barrett’s (PhD, Yale) instructive book Kierkegaard as Theologian. As Professor of Theology, at Lancaster Theological Seminary at Moravian University, he has written extensively on Kierkegaard including several books and articles.

What makes this book so instructive and helpful, especially for those new to the philosopher’s writings? Before reading selections from Kierkegaard, Barrett summarizes the text in great detail, making Kierkegaard’s writings much easier to understand.

The texts that Barrett’s comments on are several of Kierkegaard’s more familiar writings, including For Self-Examination, Judge For Yourself, Either/Or, The Sickness Unto Death, and Fear and Trembling, among others.

He also explains Kierkegaard’s theological style:

Kierkegaard’s work as an exercise in theology requires some explanation and justification, for Kierkegaard’s writings do not resemble anything remotely like a collection of standard theological texts. If he counts as a theologian at all, he certainly was not a typical one.[6]

At the end of every chapter Barrett supplies questions for reflection, which may prove helpful to readers as they digest and savor what both Kierkegaard and Barrett are saying. It is certainly not a book to rush through.

Barrett’s book simply titled Kierkegaard (Abingdon Press) is another helpful read to understanding Kierkegaard’s writings.

Reviewed by Larry Russi

Publisher’s page: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/tt-clark-reader-in-kierkegaard-as-theologian-9780567670373/

Notes

[1] Colin Brown, Philosophy & The Christian Faith (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,1968),125

[2] Søren Kierkegaard, Provocations: Spiritual Writings of Kierkegaard (Farmington, PA: The Plough Publishing House, 1999, back cover

[3] Colin Brown, Philosophy & The Christian Faith (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press,1968),125

[4] Claire Strother, “A World-Renowned Center for the Study of Kierkegaard” St. Olaf Magazine (Spring/Summer 2022), 23.

[5] Shelley O’Hara, Kierkegaard Within Your Grasp (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2004), 6

[6]Lee C. Barrett, ed. T & T Clark Reader in Kierkegaard as Theologian (NY: Bloomsbury, 2018), 1

“His engraved precepts shall be on my tongue as long as I live,
as the fruit of praise and portion of my lips.
I will sing with knowledge;
all my music shall be for the glory of God.
The strings of my lyre sound for his holy order;
my lips play flute after his guiding line.”
—Community Rule, 1QS 10:8-18 (p. 8, bold mine)

When we consider the inter-testamental period, we might assume that God was silent and that Israel—God’s chosen people—were spiritually adrift. My Lips Play Flute for the Highest was written to dispel such notions. Author Torleif Elgvin asserts, “Jewish literature blossomed in this period,” and demonstrates repeatedly that there were Israelites who prayed for their nation, for Jerusalem, for redemption from their sins, and who faithfully awaited God’s intervention. Elgvin focuses on the liturgy and psalms discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls, offering often moving and sometimes revelatory insights. One may conclude, as I have, that Jesus’s arrival was not only “in the fullness of time” (Gal 4:4) but also an answer to the fervent prayers of a faithful remnant.

“Save me from the power of evil spirits, those who rule over the thoughts of men, so that they do not lead me away from you, my God! Strengthen me and my descendants through all times, so that we never go astray!”
—Jubilees 12:19-20

While Dr. Elgvin professes to be a Christian, this is an academic work designed to appeal to both the traditional Jewish community and Christians. He contrasts both perspectives, presenting them objectively and allowing readers to draw their own conclusions.

Spanning 225 pages, the prayers are followed by brief commentary and organized into sections:

• Hymns of Praise
• Prayers for Israel
• Prayers for Zion
• Psalms of Confidence
• Longing for God
• Revelation and Illumination to the Humble
• The Lord’s Anointed
• The End of Days and the World to Come

Images and maps enhance the overall presentation.

My Lips Play Flute for the Highest serves as an excellent reference book. Though millennia old, these prayers remain fresh and biblically consistent, making them suitable for congregational prayers or liturgical readings today.

Reviewed by Kevin Williams

Publisher’s page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781666770018/my-lips-play-flute-for-the-highest/

Who Are Oral Learners?

“An oral learner is someone who chooses to learn and communicate by oral means rather than written. They can be completely illiterate, functionally illiterate, visually impaired, or hearing impaired, or simply part of an oral culture. Oral learners are people all over the globe whose mental processes are primarily influenced by spoken rather than textual forms of communication. Two-thirds of the world’s population are oral learners.” (from Bing search)

Oral communicators are people from all over the globe, from all walks of life and all levels of education who communicate primarily or exclusively through oral, not textual means. Their lives are therefore more likely to be transformed through stories, songs, drama, proverbs and media. (orality.net/about/who-are-oral-communicators)

Scriptures In Use estimates there are an estimated 5.7 billion people who are oral learners. This includes 3 billion adults, 900 million very young children, and 450 million children.

The wonderful folk at the International Orality Network and Visual Story Network among many others have made huge contributions in helping the Church to become focused on developing strategies for oral learners, who, according to ION, constitute at least 80% of the unreached.

A Proclaimer MP3 layer is the “preacher” during this service in rural Uganda

How Does Cybermissions Reach Oral Learners?

Cybermissions reaches oral learners:

1. Through its Internet radio station called Eternity Radio which can be found at EternityRadio.org – this large website has two English language programs (Insights for Eternity – 30 minutes, and Uplifting Moments -15 minutes), an ISOM School of Missions in Sundanese (an Indonesian language), and church-planting training audio modules from Harvestime.
2. Radio programs. We buy time on the airwaves in areas where God is calling us to minister the grace of God (mainly in the Majority World).
3. Solar-powered MP3 player distribution and training
4. Distributing audio on SD cards through our partner BibleSeed
5. And soon we want to start producing audio books that meet Amazon ACX standards.

Why Not Video?

Audio is easy to produce, takes up much less bandwidth that video, costs less to download in rural areas where the Internet is still expensive, and takes up far less space on SD cards and mobile phones. MP3 files are also more private since the listener can use headphones and no one can look over their shoulder to see what they are watching like they can with video (this is important in areas which may be hostile to the gospel).

Reaching the Unreached

If 80% of the unreached are oral learners, and if the only technology they own is a radio and a basic mobile phone, then audio is going to be one of the best media strategies for sharing the gospel.