Look what the Lord is doing! A special report from a participant in the Ba’kelalan Revival.

John Lathrop wrote this introduction for this report by Soh Pooi Siang:

Mount Murud is located in Malaysia. The church on this site has a direct connection to the Ba’kelalan Revival. The Ba’kelalan Revival is also connected to another revival that impacted Malaysia called the Bario Revival. It is unfortunate that neither of these revivals are very well-known in the West. Both of these revivals were marked by a strong sense of the Presence of God. The Ba’kelalan Revival brought about community transformation, had the gifts of the Holy Spirit in evidence, and resulted in the construction of the church on Mount Murud. The video that is included here will fill in some of the history of this move of God. The Lord has truly done great things in Malaysia.

This year from July 19^th to July 21^st the people of Ba’kelalan, located in Sarawak, Malaysia, hosted people from various tribes and nations at their prayer mountain which is called Mount Murud. On September 24^th, 1984 the first public miracle took place in Ba’kelalan on a hill called Buduk Tudal. The second miracle took place on Mount Murud. The second miracle spurred the prophet to ask the people if they would build a church in Murud. Only one responded yes but didn’t contribute to do anything. But the prophet, told by the Spirit to go build His church, decided to go even if others would not follow. The rest is history.

Since then, every year on the third week of July, special meetings are held by the Mount Murud Prayer Ministry. One year the meetings will be held on the mountain and the next year they will be held in the valley in Ba’kelalan. The meetings in 2020 are scheduled for July 17^th though Jul 19^th.

Jessie Pang and Marius Zaharia, “’Sing Hallelujah to the Lord': The unlikely anthem of Hong Kong protests” The Japan Times (June 18, 2019).

The Hong Kong protest against the proposed bill that would extradite activists to mainland China has taken up a modern Christian hymn as its anthem. Thanks to Brigada for pointing out this article.

“How J. P. Moreland Presented His Anxious Mind to God: The apologist opens up about his battles with mental illness” Christianity Today (June 2019).

In this interview by Eric L. Johnson, Christian philosopher J. P. Moreland talks about his recovery from a mental breakdown and what he learned from God in the process.

“Craig and Médine Keener on ethnic reconciliation” [43 seconds] YouTube.com (July 21, 2019).

Kate Shellnut, “Americans Who Know Religion Best Hold Worse Views of Evangelicals” ChristianityToday.com (July 23, 2019).

The subtitle reads, “Pew: Religious literacy usually helps Americans appreciate other faiths. Evangelicals score highest when it comes to their own.” The article quotes PneumaReview.com author Amos Yong, dean of the School of Theology and School of Intercultural Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary, explaining why evangelicals respond this way and how we should move forward for the sake of the Gospel.

Andrew Gabriel, “3 Ways the Holy Spirit Works Among Non-Christians” (July 6, 2017).

In case you missed it, an article from Andrew Gabriel’s blog series, “Questions People Ask about the Holy Spirit.”

Nancy Hudson, “My Story” YouTube.

John Lathrop writes: “This is the story of a woman missionary in my denomination. She has served in South Africa for 30 years (and is still serving there). Her story is one of faith and perseverance. She oversees 10 churches. Some of her story was told in the House of Prisca and Aquila book Some Men Are Our Heroes.

Andrew Wilson, “Paul Says to ‘Be Filled with the Spirit.’ How Do We Obey a Passive Verb?: Perhaps a sailing analogy will help clear up the confusion” Christianity Today (June 21, 2019).

“Encouraging Spiritual Gifts in Your Church” AndrewKGabriel.com (August 18, 2019).

Andrew Gabriel introduces this video: “In today’s video, I interview Dr. Sam Storms from Bridgeway Church in Oklahoma. I ask him about how he transitioned his previous church from being a cessationist church to one that practices all of the spiritual gifts. He also shares advice for other church leaders who seek to encourage their church to engage the spiritual gifts.”

John Lathrop, “Impartation” PentecostalPastor.com (August 23, 2019).

Let’s face facts, we are all going to face some type of pressure in our ministry. How are you reacting to pressure and how do you overcome it?

My nearly-sixteen-year-old daughter’s favorite movie is Braveheart. Naturally, if William Wallace can capture Mackenzie’s heart I want to be all that Wallace is and more. In my more delusional moments I envision myself with a huge sword, blue paint on my face and looking to “pick a fight.” When I return to my senses and look in the mirror, I hardly resemble the Scottish hero.

We all face pressure. What separates good and great leaders from average and failed leaders is how we handle that pressure.

I wonder if that’s who is needed today. As a matter of fact, if I arrived at church on Sunday morning clad in a kilt, swinging a sword, and yelling FREEDOM, it is highly likely that I will be given a very long vacation.

While most leaders long to be as brave as William Wallace, most will not be called upon to face an English sword. (Then again, William never faced an angry church secretary.) Seriously, what does a modern day warrior look like? Underneath all the trappings of a thirteenth-century Scot (1270-1305) or a twenty-first-century church leader … pressure is pressure.

When I say words like courage, risk, abandon, sweat, passion, and sacrifice, I can see myself, and hundreds if not thousands of other church leaders.

We all face pressure. What separates good and great leaders from average and failed leaders is how we handle that pressure.

How about you? What kind of pressure are you under? How are you coping with the debt load of your church? You’ve outgrown your building, so how do you keep growing when you are out of space and short on parking? How are you holding up under the pressure of being way behind in budget and losing some key givers? Then there is the matter of staff. Now there’s a piece of cake without any pressure whatsoever. Remember your youth pastor? What do you mean you aren’t getting along? Then there’s that small group that wants to break away and start their own church. Let’s not go there. One of your trustees is having an affair …OK, enough!

Are you taking care of yourself?
Image: Marcelo Leal

But wait, we haven’t even started on your personal life yet. How are you dealing with the pressure of your family acting more like animals than angels? Your spouse and kids are struggling and demanding more of your time. You want to give them time, but …Then of course you have your health to reckon with. Are you exercising regularly? Are you still eating double-cheese bacon-burgers, fries and topping it all off with ice cream? Your kids are getting close to college age and how are you going to pay for that? And last but not least, being the spiritual leader you are, how well are you doing in your passionate pursuit of God and hearing His clear voice of direction for you and your Church? I have one word for all that. PRESSURE! Like it or not, leaders are called to higher standards than non-leaders. 1 Timothy 3:1-7 gives a good picture of those standards. We are not called to be perfect, but we are called to live lives above reproach and be productive at the same time. Isn’t that the real pressure?

Image: Bourne Baljit

1. Discover Biblical Precedent.
2. Investigate for Scriptural Harmony.
3. Scrutinize for Sound Doctrine.
4. Confirm with Experience.
5. Examine the Fruit.
6. Receive Supernatural Discernment.
7. Note Examples and Lessons from the Past.
8. Sift and Weigh for Divine Equilibrium.

As we look at these principles, to make it simple, spiritual discernment is a bit like driving a car. We need to learn when to press down the accelerator, apply the brakes, or continue to move forward with alertness and caution. The illustration of approaching a traffic light while driving helps to picture the process of discernment: Green Light means Go for discernment. Red Light means Stop; go no farther. Yellow light means slow down and get ready to stop. A blinking yellow light is a modified green light when crossing some busy intersections, meaning continue to proceed with caution, looking both ways in case there are crosswinds or someone else wasn’t paying attention to the lights.[i]

Discernment Principle 1: Discover Biblical Precedent

Is the teaching, practice, or manifestation clearly found in Scripture? “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim 3:16-17). Biblical precedent may be demonstrated in one of three ways: 1) Commands—a direct command to do or not to do something (for example, the Ten Commandments); 2) Principles—guidelines for common or normal practice (for instance, most of the proverbs are observation of life truth, not commands); 3) Examples—demonstration through something that is said or done or not said or done (illustrations, real life instances, patterns, experiences). Based on these, we then can ask two questions:

• Do any biblical commands, principles, or examples clearly question or condemn this teaching, practice, or manifestation? This is an automatic red light.

• Do any biblical commands, principles, or examples permit or sanction this teaching, practice, or manifestation? This may be a green light, but it also may be a blinking yellow light that requires looking in all directions for further confirmation.
  
  
  ]]> https://pneumareview.com/basic-biblical-principles-of-discernment/feed/ 0 https://pneumareview.com/william-de-arteaga-aging-gracefully-with-the-graces-of-healing-prayer/ https://pneumareview.com/william-de-arteaga-aging-gracefully-with-the-graces-of-healing-prayer/#comments Wed, 11 Sep 2019 22:55:23 +0000 http://pneumareview.com/?p=15645 William L. De Arteaga with Susan Brooks Thomas, Aging Gracefully with the Graces of Healing Prayer (Lexington: Emeth Press, 2019), vii + 86 pages.

  In his latest book, Aging Gracefully with the Graces of Healing Prayer, William L. De Arteaga has given us a wonderful little examination of Spirit-filled prayer and how it may be applied as we grow closer to making the transition from this earthly existence to eternity and all the joys we are called to enjoy there. We all have encountered individuals who seem to become more cynical as time marches on. How may we approach the sunset years with faith and an exuberant witness as we enter the final days of our lives?

  Drawing on his knowledge of prayer and healing ministry, De Arteaga correctly understands that the Eastern Orthodox faith has seen the “power” of God to be best articulated as “energy” that God permeates in his creation. Using the long time Methodist and Pentecostal figure, Smith Wigglesworth (1859-1947), as a starting point, De Arteaga talks about the controversial method of “leg extension” and its implications for a healing ministry. The author is honest enough to admit that although sometimes God heals in an instant, on other occasions God heals over time. We are admonished: “Prayer works even when the miracle you want doesn’t happen like you want” (p. 29). What is not open to question, however, is that all Christians should seek to be involved in some type of healing ministry.

  All Christians should seek to be involved in some type of healing ministry.

  A wonderful part of De Arteaga’s book is relating how he and his wife, Carolyn, have entered the calling of healing prayer and ministry together. “We pray together everyday and use healing prayer on ourselves at the very start of any disease or abnormality” (p. 19). In a beautiful way, they have seen the healing of God take shape in their lives. If more Christian couples became engaged in their prayer lives in this manner, what would be the result for the Kingdom of God?

  Through several chapters, De Arteaga invites us to consider the possibilities of becoming involved in an age-related healing ministry. One can only speculate the possibilities of praying for the sick and infirm in assisted living facilities. Or, as senior saints, what could be the ramifications of praying through the news? This type of intercessory prayer ministry is ripe for prayer warriors who will pray and fast about the different issues and people on the world stage.

  This little book is useful for training church prayer groups and building up yourself.

  Throughout the book, De Arteaga provides analysis of the promise and power of prayer. We are informed how to pray in special occasions, to pray for pets, and an assortment of other types of opportunities and matters of concern. Although I found some stylistic mistakes,¹ I believe this is a helpful little volume which would be of use in training church prayer groups and edifying for personal use.

  Reviewed by Robert Webster

   

  Notes

  ¹ On page 23, in footnote 7, there is no text. On page 75, at the end of the first line, the phrase “that often” causes an incomplete sentence. On page 81, on the last line of the text, “book” should be “books.” Footnote 8, which cites John Wesley’s Primitive Physic, is out of sync with the text.

   

  
  ]]> https://pneumareview.com/william-de-arteaga-aging-gracefully-with-the-graces-of-healing-prayer/feed/ 0 https://pneumareview.com/mark-rutland-courage-to-be-healed/ https://pneumareview.com/mark-rutland-courage-to-be-healed/#comments Sat, 07 Sep 2019 22:16:08 +0000 http://pneumareview.com/?p=15636 Mark Rutland, Courage to be Healed: Finding Hope to Restore Your Soul (Lake Mary, FL: Charisma House, 2019), 208 pages, ISBN 9781629996479.

  Dr. Mark Rutland is the president of a ministry called Global Servants, this ministry has a base in Africa and in Asia. He is also the president of the National Institute of Christian Leadership. Previously he has served as a pastor and been the president of two Christian universities, Oral Roberts University and Southeastern University. In addition to these ministries he has written a number of books, Courage to be Healed is his latest.

  At first glance, the title may fool you; the book is not about physical healing. The subtitle is helpful in clarifying the focus of the book. As the subtitle clearly states the book is about restoring your soul. Stated differently, this is a book about inner healing. The book is the fruit of some of the author’s counseling of others along with material supplied to him by other Christian counselors. Rutland takes care to conceal the identities of both the counselors and counselees. This is necessary because some of the stories in this book are truly disturbing. The fallen world in which we live produces some terrible results and no one has the assurance that they will escape unscathed. Many, if not all, of the people whose stories are told in this book are Christians, and they have each been deeply wounded.

  One of the biblical passages used in this text is the portion of Scripture in which four men carry a paralyzed man up to the roof of a house, dig a hole in the roof, and then lower the paralyzed man down through the roof right in front of Jesus. This story demonstrates the truth that sometimes people need the help of others in order to get to Jesus so that they can to be healed. Jesus first met the man’s spiritual needs by forgiving his sins, and then He healed his body. The author calls our attention to the fact that the paralytic had to have courage in order go through with this plan to be healed.

  Hurt people hurt people. But there is hope.

  In the pages of this book, Rutland deals with the wounds that many people carry. The things that have caused these wounds he calls “toxins.” He deals with five: shame, unforgiveness, rejection, condemnation, and fear. As he writes about each of these toxins he identifies the throne (that which gives the toxin its power), the therapy that will help cure the toxin, and the goal of the therapy (what the counselor is trying to accomplish through the counseling sessions).

  In the course of dealing with each of the toxins mentioned above the author shares some of the dialogue that takes place between the counselor and the person being counseled. This part of the text helps the reader see the difficulty of the counseling task. One can see the struggle and the tension that takes place in the counseling session. This book demonstrates that it does indeed take courage to be healed. The first step for the counselee is to face the issue and call it what it truly is. That can be a very difficult thing for a person to do. This book may be of special interest to professional Christian counselors or those who are engaged in pastoral counseling.

  Reviewed by John Lathrop

   

  Preview Courage to Be Healed: https://books.google.com/books/about/Courage_to_Be_Healed.html?id=6uWmDwAAQBAJ

  Author’s book page: https://drmarkrutland.com/store/books/courage-to-be-healed/

  
  ]]> https://pneumareview.com/mark-rutland-courage-to-be-healed/feed/ 0 https://pneumareview.com/in-jesus-we-have-overcome-an-interview-with-michael-brown/ https://pneumareview.com/in-jesus-we-have-overcome-an-interview-with-michael-brown/#comments Tue, 03 Sep 2019 21:44:09 +0000 http://pneumareview.com/?p=15628

  Dr. Michael Brown speaks with Pneuma Review about his new book, Jezebel’s War With America. He urges believers to remember who we are in Jesus and take a stand against the spirit of the age.

   

  PneumaReview.com: Please explain to our readers what you mean by Jezebel being at war with America when the historical figure, Jezebel, has been dead for thousands of years.

  Michael Brown: We know that in the Bible there was a wicked Queen Jezebel, and she was incredibly powerful. She led the nation into idolatry. She emasculated her husband who was a strong King. She was associated with sexual immorality and with sorcery. She was a murderer, and she was obviously demonically empowered. Jesus called a woman “Jezebel” in the New Testament a thousand years later. This woman also was a false prophet; this false spirituality led people into idolatry and sexual immorality. The same demonic forces that worked through this queen 3,000 years ago and through this false prophet 2,000 years ago are working together in America today.

   

  PneumaReview.com: What do you see as the primary signs that the spirit of Jezebel is at work in America?

  Michael Brown: When we look at the state of the nation today, we see the rise of radical feminism and the emasculating of men. We see the rise of idolatry turning away from God, the rise of sexual immorality through porn and the Internet, the intense baby-killing fueling a militant abortion spirit. There are reports that we even have more witches today in America than Presbyterians. The same demonic power that works through Jezebel paralyzes people by fear. All these are clear signs that Jezebel is clearly at work in America.

   

  PneumaReview.com: What are the main tactics that this spirit employs in order to accomplish its purposes?

  You need to be praying for your leaders to be bold and strong.

  Michael Brown: There’s something about the demonic power of Jezebel that paralyzes those who are supposed to be prophetic, including pastors and our nation’s leaders. I think of the mighty prophet Elijah—one of the greatest men of God of all time for a season in his life. He ran from Jezebel because of fear. The prophets who were supposed to be speaking to Israel were hiding in caves, fearing for their lives, because of this demonic queen.
  
  ]]> https://pneumareview.com/in-jesus-we-have-overcome-an-interview-with-michael-brown/feed/ 0 https://pneumareview.com/order-of-st-luke-international-2019-from-an-anti-cessationism-past-to-a-fully-charismatic-future/ https://pneumareview.com/order-of-st-luke-international-2019-from-an-anti-cessationism-past-to-a-fully-charismatic-future/#comments Thu, 29 Aug 2019 21:20:49 +0000 http://pneumareview.com/?p=15614

  Charismatic historian William De Arteaga introduces us to The Order of St. Luke, where it came from, how it has influenced charismatic leaders for generations, and reports on the most recent international convention held in Orlando, Florida.

  The Order of St Luke was founded by The Rev. John Gayer Banks in the 1930’s, an Episcopal priest residing in California. His intention was to introduce healing prayer into the Episcopal and the mainline churches in the United States. By the 1950s the OSL became a leading and important anti-cessationist group proclaiming a prophetic message among the Protestant churches in North America: the Church’s healing ministry must be reclaimed. Ultimately, the OSL also became a solidly charismatic bastion, sharing in many areas of the world the message that the healing ministry reaches its fullness in conjunction with the gifts of the Spirit. The latter transition was not and easy one, as will be described below.

  The Order of St. Luke proclaimed: The Church’s healing ministry must be reclaimed.

  The OSL was patterned after of the Anglican Guild of Health (England) established by the Anglican priest, the Rev. Percy Dearmer in 1903. Dearmer was a polymath – an art historian, liturgical scholar, co-founder of the Christian Socialist Union, but most widely known for his work on the Anglican hymnal, including some of his own hymns.[1]

  Dearmer’s labors in reestablishing healing prayer in the Church was partly in response to the vast inroads that Christian Science and the other Metaphysical cults were making during the 1900s in attracting orthodox Christians to their churches. The Rev. Dearmer rightly understood that the root problem was that the orthodox Christian churches no longer believed or practiced healing prayer – i.e. cessationism.[2]

  

  The Rev. Percy Dearmer

  Dearmer and two other Anglican churchmen banded together to remedy the situation. This was done through a new organization, The Guild of Health, which was attached to the Anglican Church. (Anglican love doing their ministry through “guilds,” it grounds the group to the Anglican Church and its Episcopal oversight and besides sounds genteel.) The guild spread throughout the UK, sponsoring and organizing lectures and “missions” of three day teachings ending in a church service and the laying on of hands at the altar rail.

  John Ganer Banks was born in England but later emigrated to America to get his doctorate in religious studies, and went on to be ordained an Episcopal priest. He determined to do the same for the Episcopal Church in America as the Rev Dearmer did in the UK. From his base at St. Luke’s Church in San Diego, he and his wife Ethel began healing services at his parish, and did healing missions wherever he was invited. While he pastored the parish, Ethel administered the OSL and wrote most of its literature. She began a mimeographed journal of healing testimonies and book reviews. The mailing list for this two page newsletter steadily grew to reach every part of the nation. Within two years it morphed into a more sophisticated printed journal with the name “Sharing.” It continues to this day as the official journal of the OSL.

  
  ]]> https://pneumareview.com/order-of-st-luke-international-2019-from-an-anti-cessationism-past-to-a-fully-charismatic-future/feed/ 0 https://pneumareview.com/wanting-what-the-lord-wants-an-interview-with-paul-king/ https://pneumareview.com/wanting-what-the-lord-wants-an-interview-with-paul-king/#comments Sun, 25 Aug 2019 17:27:35 +0000 http://pneumareview.com/?p=15602

  Paul King, who is a Bible teacher, evangelist, educator, historian, pastor, and cancer survivor, has distinguished qualifications to talk about what God has done and what God is doing. In this interview with PneumaReview.com, we speak with him about his own story and his recent book, Is It of God? that addresses crucial questions about biblical discernment.

   

  PneumaReview.com: Please tell our readers how you came into the Charismatic Renewal.

  

  Paul King: I grew up in the Christian and Missionary Alliance, which believed in the filling of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit on paper, but little in practice because of fear of Pentecostal excesses. I was baptized in the Spirit in my first year of college, out of the ongoing overflow of the Asbury College revival in February 1970. I was attending Geneva College in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, and had returned from a beach evangelism team to Florida, feeling very frustrated that I had no power to witness. A student ministry team from the Asbury Revival came to Beaver Falls in April 1970, sharing their testimonies of the great outpouring of the Spirit upon the students. They had something I didn’t have and I began seeking. A few weeks later, I wandered into an Assemblies of God church and the pastor laid hands on me and prayed for me. I did not speak in tongues, but I went out from there with a power I never had before, and I began doing street witnessing with great power and effects, and kids were getting saved.

  Even though my Pentecostal friends said I didn’t get it, I did realize that although I didn’t speak in tongues, Jesus said the evidence of the baptism in the Spirit was power to be a witness (Acts 1:8). My ministry was so powerful and effective that Young Life asked me to join their staff. I prayed for the Lord to give me His better gifts, not tongues. I began to get words of prophecy and supernatural words of knowledge even though I had not spoken in tongues. But the Lord convicted me, saying, “If you are not willing to receive what you consider the least of my gifts, what makes you think you should receive any of my gifts?” I was so humbled and convicted, I repented, and began praying, “Lord, I want what you want. If you want me to speak in tongues, I want to speak in tongues. If you don’t want me to speak in tongues, I don’t want to speak in tongues. I was praying this 10 months after I was baptized in the Spirit while driving to my uncle’s home to paint his house. Strange words came to my mind and I spoke them out. I prayed, “Lord, if this is genuine, give me an interpretation.” Immediately to my mind came the words, “The arm of the Lord is extended to you,” and I knew it was real. I had no emotion like I did when I was baptized in the Spirit, just a calm peace (Good thing while I was driving!)

  
  ]]> https://pneumareview.com/wanting-what-the-lord-wants-an-interview-with-paul-king/feed/ 0 https://pneumareview.com/knowing-creation-perspectives-from-theology-philosophy-and-science-reviewed-by-stephen-vantassel/ https://pneumareview.com/knowing-creation-perspectives-from-theology-philosophy-and-science-reviewed-by-stephen-vantassel/#comments Wed, 21 Aug 2019 22:45:26 +0000 http://pneumareview.com/?p=15587 Andrew B. Torrance and Thomas H. McCall, eds., Knowing Creation: Perspectives from Theology, Philosophy, and Science, Volume 1 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2018), 352 pages, ISBN 9780310536130.

  In recent decades, the long struggle between science and theology has intensified, forcing Christian theologians to increase their attention on the doctrine of creation. The challenge facing theologians was is how to correlate and contextualize biblical teaching concerning creation with the findings of contemporary science. The effort is difficult because of the diversity and complexity of the issues which include how we got here, the relationship between revelation and reason, free-will and providence, and biblical teaching about nature. Knowing Creation (vol 1.) addresses these subjects through 16 articles by scholars from prestigious schools who self-identify as Christian. The editors explicitly sought to make the book interdisciplinary, arguing that too often academics become siloed in their field (p.18).

  The book is organized into four sections each containing four articles: Theological Perspectives, Biblical and Historical Perspectives, Philosophical Perspectives and Scientific Perspectives. While the editors wisely decided to organize the articles by theme or emphasis, readers should understand that some of the categorizations were arbitrary. For example, Mark Harris’ article, “’The Trees of the Field Shall Clap Their Hands’ (Isaiah 55:12): What Does It Mean to Say That a Tree Praises God?” is placed in the Scientific Perspectives section but could have easily been placed in the Biblical and Historical Perspectives.

  Given the diversity of topics covered in this text, an integrated review is impossible. So rather than write on all 16 articles, attention will be placed on a few select papers taken from each of the sections.

  Section 1 Theological Perspectives

  Simon Oliver’s article, “Every Good Gift is from Above” discusses the relationship between culture and nature and how the often-touted dichotomy between nature and culture is problematic (p. 31). In this, Oliver is spot on. The idea that nature is to be understood as non-human assumes an improper understanding of both nature and humanity. In short, it is a false dualism. Oliver contends that viewing creation as a gift from God helps overcome this dualism. He explains this by employing Marcel Mauss’ conception of gifts and giving. Oliver concludes by arguing that food unites culture and nature. He then continues to tease out the implications of the aforementioned premise by drawing on biblical narratives showing how food is strongly associated with reconciliation and communion (i.e. fellowship). In this way, food is both a gift and an offering. Oliver concludes by drawing attention to how food production is tied to much of the environmental problems of our day. Recognizing the interplay between food and culture highlights the importance of creation in our lives and in the biblical narrative.

  Oliver’s insights are rather abstract and tend to arrive at theological conclusions that are at times a bit tendentious. Nevertheless, his ideas are stimulating and worthy of engagement.

  
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