The uncertainty in defining Anna Bartleman’s role as a minister, comes with the lack of a definite image. With preserved photos of early Pentecostal women like Phoebe Palmer, Lucy Farrow, William Seymour’s wife and even Agnes Ozman, it would be plausible that a photo of Anna Ladd-Bartleman would also be readily available. Especially when just a quick search returns photos of her husband Frank as young adult, mid-life preacher, missionary to Russia with a typical winter hat and even a portrait drawing.  The astonishment grows even further as Frank’s lament of the early death of their first-born child in his 1909 book My Story “The Latter Rain” is accompanied with a photo of daughter Esther, obviously cut out from a larger family photo. But once again no photo of wife Anna.

With this quick observation in mind, a Pentecostal researcher now turns into the appropriate archives at Flower, Dixon, ORU only to find out that a photo of Anna Ladd-Bartleman is not to be found in any known Pentecostal library yet. Quite surprised, I then turned to several secondary sources and publishers. Among many worth mentioning were: Azusa Books that has encapsulated in many publication’s insights of ethnic and cultural struggles among early Pentecostals and the Zion Christian Ministry that has presented a chronological parallel of all Bartleman’s writings in one homogenous story of his life and ministry. They too had never seen a picture of Anna.

In my naïve persistence in the weeks following, I even reached out via friends to noted Pentecostal theologians and historians like De Arteaga (Lucy F. Farrow: The Forgotten Apostle), Faupel (The Everlasting Gospel), Ruthven, Macchia, Lathrop, Bundy, and many more. None of them has seen a picture of Frank Bartleman’s wife, but I was given a helpful hint to contact Dr. Robeck at Fuller being thoughtfully forewarned, “If he hasn’t seen her photo, no one has!”

I persisted on my own terms and contacted friends in Bulgaria with whom we have done research before – all serious scholars with serious intentions. Among them were the son of a Rousse Methodist pastor sentenced in the Pastor’s Trials staged by the communists in 1948-49, who had made it the purpose in life to uncover secret police archives in Bulgaria. With his diligent research back in the day, we found the books of minutes of the Rousse Methodist church and the Rousse Assemblies of God with all attached correspondence, which were all thought destroyed by the communists. Anna’s adopted family oversaw all Methodist missions in Bulgaria up until 1890 and it was plausible that at least their family photo would be in the archives.

Next was another friend, a Harvard graduate, whose dissertation on the Ottoman Empire helped me some two decades ago to discover the personal translation notes of a Bulgarian priest who rendered the first modern Bulgarian New Testament in 1840. While everyone else was searching for the diary notes at Bulgaria’s National Library, we discovered it stored with virtually no public access in the office of the Eastern Orthodox Patriarchy just a block down the street.

Finally, to my aid came a colleague who, at the dawn of democracy in Bulgaria, created the Decommunization web-portal dedicated to revealing lost archival records of communist crimes. Around 2007-2008, together we unveiled the secret dossiers of 17 communist agents infiltrated as pastors in various evangelical churches during the Regime to effectively control the life and work of Bulgaria’s evangelical movement in the years to come.

All our combined attempts to find anything on Anna-Ladd Bartleman were in vain. The Methodist archives in Bulgaria contained no pictures from that early period. Bulgaria’s National Library and Archives hardly existed during the times when the Ladds ministered in the country. And as to the National Archives, Bulgaria had virtually no pre-1900s adoption legislation or records. As a last attempt in Bulgaria, I consulted the little remaining museum collections of the primary school in Svishtov (Sistof) and the school for girls in Lovetch (Lofcha) both of which the Ladds oversaw as part of their missionary assignment in Bulgaria. As it was not clear if Anna attended any of those missionary schools, except primary, being only eight years old when adopted and 12 upon leaving Bulgaria never to return there again. And with having no record of Anna, the missionary schools did not have her photo either.

During the Christmas break of 2020, I finally worked out enough courage to email Dr. Robeck with my Brill Encyclopedia article on Anna and a request for help. To my surprise, he emailed me back the next day with tons of information and continued to do so in the days that followed assisting my search in every way possible to the point of even providing every address where the Bartlemans lived. Unfortunately, no picture of Anna was found in his personal archive either. He was told by Bartleman’s son John that all family photos remained with daughter Ruth Bulloti never to be seen again. At this point as even Dr. Robeck “hasn’t seen” a photo of Anna Ladd-Bartleman, my search was to be over. At least on the higher academia side…

I did succeed in following the connection with Barlteman’s daughter, Ruth Margaret Bulloti, and discovered a masterfully created Bush family website managed by a Ph.D. researcher and librarian from the University of Wisconsin. Though his family tree compiled an enormous amount of information, as to uncle Frank Bush who married Ruth Margaret, it only had the family names and an old address from the census. All the Bulloti and Bush children were now deceased, and finding their grandchildren was a task of its own.

This new challenge led me to a wider search through Ancestry, Family Search and various other family tree databases. There were hundreds of searches already created on Frank’s side, but when it came down to his wife, she was only mentioned by name, birth and marriage. Anna’s side of the family had been researched just a few times more recently between 2017-2019. I managed to contact all names listed, assuming some were family members or close relatives. Only a few responded back and none of them had ever seen a picture of Anna. On the plus side, I did notice several of the family trees on the list updating within days using the information I sent out. This encouraged me to contact them again asking for information on family members that were still living, but no answer followed. With this, the family part of my search for Anna’s photo seemed to be over as well.

I woke up around 4 a.m. the following morning in the snow-covered Smokey Mountains, fired up my computer by the fireplace, pulled out all of Frank Bartleman’s books and the available Methodist archives and began mapping Anna’s journey around the globe. Still well before the crack of dawn, I had discovered J. S. Ladd’s obituary with Anna mentioned by her Bulgarian-birth name, Slavka Tanasova (misspelled by the printer due to Ladd’s handwriting as Slarka Lanasova), her listing as Annie Ladd in the ship’s manifest upon their arrival as family to the United States in 1890 and the address where they first resided in Brooklyn, New York. Not only did I not find the long-searched photo, but now I had managed to lose track of Anna for almost a decade between 1890 and 1899 when she became the matron of Christian home for girls in Pittsburgh, PA.

For the rest of the day, in hope to find a picture of Anna, I emailed various historical societies and proceeded to examined the census records of the Ladd family. This attempt followed the path of the churches pastored by J. S. Ladd, at Dover Plaines (1893), Ancram, NY (1894-98), East Chatham (1899-1903), Putnam Valley (1904-08), Patterson (1909-11) and Johnsville, NY (1912) up to his death in 1922. The Putnam Valley, Patterson, Ancram and the rest of the historical societies all the way to Correy, PA where Frank and Anna Bartleman were married and first pastored, had no photo of the Bartlemans or the Ladds. This was quite a surprise given the significance of their ministry, and in the case Rev. J. S. Ladd’s notorious business entrepreneurship in each community where they resided to the point of designing a trolley line in upstate New York. But Anna was once again nowhere to be found except in one single reference given by the town historian of Ancram via the Old Fulton New York archive. The local Columbian Republican posted on September 19, 1922 that,

Mrs. Clara Porter received a card from Mrs. Annie Ladd Bartleman, of Los Angeles, Cal., saying her mother, Mrs Ladd passed away in June at her home in Spring Arbor, (Michigan). Mr. Ladd her husband, was a former pastor in the M. E. here [Ancram, NY].

No census records showed Anna living with the Ladds after arriving to America. They did show, however, that upon his passing in 1922 Rev. J. S. Ladd left to his wife Rosa-Celia quite a large realty inheritance. It was obvious from all census and newspaper articles covering local properties, however, that as the only, though adopted child, Anna was not listed among the beneficiaries of any of the family properties. With this information, it was becoming clearer why a photo from her early years may have not been preserved.

Meanwhile, the general Methodist Archive at Drew University also responded to one of my requests. Though limited to some 50 pages in all, their records on J. S. Ladd contained his handwritten correspondence with the Methodist Mission Board in America. The letters were primarily regarding financial support of the mission station and adjunct schools, but they did contain an interesting reference written by Rev. Ladd in 1889 while requesting to return to America after seven years in the field. All expenses for the leave were to be paid by the undersigned on behalf of his “Wife & little girl.” Though the name of the “little girl” was not explicitly mentioned and neither was of his wife, it was well understood this to be their only (adopted) child Anna.

Indeed, Anna arrived with the Ladds to America in 1890, but even my most persistent attempt could not discover anything about her following upbringing or education in America until 1899 when Frank Bartleman met her as a Christian worker at the Hope Mission in Pittsburgh, PA. Their following assignment to the mission’s branch in McKees Rocks, PA where Frank proposed in marriage, was not coincidental. The growing Russian immigrant community at McKees Rocks was well established with vibrant spiritual life and an Eastern Orthodox church of their own. Anna’s Slavic origin would have given her advantage in communicating and ministering in such immigrant community. Unfortunately, in all numerous archives from the time period, the McKees Rocks historical society had no record of Anna, Frank or even a local branch of the Hope Mission.

Following the next step in Anna’s journey led to Corry, PA proposing an important starting point for the young Bartleman family. Frank’s own record of the story included marriage, pastorship, family ties amid his experience with the early holiness movement, the exact location of the wedding, name of the local Methodist conference superintendent who met Frank at the train station and later performed the wedding and signed their marriage license. It also contained the peculiar detail that Frank travelled to Corry alone to receive the pastoral appointment and apply for marriage license until Anna arrived a few days later. But apart from the marriage license docket in the city archive, nothing in the records of Corry Area Historical Society, First Methodist Church or the United Methodist Church in town pointed to Bartleman’s year-long ministry there or the much sought after family photo with Anna. It was only by the process of elimination that became clear, which was the church they pastored and where they were married.

The following stops in Bartleman’s journey West toward California did not reveal a family photo, though at least one was in existence with firstborn daughter Esther in it. All known group pictures from the Alma White’s Pillar of Fire, Pasadena’s Peniel Mission and early Azusa meetings had no photo identifying Anna Ladd-Bartleman either. Same was the result from my inquiry to B. Martin who extensively researched one of Frank’s close coworkers and travel companions, Edward J. Boehmer. With the same success, I consecutively followed the stops in their multiple home-mission journeys until 1912.

Finally, the examination of early Pentecostal sources through Europe was to be consulted. I focused predominantly on the places where Anna and the children stayed for a longer period of time while Frank travelled and preached. Among them Halifax in England, Bremen and Bunde in Germany, Orebro in Sweden, Gaufiin in Finland and several more all the way to Sister Carnell’s Pentecostal Home in London and Glad Tidings in New York, which were the two final stops of Bartlemans’ world missions’ journey before returning home. A picture of Anna-Ladd Bartleman was nowhere to be found.

With months of research under my belt, I had managed to compile sufficient information on Anna Ladd-Bartleman not just for this current paper, but also for another one on early Pentecostal women in Bulgaria for SPS, encyclopedia article for Brill and a chapter in my upcoming book on the first centennial anniversary of Bulgarian Pentecostalism, Unforgotten. But with all this, I was still missing her photo, which inspired the following appeal in place of an epilogue:

If you are reading this and you have a photo of Anna Ladd-Bartleman, please feel free to contact me directly [Editor’s note: we are glad to connect readers with authors when we can]. Do the same if you would like to inquire if I have already found one past the completion of this paper. I will be more than happy to send you a copy. For if we really want to rediscover the vision, redefine the role and hear again the voice of our women of Pentecost in this digital era, we can start by finding a picture…

The Unforgotten: Historical and Theological Roots of Pentecostalism in Bulgaria 

Hardcover – May 10, 2021

This book tells the story of four early Pentecostal families who brought the message of Azusa to Bulgaria, Eastern Europe and Russia. The research has taken over a decade to complete. It started with a brief article on the beginning of the Pentecostal movement in Bulgaria, where unfortunately many church archives were destroyed during Communism. Consecutively, the research led my wife and I on a long journey from the Southern Baptist Historical Library and Archives in Nashville, to the Assemblies of God headquarters in Springfield, the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, Pusey Library at Harvard, the British and Foreign Bible Society in Cambridge, and countless Bulgarian churches. We are grateful to the Flower Pentecostal Heritage Center for making readily available their denominational archives. Dr. Albert Wardin graciously opened the door for research in Nashville and Berkeley, where most documentation of Voronaev’s early ministry are preserved. Dr. Cecil M. Robeck, Jr. of Fuller provided tremendous guidance to the life and ministry of Frank and Anna Bartleman through virtually every step of their journey and every address they occupied. We are also thankful to Dr. Oleg Bornovolokov of the Ukrainian Evangelical Theological Seminary in Kiev, who helped with various KGB/FSB documents and the NKVD dossiers from Gulag. The papers included in this book were presented at Society for Pentecostal Studies meetings between 2010 and 2021. The first part of the book appeared in vol. 30 (2010) of Assemblies of God Heritage magazine and their December, 2010 editorial. The Bulgarian Pentecostal Union published our translation and commentary of Voronaev’s correspondence in their monthly Evangel. In 2011, Dr. Vladimir Franchuk, translated our Voronaev’s papers in Russian and included them in his book Revival: from the center of Odessa to the ends of Russia just in time for the 90th anniversary of Pentecostalism in Russia. Most of the historiographical data presented in this book is being published openly for the first time.

This reflection by PneumaReview.com author Dony Donev has been placed alongside his “Reflections on a 200-day Revival” about what he saw God doing in his homeland, Bulgaria, and the USA in year 2024 and beyond.  

Abby Trivett, “11 Colleges That Experienced Revival in 2024” Charisma (December 19, 2024).

David Livermore, “How to Have Hope Despite Political Chaos: Why I Remain Hopeful Despite the Current State of Our World” DavidLivermore.com (March 14, 2025).

Written for an audience of business leaders, PneumaReview.com author David Livermore talks about the scientific evidence for hope in our present, chaotic moment.  

“‘Come as You Are’ Is Not a Slogan for the Church” Christianity Today (March 11, 2025).

In this interview by Charles E. Moore, “Stanley Hauerwas meditates on the necessity of the gospel, the politics of the kingdom, and the high demands of sanctification.”  

PR

This year’s CLF began with an introductory sermon by Pastor Scott Kelso, author of several notable charismatic books.  His theme was that Deut. 4, is a recap of the Old Testament – Love God, be obedient to the Law, and avoid idolatry. Pastor Kelso pointed out that this was the book of the Bible most cited by our nation’s Founding Fathers.

The first formal session of the conference was delivered by Dr. John Gresham, retired seminary professor (Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in St Louis).  Dr. Gresham came to faith in the California “Jesus’ People” movement and eventually migrated from Pentecostalism to Charismatic Catholic in his beliefs. His presentation was entitled, “What the Early Church did right.” In his view, the Church’s careful attention to discipling was a key to its survival and growth under persecution. Early Christians usually underwent a three-year period of instruction and deliverance ministry before they were baptized. This produced Christians who were discipled and not just converted.

Sessions 2 and 3 were presented by Dr. Dan Keating, seminary professor and Fellow of the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. His objective was to explain the process and importance of the Council of Nicaea. His noted that the creeds are “medicine” against today’s modernist tendencies to relativism and fluid doctrine. His detailed description of the Council was a revelation to most of us. What we call the Nicene Creed was formed in two stages. The original draft was forged in 325 A.D. to counter the heresy of Arius, a priest in Alexandria, who taught that Jesus was a created being (i.e., not God). This draft was short, and included a mention of the Holy Spirit, affirming that the Spirit too was God.  But Arianism continued to spread, and in 381 A.D. a second council added clarifying statement to flesh out the Creed as we know it today.[1]

Session 4 was by Anthony Martini, a member of Faith Village which forms the core of the Alleluia Covenant Community. Martini gained a master’s of sacred theology from the Collegium Augustinianum. His presentation was on the Church before Nicaea.  He showed from the earliest writers that Church organization and theology was fluid in the first century, but by the Third century had arrived at a “proto-Catholic” consensus. This was due, according to Martine, to the influence of St. Paul as well such pivotal writers as Polycarp and Clement.

The next lecture was given by Dr. Timothy Cremeens, a priest in the Orthodox Church of North America. Fr. Cremeens has been a regular attendee at the CLF for a decade, and has at different times described the difficult road that the Pentecostal/charismatic movement has in establishing itself in traditional Orthodoxy. This time he showed how the Orthodox churches have not changed their theological or doctrinal prospectives from the time of Nicaea. He explained how Orthodox clergy sees the non-Orthodox world as one of chaos, as it flounders in Protestant liberalism and other modernist heresies.

Session 8 was led by a lay Catholic woman Mrs. Kim Catherine-Marie Kollins.  She has been European coordinator between Catholic and Protestant charismatic groups for over four decades. She told the story of how difficult inter-faith cooperation was when she started her work, and how now it has come into a fullness and ease of cooperation that few would have expected in the 20^th century.

The last information session was led by Dr. Richard Roberts, from Dorset, England. Trained as a physician, Dr. Roberts developed an interest in Celtic Christianity.  His talk began by describing the woeful plight of the churches in the UK.  Only about 7% of the population go to church on Sunday. Yet there are areas of revival, as manifested in the African, especially Nigerian, congregations in London and other parts of the UK, and which are influencing many other churches.

Dr. Roberts’ focus turned to the question of what sort of leadership is needed to bring revival in the UK.  He suggested looking that Celtic Christianity and its founder, St. Patrick. The scriptural context is Rom. 5: 3-5 – suffering for Christ. Here St. Partick’s life and marvelously effective ministry demonstrates the point.  St. Partick was kidnapped out of an aristocratic family in Wales, suffered severe privation as a slave in Ireland, escaped, but returned as bishop-missionary to his land of captivity.

Besides the excellent praise interludes before every session, the conference was interspaced by two sessions of ministry. One was a period of prophecy and praying for one another. Another was a discussion of exorcism and deliverance. This was led by Chuck Hornsby and Bob Garrett, the former an experienced deliverance minister, and the latter the coordinator of the Alleluia Community. The team discussed the ministry of deliverance and exorcism as it pertained to Catholics and Protestants. We were then broken up into small groups to clear up any personal deliverance issues we had. This seems improbable. Why would charismatic and Pentecostal leaders need deliverance ministry? Actually, yes: the demonic attacks with special vehemence all Christian leaders. Often this results in areas of demonic infestations even among the most effective and sincere leaders. This manifests publicly when scandal breaks out, as when a famous leader is exposed for long-standing sexual or financial failures.

This year’s conference was one of the best I have attended. As always, the fellowship was a blessing, as was the hospitality of the Alleluia community. But the goal of the conference, reminding us of the orthodox resources of the Early Church was well met. I believe that many of the participants left with a better understanding of how the struggles of the early church can inform and strengthen the present Christian struggle against the various forms of heresy and weak faith that afflict many denominations.

Next year’s conference will be held at the same place, on Feb. 23-26.  If you are a church leader or elder and wish to come to next years’ meeting, contact Bob Garrett at, bobg@yeslord.com

PR

Notes

[1] Making creeds is something like making sausages, something to be celebrated but not nice to see. For a splendid and engrossing account of how Orthodoxy triumphed over Arianism see Philip Jenkins’ work, The Jesus Wars (New York; Harper Collins, 2010).

The Garden of Scripture

A Storm of Perfection

Concepts create idols; only wonder comprehends anything. People kill one another over idols. Wonder makes us fall to our knees.
—Saint Gregory of Nyssa

Growing up in Minnesota, experiencing thunderstorms was common. I can genuinely say that I enjoyed most of them for one reason or another. Sometimes, when I tell that to others, they give me a strange look, but I never let it bother me. As a child, I particularly enjoyed the storms I could see far in the distance. One of the cool things about living on the northern plains is that the land is level enough so that a person can see storms that are miles away. For whatever reason, my parents told me the lightning we could see from those storms in the distance was called “heat lightning,” which never entirely made sense to me but added to their mystique. Those storms always seemed to strike at dusk and in the deepest part of summer. There was just enough light left in the sky that when lightning illuminated the cloud, it took on a curious orangish-white marbled quality that clashed with the deeper blue parts of the thunderhead. Gazing upon those storms in the distance was like looking into a different world; it was great for inspiring the imagination.

The thunderstorms I usually preferred, however, were the ones that directly impacted us, especially the ones that hit at night. They were never dull. In these storms, one of the main things I enjoyed was how one bolt could light up the surrounding darkness. For the briefest instant, when the lightning struck, I could see every detail of my neighborhood almost as clearly as in the day.

Those childhood memories got put on the back burner. As I moved across the country to the East Coast, thunderstorms were less frequent, and my attention turned to creating and facing my own inner storms. Eventually, I would give my life over to Christ, get married, move to the Southeastern United States, get called into ministry, and go to college and seminary to study theology. With my arrival in the South came the return of natural thunderstorms, ones that, if I can be honest, are terrifying because cloud–to–ground lightning is more common. And trees are everywhere, frequently knocked down by heavy rain and bursts of wind. But they did bring back the memories of watching the lightning illuminate everything.

Then God did something that would make storms relevant in a way I never imagined; he showed me Psalm 119:105. The verse says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” When I say that God showed it to me, I’m not saying I wasn’t aware of the verse; it was a popular worship song when I was a kid and was commonly used as a memory verse in Sunday school. What I mean is that God illuminated it when I studied it in Hebrew. The word for light in Hebrew, Or, can mean lightning. Finding that out immediately brought me back to my childhood memory of seeing my surroundings lit up. It revealed to me that the light God provides through his word doesn’t just allow us to see a few steps before us but can illuminate our path almost entirely.

As good as that is, lightning is only temporary. Its clarity lasts for a second, and everything goes dark again. When it comes to the direction our lives should go, the major decisions we make, or even the everyday situations we face, we can make the case that we need this type of illumination from God, however brief it is. If we return to Psalm 119:105, God has much more light to give us. Or does not just mean the brightness that a flash of lightning offers. The word also denotes the light at daybreak, the full light of the sun, and the light of glory, and is even linked to the pillar of fire that Israelites followed coming out of Egypt.

The imagery of lightning and fire almost seems counterintuitive because they are destructive forces, but God is Lord over them and can use those powerful elements. Yahweh himself appeared to the Israelites as a terrifying dark cloud containing lightning and fire. In his ominous interaction with Israel, however, God gave them his Instruction, the Torah, that showed Israel how to love and honor him and each other’s lives (Exod 19:16–19), and that’s why Or also means the light of life. The overall lesson from Psalm 119:105 is that the light God provides through Scripture is supposed to be stable and consistently shining, leading to a life of love, joy, and eagerness.^[1]

Little things like the Hebrew word for light demonstrate how God’s word is perfect. In Evangelical Christianity, we have a strange relationship with that sentiment. By expressing that the Bible is perfect, we usually mean that it is without error and sum it up with a doctrine called Biblical Inerrancy. But that is such a limited view of perfection for Scripture. The Old and New Testaments are perfect not because they don’t make errors but because they are the perfect collection of books that speak to humanity’s need for salvation. Then it is perfect for speaking to every situation we face because it speaks to the root issues of what causes those situations, doesn’t offer a solution found in ourselves, and mainly because it reveals Christ. The little word Or implies that our light and lives are sourced and sustained by a perfect God.

Meditative Reading

Our perfect God is willing to give us as much light on his Word as we are eager to ask for, and we should ask. Sometimes, though, I think God nudges us in unexpected ways. He gives us seemingly perfect moments to reflect on. These perfect moments are typically not easy to define until an individual experiences them, and they are subjective. Perhaps your moment is hearing the first cry of your just-born child or the moment your spouse said “I do” at the altar, or maybe when you realized what you wanted to do for the rest of your life. Whatever those moments are, whenever they do happen, they are engrained in your memory forever.

In an important way, I believe the practice of meditating on Scripture can be described as a haunting of God’s Word that won’t let you go until you spend time with it. Or, at least, maybe that’s how we should treat it. When I was a child in the 1980s and ’90s, the word meditation certainly would have had a similar connotation with haunting because of its affiliation with Eastern spirituality and New Age practices. However, I have seen the Christian form of meditation become more widely accepted in churches that honor it as a practice within the historical church. But with us having built a society where instant gratification can be met on demand, I wonder if meditation is lacking in the lives of many believers. With so many ways to distract ourselves to prevent us from reflecting, is it any wonder that biblical literacy has significantly declined?

Whenever it’s done well, however, meditating on Scripture leads to powerful insights that we read about in some of our favorite classic Christian books, such as The Knowledge of the Holy by A. W. Tozer. In Celebration of Discipline, Richard Foster describes the practice of meditation as the “ability to hear God’s voice and obey his word” out of a desire to fellowship with God.^[2] Foster pulls from the Bible to note the importance of meditating on Scripture by highlighting the word’s use in Psalm 119, where David declares, “Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long” (119:97) along with other Old Testament appearances.^[3] In meditating on God’s word, David found his wisdom had increased significantly and that he could sense his Lord’s sweetness, which we don’t often take the time to comprehend (119:103). This mirrors the church father Jerome’s account of his friend Marcella saying, “whatever in us was gathered by long study and by lengthy meditation was almost changed into nature; this she tasted, this she learned, this she possessed.”^[4] As a result, when Jerome left his station, Marcella was sought as an authority when issues of Scriptural interpretation arose.^[5] So, in a biblical context, meditation doesn’t require us to empty our minds or detach ourselves from reality, but it invites us to fill our minds with God’s truth to attach ourselves more deeply to him.^[6]

Something palpable happens to us after we begin meditating on God’s Word; Scripture starts to haunt us. Theologian and educator Cheryl Bridges Johns laments that in this modern age, Scripture doesn’t keep people up at night, nor does it seem to fill their days with “images and stories.”^[7] To cope with that, Johns notices that modern society, Christian or secular, has found alternatives to enchant themselves through popular media or activities driven by lust and has become disenchanted with Scripture. And so, instead, we let a plethora of other harmful things haunt us. With my whole breath, however, I would argue that what the Bible offers us, especially in the revelation of Christ, is beautiful beyond comprehension. We should let such beauty haunt us instead of pain and regret, and it is a shame when we consider the latter more real and tangible than the inhabiting of the Spirit and Word within us. I believe, however, that intentional (which is just a buzzword that means to do something on purpose) meditation is one way to alleviate the issues Johns raises.

But what do I mean by that? Out of contemplation will hopefully come the understanding that Scripture is multifaceted. Each line of Scripture tends to link to other portions of Scripture, forming a connective tissue we banally call themes. If we begin to comprehend specific themes, things like the nature of God’s love, faith, the beauty and glory of God’s Kingdom, other biblical riches begin to accurately take shape in our hearts and minds. Although the Apostle Paul promises us we’ll see through a mirror darkly until Christ’s return (1 Cor 13:12), the picture God is communicating to readers of Scripture can become more apparent in meditation.

When the Bible’s messages become visible, it’s easier to become swept up in its narrative. That is a good thing and arguably what God wants. A common belief among Christians in the West is that we must interpret God’s word objectively so that we don’t insert our own experience into the text; that would be something called eisegesis. However, the unintentional effect of objectivism is that faith becomes an intellectual ascent rather than one that permeates a person’s whole self. That is a problem since God is after a person’s entire being. Consider Moses’ command to the Israelites, saying, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deut 6:5), a command that Jesus echoes in Matthew 22. A question we can ask is, if we believe the God revealed in the Bible is powerful enough to create the universe, is he powerful enough to transform us through reading his word?

Several significant figures throughout the Bible suggest the answer to the question we just asked is yes. One prominent person is the Old Testament leader Joshua. Guess how Joshua says transformation through the Word should happen? He says, “This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night,” and in doing so, it will allow us to act in accordance with what it says (Josh 1:8). We must also remember the context of Joshua to understand the significance of how meditating on Scripture can impact the whole person. Joshua had inherited from Moses the role of leading Israel into the promised land of Canaan. He led the Israelites in battle after battle against kingdoms who thought it was perfectly fine to sacrifice children to their gods to receive a fertile growing season. We know this because Moses gives commands to the Israelites, saying:

When you come into the land that the LORD your God is giving you, you must not learn to imitate the abhorrent practices of those nations. No one shall be found among you who makes a son or daughter pass through fire, or who practices divination, or is a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or one who casts spells, or who consults ghosts or spirits, or who seeks oracles from the dead. For whoever does these things is abhorrent to the LORD; it is because of such abhorrent practices that the LORD your God is driving them out before you. (Deuteronomy 18:9–12)

The kind of thinking and practice of those pagan nations is symbolic of a fallen world. To change such a way of living, the Israelites weren’t just required to “know the rules” but to embody the word of God, which would lead to their prosperity and even the prosperity of their neighbors. It’s not so different for Christians in this day and age. Despite Christ inaugurating his Kingdom, we still live in a fallen world and have societies steeped in destructive sin. If meditation could significantly aid the ancient Israelites, we who serve the same God can also benefit.

Although meditation has a profoundly spiritual connotation, many can be turned off by the word or become intimidated. There was and is a long tradition of meditation within the church, often called Contemplative Christianity, a term that can sometimes be code for Christian Mysticism. Like meditation, mysticism can be a polarizing word in some parts of the church because there are other forms of mysticism in different cultures and religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Historically, the church has been enriched by Christian mystics such as Gregory of Nyssa, Augustine, The Desert Fathers (St. Anthony) and Mothers, Hildegard of Bingen, Julian of Norwich, John of the Cross, and many others. Most of the men and women listed lived a monastic life. They dedicated themselves to Christian meditation and other Christian disciplines because it allowed them to be fully devoted to God. Their writings have catapulted them into legendary status with lasting influence.

Yet, if Tim, a close friend of mine who owns a landscaping business, does it while mowing a yard, surely we don’t all have to be monks and nuns at a monastery. For Tim, meditation is about asking the Holy Spirit questions about Scripture; a fantastic one that he returns to often is the question of what happened on the cross. One could argue that Tim’s question is answered directly in the pages of the four gospels. That is true, but meditation is less about seeing what’s on the pages and more about dwelling on what the pages reveal, so it’s what happens after we see it. That is because the “central goal of Christian mysticism is to experience the ineffable splendors of the mutual indwelling of the soul in Christ,” as implied by the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 1:20.^[8] The Spirit who inspired the living word invites us to seek with our own spirits the depth of God’s communion with us.

Also, consider this: the Hebrew word for meditate, hagita, means “to mutter” or to “say under the breath,” which brings a kind of lightness to the practice. There is a reason for muttering. Since most Israelites learned God’s word orally, it only makes sense that lingering on it would also be verbal itself. So, those who meditated on the Law would walk around or perform their duties while muttering Scripture under their breath in the process of understanding. Lots of us mutter under our breath, and usually, it’s by saying something passive-aggressive. Imagine, though, if we instead directed our thoughts and words towards understanding a verse or a passage we long to comprehend. I believe it would bring significant change to our lives and compel us to do it more and more as we seek to commune with God and obey him.
How To Meditate On Scripture As A Christian

So, how does a Christian meditate on their Bible readings? In this section, I’m supposed to offer several tips on how to improve your contemplative life. The fact is that it is difficult to flesh out concretely. The Bible, of course, is primary. Having the verse or passage fresh in our minds helps the process significantly as we seek to ask and dwell on its meaning. Richard Foster, who I mentioned earlier, writes about developing an interior life aided by time, place, and posture.^[10] Time is crucial because we have the physical and the emotional competing with the spiritual. The place is significant because it might be impossible to get a moment’s peace depending on our environment. Posture also impacts us because we can’t think or reflect well if we’re uncomfortable.

I agree with Foster. I often meditate on Scripture when I’m alone and have ambient music playing while sitting at my desk with the blinds open so I can see my yard. That being said, I’ve also meditated when doing the dishes, cutting the grass, or vacuuming. Anything that relies on muscle memory, or a “mindless activity,” frees our minds to focus on what we’ve read and be receptive to the Spirit of God. Notice here, too, in all these instances, as well as what Foster suggests, that I am wide awake. I like to think of meditating as studying in that it’s a process of learning, and I’m giving it the kind of attention needed to study well. It’s probably not impossible to meditate on Scripture lying in bed, but it’s less fruitful because of the temptation to doze off. Additionally, in times of meditation, you may want to write down the verse or passage so that you can come back later and add anything that God has shown you or if any of your other readings have contributed to your understanding.
Getting Results?

So far, I have described meditation as seeking answers and communing with God. We do this expecting that God will speak to us in return. But when can we expect an answer or see results? Whenever. I mentioned above that I, and others, have meditated during purposeful times or when doing mindless tasks. God also spoke to me in those times by impressing a thought that directly addressed what I was searching for in meditation. However, God has also spoken to me while I was in the middle of teaching my students. As I was writing The Fruit That Turns The World Upside Down, I’d been doing a lot of meditative reading. While teaching my high school students about the flood in Genesis, a thought literally popped into my head about how the flood metaphorically applies to our lives before we meet Christ and how Christ’s peace changes the effect of water to sanctify us.^[11] I believe I said, “holy smokes,” out loud while writing on the marker board. All that to say, I wasn’t expecting such a thought at that time.

If our meditation is truly about God, I believe he also gives us a way to confirm it. Countless times after meditation, questions have formed in my mind about God and what he says in his Word, and numerous times, that question was answered via a pastor’s sermon or perhaps something another Christian said, and usually in the same week. It is vital to confirm what we’re getting from meditation so we don’t slip into false beliefs and share erroneous things outside the bounds of Scripture. We need to heed John’s words to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; for many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). Nevertheless, if we’re receptive to God, he will bless us in his timing, which, by our standards, may happen whenever.

We love mysteries, but more than that, we love solving puzzles. One of my favorite mystery-solving television series was Luther, starring Idris Elba, because it’s not Sherlock Holmes but is still set in London. As a detective, Luther faces off against some very dangerous and brilliant foes, especially Alice Morgan, but he always manages to crack the case. Part of what I love about mystery shows is misdirection. When the viewer thinks they’ve figured out who’s done it, the detective reveals who actually did the crime, and there is closure. Some people take the same approach when meditating on Scripture as if the rest of the church is getting specific passages wrong, but their meditation reveals what the Bible is really saying. We are not Gnostics who try to “unlock” secret truths in the Bible or who eschew our physical lives for a solely spiritual life. While Christian meditation involves a person’s mind and spirit, the practice rests in the God present in both Testaments. Through meditation, we embrace the tension of mystery, understanding that God may reveal some parts but not all.

It is like The Big Bang Theory episode called “The Closure Alternative.” In the episode, one of the main characters, Sheldon Cooper (Jim Parsons), is upset about his favorite show being canceled on a cliffhanger. Sensing his obsession with closure in many other parts of his life and thinking he needs to re-condition his mind, Sheldon’s girlfriend, Amy (Mayim Bialik), arranges a series of activities for him to complete but prevents him from completing each task just before he can finish. By the end of the night, Sheldon claims that her experiment worked and confesses, albeit somewhat falsely, that he doesn’t need the closure he sought.^[12]

Mystery is beneficial for our minds. Why shouldn’t we want to let our minds hold God and his love in awe and wonder? Because those two states of being lead to feeling overwhelmed, people often avoid such a crucial time of reflection. As the Norwegian Educator Paul Martin Opdal observes, awe and “Wonder…always points to something beyond the accepted rules.”^[13] That can be daunting, especially in the context of religion, where there are “rules” to prevent us from sliding into unorthodox beliefs. Yet, multiple times in Scripture, we are told that being in awe and wonder of God is more than acceptable. Opdal notes that wonder gives us “an inkling that there is more to it that tradition admits, and that this ‘more’ can be investigated.”^[14] The “more” can be described as the theology beyond denominational doctrine that can sometimes be too reductive in how it discusses God and what he does.

Therefore, meditation can and does serve as a direct link to awe and wonder. In fact, we could say that meditation allows us to dive into the depths, swim in the mysteries Scripture presents, and enjoy that God is wholly other than us and who makes us whole.
What Meditation On Scripture Isn’t

The spiritual practice of Christian meditation is not a trend either. Trends depend on the consensus of popularity and are driven by influencers. For example, at the time of this writing, it is 2023, and a famous haircut from the early 1990s, the mullet, is gaining popularity because of some musicians and professional athletes. God willing, the trend will die out again, too. Although Christian spiritual practices have ebbed and flowed within the church for the last two thousand years, and some believers have promoted spirituality for their own benefit, practices such as meditation are a core component of the faith. As I have already demonstrated, meditation has been part of biblical faith since its inception, with its first appearance in Genesis 24:63. For Christians, intentional practice within the church was emphasized in the patristic period, if not before. Christopher Hall writes:

The [church] fathers never split theology off from spirituality, as though theology was an academic, mental exercise best practiced in one’s study, while Christian spirituality was more appropriately focused on the heart and centered in a church sanctuary. Any split between mind and heart, theology and spirituality, study and sanctuary would have been met with scant toleration from the fathers.^[15]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer utilized meditation as well. A commonly shared quote from him states, “Why do I meditate? Because I am a Christian.”^[16] That is because Bonhoeffer believed it to be an excellent way to tame the flesh, the fallen nature that tries daily to creep up in believers and distracts us from forming good Christian discipleship.^[17] He knew that our spirits are all too willing to follow the path of discipleship, but the flesh is “fearful,” causing us to create distractions and excuses as to why we can’t grow in our love toward God and our neighbor.^[18] Carving out time for meditating on Scripture is a practical discipline for our faith as we humbly submit ourselves to “move forward with certainty upon the firm ground of the word of God.”^[19]

Lastly, meditation is not for our self-elevation and self-promotion. Social media can sometimes be a great place for Christians. Through it, I’ve gained a lot of relationships with people that wouldn’t be possible without the platforms. On the other hand, social media is also rife with temptation, which includes the temptation to appear more pious than everyone else. With the surge of re-discovering the patristic and medieval period of Christianity in Evangelicalism, one of my worries is that some believers would co-opt the spiritual practices and theology of the church fathers and lord it over others who were less informed or use their spiritual practices to skirt moral and ethical issues Scripture warns against. We do not have to look too far to see examples. However, the flaunting of Christian spirituality and its misappropriation makes it void. Meditation done well should drive our pretensions away rather than enable them. Therefore, the more we meditate on the Word, the more it can be mapped over our lives since the practice’s goal is the application of Scripture. In short, meditation helps us decrease as Christ increases.

PR

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

Coming Next from Tim Tschida: “Illusions And Fullness”

Notes

[1] Kraus, Theology of the Psalms, 161–162.

[2] Foster, Celebrations of Discipline, 21. Foster dedicates a whole chapter to the discipline of meditation and deftly cites Scripture to support its use in the Christian life while dispelling misconceptions of the practice.

[3] Foster, Celebrations of Discipline, 20.

[4] Jerome, Epistle 108, CSEL 55.334, as quoted in Hall, Scripture with the Church Fathers, 44–45.

[5] Jerome, Epistle 108.

[6] Foster, Celebrations of Discipline, 25.

[7] Johns, Re-Enchanting The Text, 3.

[8] McColman, The Big Book of Christian Mysticism, 50.

[9] Foster, Celebrations of Discipline, 28.

[10] Foster, Celebrations of Discipline, 31–33.

[11] Tim Tschida, The World Upside Down, 13–14. In the end of the first chapter, I link God separating the waters of chaos in Genesis 1 to God flooding the world in Genesis 6 because our sin seems to desire chaos, so God gave the chaos they wanted by giving them the flood waters. In this day and age, the chaos caused by sin can flood our lives, and God lets us experience that.

[12] Lorre, The Big Bang Theory.

[13] Opdal, “Curiosity, Wonder, and Education,” 331.

[14] Opdal, “Curiosity, Wonder, and Education,” 331.

[15] Hall, Theology With The Church Fathers, 10.

[16] Bonhoeffer, Meditating On The Word, 22.

[17] Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, 159.

[18] Bonhoeffer, Discipleship, 159.

[19] Bonhoeffer, Meditating on the Word, 22.

The Garden of Scripture

Introduction

What do you think of when you hear the word Bible? Do you think of flamboyant televangelists? Do politicians courting a voting block primarily come to mind? Do images of well-meaning aunts who post “biblical warnings” on social media that accompany horrendous art dance through your brain? Or maybe it’s not so much those things, but you’re a new convert to Christ making your first journey into reading, and you’re nervous because you won’t understand everything right away? You could be put off by the time commitment it takes to read Scripture. If it isn’t that, is it that you’ve been reading the Bible, but there are a lot of loud voices in our hyper-online world casting doubt on its authenticity and relevancy? Maybe you’ve been turned off by the vehement arguments of fundamentalists and progressives? If any of those things resonate, this book is for you. Although, this book is also for everyone.

The truth is, there are a lot of loud voices out there, articulate and loud, who do have opinions on what the Bible is, how you should read it, and its relevancy. Because we spend a lot of time online, things like algorithms expose us to these loud, articulate voices, some who have no trouble telling us what we want to hear and who have no issue affirming our doubts, all for visibility and profit.

What are the quiet people saying, though? By nature, I am a quiet person, but if you were to ask me what I thought about the Bible and what in the world God does with it, I would love to share my thoughts with you. That is, essentially, what this book is; the things that I have thought quietly over the past fifteen years of studying Scripture personally and academically.

As to why I’ve written this book, I know of a few instances in which authors have been inspired to write. Most famously, Tolkien was inspired to write his myths about The Silmarillion, The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings because he studied languages and had created his own. For me, though, the inspiration came right in the middle of trying to explain a concept in front of thirty-six or so strangers at a Christian men’s retreat. I thought, “Hmm, this would probably make for a helpful book,” and the Lord agreed, or perhaps I agreed with him. So, when I returned home from the retreat, I set to begin work on what is now this book.

Although I didn’t segment this book into parts, it could be said that the first four chapters provide a pathway for the firm rooting of Scripture to take place in a person’s life. What I mean is that I offer ways to help people think about reading the Bible and provide thoughts on what God is doing when we sit down to read it earnestly. For example, this book’s opening chapter asks the reader to establish a slower and more meaningful process of reading the Bible. In it, I focus on the importance of meditating on Scripture while framing the practice in a biblical view and showcasing its benefits for the practical application of Bible reading to our lives. That means defining what meditation is in Christianity and what it isn’t.

In chapter two, I contend that Bible reading isn’t a single-sided process but one in which God is also involved. The reason for that is not because there isn’t any literature out there talking about it, but because it was genuinely life-changing when I came to understand it, so I want to pass on my joy to others. To accomplish this goal, I attempt to guide us through how Scripture supports the Holy Spirit’s aid in understanding the biblical text for the believer and how prayer can aid the process.

Suppose we accept that God is involved when an individual and the body of Christ are reading Scripture. In that case, it should open up the idea of acknowledging a supernatural strangeness when wrapping our minds around what’s happening in the Bible. Chapter three then examines that type of strangeness and how defining human imagination can help us connect with the strange things written within Scripture. Hopefully, this will guard against any attempts of over-rationalizing, over-reasoning, and over-allegorizing every weird thing away.

When we stop reasoning everything away as if it’s swamp gas reflecting the light of the planet Venus, we open ourselves to the fullness of what God is doing in the Bible and through its reading. Chapter four explores the idea of fullness in Scripture and introduces the first of three successive short stories. This chapter’s story is aimed at helping us think more deeply about the Bible itself, its themes, and its events in terms of a relationship. For we can’t grow in relationships if we only understand a person in a “plain sense.” So, we should also determine to understand Scripture beyond a “plain meaning” to approach a fuller relationship with God.

Chapter six is sort of a spiritual sequel to the second chapter. It begins with a short story about how a diverse yet united people can turn against each other. Additionally, instead of solely narrowing in on the Spirit himself and his direct illumination of Scripture, I found it essential to widen the scope and highlight how the Spirit works within the global body of the church in terms of understanding Scripture. This is because of the Scriptural importance of seeing the body of Christ as a community and how different parts may have a helpful perspective on Scripture we may not have considered before.

We cannot discuss Scripture without acknowledging Christ because he is the Ultimate Word, whereas the Bible is the penultimate. Chapter seven, then, focuses strictly on Jesus and two specific things the Bible says Jesus is and what those mean for humanity. Incidentally, it’s also the longest chapter and, in my opinion, the most important to understand in terms of our identity in him and union with him.

Lastly, chapter eight deals with the writings in the New Testament beyond the gospels. For the willfully ignorant, the New Testament’s epistles, or letters, are accused of distorting Jesus’ teachings. Instead, the chapter demonstrates how the moral and ethical teachings within them are essential for the continuing work of salvation, which we call sanctification, in the lives of believers.

PR
 

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

Coming Next from Tim Tschida: “A Storm of Perfection”

Every dissertation has to find some unique way to answer a pressing question to count as adding something substantial to its academic domain. Sometimes these methodologies can feel strained and concerned merely with novelty. Other times an author will put their finger on something that not only illuminates the subject in question but also changes the way you understand the topic. Mona Tokarek LaFosse’s published version of her dissertation, Honouring Age: The Social Dynamics of Age Structure in 1 Timothy, does the latter. In it, LaFosse uses the framework of age and how different age groups relate to each other to bring clarity to the concerns of the letter of 1 Timothy as well as answer some long-held scholarly debates about the widows in 1 Timothy 5.

After arguing for the need to look at 1 Timothy through the lens of age in chapter 1, LaFosse uses contemporary ethnographic research on traditional Mediterranean societies to construct two models: 1) age status and the generational cycle and 2) generational stability and social change (chapter 2). These models help to illustrate the age structure of traditional Mediterranean societies and how such structures dictate proper behavior, especially concerning honor. LaFosse is careful to avoid anachronism here and only uses these ethnographic studies to provide a probable starting point that is corrected in light of ancient evidence. In chapter 3, LaFosse proposes a setting for the letter of 1 Timothy (which she takes to be heteronymous. Editor’s note: written by someone other than Paul, see below) in the generation after the apostles when the recipients would have been in generational uncertainty in the wake of the loss of the older Christian generation (represented by Paul) and heightened by the conflict surrounding the false teachers. These concrete realities are answered by the letter’s reinforcement of traditional age structure and the corresponding proper behaviors of those within the church (the subject of chapter 4).

Chapter five through eight, focusing on widows in 1 Timothy, are the heart of the book. Here is where LaFosse’s models become the most helpful. There is no need for her to posit an office of the widow because concerns about widows within a household–both how they were honored and how they could disgrace the (church) family if they didn’t conform to proper behavior–were serious and persistent concerns in the ancient Mediterranean (chapter 5). In chapter 6 LaFosse addresses the two difficulties of the sixty+ age requirement to be put on the “list” (1 Tim 5:9). In short, sixty was considered the demarcation of old age, and the “list” was public recognition of such a widow’s honorable and virtuous life. “The idea of ‘enlisting’ exemplary widows in 1 Tim. 5:9 reflects a similar sense of awarding public honour to those who behave properly and piously—those who embodied the ideals of a virtuous woman over her lifetime” (145). This was important not merely for the sake of honor itself, but because of the vital role an older widow would play in the guidance and formation of younger widows (chapter 7). Chapter eight proposes the “believing woman” (1 Tim 5:16) as a middle-aged woman who was neglecting her duties towards the younger widows, and thus, is the target of Paul’s critique.

I should add one final note that is less a criticism than a question my mind kept returning to as I read her book. As is common in academic circles, LaFosse understands 1 Timothy as pseudonymous (though she prefers the term “heteronymous”). She provides the typical reasons (pp. 11-12): different vocabulary from the “undisputed” Pauline letters, the difficulty in placing 1 Timothy within the timeline of Paul’s life and other letters, and the emphasis on hierarchy as opposed to the (allegedly non-hierarchical) body metaphor. This she takes as evidence for a later date and her own work showing the concern for age and the anxiety caused by generational change would reinforce a compositional date after Paul’s lifetime. Yet, as I read LaFosse I wondered if her own work actually undermined her hypothetical reconstruction of the letter’s setting. If concerns over age structure and dynamics were an ever-present reality in the ancient Mediterranean world, then it would be a concern within Paul’s lifetime just as much as after. That is, why should we think that the real Paul wouldn’t be concerned about age dynamics? It only is a problem if we first assume that somehow Paul stood outside of time and place, aloof from his own culture and concerns. Why shouldn’t he think young men should honor elders or older widows train up and guide younger widows? My intuition is to think he would, but just asking the question illustrates the value of LaFosse’s book.

Reviewed by Ryan Clevenger

Publisher’s page: https://www.mqup.ca/honouring-age-products-9780228019350.php

In 2024, we were blessed to minister in a 200-day revival with 205 consecutive services held across six European countries and two territories. We ministered as a family at all these meetings accompanied by our two small children. To say that there is a lot to be grateful for in such a life-changing experience is an understatement. The following is just a brief glimpse of our observations on what precedes and accompanies a genuine move of the Spirit:

Creative developing of fasting, prayer and giving of alms, all commanded by Jesus Himself as a regular expression of our faith (when you pray, fast, give as in Mt. 6), is the prerequisite for every Spirit-led revival. On the third day of our 10-day fasting, God used a six-year-old child to revive our dead Volvo, which no mechanic in a radius of 200 miles could crank for over six months.

The church that was forced to leave the building during the pandemic, has now returned to multimillion-dollar buildings where God did not choose to start a 200-day Revival. And even when He did, the move was shut down for lack of parking space or nightly supervision. In all actuality, a church building is a result of a revival, its finish and its end. An association with a place, address or location is a sign of a centralized settlement. It was the forced getting-out of a church building (as in Acts 7) that caused the Great Azusa Revival to emerge as a grass-root movement engraved from the streets of L.A. to the Great San Francisco Earthquake and to the end of the world.

Revival must emerge from the Desire and Will of God in order to be supernaturally visited by the Power of His Glory! It cannot be approached as a man-made multiplication initiative, be it local, national or globally dimensioned. It is not a project to involve people, but a spiritual tsunami of authority and anointing that invites a prophetic projection of what God desires for eternity and not merely what man needs in the now.

When the now and then align, revival sparks! When the now has lost its sight on eternity, revival is long done and gone. What remains is but a motion imitating the wave of the Spirit, Who has already moved to other more receptive spiritual trenches and valleys of humbleness. It is in such societal peripheries and spiritual layers where God visits first with Revival before proceeding to the center of religious life. Meaning, the Heart of God for Revival is not in a religious center, but in a movement with a story. As a matter of fact, any association with externally imposed governing denies God’s centrality of what the Spirit wills for His Church. A man cannot vanquish the ocean and cosmos of space!

Happy New Year
2 Chronicles 20:25

Dony & Kathryn Donev began their ministry in the Church of God as teenagers. They share over 50 years of combined experience in the field and have authored multiple books to encourage others with the call to serve. Dony holds a doctoral degree from Pentecostal Theological Seminary and teaches at Lee Online. Kathryn is a Lee University graduate TN LPC/MHSP and leads the Homeschool Network in Polk County, which became the first homeschool sanctuary in the nation.

In 1999, Dony and Kathryn established Cup & Cross Ministries International with a vision for restoration of New Testament theology and praxis. Today they have over 50 years of combined commitment to Kingdom work. This book invites you to spend a few moments each day on the field sharing their experiences of serving as pastors, evangelists, chaplains, consultants, church trainers, researchers, missionaries and educators of His Harvest around the globe.

This text is yet another in a long line of publications that mines the bible for insights concerning how humans should treat animals. Grumett’s angle takes up the topic of animal husbandry, that is domesticated animals raised for human use (i.e. food, clothing, etc.) in farm and ranch settings. His thesis is “For both Christians and non-Christians, viewing these animals in husbandry systems that were extensive and unmechanized encourages a renewed focus on the animals themselves, including their biological needs and normal behaviors, rather than on animals as products and as sources of products.” He continues arguing that biblical accounts tell non-believers that the bible is not anthropocentric and that sometimes humans are even required to treat animals properly (p.2).

Grummett supports his thesis in the following four chapters, each of which takes up a different aspect of animal welfare that he believes scripture supports. Chapter 1, Herds and Flocks, explores the collective behavior of animals (i.e. sheep and cattle) and how their group behavior impacts their individual and collective well-being. Grumett argues that biblical writings recognize the social element of herd animals in contrast with contemporary ranching systems (p.6). Grumett employs Augustine’s argument that animals are givers of signs, as evidence for the notion that animals are more than creatures to satisfy human needs (p.8). He cites various biblical passages, such as Luke 2:8, that the bible is aware of the collective nature of herd animals. Strangely, Grumett attempts to extend the argument to pigs and chickens even while acknowledging the latter is absent in scripture and the other is rarely mentioned (pp. 16-17). Unfortunately, his appeal to the biblical evidence fails to distinguish between when the biblical writer is describing something and when he is prescribing something (p. 9).

Grumett then proceeds to discuss the sexual and young rearing behaviors of herd animals noting that these practices play an important part in their well-being. Readers will likely find the attention to allegedly non-heterosexual behavior of these animals to be nothing short of bizarre. His comment that readers will find these behaviors “…differing from commonly accepted norms.” (p. 18) to be an understatement. Interestingly, while his thesis is that animal behavior is to teach humans (p.10,18), he does not follow through on how this alleged homosexual behavior in animals is to teach us.

In Chapter 2, Bodies, Grumett argues that the biblical testimony and scientific research condones the practice of maintaining the bodily integrity of the farm animals. Where the prior chapter heralded the value of inter-animal relationships, this chapter argues that the bodies of individual animals should be maintained in their original form. Practices, such as castration, tail docking, nose ringing, debeaking, etc. should be abandoned because they are not supported by Scripture. While conceding that sometimes good husbandry practices may require violating the bodily integrity of an animal, it should only be done if absolutely necessary, meaning that alternative options have been eliminated (p. 51).

Grumett bases this opinion on the sacrificial law that forbids sacrificing blemished animals (Exod 12:5; 29:1; pp. 31, 37). Since the Hebrew word Tamim, (unblemished) means that castrated animals were not permissible sacrifices (cf. Lev 22:19, 24-5), Grumett contends Israelites conformed their ranching practices to align with this law. Unfortunately, he does not provide any evidence for this assertion. Perhaps his awareness of this evidentiary gap explains why he spent so much space discussing the negative impacts of common husbandry practices that violate an animal’s bodily integrity.

Chapter 3, Behavior, turns our attention to where (i.e. habitat) and how (i.e. eating, moving and playing) animals live their lives. Basing his argument in the creation narrative of Genesis 1, Grumett says “It is notable that the animals are assigned habitats that are all outdoors, and that at no future point is any other norm established.” (p. 54). He continues to say that if animals are to be kept indoors there must be substantive reasons for doing so. Ultimately, Grumett believes that the biblical suggestion, if not an explicit norm, is for farmers to raise animals is as freely as possible so the animals can experience the fulness of their behavioral characteristics. Interestingly, while he is aware that the bible speaks of stall-fed calves (pp.57ff) noting Amos’ condemnation (6:4), Christ’s reference to the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:23) is conspicuously ignored.

The final chapter, Stockpersons, looks at the role of the animal caretakers. He asserts that Israel’s husbandry was philosophically/religiously different than that of her pagan neighbors in that she treated animals objectively. Animals were not sources of spiritual strength for Israelites (pp. 69-70). Since the dominion narratives are troublesome for Grumett, he attempts to downplay their impact by suggesting there were exceptions to the top-down coercive authority scheme between humans and animals (p. 71). Unfortunately, the exceptions employed to illustrate his point all involve human to human subjugation, not human to animal. Nevertheless, he continues arguing that the human-animal relationship is covenantal (p.75) and goes into some detail about different aspects of the stockperson-animal bond and its importance.

Grumett describes one rather strange example of the human-animal bond, namely when the stockperson is seen as a member of the herd. Grumett claims that such a blurring of the human-animal distinction can be found in the story of Rachel putting goat skin on Jacob (pp. 84-85; Gen 27:11-23). He ends the chapter suggesting that ranchers should safeguard, if not reestablish, the bond between stockperson and livestock that has been marred/threatened by contemporary livestock practices.

The book ends with a three-page Epilogue where Grumett reminds readers that the bible has more to say about animal agriculture than what is traditionally thought. In addition, scripture sees animals as having their own intrinsic (versus utilitarian) worth which should be respected. Interestingly, he only claims that humans should work harder to treat animals well rather than the typical animal rights call for ending animal husbandry and adopt veganism.

Grumett’s reading of scripture through the lens of animal husbandry, informed by modern science, is certainly a worthy approach. The manifold truths contained in scripture can often only be appreciated when we narrow the scope of our attention to a particular perspective. For making readers aware of that approach, Grumett is to be commended. While astute readers will hear the echoes of an animal protectionist perspective, if not an animal rights one, Grumett refuses to condemn animal husbandry outright. In this he differs from other readers of scripture from the animal protectionist perspective.

While adopting a perspectival approach to probe scripture is useful, it can never have the final say. The method should never be privileged as being the only way they look at the text. For elevating an approach to ex cathedra status can easily result in distortions to the authorial meaning. Take the example of one of my seminary professors who cautioned us not to overread the meaning of a word during lexical analysis. He used the example of interpreting a letter. We traditionally start with “Dear….” He noted that if we read too much into the word ‘Dear’, we might think the writer was extremely fond of us. If we were researching love literature, we might think that every letter starting with “Dear…” is a love letter. Regrettably, Grumett allowed his animal welfare approach to biblical data about livestock animals to blind him to alternative views and contrary data.

Permit me to provide just a couple of examples to illustrate. Grumett conveniently ignores biblical data that counters his perspective. For example, in the reference to muzzling the ox (p. 60), he doesn’t engage Paul who clearly argued that God’s concern wasn’t about animal welfare (1 Cor 9:9). In fact, his scripture index does not even list a passage from 1 Corinthians (p. 108). Likewise, he ignores Christ’s use of the fatted calf in the story about the Prodigal Son, despite spending two pages on the subject (pp. 57-58) telling us that the bible suggests such activity is less than ideal. Wouldn’t Jesus, the author of Scripture, know not to use a fatted calf in a positive light? Or how should Christ’s treatment of the herd of pigs be interpreted? Did Christ’s decision to allow them to be demonized and then drowned demonstrate proper stewardship of domestic animals (Matt 8:30ff; Mark 5:11ff; Luke 8:32ff)? Finally, Grumett argues that modifying an animal’s body is wrong. But what about an owner whose ox likes to gore (Ex 21:29)? Is it better for the owner to cut the horns or should the ox just be killed and eaten? Grumett does not tell us.

The second problem with the book lies in the manner of Grumett’s argumentation. While the tone is suggestive and non-dogmatic, Grumett frequently draws conclusions and makes connections without filling in the evidentiary or logical steps. He claims that Amos 6:4 condemns stall fed calves (p. 58). While acknowledging the financial angle of Amos’ condemnation, Grumett continues to suggest that stall-feeding calves was inherently wrong. Unfortunately, this claim is asserted not proven (see also the animal play argument p. 64).

Grumett frequently confuses what the bible portrays with what it proffers. On page 54, he appeals to the creation narratives regarding animal habitats as being outdoors (versus indoors). But the question is where else would recently created animals be (other than outdoors) until Adam and Eve could begin to initiate the creation mandate? I live in Montana’s cattle country. During our winter storms, I would suggest that the herd would definitely prefer to be “indoors” rather than unrestrained in the field during an ice storm. But is it morally wrong or a violation of our dominion mandate to keep cattle in the field? Regrettably, Grumett’s failure to connect the logical steps and provide the needed evidence to reach his animal-welfare conclusions leaves readers wanting.

By now readers should understand that this book is entirely inadequate to the task it had taken up. While we can thank Grumett for raising the issue of biblical testimony and livestock production, we will have to look elsewhere for answers that can be faithful to the biblical witness and withstand fair-minded scrutiny.

Reviewed by Stephen M. Vantassel

Publisher’s page: https://wipfandstock.com/9798385218592/the-bible-and-farm-animal-welfare/

It’s Time to Learn the Basics

Great preachers and teachers may inspire you, but the deep truths of Scripture are discovered through personal Bible study.

Is the Bible Too Spiritual to Understand?

Since the Bible is a spiritual book you may say, “What will I learn from a book that is so spiritually complex?” You will learn more than you may imagine if you are the following:

1. A born again believer (John 3:3). Whether a person is a scholar or member of the laity, he/she must have experienced the new birth in order to fully comprehend the message of the Bible.
2. A disciplined believer (2 Tim. 2: 1-4). A believer is commanded to be diligent and faithful in his/her study to become a good solider. Discipline and training prepares him/her to teach others once progress is made toward Christian maturity.
3. A willing believer (Psa. 119:30). A believer must have a desire to be trustworthy, and to please the Lord. Psalm 119:30 highlights faithfulness in keeping the ordinances of God as self-imposed criteria.

Proper Tools are Needed to Guarantee Accuracy

Image: Hannah Busing

Learn from a Study Bible. Use one having a place to jot down you own handwritten notes. Take time to ponder and reflect on what you have written in your notes. Most Study Bibles contain numerous commentary notes; but be sure to compare the Study Bible commentary with other commentaries. If you use only one Study Bible and trust only its commentary for biblical accuracy, you will never develop a deep understanding of scripture.

Learn by studying different versions to gain deeper insight. Most Bibles agree on the essentials of scripture, although caution should be exercised when using a paraphrase. Although paraphrases may help the reader to better understand the Word of God, it is wise to consult a dynamic equivalent or literal version to achieve biblical accuracy.

Learn from a Bible dictionary. No tool is more important than a Bible dictionary. It explains archaeology, customs, climates, people, dates, doctrines, herbs, politics, empires, animals, and much more.

Learn from a concordance. Some Bibles have concordances, but in most instances they are not exhaustive. However, the Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance is considered one of the best. Time-tested and inexpensive, it lists every word in both the Old and New Testaments.

Learn from a commentary. Commentaries often explain the Bible verse-by-verse. Evangelical commentaries rarely disagree on major points of scripture, and these are helpful to an interpreter for gaining more knowledge.

Learn from an English dictionary. Some words used today in various English Bibles are archaic. Use a dictionary to look up the definition of hard-to-understand words.

Learn from a word dictionary of the Bible. Difficult words are strewn throughout the Bible; and in many cases the original word in an English Bible may not mean what you think it does. A popular word dictionary helpful to interpreters is Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words.

Basic Principles of Interpretation

Pray. Ask the Lord to enlighten you and give you insight.

Search for Insight. Bible reading alone will not give you insight. Insight is acquired only by studying and reflecting on various subjects, themes, people, verses, words, events, etc.

Consider the type of passage. Ask yourself: What kind of Scripture (or passage) am I studying? Is it prophetic (apocalyptic), law, parabolic, simile, psalm, instructional, wisdom (poetical), discourses, or narrative? Various types of passages will mandate different methods of interpretation. Also, the books of the Bible should be studied in context, or in light of proper interpretation. Begin by considering the background and author of each book, and to whom it is addressed, before you draw conclusions. For example, interpreting the book of Revelation requires different guidelines than those required for studying Genesis.

Examine unique words and phrases used by biblical writers. God is the author of all scripture, but men “wrote” (or recorded) as God inspired them. For example, in the Gospels we find that Mark wrote to the Roman people. Romans were fond of power and action; thus Mark’s repeated use of “straightaway” (i.e., immediately) gains the attention of a Roman audience. On the other hand, Matthew desired to appeal to Jews. In doing so, he was careful to use terms with which Jewish people were familiar; such as “Messiah,” and the “Kingdom of Heaven.” Matthew avoided the term “Kingdom of God” as often as possible so as not to inflame the passion of Jews since they were forbidden to say or write the name of God. John focuses on the universal appeal of Christ and is concerned that people everywhere “believe” in Jesus, the Son of God. John uses the term “believe” over 50 times in the Gospel he penned.

Take time to research maps and locations of certain events. Most Bible students know who Moses is, but are unable to pinpoint the locations where certain events occurred in his life. Furthermore, most Bible students do not know the places where Jesus traveled during His 3 ½ years of ministry. Nor do they know where He performed miracles and healings, gave discourses, or talked to the religious, royal, or common people.

Learn to recognize frequently used figures of speech. It’s important that you learn what is literal and what is figurative. During the time the Bible was penned by human beings, various figures of speech were used. Even in modern times we use many of figures of speech. A popular contemporary American term is “Get out of my face.” We understand this to mean “Depart,” “Go away,” or “Leave me alone.” However, it is doubtful that two thousand years from today people would understand this term. The Bible contains many such figures of speech and it’s important not to develop a literal (or systematic) theology based on these terms.

In His Grip,
Dr. Harbuck

From the February 2010 edition of The Grapevine. Used with permission.