PneumaReview.com: You have been working with the theology of Karl Barth for many years. What has drawn your long-term interest?

Terry Cross: I began reading Barth seriously in 1980 while working on the MDiv thesis. I was comparing Karl Barth and the evangelical theologian, Carl Henry, on their views of revelation. Henry was quite adamant about some of Barth’s errors in relation to the Word of God—as were a number of evangelical scholars. However, when I actually read Barth himself, I realized that the caricatures made of him by many evangelicals did not hold water. Barth actually said in numerous places the direct opposite of what Henry thought he said. I began to wonder, ‘If Henry can read this incorrectly, what else has been written by Barth that deserves closer attention?’ That started my journey through the 13 volumes of the Church Dogmatics. It also fueled the flame to learn German well enough to read Barth in the original language he wrote. Over and over I have discovered that rather simplistic thumbnail sketches of Barth’s ideas on any one theological position have missed the complexity and nuance of Barth’s own words. In addition, as a Pentecostal theologian I became fascinated with some of Barth’s ideas as related to Pietism and, by extension, to Pentecostal thought. For example, in Church Dogmatics I/1, Barth expounds his idea that the Word of God has a threefold form—Jesus Christ (Word in flesh); Scripture (Word in writing); and Preaching/proclamation (Word of God in preaching/teaching). Barth has a rather “occasionalist” view of what occurs. The Scripture, for example, becomes the Word of God but may not be the Word of God (in some fundamentalist sense) because such equation of God’s Word in revelation with written Scripture can make the Bible into a “holy” book that has almost magical qualities instead of a record that becomes God’s Word when God’s Spirit enlivens it to our hearts. Indeed, Barth is the only theologian I know who has a pentecostal-like theology of preaching: our human words are taken up by God’s Spirit and are made clear and powerful as it becomes the Word of God to individual believers in the community of faith. In many ways, this seemed reminiscent to me of the high respect for preaching that Pentecostals have whereby a “word” from the Lord becomes clear and really rings true when the Spirit drives it home in our hearts.

PR: Some argue that Barth was the most important Protestant Theologian of the Twentieth Century. Do you agree?

Terry Cross: Barth is the only theologian I know who has a pentecostal-like theology of preaching: our human words are taken up by God’s Spirit and are made clear and powerful as it becomes the Word of God to individual believers in the community of faith.

Terry Cross: Yes, I do. While others have had long-lasting impact from the 20^th century (e.g., Tillich, Bultmann, Reinhold Niebuhr, Juergen Moltmann), Barth’s herculean shift of the balance of the weight off of the old Protestant liberalism of his professors (like Harnack and Herrmann) that signaled the immanence of God in human lives and onto a view of the transcendence of God in which God is entirely other than humans. The old liberal school had proposed that Jesus taught a valuable morality that we should follow, but was not divine. For them, God’s Spirit was to be equated with the human spirit—the human personality. Faith, then, was some psychological commitment that connected on a deep emotional level with God. Into this situation that seemed to glorify humans, Barth became frustrated with the easy manner in which his German professors rushed to support Kaiser Wilhelm going to war in 1914. Barth was a pastor in a small village in Switzerland at the time (Safenwil) and gave himself totally into the socialism of the day, working as the “red pastor” in assisting laborers to form unions and more equitable wages. By 1915, his excitement for socialism began to run dry and his theological source for preaching was no longer effective. Into this setting in 1915, Barth and his close friend (a nearby pastor named Thurneysen) began to study Scripture again, but this time not through the lens of historical criticism or psychological critique of the authors. They studied the book of Romans, all the while Barth wrote his thoughts about each verse in a notebook. In a later lecture, he described this encounter with Scripture as a “new world of the Bible.” What was this? He tried to listen to and read Scripture as if God himself were speaking to him today from this long-ago text. The result was a vivid freshness of his preaching and interpretation. Some called this a “pneumatic exegesis” because of the emphasis on the Spirit but also because of his sense that the Spirit operates with the text and with the hearer. The freshness of letting God be transcendent and speak to the Church through the Scriptures today was so powerful that one theologian described his commentary on Romans as a “bomb on the playground of theologians.” Instead of starting theology from the human dimension and attempting to build one’s way up to the divine (a la Schleiermacher), Barth began theology from the divine dimension and asked what God was saying to us through his revelation. While some folks during the decade of the 1920s called Barth’s theology “dialectical,” Barth himself preferred to speak of it as “a theology of the Word of God.” Almost singlehandedly Barth turned the theological trajectory away from the old Protestant liberal school of thought to a new, fresh way of viewing God that tended to sound more like the Protestant Reformers of the 1500s. To be even more precise, some felt they saw in Barth a simple rehashing of old Protestant Scholastic Orthodoxy of the 1600s and 1700s. For this alone, he could be considered an important theologian of the 20^th century, but add to that the depth of his understanding of the connections between Christology and various doctrines as well as his dogged determination to keep Christ as the center of the revelation of the triune God and we have someone who is not only innovative and interesting, but paradigm-setting for the future of the theological task.

It is with integrity and in a very comprehensive fashion that Dr. Aida Spencer presents her readers with a worthwhile commentary which combines the Apostle Paul’s letter to Titus and his second to Timothy. Throughout the work, Dr. Spencer demonstrates critical command of these two pastoral texts. It is impressive to observe her respect for the letters as she approaches them with care. As a result, Dr. Spencer has once again delivered a strong contribution to the theologian’s pursuit of honest scriptural interpretation. Her perspective on the intended functional ministry of women within the Church, a position that comes out of this commentary, deserves consideration.

After engaging with the context and the thematic elements of Paul’s letter to Titus, Spencer spends a substantial amount of time examining the term elders. She mentions that, “their function is only suggested in the letter.” As a result, Spencer looks to the culture to explain it further, uncovering that elders “had authority in religious and civic matters…they handled city administration and jurisdiction.” She further contends that they were to be compared to “ambassadors, people who sought reconciliation.” Additional to the symbolic and superficial descriptors for an elder, Spencer correctly categorizes Paul’s requirements for such an office as moral qualities. The question that seemed to be building as she examined the term elders was answered rather matter-a-factly, as she affirmed that the Greek form, which Paul utilized in the presently identified second chapter of his letter—presbytis, is in fact meant to represent female eldership. Spencer, then puts together a list of qualities that are tied to the both presbytes (male elders) and presbytis (female elders). She supports her argument with contextual evidence and with a comparison to Aristotle’s literary works (which Paul would have been aware of and might be contrasting)

Dr. Spencer builds off of the section on elders to explain that Paul was actually teaching that women should pray and lead as men do, imploring Titus to “encourage the female leaders as much as he does the male leaders.” Additionally, she claims that Paul was calling women not to be silent and passive but rather to be active leaders in their households and focused on evangelism. Interestingly, Spencer highlights the image of slavery and how young women are not meant to subject themselves to maltreatment but rather that they should emulate voluntary slavery in a humble way demonstrating leadership. This theme of reversing the perceived nature or effect of certain aspects of life continues as Spencer emphasized the transformation of attitude that is required by Christians, needing them to be meek rather than in charge.

The exclusively digital edition of The Pneuma Review, Summer 2015 (18:3).

Some of what you will find in this issue:

An interview with Harvey Cox

Ancient Jewish Cessationists

Scholar Jon Ruthven shares some “hasty, preliminary notes” as he works through “What is Salvation?”

The Bible’s Undertaker: Cessationism in Contrast to a Living, Miraculous Christianity

The theology and influence of Karl Barth: an interview with Terry Cross

Find all of these articles individually in an easy-to-read format on the archive page: http://pneumareview.com/summer-2015/

Full issue coming soon.

Paul Pomerville has produced an uncompromising argument against Christian Zionism. Drawing upon his extensive experience in police work, he detects a gap in the collection of evidence in the literature on Christian Zionism. He claims that no evangelical works have heretofore made a case against Christian Zionism based on New Testament evidence (xviii). Employing a creative methodology of simulating a criminal trial, Pomerville interrogates key witnesses in the New Testament and appeals to the reader as jury to find Christian Zionism guilty of the charge of perverting the gospel.

Dr. Pomerville holds a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Theological Seminary. He served for two years as Graduate Professor and Department Chairman of Christian Missions and Cross-Cultural Communications at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. He is the author of The Third Force in Missions (1985), a groundbreaking work on Pentecostal missiology.

The aim of The Christian Case Against Christian Zionism is to establish guilt by association, correlating Christian Zionism with the Judaizers of the New Testament (48). The scope of the book modulates between the Judaizers of the first-century church and contemporary Christian Zionists of a dispensational bent who believe that the plan of God holds a future for national Israel. Pomerville identifies his target audience as theologians, pastors, Christians in general, and Christian Zionists in particular. As to its place in the world of literature, although claiming to represent a fresh approach, this book is another of the many works devoted to the repudiation of Christian Zionism. Pomerville upholds the thesis that the brand of Christian Zionism which is dispensational in its hermeneutical orientation and pro-Israel in its political stance constitutes a distortion of the New Testament gospel of the kingdom.

One of the strongest points of Pomerville’s argument is his critique of dispensationalists for an undue focus on the futurity of the kingdom, which marginalizes the present reality of the kingdom and detracts from the gifts of the Spirit as central to the gospel of the kingdom inaugurated by Jesus. He also indicts dispensationalists for distinguishing two tracks in the divine plan of redemption, Israel and the Church. Pomerville castigates the most extreme form of Christian Zionism as “pseudo-Christian Zionism” because of its “retro-theology” of expecting the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem and restoration of a Jewish kingdom in the land of Palestine during the end times. Pomerville raises important questions about the identity of the people of God and the place of Israel in salvation history. He favors a “fulfillment theology,” according to which Jesus Christ fulfills Old Testament prophecy and creates a new spiritual people of God composed of both Jews and Gentiles. He writes, “Those born of the Spirit, Jew and Gentile, are the people of God” (160). “Membership in the people of God is not determined by Jewish ancestry, but by faith in Jesus, spiritual rebirth, and by the transforming power of God” (161). In regards to the place of Israel in salvation history, Pomerville argues that it is inappropriate to apply Old Testament prophecies to the modern State of Israel (173). The Christ event marked the end of the temple order of worship, Israel’s ancestral privilege, and territorial rights. “Gospel values won out over national values” (178) when Jesus unleashed a new spirituality based on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and an inner spiritual kingdom which made obsolete the old spirituality of the nation and land. Hence, the author avers that holding on to a vision of an exclusive Jewish kingdom is at odds with the plan of God for universal salvation, which is to say that Israel has retained no privileged place in God’s plan of redemption.

Perhaps the most significant of Pomerville’s contentions is that the Judaizing conflict in the first-century church exercised a formative influence on the view of Israel and the Church adumbrated in Luke-Acts, Paul’s letters, Hebrews, and the Gospel of John. This conflict was addressed at the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15), yet not decisively resolved, as the church continued to struggle with the unification of Jewish and Gentile believers. Pomerville adeptly detects indications of this struggle between the lines of the writings of the New Testament books mentioned above. Concomitantly, he faults Christian Zionists for committing an offense analogous to the Judaizers by giving Israel a place in God’s plan of salvation separate from the Church. This is a charge worth pondering.

A subsidiary bone of contention intermittently raised by Pomerville has to do with the missiological implications of Christian Zionism. Pomerville argues that uncritical support for Israel among evangelicals has fomented “hatred” in the Muslim world, giving the impression that Christians are impervious to the injustices committed by the State of Israel, precluding acceptance of the gospel by Muslims. The barriers to evangelizing Muslims in the Middle East are complicated by Christian Zionism. My research found that the Pentecostal missionaries in Palestine who succeeded in planting sustainable churches in the West Bank had to distance themselves from Christian Zionism. They did so by contextualizing the Christian message, empathizing with the Palestinian reality, and speaking against the injustices committed against the Palestinian Arab population (Newberg 2012).

Introduction

Twentieth century Pentecostalism reawakened the world to miracles. The growth of this movement activated individuals in established religion to wrestle with a major player on the world scene of Christianity. Even so, as Pentecostalism expands, the cessationist view resuscitates a theological position that corresponds with the European intellectual development of the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries named the Enlightenment. The proponents of cessationism believe that their cause is true and just. As a consequence of the strict emphasis on Enlightenment presuppositions in theology, their belief system allows no place for the miraculous in Christian living. The thesis of this paper argues for the clear biblical authority and support for miracles in contrast to the problem of the unbiblical history of cessationism. The topic is divided into five sections. First, a presentation of the problem of cessationism and the purpose of this study is submitted. Second, specific historical figures from church history represent the foundation for cessationism. Third, historical antecedents supporting miraculous experiences are surveyed. Fourth, a theological and biblical critique of cessationism is examined. Fifth, concluding thoughts and reflections on the unbiblical basis for cessationism is contested by the biblical revelation of the miraculous in Christianity.

The problem and study

The purpose of this paper exegetes the faulty presuppositions underlying cessationist opinion. This study examines the historical ethos behind cessationism and buttresses the biblical belief in the miraculous with Holy Scripture. In fact, the modern day cessationist view is not grounded in Scripture but rather in the principles of the Enlightenment, which support the secular American culture. An honest evaluation of cessationism would cause many conservative fundamentalists to reconsider the underpinnings of their belief system.

Notable persons from church history supporting cessationism

Specific historical antecedents for the unbiblical belief in cessationism are copious. Numerous Christians holding a cessationist theology have contributed to this investigation. This section discusses the remarks of five particular people: John Chrysostom, Augustine, John Calvin, B.B. Warfield and John MacArthur. Their outspoken influence creates a thread of unbelief and skepticism enduring two millennia of Christianity.

In Antipas Harris’ book, Holy Spirit, Holy Living: Toward a Practical Theology of Holiness for Twenty-First Century Churches, the author aims to broach the topic of holiness by writing an academically informed work that is accessible and beneficial to the everyday Christian (xv). Although this work is academic in nature, non-academic readers will be able to enjoy the author’s work due to the book’s readability. The book is divided into two parts each containing four chapters. Part one explores and addresses the meaning of and need for biblical holiness, and the part two is largely a proposal on how to walk out holiness from day-to-day. This book is located within a Wesleyan Pentecostal perspective on holiness, although it refreshingly explores both the strengths and weaknesses of the overall tradition.

Antipas Harris

Chapter one lays a foundation for the whole of the book by showing the need for a practical theology of holiness for the twenty first century. The author does this by showing how this call to a holy life lies within the pages of scripture and touches on the fact that there is a middle way between lawlessness and legalism. Chapter two further develops this middle ground by giving further definition to how to live “in the world but not [be] of the world”. According to Harris, holiness at its core is forsaking the world and identifying with Christ (p. 25), yet responding to the call to be missional in the world (p. 33). In this chapter, it becomes more apparent that for Harris, holiness is a lifestyle and a “distinctive way of living in the world” (p. 37).

Chapter three serves as an overview of the scriptural content that speaks to the issue of holiness and sanctification specifically. Here the author looks at various elements that speak to holiness in the Old Testament including the Torah (pp. 43-44), the Sabbath (pp. 45-48), the Old Testament Holiness code (pp. 48-50), and the Psalms (pp. 52-55). Then he shifts to cover the New Testament by looking at what Paul (pp. 57-58) and Peter (pp. 58-59) had to say about it. Although the author clearly desires a balance between heart and action, it is worth noting that this concise yet thorough treatment of the scriptural content on holiness focuses more on the OT view of holiness than the NT, which lends itself to being more performance based. Nonetheless, it is evident the author attempts to strike the difficult balance between an inward heart condition and an outward lifestyle. Chapter Four touches on the connectedness yet dissimilarities between salvation and sanctification (pp. 62-67), and then the rest of the chapter focuses on how to live out that sanctification. Harris makes an important distinction, though, by connecting living the “sanctified life” through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment (pp. 85-86).

Part II begins in chapter five where the author gives his “four Ds” on how to live out the holy life: “devoted life of prayer, a disciplined lifestyle with determination to live God’s ways despite the odds, and commitment to developing a life of service to and on behalf of others” (p. 92). This chapter is filled with good, practical advice on how to begin to put holiness to practice. Further, chapter seven gives “Four Cs” (confusion about the definition of holiness, culture might get in the way, church might get in the way, cravings [lust] get in the way) that serve as hindrances to holiness and chapter eight gives “Four Rs” (repentance, recommitment, recovery, and renewal). Chapter seven gives a helpful picture of common hindrances many have to living out holiness and chapter eight serves as a strong appeal to the church on her situation of “urgency in society” (p. 134). Harris’ conclusions in chapter eight might cause debate among readers as whole, but is nothing new in light of the controversy surrounding the relationship between the church and greater society (particularly in the political arena). All in all, I commend the author for discussing how this issue speaks to the issue of holiness.

Reviewed by Andrew Ray Williams

Publisher’s page: http://wipfandstock.com/holy-spirit-holy-living.html

Alister McGrath, The Living God: A Guide for Study and Devotion, The Heart of Christian Faith Series (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2014), ix + 111 pages.

Alister McGrath is professor of theology, ministry, and education at Kings College, London. He is also a historian and a biochemist. McGrath has written these volumes for ordinary Christians rather than professional theologians or clergy. In undertaking this task in that manner, he is following in the footsteps of Chesterton, Lewis, and Sayers. Like them, McGrath explores a consensual, basic Christianity, using accessible and engaging language and images. The present two books under review are two of five in a series entitled The Heart of Christian faith in which McGrath seeks to answer three questions: What do Christians believe? Why do we believe this? And what difference does it make? The first book under review deals with the nature of faith and how it came to be expressed in the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed. The second book under review deals with God the Father and what we believe about Him.

In chapter one of Faith and Creeds, which outlines both McGrath’s and Lewis’ once atheistic positions in life, McGrath quotes Lewis as saying, “A young man who wishes to remain a sound atheist cannot be too careful about his reading. There are traps everywhere”. McGrath also notes that Lewis was drawn to Christianity not so much by the individual arguments in it’s favor, but rather by its big picture of reality (10). Christianity seemed to make sense of everything that really mattered to him and it connected with his inner longing for truth, beauty, and goodness.

In chapter 2, McGrath likens the Creeds to maps, which distinguish and delineate the framework of Christianity. The Creeds are indeed a map that distills the core themes of the Bible, disclosing a glorious, loving and righteous God. The Creeds give us a framework for going further and deeper into our faith. As chapter 3 points out, one of the virtues of the Christian faith is that it makes sense in and of itself, while also making sense of what we experience in the world around us. In chapter 4, it is noted that although the Creeds often seem wordy and formulaic, they are verbal vessels containing the treasure of the gospel. Chapter 6 introduces the Apostles Creed and the Nicene Creed by noting the words at the beginning — I believe — suggest that the focus of faith is the individual (83).

The Heart of Christian Faith series: Faith and Creeds (2013), The Living God (2014), Jesus Christ (2014), The Spirit of Grace (2015), and The Christian Life and Hope (2016).

All in all, both of these titles are worthy of study. Moreover, I look forward to getting the chance to read and study the other three volumes in this set.

Reviewed by Bradford McCall

Preview Faith and Creeds
Publisher’s page for Faith and Creeds: https://www.wjkbooks.com/Products/0664239064/faith-and-creeds.aspx

Preview The Living God
Publisher’s page for The Living God: https://www.wjkbooks.com/Products/0664239072/the-living-god.aspx

William De Arteaga writes: “This is a very positive take on Pentecostalism from a left-leaning Christian magazine which normally disdains home-grown American Pentecostals.”

J. Lee Grady

J. Lee Grady, “Don’t Quench the Spirit in the Next Move of God” Charisma (May 28, 2015).

Josh Rice, “Pentecostal Babel” Jewish Centaur (May 26, 2015).

Reflections on speaking in tongues and preaching for Pentecost Sunday. Thanks to Tony Richie for recommending the article. Philip and Carol Zaleski, “Oxford’s Influential Inklings” The Chronicle Review (May 8, 2015).

Cletus L. Hull, III, “My Church is a Mental Hospital” Healing Line (Summer 2015).

D. Joy Allan

Deborah Joy Allan, “Rhetoric and Response: Current thoughts on depression and the church”

Pentecostal researcher Joy Allan discusses: How do we as a church respond to depression?

John Edmiston, “Digital Discipleship” [links to YouTube]

Roger Olson, “Is the ‘New Apostolic Reformation Movement’ a Cult?” Patheos (June 25, 2015).

Darren Wilson

Darren Wilson, “What I Learned From My Cessationist Church” Behind the Lens (May 18, 2015).

Preston Sprinkle, “4 Ways the Modern Church Looks Nothing Like the Early Church: There have been a few changes in the past two thousand years” Relevant (January 15, 2015).

Peter Althouse, “Prayer and the Christian” Ecclesiam (April 13, 2015).

In this blog from Southeastern’s College of Christian Ministries and Religion, PneumaReview.com writer Professor Peter Althouse writes: “When I was young my brother and I would head to my grandparents for weeklong visits. One of the things that I remember most vividly was that around bedtime my grandparents could be heard praying loudly from their bedroom. I also witnessed the kind of prayers typical in small Pentecostal churches, of people up at the front of the church at the end of the service, pacing, kneeling, standing with hands raised, striving in prayer. I did not really understand prayer back then, but my grandparents and members of my church modeled different forms of prayer that I came to see as Pentecostal. …”

Thanks to Michael Wilkinson for suggesting the link.

Michael Brown, “The Terrible Failure of the Secular Gospel” In the Line of Fire (April 20, 2015).

Michael Brown writes: “Almost 20 years ago, the journal First Things published an article by a famous German theologian named Wolfhart Pannenberg titled ‘How to Think About Secularism.’ In the article, Pannenberg outlined the nature of secularism and how it threatened the church, also explaining how the church should not respond to the challenge.”

Mark Woods, “Five pastoral errors that can kill a ministry” Christian Today (July 9, 2015).

Rick Wadholm Jr. writes, “Some great advice for pastors and pastors in training.” “When God and Science Meet: Surprising Discoveries of Agreement” National Association of Evangelicals

William De Arteaga writes: “This is a great resource for pastors and lay folks alike. It is a free booklet.”

Wyatt Fisher and Michelle Graham, “Unforgiveness: 5 Ways to Reverse It Today” ChristianCrush.com

“Have you ever seen someone try to help an injured animal? It can be a nerve-wracking experience. It’s a well-known fact that hurt animals – even the most domesticated ones – can’t be trusted. They might bite, scratch, or kick the very person trying to help out. We humans can be just like those animals; when we’re in pain, we’re more likely to hurt people around us. That’s why unforgiveness is so dangerous.

“Without forgiveness, we can never achieve true intimacy. …”

Stephen Phifer, “Pentecost Sunday Worship and the Day of Pentecost” Creator Magazine (April 23, 2015).

Monte Lee Rice pointed out this quote: “Pentecost is repeatable.”

“Gordon Anderson on Eschatology” Rick Wadholm Jr. (July 26, 2015).

Rick Wadholm Jr. writes: “I have just uploaded an hour long teaching from Dr. Gordon Anderson (president of North Central University) on Pentecostal eschatology that is well worth listening to for his survey and critique of dispensationalism and his instruction toward how eschatology ought to be preached in our Pentecostal churches.”

What does the Bible mean when it talks about salvation? Scholar Jon Ruthven shares some “hasty, preliminary notes” as he works through this important question and asks for your feedback.

In response to a query from a friend, I am working through what “salvation” means. Certainly, in traditional Christian theology, “salvation” means being forgiven of sins, regenerated and being good, then in a position to go to heaven. I just attended a church service where I heard exactly that.

In the Synoptics, however, “salvation” pretty much always means “healing” or “rescue.” Even in Mt 1:21 and Hb 9:28 Jesus’ “saving” from sins may have had a primary referent to the broken covenant penalties of Dt 28, not simply going to hell, hence, the emphasis on healing in the New Testament “gospel.”

Since the Synoptic Gospels (Mt, Mk, Lk) were written, mostly later, as summaries and “big picture” correctives to a Christianity that immediately began to drift off course in so many ways, we ought to take these Gospels (and John) as our prime source, and not dismiss them as “historical prologue” to the “real stuff”—”justification by faith” in Paul, as Luther and Calvin taught. (Paul was more amenable to Protestant “demythologizing” of the Gospel than the Gospels themselves).

The Gospels, then, were attempts to reset and recenter Jesus’ original mission and message. Based on the direction church doctrine took after the introduction of the Gospels, it seems that this “reset” didn’t really succeed. Maybe that success would come far in the future, but certainly not from the 2nd century and thereafter, where Christianity increasingly became an exercise in human/demonic speculation and pontificating (creeds and apologetics), not revelation and power. In the New Testament, demons always “knew” perfect “theology”; they did not “know” God in the way of knowing that God requires.

There was a man who said he couldn’t become a Christian until he gave up his cigarettes. Normally, I would respond that he needed a “salvation” experience which would then empower him to give up the habit. But I wonder if this man and his cigarettes may have been God’s test to show if he was really going to obey God’s revelation: was he going to hear and obey God in this defining test or not? The cigarettes, by themselves, are trivial, the test of obedience is everything—the first step toward “salvation” that is, life in the revealing, empowering Spirit/presence of God. “Repent” means “turning in the opposite direction”—away from one way of living to another: it involves a basic decision, and action, for total change.

Salvation is defined in the New Testament as entering the New Covenant. Defined in Acts 2:39, citing Isa 59:21, and 2 Cor 3, describing Jer 31:33 (also Heb 12:18-25), receiving the New Covenant Spirit of prophecy and power. This is the mission of Jesus defined in all four Gospels: “He will baptize in the Holy Spirit.”

“This is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

Last Wednesday, just after I had received a copy from the publisher, I spent most of the day in prayer of thanksgiving over the completion of this work. During this last year I had encountered numerous blocks and unexpected obstacles to its completion, as in the inexplicable loss of files, and even the entire text, and lastly, the index had to be redone completely. My Facebook friends prayed me through every obstacle.

Like most authors, I asked the Lord to grant this book much success, not only in this country, but overseas. I recalled to the Lord that very dear saint, and great prayer warrior, while praying for me, spontaneously prayed for the success of this book overseas. As I prayed I kept getting the word and image of Germany. This was strange as I had not had the least thought of a German audience as I was writing this work. I merely wanted to tell the story of Mrs. Agnes Sanford, and the people around her, and how she in particular was a theological innovator (in the best sense of the word). For instance, she developed the ministry of inner healing, and went on to write the first theology of nature miracles – as in stilling storms, etc. Nature miracles have been well recorded throughout the literature of the saints and heroes of the Church, but Agnes was the first person ever to write a book on how to pray effectively for this.[1]

Back to the Germany connection. I wondered if the impression I was getting was from the Lord or from a subconscious wish. I messaged a German Facebook friend who is also a distinguished German Pentecostal pastor and scholar. He knew about the book, and messaged me back agreeing that there was indeed an anointing on the book to do a work in Germany. Hallelujah!

I then began to consider, why would this work, about the wife of an Episcopal priest and rector, who was born in China, and who spent all of her adult live in the United States, be of special interest to German Christians?

Rudolf Bultmann (1884 – 1976) was an influential liberal theologian.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.

First, it is necessary to consider that the spiritual life and vitality of the German Churches is at a very low point, as in the rest of Europe. Germany is the birthplace of the Reformation, but also the birthplace of so called higher-criticism which denied the supernatural in the Bible and made the miracles to be pious myths (Rudolf Bultmann, and his followers, etc.). That form of hermeneutical disaster and apostasy is still very influential in Europe and Germany. Not surprising, Sunday church attendance in Europe is between 15 and 5 percent of the population.

Back in 1908 the Protestant pastors in Germany met to decide what to do about the craziness coming from America and the Azusa St. revival – Pentecostalism. They decided they wanted nothing to do with it and denounced the whole movement as a delusion and heresy. As a result, any form of Pentecostal and charismatic expression has been very limited in Germany until very recent decades.[2] There is some Holy Spirit movement now, as Europeans, including Germans, are getting increasingly nervous about the Muslim penetration of Europe and are open to anything that will counter it.

With this in mind, there are certain aspects of Agnes Sanford and Her Companions that may be particularly attractive to German Christians. First, among her “companions” was Prof. Glen Clark, who founded the Camps Furthest Out (CFO). This was an anti-cessationist parachurch ministry dating from the 1930 – yes, there were such things back then.[3] Several of the major works of Prof. Clark were translated into German and widely circulated in the 1950s and 1960s. Thus, my coverage of his achievements in effective prayer and healing will resonate with some older Germans, and his translated works could be easily reprinted.