Tony Lane, A Concise History of Christian Thought, Revised Edition (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2006), 336 pages, ISBN 9780801031595.

At least one book on the history of Christian thought belongs in every Christian library. If you have more, this concise history should be the one closest to the desk. Tony Lane, Professor of Historical Theology and Director of Research at London School of Theology, has produced a comprehensive introductory text that also functions well as a reference book. The text is reliable, well-written, and highly organized, although the book lacks an index for quick access to various aspects of Christian history. The reader is rewarded with introductions to more than one hundred major Christian thinkers, church councils, creeds, church confessions, and ecumenical documents. Those looking for a comprehensive text will find in this affordable book a valuable and informative addition to their library.

Lane’s history is divided into five parts: (1) The Church of the Fathers to AD 500, (2) The Eastern Tradition from AD 500, (3) The Medieval West (AD500-1500), (4) Reformation and Reaction (1500-1800), and (5) Christian Thought in the Modern World (1800 onwards). Each part begins with an introductory section, followed by the contribution of major thinkers of the period, and framed by various church councils. The persons are arranged historically rather than by the significance that may be attributed to their contribution (a principle frequently found in other histories of Christian thought). Thus, one finds Augustine near the end of the first part, his significance indicated not by an artificial positioning at the beginning of Church history but rather by the number of pages dedicated to his account. Only when this pattern is disrupted, for example at the location of the Catholic counter-reformation at the end of the Reformation section rather than in the middle, the account suffers in its ecumenical strength.

The strategic placement of church councils and confessional documents throughout the text should be of special interest to Pentecostals, who have often rejected creeds as distortions of the God-intended course of history. Lane highlights the development of each council, its important features and documents, as well as the problems and controversies that led to divisions in the East and the West. The result is a balanced look at the emergence of Christian doctrine from the Church as an enduring community of faith faced with the death of the original eyewitnesses, an unprecedented increase in members, numerous heterodox and even heretical interpretations of the gospel, as well as the expansion of the Christian community toward the ends of the earth.

The final section of the book on the modern period is also the longest section. Lane introduces the reader to the adherents of modern Liberalism, Evangelicalism, the New Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, the Ecumenical Movement, and other developments. The collection is concise, as the title of the book claims, and certainly one of the most relevant to many readers. What Lane misses, however, is a more deliberate account of the movement of Christian thought since the middle of the twentieth century away from the West toward the East and the Southern hemisphere. Minority theologies still occupy a marginal place in this otherwise excellent work. The informed reader should supplement this text with more globally informed and marginally sensitive works written in recent years especially by Pentecostal scholars.

Reviewed by Wolfgang Vondey

Sam Storms, Convergence: Spiritual Journeys Of A Charismatic Calvinist (Kansas City: Enjoying God Ministries, 2005), 244 pages, ISBN 9780977173907.

I realize that one of the words in the title of this book may prove troublesome to some; I am referring to the word “Calvinist.” This word may be problematic in that many, if not most, Pentecostals and Charismatics tend to be more Arminian than Calvinistic in their theology. Nonetheless, if you are Arminian in theology do not let the word “Calvinist” stop you from reading this book.

Sam Storms has an interesting spiritual history. He, like Jack Deere, Rock Bottomly and Robert Heidler, was a student at Dallas Theological Seminary (all of these men now endorse, and have written about the present day charismatic gifting of the Spirit). Storms was on the staff of Mike Bickle’s church during the days of the controversial “Kansas City Prophets.” After leaving Bickle’s church he went on to teach theology at Wheaton College, so Storms is a man who is well acquainted with both the Spirit and the Word.

Convergence is divided into three sections. The first section is called “My Spiritual Journey.” In this section Storms shares some of the supernatural experiences that he and his family have had. These experiences include examples of divine guidance and exposure to the workings of the Holy Spirit though dreams, prophecy and deliverance.

Section two is titled “The Wedding of Word and Spirit.” Storm’s desire is that the church would come together and embrace both Word and Spirit. In this section he explores some of the differences that exist between cessationists and charismatics (whom he calls continuationists).

Sam Storms in 2013.

The final section, section three, is called “He is There and He’s Still Not Silent.” In this section Storms considers the subject of God speaking today. He affirms that God speaks to us today through the Bible, but he also believes that God speaks today, by the Spirit, just as He did in Bible days. Also in this section Storms draws upon the writing of Jonathan Edwards to support the idea that we ought to have an experiential faith, one that affects us at an emotional level.

Convergence does not deal with the subject of Calvinism in any significant way; it is really a book about the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Storms believes in the contemporary exercise of the gifts of the Spirit. The book makes a case for the church to embrace both the Word of God and the supernatural workings of the Holy Spirit. This book can not be lightly dismissed by those who do not believe in the contemporary exercise of the gifts of the Spirit. The author is a very educated man who has a high view of Scripture.

Rex Humbard, The Soul-Winning Century, 1906-2006: The Humbard Family Legacy … One Hundred Years of Ministry (Dallas: Clarion Call Marketing, 2006), 252 pages, ISBN 9781595740557.

Since almost the beginning of the twentieth century Pentecostal movement, members of the Humbard family have been engaging in earnest, energetic ministry to reach the lost for Christ. Rex Humbard, whose preaching has graced the airwaves for over 65 years, has now told his family’s story in his memoirs, The Soul-Winning Century.

While Rex Humbard became a household name through his groundbreaking television ministry, his father, Alpha E. Humbard also was an important pioneer preacher in his own right. Alpha Humbard, born in 1890 sixty miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas, had a rough childhood. Poverty, fights, liquor, and hard work dominated the world in which young Alpha was reared. However, he sensed God’s calling at a young age and overcame the odds to answer this call. Alpha was a practical, direct, no-nonsense kind of preacher whose compassion for people, according to this telling, overcame any deficit created by his lack of formal education. Perhaps it was this lack of haute couture—combined with a dependence upon God—that allowed him to touch the masses where they were at.

Alpha once recalled that a seminary-trained minister bitterly complained that, while he was a learned man with good diction and degrees, he could not draw the crowds like Alpha, whom he described as “an old farm boy, a clodhopper who can’t talk good English.” Alpha recalled that he recommended that the minister throw away his cigar, which he was smoking while complaining, and get on his knees and pray (p. 27). Alpha was not alone—his innovative, sometimes rough-and-tumble ways reflected a whole generation of early Pentecostal preachers.

Alpha strove to be a friend of all, but didn’t want to be tied too closely just to one group. He attended the organizational meeting of the Assemblies of God in 1914, but never joined that church. Alpha built up a thriving church, orphanage, and publishing house near Hot Springs. In addition, he issued credentials to more than 250 preachers. Alpha had laid the groundwork for a new denomination. By his son Rex’s estimation, however, the workload became too great. His credentialed ministers, who had rallied around themes of non-sectarianism, bickered over doctrinal details, which led to the dissolution of the group.

Curiously, The Soul-Winning Century contains very little detail about this important chapter in the Humbard family history—the rise and fall of an incipient denomination. (Alpha’s 1945 autobiography, From the Plow Handle to the Pulpit, contained little additional information.) The Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center (FPHC) recently acquired from Rev. Mahlon Midkiff a copy of the January 15, 1922 issue (volume 3, number 5) of Alpha’s Pentecostal newspaper, which sheds light on this segment of early Pentecostalism that eschewed organization. The paper was startlingly reminiscent of the paper that E. N. Bell edited prior to becoming the first Chairman of the General Council of the Assemblies of God. Like Bell’s paper, Alpha’s paper was called Word and Witness and was published in Arkansas (Bell’s paper was published in Malvern; Humbard’s was in Pangburn). Bell folded his paper into the Pentecostal Evangel, the official magazine for the newly-organized Assemblies of God, in 1916.

Christians need God’s power in order to live the way he intended.

The Power of the Cross: The Biblical Place of Healing and Gift-Based Ministry in Proclaiming the Gospel

It is clear from the New Testament that the power of God is meant to accompany the gospel, and to find expression through its messengers and in the lives of those to whom the message comes.

Each December, Time magazine produces a set of light-hearted comments on the previous year. At the end of 1987, the editors were isolating the most overworked word of the year, the one most ready for retirement. The word they chose was “power,” as in “power lunch,” or “power tie.” I confess my mind ran to various uses of the word “power” in Christian circles that seemed similarly overwrought, and I agreed there was a strong case for retiring the word.

But then I thought again.

The Spirit In Action

J. I. Packer

During the past century, Christians have been very concerned about power. Have they been wrong to be concerned about it? Not altogether. In the middle and late 1800s, there was great concern to find “the path of power.” The path of power meant one’s ability to perform set tasks and overcome temptations. Was it wrong to seek the power of God for greater self-control and a richer practice of righteousness? Of course not. At the same time concern focused on being able, through the power of God, to impact others for God through preaching and witness. Was it right to be anxious lest one’s witness should be powerless? Of course it was right.

More recently, Christians touched by that movement known variously as Pentecostalism, charismatic renewal, and the third wave, are finding, if they can, the ability to channel supernatural demonstrations of God’s power in healings of all sorts: healings of the body, inner healing of the heart, exorcisms where there appears to be something demonic in a person’s life. Is it wrong that Christians are concerned about these things? Though I see various pitfalls, I cannot find it in my heart to say this is wrong. In my New Testament I read a great deal about such manifestations of the power of God—understood simply as “powers of the coming age” (Heb. 6:5) or, in other words, the Holy Spirit in action.

S. T. Kimbrough, Jr., ed., Orthodox and Wesleyan Scriptural Understanding and Practice (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2005), 330 pages.

“I sit down alone: only God is here; in His presence

 I open and read this book to find the way to heaven”

- John Wesley  

Our search for the theological and practical connection between Pentecostalism and Eastern Orthodoxy continues with yet another publication by St. Vladimir’s Press titled, Orthodox and Wesleyan Scriptural Understanding and Practice. The book represents an ongoing dialogue between the Orthodox and Wesleyan confessions and it emphasizes how theologians from both sides are attempting to discover commonalities in theology and praxis. To come together, not so much as theologians and thinkers, but as practical doers motivated by the proper interpretation of Scripture. As observed from the title, as well as through the text, these similarities are not necessarily in theological convictions, but in the proceeding Biblical approach toward interpretation of Scripture.

Orthodox and Wesleyan Scriptural Understanding and Practice is a compilation of essays from the Second Consultation on Orthodox and Wesleyan Spirituality under the editorship in 2000 of S.T. Kimbrough, Jr., who contributed the chapter on Charles Wesley’s’ Lyrical Commentary on the Holy Scriptures. I must issue the caution that the book is not an easy read. But it is by no means a book to be easily passed by Pentecostal scholars searching for the Biblical roots of Pentecostalism within the Eastern Orthodoxy.

The book begins with an interesting observation of the exegesis of the Cappadocian Fathers by John A. McGuckin, and continues with an article on the spiritual cognition of my personal favorite, Simeon the New Theologian by Theodore Stylianopoulos. Although the discussion on Gregory the Theologian, Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa was thoughtful and presented in an interesting manner, the essay on St. Simeon struck me as well structured, but somewhat shallow.

An interesting approach was taken in Tamara Grdzelidze’s essay where she presented an orthodox perspective of the Wesleyan position on authority of scriptural interpretation. The essay had a very strong exposition in regard to the Wesleyan understanding of the importance of Scripture in Christian living. The latter part, which dealt with the influence of tradition, however was not investigated to its full capacity, which left the text (perhaps on purpose) open to multiple interpretations. Nevertheless, this issue was resolved later in the book by Ted Campbell that dealt with the subject from the Wesleyan perspective.

Editor Steven Kimbrough as Charles Wesley in the musical drama, Sweet Singer.

A central theme throughout the book was the comparison of prayers and song lyrics from both camps. Although I am no musical expert, I must agree with the authors when they say that theology in music has played an important role in both Orthodox and Wesleyan traditions. Music continues to be important in the everyday spiritual experience of the Pentecostal believer. This rather practical approach seemed to be the heart of the discussion where both sides could agree.

Daniel Tomberlin, Encountering God at the Altar: The Sacraments in Pentecostal Worship (Cleveland, TN: Center for Pentecostal Leadership and Care, 2006).

Since the beginning of the Pentecostal movement, experiencing the Spirit of God has been central to Pentecostals in both private and corporate worship. When it comes to congregational worship, Pentecostals have critiqued what they deem to be dead ritualism devoid of a personal experience of the Holy Spirit. As a result, Pentecostals have questioned many traditional practices relating to the sacraments (often viewed as theologically or historically suspect because of their relation to the Roman Catholic Church) and have opted for the term “ordinances” instead. The latter is often seen to be more of a faith-based means rather then a works-based means of experiencing the Spirit.

Daniel Tomberlin, pastor of Bainbridge Church of God (Bainbridge, GA) and chairman of Ministerial Development for the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) in South Georgia, has authored a book that will raise some eyebrows. In it, Tomberlin claims that Pentecostalism and sacramental worship are not mutually exclusive. Rather, he provides a stimulating discussion of how he believes Pentecostal worship is sacramental. This volume, which aims to provide an introduction to the subject for Pentecostal church leaders, is possibly one of the first educational resources of its kind published by a classical Pentecostal denomination.

Cover from the updated 2010 publication of Pentecostal Sacraments: Encountering God at the Altar.

Encountering God at the Altar touches on topics such as Pentecostal worship and spirituality. Tomberlin develops a Pentecostal theology of the sacraments and also explores the practice of the sacraments in Pentecostal worship. In following Church of God theologian Kenneth Archer, Tomberlin argues for the retrieval of the term sacrament over the term ordinance, claiming that the ordinances are sacramental—a “means of grace” where one encounters the Holy Spirit (p. 24). The author rightly points out that Pentecostal spirituality is centered on encountering the Holy Spirit. “Therefore,” Tomberlin states, “the center and focus of Pentecostal worship is the altar” (p. 19).

When addressing whether life in the church and the sacraments are essential to salvation, Tomberlin identifies the church and sacraments as “secondary salvific gifts,” compared to the Son and Spirit as “primary salvific gifts” from the Father. At the same time he ultimately admits “that participation in the sacramental life of the church may not be absolutely essential to salvation due to God’s prevenient grace” (p. 27). While being open to other sacramental means of encountering the Spirit of God, Tomberlin only addresses the significance of the three institutional ordinances his own denomination recognizes: water baptism, the Lord’s Supper, and foot washing. With a Pentecostal theology of the sacraments in place, Tomberlin then provides practical instruction and advice on how pastors can to implement the sacraments in the context of Pentecostal worship.

Kenneth J. Collins, The Evangelical Moment: The Promise of an American Religion (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005), 288 pages, ISBN 9780801027444.

In his work, The Evangelical Moment: The Promise of an American Religion, Kenneth Collins covers a tremendous amount of territory in a little over two-hundred pages. Collins begins his work by painting a picture of the larger background into which modern evangelicalism now finds itself. By providing this brief but reasonably well-rounded historical backdrop it provides the reader with a sense of awareness of where the evangelical church is located and how we arrived here. Collins then outlines what he understands to be the unique characteristics of evangelicalism: (1) the normative value of Scripture, (2) the significance of the atoning work of Christ, (3) the necessity of conversion, and (4) the imperative of evangelism.¹ He quotes liberally from theologians, past and present, in support of his basic contentions; that Scripture is absolutely authoritative, that Christ worked a real atonement, that the need for conversion is essential, and that evangelism, even though attacked,² is still fundamental to the Christian message.

One of the more distinctive characteristics of Collins’ work is its Wesleyan approach to evangelicalism. Although Collins is obviously not the first Wesleyan to write to/for evangelicalism, it is clear that Wesleyan authors are the minority. Collins recounts a debate that took place between Wesleyan theologian Donald Dayton and reformed author George Marsden. Collins uses the debate as a platform to showcase Wesley’s own words on some very contemporary subjects that have recently come into question within evangelicalism. For example, the authority of Scripture—”if there be any mistakes in the Bible there may as well be a thousand. If there be one falsehood in that book it did not come from the God of truth.”³ The origin of real virtue, “Let reason do all that reason can: employ it as far as it will go. But at the same time acknowledge it is utterly incapable of giving either faith, or hope, or love; and consequently of producing either real virtue or substantial happiness. Expect these from a higher source…Seek and receive them…as the gifts of God;”⁴ etc. Collins summarizes when he writes, “Wesleyanism is not a species of liberal “Arminian” accommodations to human effort or initiative but is informed by the theological genius of both John Wesley and Thomas Cranmer.”⁵

One of Collins most helpful sections is his chapter entitled “The Promise of Evangelical Theology.” It is an exceptional introduction to some of the more tricky notions active in modern theological discussion today. For those who are not familiar with terms like “Foundationalism,” “Postfoundationalism,” “Postliberalism,” or “Postmodernism,” and the way are used in theological circles today, this chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Collins doesn’t assume the reader has a background in the field so he starts from the beginning and carefully explains each topic. If you read slowly and carefully through each section, by the time you’re finished with the chapter you should have a reasonably good grasp of these concepts.

Christianity Today July 2007

Mark Galli, interviewer, “Glocal Church Ministry: Bob Roberts has an idea that may change American congregations, if not the world” Christianity Today (July 2007), pages 42-46.

I have often thought of the concept of glocalzation and questioned myself, “In what ways does a local church become global?” On one hand, the local church does not participate in the reality of the global dimension of God’s work: it is not a global church. On the other hand, the church with a global vision and scope should be deeply rooted in its local context. There should be a constant interaction between these two spheres of life: global and local. Any derivative ideas such as global leadership, global ministry, and global Christianity should have the same notion.

Roberts convincingly presents his contention that “a local church must be a global church.” He particularly underscores the importance of laity and their talents and skills for global ministry. It is impressive that he and his church have planted over 100 congregations and undertaken impressive social work in various parts of the world. Equally astonishing is that he has mobilized laypeople of his church for global ministry. His reflection, therefore, is based on his experience, thus, field-tested. Many of his practical suggestions have to do with the proper handling of human and financial resources for global mission, and I found them extremely valuable.

He is a reflective practitioner wrestling with a serious fundamental question which every Christian should ask, “When will Jesus be enough for you?” He firmly believes it to be always so, if we have the Holy Spirit, His living Word, and His presence with us. As Paul admonishes in Philippians 4:4, he argues that we should rejoice in the Lord, and do so always. Then he moves to the action level with the following question, “What does it mean for Christ to be enough?” His response to this question has been global church planting.

Roberts’ interpretation of the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20) is noteworthy: “I want to win the whole world, but I will not win the whole world as an individual or even as a single church” (p. 2). His answer was a corporate concept of “togetherness.” The clue was found in Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” The strategy of the Lord for his disciples was to receive power (how) and start first in Jerusalem (where). Winning the whole world with the whole body of Christ starts within local community.

Dr. Bob Roberts Jr. is the founder of Glocal Ventures and is the founding pastor of NorthWood Church near Dallas/Fort Worth, TX.

It is worth noting his view on transformation as the ultimate goal of Christian life: the transformation of “the community or a city somewhere in the world” (p. 3). Roberts well presents the purpose of planting church: not just make church grow in number but to exist for kingdom transformation. It is experientially evident that some Christians in this postmodern society are no different than secular people in their thoughts and way of living. Worse yet, we may be repeating the grave sin that Hosea (4:7) records, “the more the priests increased, the more they sinned against me….” We have more churches than ever before, we have more theological training schools and kingdom workers than ever before. Is our society transformed more than ever before? Finding the transformation formula is not quite hard: real transformation comes from God through power of the Holy Spirit. I am convinced that efforts of social concern are only a small part of real transformation. Foremost social transformation comes from God, because, when the Spirit works, a fundamental and internal change takes place, which continues on to external; hardly the other way around, unless social work deeply includes the living Word. Thus, it should be, “Come and hear the living Word,” rather than “come and hear my preaching.” Only then people will thirst no more, as experienced the Samaritan woman (John 4).

W. David Buschart, Exploring Protestant Traditions: An Invitation to Theological Hospitality (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2006), 373 pages, ISBN: 083082832X.

This book skillfully explores a number of contemporary Protestant traditions by tracing their historical and ecclesiastical backgrounds, their theological and hermeneutical methods, and their characteristic beliefs. Buschart offers the reader “an invitation to theological hospitality,” and this is perhaps the best metaphor to describe the scope and intentions of the book. The considerable theological diversity among just the Protestant traditions make this work a valuable resource and ecumenical field guide. For those familiar with the Protestant heritage, Exploring Protestant Traditions offers an organized way to access and compare significant information; for those unacquainted with Protestantism, the book presents a valuable and reliable introduction to the classical theological traditions.

The book concludes with a call to theological hospitality. Buschart surveys Lutheran, Anabaptist, Reformed, Anglican, Baptist, Wesleyan, Dispensational, and Pentecostal traditions. Obviously there are more traditions within Protestantism, not to speak of the larger ecumenical world of Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The mere existence of these divisions bespeaks the dilemma of Christian relationships and the sinfulness that attends the emergence of ever new denominations. Buschart, among many others, upholds hospitality as an antidote to polarization and divisions among the churches. Christian hospitality, emulating the hospitality of God toward humankind, has made it obligatory for Christians to pursue meaningful and honest relationships with one another. “A tradition of theology that flows from God’s preemptive hospitality,” Buschart argues, “is a good gift and … a resource for, not an enemy of, Christian hospitality” (264). In this sense, the book is likely to introduce the reader to more strangers than friends. And it is precisely the call to embrace the stranger that stand at the heart of the Christian life of hospitality.

W. David Buschart (PhD, Drew University) is associate dean and professor of theology and historical studies at Denver Seminary.

The introduction of the book defends the use of the term “Protestant traditions.” Nonetheless, a number of readers may prefer not to find themselves described as “Protestant,” because the term indicates particular historical events and theological convictions with which they do not identify. Pentecostals may by particularly well-known among this group. Historically, Pentecostals did not participate in the movements of Reformation and Counterreformation that swept Western Christendom. More precisely, Classical Pentecostals were ostracized and persecuted by the major Protestant traditions in North America, and an association with Evangelicalism did not develop until after World War II. On the other hand, Pentecostals have also disassociated themselves from Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. To describe Pentecostalism as “Protestant” is historically, ecclesiastically, and theologically incorrect. It may suggest that Pentecostals somehow “fit” better with Protestant Christianity. On the other hand, if Pentecostalism is a universal movement of the Holy Spirit, then we may find Pentecostals in all major Christian traditions with no particular “Pentecostal” identity.

Rick Richardson, Experiencing Healing Prayer: How God Turns Our Hurts into Wholeness (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2005), 249 pages, ISBN 0830832572.

Introduction

In his new book, Experiencing Healing Prayer, author Rick Richardson contends that true biblical healing is much more than the removal of physical pain or the alleviation of a physical disease. Instead, he argues, biblical healing is a journey in which the believer trusts in God for the healing of the whole person. Such healing may include deliverance from addictions, identity crises, negative imaginations, bitterness, social ills, and other problems that may be related to one’s soul or inner being.

According to Richardson, Jesus practiced a “whole-person” approach to healing (p. 27). He writes: “Healing is primarily about the transformation of the person into a truer and more whole follower, worshipper and lover of God” (p. 27). He further writes that healing is a process that affects people on different levels of their being. He asserts: “Healing is an inside-out deal. We are transformed from the core of who we are. As we experience and live out that transformation, we are healed on every level” (p. 30).

Richardson is associate director of evangelism for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA. He is also an ordained priest with the Anglican Mission in America, and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Northern Baptist Seminary. He is coauthor with Brenda Salter McNeil of The Heart of Racial Justice.

His new book is a practical guide that explains “how God turns our hurts into wholeness.” In addition to offering tips and guidelines for those who need healing, it provides a model for those who wish to have a healing ministry. The book offers insight into the ministry of Christ and makes a strong argument for a ministry that brings healing to the whole person.

An overview

Richardson covers his topic in 17 chapters. Most of them conclude with discussion questions and a healing prayer. He includes a detailed Appendix section that highlights the need for healing in race relations. In the same section, he provides a model for a healing prayer ministry. He also offers advice for accountability.

Richardson opens his work with a discussion that illustrates the need for healing on many levels. He notes such issues as divorce, broken homes, sexual addictions, pornography and problems with gender identity, among others. He follows this discussion with a look at biblical healing. Interestingly enough, he begins the topic with a review of a television evangelist who promises miracles for money. Richardson uses this as a launching point to explain the nature of healing from a biblical perspective. He uses Christ and the Apostle Paul as examples to follow.