I hope your week has been wonderful. This week holds special significance as we delve into the theological meaning of Holy Week, which is central to the Christian faith. Jesus endured suffering, died, and triumphed over death!

I want to share some insights from my devotions this week. Each day, I reflected on the Passion of Christ and composed 25 meditations on Holy Week. My prayer is that they resonate with you.

With the peace of Christ,

Dr. Antipas

Image: Kelly Sikkema

Meditations on Holy Week

1. As we enter the sacred time of Holy Week, let us take a moment to reflect deeply on the profound journey of Jesus. The gravity of the Resurrection is illuminated through the trials and tribulations outlined during this significant week.
2. Today marks Palm Sunday, the ceremonial beginning of Holy Week. This is an opportunity to learn from Jesus, who exemplified the art of repositioning Himself for what lay ahead. He made a remarkable entrance into Jerusalem, riding on a humble colt, an emblem of simplicity and vulnerability. How might you prepare yourself, adjusting your stance for the divine plans God has in store for your next chapter?
3. Riding a young donkey, though seemingly mundane, speaks volumes of Jesus’ readiness to embrace the challenges ahead. This choice symbolizes the discomfort and struggle that would unfold throughout the week, as He traversed a path marked by pain, ultimately leading to a victorious destiny. Repositioning ourselves often demands radical and even uncomfortable changes.
4. The journey of Holy Week is steeped in profound humility, a call to lay aside our egos and acknowledge something greater than ourselves. Lord, forgive us for the moments when we fail to embody humility, and guide us to walk faithfully in the footsteps of Christ’s example!
5. Holy Week serves as a powerful testament of faith played out in the public arena. Jesus showcased unwavering love even amidst brutal and violent opposition. Though love may sometimes be overshadowed or trampled, His steadfast commitment to love remained resolute. Indeed, love is far mightier than hate.
6. Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem was laden with prophetic significance. The crowd recognized His divine essence as they cheered, witnessing the spectacle of His arrival on a colt. Their adoration hinted at the ultimate victory to come, despite the turbulent path ahead, fraught with pain, betrayal, and denial. While we may know the conclusion of the story, it was a profound and challenging faith journey for Him.
7. The journey of faith is not one of flawless perfection but rather one of exploration and growth. As we navigate through life, we encounter moments of learning and reflection. It echoes the sentiment of Bishop Anselm of Canterbury, who spoke of “Fides quaerens intellectum”—faith seeking understanding. May this week serve as a transformative journey filled with fresh insights, nurturing our lived witness to the world.
8. After sharing His last meal with His disciples, Jesus spoke these comforting words: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth… You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you.” (John 14:16-17) Come, Holy Spirit!
9. During Holy Week, a poignant and transformative moment unfolded as Jesus knelt before His disciples to wash their feet, symbolically commissioning them for a life of unwavering service. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. profoundly stated, “You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love.” Jesus exemplified this truth, His actions a masterclass in humility! What about us?
10. Faithfully pursuing the depth of Christ’s love demands a spirit of humility and a commitment to serve. The Master Teacher and Lord, in a gesture of unparalleled love, lowered Himself to the dusty ground, knowing that among those He served, two would soon betray and deny Him. Christ’s love is boundless and knows no restrictions, reaching even the most unreachable hearts.
11. As we meditate on the Passion Story, our focus is drawn to the profound hope we find in Christ’s enduring promise. This sacred week serves as a reminder that mental stress and emotional turmoil are transient; they do not linger. Sunday’s resurrection is coming, heralding a new dawn!
12. Holy Week unveils a deep and transformative connection between love and hope. God’s love extends to every individual, even to those who seem difficult to embrace. Lord, in Your infinite mercy, guide us to love as You do. Hope, after all, is a relentless force. Our struggles do not dictate our destiny; rather, through them, we find resilience and emerge even stronger!
13. We must not underestimate the profound devastation of feeling crushed; it brings pain, a burden that resonates with many hearts. Jesus intimately understood the depths of this agony. Yet, it’s essential to recognize that these crushing experiences do not define us—our true beauty does.
14. In the midst of suffering, a glimmer of hope emerges as beauty slowly reveals itself. Just as wine is born from the pressing of grapes and oil flows from the pressing of olives, our life’s true purpose often springs forth from the trials we endure. Jesus faced His own moments of crushing anguish in Gethsemane, a testament to the human experience. Soon, we will gather to celebrate the immeasurable lesson uncovered in such trials: while crushing moments are temporary, the victories they yield are everlasting!
15. J.P. Lederach reminds us that theo-moral imagination invites us to envision ourselves within a vast network of relationships—one that even includes our enemies. It encourages us to embrace the complexities of life without reverting to simplistic dualistic thinking, to pursue creativity boldly, and to bravely accept the inherent risks of venturing into the unknown.
16. Let us not rush to the resurrection; there’s a compelling story that unfolds before the glory! Let’s take time to reflect on that narrative. Jesus endured profound suffering, reminding us that if we seek His resurrection power, we must also partake in His suffering (Phil 3:10). Beyond the shadows of despair lies magnificent glory!
17. The term “Maundy” derives from the Latin word for “commandment,” a poignant reference to Jesus’ profound humility on Maundy Thursday when He washed His disciples’ feet and called them to embody that same spirit of service and love. Lord, in Your boundless mercy, guide us toward a deeper understanding of how to love and serve others with true humility.
18. Have you ever felt the sting of loneliness or the weight of abandonment? Consider that even Jesus experienced such heart-wrenching emotions on the cross, crying out, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Remember, even in the heaviest of moments, this is not the end for you—in this life and beyond. A brighter dawn is ahead; just wait and see!
19. “Then Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.’ Having said this, he breathed his last.” Luke 23:46. Like Jesus, entrust everything into God’s capable hands. Let it go. Trust that God can carry your burdens with grace and strength.
20. “On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross; The emblem of suffering and shame, And I love that old cross where the dearest and best; For a world of lost sinners was slain….” (Hymn)
21. Through the boundless love of Jesus, vividly revealed on the cross, we encounter a profound and transformative truth: True love, at its core, endures suffering. The ultimate victory of love emerges only through the crucible of pain and sacrifice. In essence, love bears the weight of suffering; yet it also triumphs in unfathomable ways!
22. Good Friday is a sacred moment of reflection, a time to honor a Savior who willingly gave His life for the sins of the world. St. Augustine reminds us, “The death of the Lord our God should not be a cause of shame for us; rather, it should be our greatest hope, our greatest glory.” In the face of the cross, we witness the profound generosity of our loving Jesus. Yet, paradoxically, this true love exposes its vulnerability, open to the wounds inflicted by those who abandon, betray, deceive, strive to sow discord, and walk away. The depth of this love makes the hurt all the more poignant and real.
23. Good Friday beckons us into a deep theological reflection on the suffering Christ—a Jesus who embraces pain with open arms. Theologian Jurgen Moltmann articulates beautifully that the God who suffers is the God who loves deeply. Our God is not distant; rather, He is profoundly moved by our own struggles and heartaches. In our moments of vulnerability and distress, God draws nearer, embodying the essence of true and abiding love.
24. In the words of scripture, “Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.’” (Matt 26:27-28) Our sins are forgiven, and we can respond with fervent joy: Hallelujah!
25. Revelation 5:9 resounds with triumphant praise, declaring, “They sing a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slaughtered, and by your blood, you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and people and nation.’” In these words, we find the powerful truth that the blood of Jesus Christ has redeemed us, wrapping us in grace and love beyond measure.

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Craig S. Keener, “Apostles Today” YouTube (October 18, 2025).

Pastor John Lathrop says: “At the link you can hear Dr. Craig Keener speak about apostles (about 42 minutes long). In part of his teaching he shares the names of people in church history that he thinks qualify as apostles using Paul’s criteria for apostles.”

James F. Linzey, “International Pentecostal Leaders Minister in Coffeyville, Kansas: ORU Scholars Step into a Century-Old Prophetic Stream in Coffeyville” Christian Newswire (November 12, 2025).

Gordon Govier, “10 Striking Biblical Archaeology Stories of 2025: Research and natural disaster uncovered exciting finds from the ancient world” Christianity Today (December 23, 2025).

Craig S. Keener, “Yes, there IS a Christian genocide in Nigeria” Bible Background (December 28, 2025).

Craig Keener introduces this 26 minute video: “I am not interested in defending the partisan right or left, and that’s not what this is about. The suffering in northern Nigeria didn’t start recently—it’s been going on for decades. I have interviewed many friends from northern Nigeria, plus I depend on reports I received already when I taught there in the 1990s. In some places, there is ‘religious cleansing’ taking place, alongside other terrorist activity.”

Image: Filip Bunkens

Craig Keener, “Differing with John MacArthur on 1 Cor 14” Bible Background (January 5, 2026).

Joy Ren, “Influential Chinese House Church Faces New Crackdown” Christianity Today (January 16, 2026).

Updated on January 21, 2026: “Two of the detained face charges of ‘inciting subversion of state power.’”

Frank Viola, “50 Things the Holy Spirit Does” Frank Viola Unfiltered (January 25, 2026).

Bonnie Kristian, “Protesting in Church Is Wrong. So Is Immigration Theater” Christianity Today (January 20, 2026).

The subtitle of this opinion piece by Christianity Today deputy editor Bonnie Kristian reads: “Demonstrators should not disrupt worship services. ICE should be competent, cool-headed, and constrained by the Constitution.”

Craig Keener, “A charismatic view of suffering?: Suffering and baptism in the Spirit in Mark’s introduction” Bible Background (March 2, 2026).

Carey Nieuwhof and James Sells, “Reclaiming the Church’s Role in Mental Health: We have a holy opportunity to return to our roots—a chance to recover the kind of care that once marked every aspect of the early church” Leadership Journal (Fall 2025).

This article is from CT Pastors, Volume 38 of Leadership Journal.

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Jade taught me how pentecostals listen to and wait on God. She spoke of a repeated mystical experience that transpired over an extended period during the Sunday evening worship service of her pentecostal church in which she saw herself as a little girl of approximately five years of age. In this repeated experience, Jesus approached the little girl and said, “I want to take you to meet my Father,” to which she responded, “Okay.” However, after they had taken three or four steps, the little girl announced, “Oh, I’ve changed my mind. I want to go play in the park,” to which he replied, “OK. Let’s go play in the park.” Over and over again, Jade envisioned the two of them going to the park and swinging in the swings together instead of going to the Father. After several months of this repeated scenario, on one particular Sunday evening, the little girl did not ask to play in the park, but she accompanied Jesus to meet the Father. Jade believed this change in her response signaled her having experienced sufficient relational healing regarding fathers, affording her a readiness to encounter Jesus’s Father.

This is an excerpt from: Pamela F. Engelbert, See My Body, See Me: A Pentecostal Perspective on Healing from Sexual Violence (Pickwick Publications, 2024)

As Jesus and Jade continued walking along a pathway, they came to a doorway, and Jesus said, “This is as far as I can go. You can go in, and the Father is sitting in there on a chair.” When Jade went through the doorway, she entered into a brightly lit room in which she saw God the Father without clearly seeing the Father’s face. As she walked over to the Father, the Father picked her up and placed her on his lap. The Father then lifted her high above his head, moving her around a little while simultaneously tickling her so that the two of them laughed together. After the Father put the little girl down, they began to play hide-and-seek in which she peeked around the Father’s chair and looked at the Father, generating laughter first from the Father and then from her. When she returned to the front of the chair, the Father picked her up and again placed her on his lap and said, “I’m your dad, you know.” The shock of this realization caused her to cry as this was quite exciting for the five-year-old-emotional part of her heart. Amidst her excitement, she went to the far corner of the room and pulled on a huge angel’s robe, saying, “He’s my dad, you know,” and the angel nodded. She then walked over to Jesus, pulled on Jesus’s garment, and said, “He’s my dad, you know,” and Jesus replied, “I’ve been trying to tell you that for a long time.”

It was not until after she had repeatedly experienced this mystical encounter that she realized its significance. When she was almost six years of age, she learned that her stepfather was not her biological father. Her older sister informed her that what Jade believed to be her surname was not actually hers. Her sister warned her: “If you’re bad, my dad is gonna send you to your dad, and your dad doesn’t want you.” Such news shattered Jade’s world as she no longer knew where she belonged. The five-year-old Jade realized in that moment: “Everyone else belongs in this family but me.” But God saw and heard and continued to be aware of her need for healing even when she remained unaware as an adult. As she stood in a worship service, being open and listening during these divine-initiated encounters, Jade’s unknown needs for identity and belonging were being healed.

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Image: Pham Manh

Further Reading

More about See My Body, See Me: A Pentecostal Perspective on Healing from Sexual Violence: An interview with Pamela F. Engelbert

In this work, Amy Peeler presents a robust reading of the New Testament incarnation narratives, arguing for a view of God that transcends gender. She energetically exposes the presuppositions undergirding the traditional claim that God is male. Peeler draws from her well-rounded experience as an associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and associate rector at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Geneva, Illinois.

Peeler’s argument proceeds in three steps—elaborating on the meaning of sex, gender, and roles. First, she draws from Israelite history and New Testament writings to tackle the claim that God is male. Through an analysis of the purity laws of Judaism and the Gospels’ portrait of Mary’s pregnancy and birthing of Jesus, she uncovers the shortcomings of traditional assumptions. The work proceeds by reaching beyond the ordinary conception that God is masculine because of attributes such as sovereignty and divine initiative. Peeler challenges the usual trope of the oppressed feminine woman, underscoring how Mary represents strength. The third move of the argument addresses the controversial subject of gender “roles.” Peeler builds her position around the doctrine of the virginal conception, implying that the nature of the dogma makes Jesus’ maleness one of a kind.

Peeler’s argument against the alleged maleness of God engages Hebrew and NT scripture interpretations. She concedes that the OT scriptures characteristically represent God as male but maintains that they never depict God as a “sexual” male deity. She argues that the frequent Hebrew scripture allusions to God as Israel’s Father or King remain purely figurative, “contained within the ideas of founding or care, never procreation” (p. 13). Although NT depictions are more direct—God causes the birth of a baby—Peeler emphasizes that God’s maleness remains one of analogy. God is like a father. He is not a “sexual” male that impregnated a human woman (p. 19). Peeler’s most impactful argument is a pneumatological one, drawing on the linguistic representation of the Holy Spirit. In the OT, the Spirit is referred to using the feminine Hebrew ruakh. In the NT, the Spirit is neither masculine nor feminine, but referred to using the neuter Greek pneuma. In Trinitarian perspective, the agent of birth in the Gospels is the Holy Spirit who is responsible for Mary’s pregnancy (Matt. 1:18, 20) and the one whose power overshadows her making the child the holy babe of God (Luke 1:35).

Reviewed by Paul J. Palma

Publisher’s page: https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802879097/women-and-the-gender-of-god/

As an educated Baby Boomer (but not an American history major), I found much of the narrative informative. For instance, at the pivotal Battle of Kings Mountain, there was only one British officer present who led Loyalist regiments against the Patriots. Throughout the series the Loyalists were presented fairly, as persons who followed their conscience, not as fools or villains, although some, like Colonel Tarlton, were.

George Washington is highlighted as man of tact and courage, indispensable in keeping the poorly supplied Continental Army and its untrained militias together. The series stressed that the American victory ultimately came because the Americans wore the British out, not that they had won many battles.

Washington’s choice of resisting being crowned after the war and retiring to Mt. Vernon, plus his refusal to run for a third term, were shown as pivotal for the democratic development of our nation. We can be especially thankful of this in view of the tragedies and tyrannical governments that followed the 1960s era of independence from French and British colonial governments where insurgent generals often became cruel and long-lasting tyrants.

On the other hand, The American Revolution made a frank presentation of Washington’s involvement in land speculation of Indian-owned territory and his order for the destruction of towns and crops of the Indians in Western New York. The description of that campaign was especially difficult to watch, as it must have been for many of my Baby Boomer contemporaries. We were not normally taught these negative aspects about Washington, even though such things are now routinely taught in practically every American history course. Washington’s role as slave owner was also clearly shown, including how he meticulously administered the return of runaway slaves to their owners at the end of hostilities.

This differs with the traditional versions we Baby Boomers learned as high-school and college students. You can find such a perspective in the video, “The First American” (2015) put out by the Gingrich Foundation and hosted by Newt and Callista Gingrich along with a roster of conservative luminaries. In this presentation, the only reference to Washington’s relationship with slavery was about his will, in which he freed his slaves. Also not mentioned were the campaigns against the Indians. However, to be fair about the latter, some sort of military action was necessary to secure the New York and Pennsylvania fronts from constant Indian raids.

But conservative critics do have real reasons for their claim that Burn’s The American Revolution was partly a “hatchet job” (pun intended). A detailed review by Dan McLaughlin in the National Review, “No, Ken Burns, the United States Is Not an Iroquois Nation” (Nov 22, 2025), cites several historical errors including a big ideological misinterpretation.

Most disturbing was the absence of any description of English constitutional history in forming the opinions and attitudes of the Colonists. All but the most uneducated Colonists were aware that their “rights as Englishmen” were related to the Magna Carta and its interpretive development. They also knew that the English Civil War overthrew and executed one King, and later the “Glorious Revolution,” idolized by most colonists as a triumph of Protestantism, deposed another. All of this makes the colonial attitude towards their rights and their King historically located and understandable. None of this was mentioned in The American Revolution. This reflects a Leftist disdain of constitutional history as “bourgeois” and irrelevant. Indeed, this is the most serious error and omission of the series.

Despite these flaws, I would affirm that The American Revolution reflects in a major degree the biblical perspective of history. That is, that heroes have serious flaws, but are still providentially used by God. In the Bible the real hero of the Old Testament is God, with multiple “supporting characters” who are imperfect and sometimes disreputable. Moses sinned by destroying the tablet of the Ten Commandments. His brother Aaron, first High Priest, lied about his role in forming the golden calf. In fact, the heroes in the Book of Judges, who were chosen by God to save the Israelites from destruction and oppression, had major flaws, as in Samson and his inability to keep his pants up. David, certainly Israel’s best king, is not spared narrative criticism. His adultery and murder of Uriah was exposed by the prophet Nathan and detailed in the book of Second Kings (chapter 12). And although David repented (Psalm 51) he could not avoid the consequences of his sins. These included a rebellion against him by his son Absalom and ultimately a divided kingdom.

In the New Testament, we see Peter denying Christ three times. After Pentecost, when he was indeed strengthened by the Holy Spirit, he slid away from the freedom of the Gospel and cowardly appeased the “men from Jerusalem” (Galatians 2:11-14).

So perhaps the “heroes” of the Bible were mostly like our Washington. He was the Father of a nation, hero in battle, master of fortitude and resiliency in the midst of setbacks But he also had the flaws of accepting slavery even though he knew it was evil, and perpetuating injustices towards the Indians.

The Founding Fathers’ faults have been routinely taught in American schools for decades now. Most recently, The New York Times’ “The 1619 Project” exaggerated these to the point of mendacity. The ill effects of such a negative focus will be felt in American educations for decades to come. It has resulted in a noticeable, some say catastrophic, decline in patriotism among the younger generation. (What will be the outcome of some future conflict with China fought by a demoralized and unpatriotic draftee Army?)

We can never revert to the traditionalist narrative of neglecting the negative aspects of American history – that would be both impossible in a free society, and more importantly, unbiblical. The Trump administration has begun to undo some of the gross exaggerations by attempting to mold educational textbooks and curriculum to a patriotic position. But American education is largely a state issue, and reversing decades of the exaggerated anti-American narrative and “The 1619 Project,” now embedded in the attitudes of teachers, would be an especially difficult task. Saying this, I commend reasonable attempts, as for example those done in Florida and other conservative states to correct the anti-American narrative with more balanced textbooks and curricula.

Since if we are not likely to get back the traditional patriotism of “The Greatest Generation” which lived through and fought the Second World War, what type of patriotism can come from a biblical perspective? That would be a reasonable love of country that cherishes its good points and achievements, but does not hide its sinful mistakes. St. Augustine, who did not use the term patriotism but rather love of one’s own homeland, noted: “So long as we are in this mortal body, we are away from the Lord… and we love, as is natural, our own land where we live for a time” (The City of God XIX.17).

Augustine also noted that our love of country was to be subordinated to our loyalty and love for the Kingdom of God, and he was especially aware of the temptation to glorify early kingdoms to the point of idolatry. This happened significantly in the Roman Empire when its citizens were required to offer incense to the Emperor – and many Christians were martyred for not doing so.

I talked about Mexico and how God must be pleased with how – after conquest and much injustice to the Indians by the Spaniards – Mexico has developed a largely “mestizo” culture, where their races have been blended and are now living harmoniously. Other countries, like Bolivia, have no done so well. I also noted how successive Mexican governments since the Revolution of 1917, which many Mexicans idolize, had begun a tradition of government corruption that was never effectively confronted. This led to the present danger of having Mexico divided into a collection of drug “principalities” where gangster lawlessness prevailed. Their patriotism and prayers for Mexico must continue in spite of an imperfect home country.

Then I called on them to love and respect their present homeland where they had come to live and work. Here they establish businesses without having to bribe the police or government bureaucrats. America fought wars for freedom which destroyed both Fascism and Communism, something to be immensely proud of.

And yes, American culture has many faults. But again, my congregants had the biblical obligation to pray for the American presidents and state governors and its governments. It was especially important to pray for wisdom in the American presidents with their ability to begin and end wars. At the time, several in my congregation already had children in the Armed Forces (that was fifteen years ago, I wonder if any died in Afghanistan or Iraq).

All of which is to say, there can be an Augustinian-Christian approach to patriotism that takes into account mankind’s universal sinfulness in its different national manifestations, but celebrates one’s national achievements.

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Introduction from the Publisher: #MeToo. #ChurchToo. #pentecostalsisterstoo. Since 2018, hashtags and stories of sexual violence have appeared in all sectors of life from Hollywood to the Olympics; from politics to religion; from universities to seminaries; and among pentecostals. But amid all these stories of sexual abuse and assaults, one may wonder if any stories of healing from sexual violence exist. If so, what does healing look like, particularly among pentecostals who believe in divine healing? Is it a single prayer of faith or a conglomeration of healing factors? In true pentecostal form, See My Body, See Me systematically examines the healing stories of eight pentecostal survivors and the experiences of five pentecostal licensed counselors. It then combines these experiences of both males and females with Scripture, theology, psychology, and culture to provide a pentecostal perspective on healing from sexual violence. As a practical theological approach, See My Body, See Me also offers acts of ministry to provide healing spaces by way of three embodied praxes that are historically and theologically pentecostal: listening, waiting, and learning. See My Body, See Me is an invitation to participate in Christ’s healing ministry to see, hear, and believe survivors as God sees, hears, and believes them.

Interview with Dr. Pamela F. Engelbert

What is a short synopsis of the book?

Pamela F. Engelbert, See My Body, See Me: A Pentecostal Perspective on Healing from Sexual Violence (Pickwick Publications, 2024)

This book is divided into two parts: a) a description of how pentecostals heal from sexual violence, and b) an invitation to the church to provide a safe place for survivors. The first part recounts the healing journeys of survivor-participants while the second part offers specific pentecostal praxes to cultivate safe environments for survivors. This book draws from real stories of pentecostal survivors and licensed counselors. It then looks at those stories through the lens of psychology, culture, theology, and Scripture to form a fuller theological understanding of the healing journey from sexual violence.

What type of book is it?

Why did you write this book?

For a number of years, I had wondered how other pentecostals experienced healing from sexual violence because of my own healing journey. While walking and praying in 2018 or 2019, I sensed a distinct call in which I knew that I knew that this was the topic I was to research. Yet, I also questioned that call since I am a survivor of sexual violence. However, when a colleague said to me, “God gives us questions through our experiences,” I became more confident in pursuing this topic.

What is the meaning of the title See My Body, See Me?

For whom is the book intended?

This book is geared toward those who are pursuing higher education, particularly a master’s degree or a PhD. It is also for those in the academy because they are challenging pentecostals to be places of healing for survivors of sexual violence, and this is a response to that challenge. Yet, it is also for ministers and counselors from whom survivors request help. Finally, and maybe most importantly, it is for pentecostals who desire to nurture healing in the life of the one who says to them, “I was sexually violated.”

What do you hope people will take away from this book?

a) Since a survivor may be the person sitting next to you in the pew or leading on the platform, what are we doing about it?

b) Healing from sexual violence is not instantaneous but a long, unpredictable journey. How are we prepared for the long haul to walk alongside survivors?

c) Pentecostals are in a unique place to be safe places of healing for survivors because of our belief in healing. How are we participating in the ongoing healing ministry of the Spirit in a survivor’s life?

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Further Reading

The Long Journey Home An interview with Andrew Schmutzer about The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused.

Bradford McCall reviews Andrew J. Schmutzer’s article, “A Theology of Sexual Abuse: A Reflection on Creation and Devastation” that appeared in JETS 51:4 (Dec 2008).

Mara Lief Crabtree reviews Jennifer Cisney’s article, “Healing From the Pain of Sexual Assault” Enrichment (Spring 2009).

A Charge for Church Leadership: Speaking Out Against Sexual Abuse and Ministering to Survivors: Part 1 and Part 2. Excerpts from The Long Journey Home: Understanding and Ministering to the Sexually Abused.

Churches Bring #MeToo To The Pulpit

Andrew J. Schmutzer, “Sexual Abuse, by Any Other Name?”

John H. Walton, professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College (at the time of publication), teams with his son J. Harvey Walton to address the contested area in contemporary biblical interpretation regarding the nature and activity of demons and spirits in Scripture. Their central thesis challenges dominant spiritual warfare paradigms by arguing that the biblical authors were less concerned with ontological realities of the spirit world than with communicating theological truths through the cognitive environment of the ancient Near East. This approach, consistent with Walton’s broader hermeneutical project evident in works like The Lost World of Genesis One, prioritizes understanding Scripture within its original cultural and literary contexts rather than imposing modern systematic categories onto the text.

The Waltons organize their study around three primary sections: Old Testament perspectives, New Testament developments, and theological synthesis. Throughout, they maintain that biblical demonology must be understood functionally rather than ontologically—that is, Scripture’s purpose is not to provide information about the nature of demons but to communicate theological truths about God’s sovereignty and humanity’s relationship to the divine.

Turning to the New Testament, the Waltons acknowledge a more developed demonology but maintain their functional hermeneutic. They argue that Jesus’ exorcisms and confrontations with unclean spirits address the fundamental problem of human alienation from God rather than engaging in cosmic territorial warfare. Demon possession, in their reading, serves as “living metaphor” for humanity’s captivity to sin and the powers of disorder. When Jesus casts out demons, he demonstrates divine authority over chaos and previews the restoration of creation rather than engaging in strategic spiritual combat. The Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20), for example, illustrates Israel’s uncleanness and alienation, with the exorcism symbolizing restoration to community and covenant relationship.

The Waltons make several valuable contributions to biblical theology. Their insistence on reading Scripture within its ancient cognitive environment prevents anachronistic interpretations that force modern categories onto ancient texts. Their functional approach helpfully refocuses attention from speculation about demonic ontology toward the theological purposes of biblical authors. Additionally, their critique of simplistic spiritual warfare models that lack clear biblical warrant serves as a necessary corrective to some excesses in popular-level demonology.

Furthermore, the book’s dismissal of territorial spirits and strategic spiritual warfare may overreach. While excesses certainly exist in much spiritual warfare literature, passages like Daniel 10:13-21, which describe “princes” associated with kingdoms, suggest some idea of a territorial dimension to spiritual conflict, even if not in the manner popular spiritual warfare models propose. The Waltons’ eagerness to avoid contemporary excess may lead to underreading the biblical data.

Demons and Spirits in Biblical Theology offers a provocative and carefully argued challenge to dominant evangelical demonology. The Waltons succeed in demonstrating that much contemporary spiritual warfare theology lacks a clear biblical foundation and that Scripture’s primary concern is theological rather than providing information about the spirit world. Their work serves as an important corrective and will benefit readers by fostering more careful biblical interpretation. Pentecostals and Charismatics would do well to read carefully this contribution to the ongoing conversation. It would serve far better than nearly everything that gets published in the popular marketplace (in articles, books, YouTube, etc.) by Pentecostals and Charismatics on the subject.

Nevertheless, the book’s strengths may be undermined by an overly reductive functional hermeneutic that seems to throw out ontological reality with its methodological bathwater. A more nuanced approach would affirm both the theological purposes of demonic narratives and the personal reality of spiritual beings, recognizing that ancient authors could simultaneously pursue rhetorical goals and describe genuine encounters. For Pentecostal and charismatic readers especially, the Waltons provide valuable cautions but may not adequately account for biblical precedent and experiential dimensions of deliverance ministry that have characterized these movements. The book makes an important contribution to the conversation but should be read as one voice in an ongoing discussion rather than as a definitive resolution to complex questions of biblical demonology.

As a further note, this book offers specific counterpoints throughout to the works of a number of influential scholars on the topic, including the late Michael Heiser. Heiser is well known for his proposed biblical theology of demons, angels, and “the gods” and what has been widely disseminated in his numerous popular publications, most notably his best-selling 2015 book The Unseen Realm (just updated and expanded posthumously in 2025).  The Waltons have taken great care to address many of the issues which Heiser has popularized (having written extensively in academic forms as well) for his theology of the gods (e.g., divine council, sons of God, etc). It is with this in mind that it would be recommended that those who have read Heiser should also read this work by the Waltons, as offering the most cogent counterpoints to date.

Reviewed by Rick Wadholm Jr

Publisher’s page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781625648259/demons-and-spirits-in-biblical-theology/

Preview this book: https://books.google.com/books?id=WvGaDwAAQBAJ

“Women can be ordained and preach, but they are not permitted to teach theology.” These were the instructions I heard in a Pastoral Epistles class during my junior year at an Assemblies of God Bible college. I walked away from it confused and frustrated because I sensed a call to teach. As a female, I had heard that I was empowered by the Holy Spirit to minister. However, in that moment, I simultaneously heard both a message of empowerment and disempowerment. It is this paradox Joseph Dutko addresses in The Pentecostal Gender Paradox: Eschatology and the Search for Equality. In this well-researched, thoroughly Pentecostal publication, Dutko beckons Pentecostals to a live out today an equality as imagined in the eschaton—the time when God will be all in all (1 Cor 15:28).

As both a pastor and an academically-trained theologian, Dutko intersects Pentecostal history, eschatology, pneumatology, and biblical texts to form a solid foundation for a praxis of equality. By outward appearances, Dutko’s proposal may seem to some to be strictly theoretical, but it is not. It is a praxis, which, to quote theologian Ray Anderson, is “truth in action.” It is a living out today a biblical theological egalitarianism of the future. While Dutko’s Gender Paradox is academic, church leaders will appreciate how he offers specific ways (praxes) for churches to play with an expression of an eschatological egalitarianism. That is, he puts forth how we as Pentecostals may creatively live out a biblical equality between men and women that is based on our future in the new heaven and the new earth.

Dutko explores the historical pentecostal movement to demonstrate that early Pentecostals (those from 1901-1920s) drew from eschatology to authorize women in ministry. Dutko analyzes women’s stories to see how women and men defended women’s recently discovered liberties. More specifically, he explores how an eschatological approach assisted in formulating early Pentecostals’ rationale concerning gender equality. At the beginning of the Pentecostal movement, early Pentecostal periodicals indicate that men upheld the new liberation of women in ministry, overriding previously held restrictions by drawing from eschatology. Dutko then underscores the stories of Maria Woodworth-Etter, Zelma Argue, and Aimee Semple McPherson in order to determine how they biblically justified their freedom in ministry. He perceives that these women mainly lived out their newfound freedom, but when they were called upon to defend it, they drew from eschatology.

Contrary to the restorative approach’s method of biblical interpretation, whose aim is to return to the New Testament church, Dutko draws from an eschatological lens when interpreting three essential biblical texts. By doing so, he seeks to create a unifying, egalitarian account of Scripture that mirrors early pentecostalism and contemporary Pentecostal scholarship. Dutko uses the following texts to serve as a guide for scriptural interpretation in relation to egalitarianism: Genesis 1—3, Galatians 3:28, and Acts 2:17-18, which are respectively entitled creation, the ministry of Jesus, and Pentecost. For Dutko, these are principal, egalitarian, interconnected, biblical texts that communicate the central narrative of Scripture: “creation, fall, redemption, and restoration” (132). Dutko contends that these texts have priority as they provide a model when confronted with other more culturally bound texts, such as 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 and 1 Timothy 2:11-15, which restrict women. His granting privilege to certain biblical texts over others is not unusual since what is clear in Scripture is frequently used to interpret ambiguous texts. That is to say, not every passage of Scripture is regarded equally in Christianity. Pentecostals normally treat Luke-Acts as more important, turning it into a hermeneutical guide when discussing Pentecostal issues and theology. With this in mind, some texts are declared more significant in relation to egalitarianism because they offer an obvious direction eschatologically—one of equality. For Dutko, these texts beckon Pentecostals to picture how they may take part “in eschatological realities” (142).

Participating in eschatological realities leads to a Pentecostal praxis of egalitarianism, liberating women to minister according to God’s call. Dutko puts forth a pre-enactment praxis model rather than a re-enactment one. The latter centers on copying the events of the past while also assuring that a repeat of said events will be genuine. The former, too, is orientated by the past, but it envisions the future and explores ways to live that out in the present. As such, the pre-enactment praxis model is connected to previous, current, and upcoming events. Dutko writes, “Pre-enactment is an exploratory rather than an explanatory model” (180). An example, offered by Dutko, is Sabbath-keeping. A pre-enactment praxis of Sabbath-keeping contains an open inquiry of conceptualizing and testing how to live out an eschatological rest today (exploratory). Re-enactment of Sabbath-keeping is less open and more rigid as it centers on living out a Jewish ritual of the past (explanatory).

Dutko’s Pentecostal eschatological-egalitarian praxis is different from applying a biblical text, which is a linear approach. According to Dutko, an eschatological-egalitarian praxis is a process that is dialectical (back-forth dialogue of opposing/supporting ideas), experiential, and experimental while being firmly grounded in the authority of Scripture. As a Pentecostal community imagines and participates today in the realities of the eschatological biblical texts, it is both experimenting and experiencing the future hope of the texts. As such, the biblical texts become more alive and real as the community perceives more fully the meaning of the text. In this way, the praxis (truth in action) is a continual exploration as the biblical interpretation of an eschatological text is tested and experienced. The more the community experiments with living out an eschatological-equalitarian biblical text, the more they understand the meaning of the text, which leads to increasingly living it out and understanding more, etc. Pre-enactment praxis is a transformative spiral of experimenting, experiencing, and understanding the realities of the eschatological-egalitarian biblical text.

While The Pentecostal Gender Paradox mainly centers on the USA and Canada, the question remains whether or not Dutko’s proposal transfers to other races, ethnicities, and cultures, a question Dutko also asks. If it does, what characteristics or elements does it embrace that are similar or different to a Western expression? One possible varying factor is the independent revivals around the world that were separate from the Azusa Street revival, such as in India and Korea. In this light, one must inquire if the experiences of early Pentecostals in Asia were similar or different from those in the Azusa Street revival while considering the possible ways to live out eschatological realities in non-Western contexts.

Dutko’s approach is thoroughly Pentecostal in that it mirrors early Pentecostalism; provides strong biblical support; involves reflections on a theology of the Holy Spirit; and stresses a praxis that participates right now with the Holy Spirit in Christ’s ministry in the world. As I reflect today on that undergraduate lecture in Pastoral Epistles, I am greatly encouraged and hopeful by Dutko’s liberating Pentecostal theological praxis of egalitarianism. It departs from a concentration on self-agency by orienting Pentecostals to participate in the movement of the Spirit toward the renewal of all creation. Thus, may it be said of Pentecostals that our beliefs about the eschaton direct our lives today, particularly in relation to egalitarianism.

Reviewed by Pam Engelbert

Publisher’s page: https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/pentecostal-gender-paradox-9780567713650/

Preview this book: https://books.google.com/books?id=y8DREAAAQBAJ