Spring 2014: Other Significant Articles

Philip Jenkins, “The 160-Year Christian History Behind What’s Happening in Ukraine: How we have misunderstood Russia, the Crimean Peninsula, and supposedly secular Europe” Christianity Today (March 5, 2014).

Dale M. Coulter, “Pope Francis and the Future of Charismatic Christianity” First Things (Feb 2014).

William De Arteaga writes: “A wonderful article of special interest to those of us who are charismatic.”

Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, “When Sexual Abuse Comes to Light: How a generation of children, sexually abused overseas, aims to protect others before it happens” Christianity Today (March 2014).

Andrew Schmutzer writes: “Christianity Today just released an article on the sexual abuse of MKs. For those who work in missions or with abused children, this is an important read and should be required for all missionaries in training. Thanks Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra, for writing this piece.”

Peter J. Leithart, “Micro-Christendoms: Realistic, locally based, ecumenically charged rebuilding” First Things (April 11, 2014). 

William De Arteaga writes: “How about this as an example of effective prayer for our cities!”

Lorna Dueck, “The Enduring Revival: The ‘Toronto Blessing’ in 1994 was odd and controversial—but its benefits have lasted” Christianity Today (March 7, 2014).

George Weigel, “The Great War Revisited: Why it Began, Why it Continued, and What All that Means for Today” First Things (May 2014).

William De Arteaga writes: “For history buffs out there: this is how you weave history with spiritual insights into one great piece.”

See also: Stories from Bible Society: “Bible was ‘defining influence’ during WW1”

“Andrew White: Being Jesus in the Kill Zone: Amid Baghdad’s daily carnage, 2014 Wilberforce Award winner models reconciliation to Muslims, Christians, and Jews” Christianity Today Online (May 6, 2014).

William De Arteaga writes: “This article should help us guide and focus our prayers for the Christians in Iraq, and inspire us to help those who have fled to the US.”

EE sent this comment in email in May 2014, before ISIS had captured Mosul:

I read this and I thought, when was the last time I heard about Iraq in the news?
Before the invasion there were 1.5 million Christians in Iraq. Now, only 260,000 remain. Andrew White says things are worse than ever. He cannot walk down a street in Bagdad because he would be gunned down. 2,100 people have died in Bagdad since March through sectarian violence.

I thought this quote was particularly interesting:

CT: “Do you have second thoughts about the 2003 invasion of Iraq?”

Andrew White: “I may have supported the need for the invasion. What happened after was totally wrong and you never go into a country, bring about change and then leave it in total utter mess and that’s what America did. They left us in tragedy and violence and in a desperate state and we are now worse than when Saddam was there. We have thousands of dictators.”

I think a strong argument could be made that numerous politicians are culpable for the failure of will to bring stability to post-invasion Iraq. Maybe the “drawdown” was a way of cutting our loses, but that doesn’t make it right. It didn’t make it just. This failure is going to haunt our nation in ways Vietnam never could.

Nevertheless, in the midst of all this:

CT: “Christians doing ministry in conflict zones sense the Holy Spirit and angels around about them. They see things from the heavenly realm. This must have happened to you many times perhaps?”

AW: “Every day, all day, I mean incredible things; angels, resurrections, and healings. Nobody would probably believe it if we told what our daily life was like. It is so wonderful.”

 
“N. T. Wright on Gay Marriage: Nature and Narrative Point to Complementarity” First Things (June 11, 2014).

Tony Richie writes: “As usual, Tom Wright is both instructive and provocative. Well worth a read!”

Philip Jenkins, “Astonishing Assemblies” Christian Century (May 9, 2014).

Dale M. Coulter wrote: “Philip Jenkins on the ‘astonishing AG.’ Most of us know the story, but it’s nice to see it being picked up by a mainline Protestant magazine.”

Monte Lee Rice selected this quote from the article: “There is nothing new about the AG growing far beyond its original territory. What is stunning is the pace of change: from tens of thousands of (mainly) Americans in 1914 to tens of millions of believers today, drawn from across the globe.”

Pastor Daniel Thompson wrote: “I had a Lutheran seminary history prof who lovingly said, ‘The Pentecostals are God’s great joke on the rest of us in mainline churches.’ He meant it with great respect.”

“A Letter from Jürgen Moltmann”

A pastor writes to Jürgen Moltmann about suffering and grief and receives a moving response.

Now available online: Jon Ruthven, “‘This Is My Covenant with Them’: Isaiah 59.19-21 as the Programmatic Prophecy of the New Covenant in the Acts of the Apostles” Journal of Pentecostal Theology 17 (2008), Part 1: pages 32-47, Part 2: pages 219-237.

Part 1: http://www.jonruthven.org/JPT%20Covenant%20I.pdf

Part 2: http://www.jonruthven.org/JPT%20Covenant%202.pdf

Jon Ruthven writes, “If Isaiah 61:1-2 is the ‘programmatic statement’ of Luke, this two-part article asserts its corresponding equivalent for Acts.”

Jennifer Woodruff Tait, “The Teetotalers I Never Knew: Abstaining Christian activists of previous generations were radically committed to the common good” Christianity Today (June 5, 2014).

William DeArteaga writes: “A great article from Christianity Today on the Temperance Movement. Many Christians are woefully uninformed about this issue.”

Christina Stolaas, “Nine Secrets Your Pastor’s Wife Wishes You Knew” (June 4, 2014).