Yes, the last decade has been a challenging time, but no, it’s not as bad for evangelicals as many have made it out to be. What can be done to assure that biblical, compassionate, evangelistic Jesus-followers continue to live out the story God has given us? Stetzer offers five things to keep pursuing for the next ten years.

“Where the Public Stands on Religious Liberty vs. Nondiscrimination” Pew Research Center (September 28, 2016).

Two-thirds say employers should provide birth control in insurance plans, but public is split over same-sex wedding services and use of public bathrooms by transgender people.

Caleb Lindgren, “Evangelicals’ Favorite Heresies Revisited by Researchers: Second study examines what Americans believe about 47 theological statements” ChristianityTodayOnline (September 28, 2016).

How well does the average American understand basic Christian doctrine? For that matter, how about the average evangelical?

Perhaps not all that differently. And perhaps it matters how the questions are asked.

Jason Cook, “How I Learned to Separate Meat from Bone in the Charismatic Tradition” The Gospel Coalition (October 7, 2016).

Jason Cook writes, “As a sophomore in college I was discipled by a Reformed African-American man who challenged me to study Scripture beyond mining it for trite clichés. He graciously and faithfully challenged my unbiblical thinking. Our church boasted a cohort of young African-American men, Reformed in their thinking, who welcomed me into their community.”

Kate Shellnutt, “InterVarsity Asks Staff to Choose a Stance on Sexuality: Campus ministry’s push for theological consistency prompts painful backlash” ChristianityTodayOnline (October 7, 2016).

Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, gives this warning, “There is no place to hide. Soon we’re all going to know what everyone believes on all of these issues, and Christian institutions, Christian organizations, Christian ministries, and Christian churches, indeed every single Christian will eventually have to give an answer.”

Beth Moore, “The Scandal of Election 2016” Living Proof Ministries (October 18th, 2016).

Thanks to William De Arteaga for suggesting this article. “We have convinced ourselves the end of the gospel is near while Jesus stated in no uncertain terms it would be proclaimed throughout the earth before the end of this age. We are convinced government has the power to gag God while 2 Timothy 2:9 says the word of God cannot be chained. Difficult days are ahead. We cannot endure them faithlessly. Opposition is inevitable no matter who makes it to the White House. At some point we’ve got to quit looking to leaders to fight for our faith. Faith we haven’t fought for is faith we don’t possess.”

Craig and Médine Keener, “The Story of a Love Separated by Civil War” Crosswalk.com (October 18, 2016).

Craig S. Keener writes: “For those who would like to read it, Crosswalk published our brief, true ‘Story of a Love Separated by Civil War.’ It gives an inside-experience perspective on one kind of refugee crisis.”

Médine and I had met through an evangelical campus ministry when I was a doctoral student at Duke and she was a doctoral student at University of Paris 7. We were interested in each other, but both of us were too shy to let the other know. Our friendship persisted over the years, however, and we each prayed that God would send the other a good spouse. Now that we had finished our Ph.D.s, I was teaching at a seminary near Philadelphia and writing New Testament commentaries. Médine, no less qualified than I, had returned to her war-torn country of Congo seeking work. Unfortunately, war had now overtaken her, and I had no way to locate her—or even to be sure if she was alive.

Tony Reinke, “Why Christians Love Books: A Brief History” DesiringGod.org (October 22, 2016).

“In Memoriam: C. Peter Wagner” Fuller Theological Seminary (October 25, 2016).

Roger E. Olson, “What Is Pentecostalism? What Do Pentecostals Believe?” Patheos (October 29, 2016).

Theologian and historian Roger Olson describes basic beliefs of Pentecostals, speaking and praying in tongues, and the movement’s struggle with anti-intellectualism. He also shares some of his own story of growing up in a classical Pentecostal home, why he no longer considers himself Pentecostal, and how some of the positive changes he has seen in the movement came too late for him.

Roger E. Olson, “The Dark Side of Pentecostalism” Patheos (October 31, 2016).

Following up with his previous essay about Pentecostalism, Roger Olson, as a former adherent, talks about the errors and shortcomings he sees in classical Pentecostalism.

Lawrence Reed, “Undercover in Auschwitz: The Man Who Volunteered to Be a Prisoner” Intercollegiate Review (Fall 2016).

“Fired by a determination that almost defies description, [Witold] Pilecki made the most of every opportunity during his thirty-month imprisonment at Auschwitz. Despite bouts of typhus and pneumonia, lice infestations, stomach ailments, backbreaking toil hauling rocks, extremes of heat and cold, relentless hunger, and cruelties at the hands of German guards, he formed an underground resistance group, the Union of Military Organization (Związek Organizacji Wojskowej, or ZOW). His initial reports of conditions within Auschwitz were smuggled out and reached Britain in November 1940, just two months after his [voluntary] detention began. Using a radio transmitter that he and his fellow ZOW conspirators built, in 1942 he broadcast information that convinced the Allies the Nazis were engaged in genocide on an unprecedented scale. What became known as ‘Witold’s Report’ was the first comprehensive eyewitness account of the Holocaust.”

Philip Yancey, “Sex and the Elk” (October 16, 2016).

Bobby Ross Jr., “Where’s the Money to Fix This?: Six tips that will keep a church from breaking the bank on big-ticket fixes” Church Finance Today (November 2016).

Karl Vaters, “Why I’ve Stopped Saying ‘Church Growth’ – And What I Say Instead: The words Church Growth are packed with so much emotional baggage that they’ve become virtually useless in my context” Pivot (November 14, 2016).

Hank Berrien, “Earliest Alphabet Ever Identified As Hebrew: Substantiates Biblical Narrative” The Daily Wire (November 21, 2016).

Suggested by Kevin W.

“Glasgow University archivists find John Knox’s Bible” BBC (September 21, 2016).

“Experts believe a unidentified bible held by Glasgow University may have belonged to John Knox – a founding father of the Protestant Reformation.” PneumaReview.com author Jon Ruthven commented: “[Knox was] an amazing, anointed charismatic preacher!” Suggested by Renato C.

Roger E. Olson, “Do Adherents of Abrahamic Faiths Worship the Same God?” Patheos (November 25, 2016).

Amos Yong, “Evangelicals, Pentecostals, and Charismatics: A Difficult Relationship or Promising Convergence?” Fuller Studio.

Issue theme: “Calvin, Councils and Confessions—How the Church Became the Churches” Christian History 120.

The full issue of Christian History is available for online browsing or download and you may order a print version of the magazine.

“‘We’re teaching university students lies’ – An interview with Dr Jordan Peterson” C2C Journal (December 1, 2016).

PneumaReview.com author Calvin Smith writes: “A fascinating, if troubling interview with University of Toronto professor Dr Jordan Peterson. He has steadfastly refused to use trans gender pronouns and is about to pay a serious price. A philosopher and researcher of psychology in totalitarian regimes, he’s making a stance to highlight the huge detriment to Western civilisation currently taking place and its philosophically-bankrupt basis. It’s a long piece, you may not agree with it all (or some of his language), nonetheless for Christians observing and seeking to understand the culture wars, identity politics, safe spaces and what’s coming next, I really think this is a must-read that explains a great deal.”

David Livermore, “We’re All Scared of the Same Things…or Are We? Emotional Differences Across Cultures” Cultural Intelligence Center (December 15, 2016).

PneumaReview.com author David Livermore discusses how everyone reacts to certain things the same, even when our expressions are radically different. He begins his story with, “Last week I had the misfortune of seeing a Chinese man jump from a tall building in Shanghai to his death below. My heart stopped.
What could possibly lead this guy to such immense despair?

“What happened next traumatized me almost as much as the actual suicide sighting. Several people gathered around and were quietly laughing. Some took pictures and others were calling to their friends to come see what happened. I was so unnerved by the whole scene. Why were people laughing? Why wasn’t anyone covering his body?”

Mark J. Cartledge, “C.S. Lewis as Public Theologian: Pentecostal Appreciation, Evaluation, and Challenge” Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 38 (2016): pages 436-455.

J. Lee Grady, “Discernment—the Most Neglected of All Spiritual Gifts” Fire In My Bones (December 14, 2016).

John Lathrop writes: “This is a good word. We need to be discerning and not fall for every claim or gimmick that is presented to us as Christians.”

PneumaReview.com has many titles available for review, and a list has been sent to the writers we have in our database. If you would like to be added to our list, please contact us. We appreciate hearing from many of our regular contributors as well as giving new writers a chance to publish.

I also invite you to read my short Get Involved article on PneumaReview.com: “Looking for Good Writers: Have Something to Say?”

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In the love of the Father,

Raul Mock

Image: Jesse Orrico

For the past 20 years, the International Days of Prayer for the Persecuted Church has united millions of Christians around the world in the spirit that scripture commands: if one suffers, we all suffer.

According to statistics, at least 100 million Christians around the world face persecution daily. These Christians facing routine harassment and difficulties, often suffer in silence and isolation. Over the years, the IDOP has served as a platform to highlight their stories and advocate their plight. Moreover, in so doing, the IDOP has also been a source of solidarity and encouragement to persecuted Christians by reminding them that they are part of a larger, global family of believers.

Based on scripture, we are convinced that God uses the prayers of his people to strengthen and deliver suffering saints. We invite you, therefore, to join us on 6th and 13th November as we unite globally to pray for the persecuted. Let’s pray that in spite of the pressure and persecution, our suffering brothers and sisters –where ever they may be in the world — would stand firm in their faith, holding fast to the promises of God in Christ Jesus.

IDOP is a time set apart for us to remember thousands of our Christian brothers and sisters around the world who suffer persecution, simply because they confess Jesus Christ as Lord. We invite you to explore the variety of resources on www.idop.org and hope you will join Christians worldwide in praying for persecuted Christians this November.

From the September 3, 2016 blog post “My quest for a great fall show (network TV edition)”:

Happy Fall, everyone! ‘Tis the season to find a new t.v. obsession and I am always looking for new shows that bring religion, sci-fi, & fantasy together in a pop-culture package.

Richard Mouw argues that today’s Mormons do not necessarily agree with the 1840 Snow couplet, “As man is, God once was. As God is, man may become.” Mouw, president emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary, says that there has been “a decision on the part of the Mormon leadership to downplay the Snow couplet within the corpus of Mormon teachings about the deity, not just to outsiders, but within their own community. This suggests that contemporary Mormonism is interested in joining the broad Jewish and Christian consensus that God is ontologically different from man—or at least that Mormons today don’t want to directly contradict that consensus.”

Read the related review essay by Gerald McDermott, “Mormons and Christians: So Close, Yet So Far Away: What should we make of claims that the two faiths are on a path to reconciling?” Christianity Today (September 7, 2016).

Craig Keener, “Jesus’s miracles and other accounts” AqueductProject.org (May 20, 2016).

Craig Keener says this video interview about Miracles: The Credibility of the New Testament Accounts may be the most concise and coherent he has given, with a focus on ancient background and philosophy.

Read exclusive excerpts from Miracles at PneumaReview.com.

John P. Lathrop, “A Principle of Pentecost” Women of Wonder (May 9, 2016).

Craig Keener, “Does doubting salvation make you unsaved?” CraigKeener.com (July 24, 2016)

New Testament scholar Craig Keener answers questions about what the Bible says about doubting our salvation in this short video. “The Bible doesn’t say that we are saved by confidence in ourselves, but by confidence in Jesus.”

Jennifer A. Miskov, “Confessions of a Facebook Addict” Silver to Gold (July 9, 2016).

Heidi Baker, “Chips and solar Bibles in the persecuted Church” IRIS Global (July 29, 2016).

Heidi Baker shares about the use of solar-powered Bibles and the effectiveness of distributing the Bible on MicroSD cards to the persecuted church.

Médine Keener, “7 Things Christians Should Know about Refugees” Seedbed.com (June 20, 2016).

Craig Keener, “Young teenagers who prophesy” CraigKeener.com (July 14, 2016).

A brief video teaching on Acts 21:9. “Nobody’s too young to serve God or be full of God’s power.”

Roger Olson, “An Evangelical Response to David Gushee’s RNS Essay ‘On LGBT Equality’” Patheos (August 26, 2016).

Christian theologian and professor Roger Olson responds and expands upon the August 22, 2016 Religion News Service essay, “On LGBT equality, middle ground is disappearing” by David Gushee. Olson asks, “Once the government forces religious organizations to become inclusive of LGBT people without hindrances or discriminatory rules (e.g., forbidding gay marriage among its employees and/or students) by withholding tax exemptions all non-profit organizations receive, what will happen next?” He then offers brief but grim predictions, and a reminder that Christians have faced much worse.

Jennifer LeClaire, “The Truth About Bethel’s Bill Johnson” Watchman on the Wall (August 26, 2016).

In this opinion essay appearing on her blog, hosted by CharismaNews.com, Charisma editor Jennifer LeClaire shares her reflections and seeks to set the record straight about Bill Johnson.

Read and respond to Pastor Larry Russi’s related review of Martyn Wendell Jones, “Kingdom Come in California?” Christianity Today (May 2016).

Craig Keener, “The wise and foolish virgins” CraigKeener.com (July 21, 2016).

A brief video teaching on Matthew 25:1-13.  “No matter how old or young we are, we always need to be watching and ready for the Lord.”

Scott Lencke, “Wait, Paul! Do You Want Us to Speak in Tongues or Not?” ProdigalThought.net (August 12, 2016).

With the intention of stirring up conversation on the biblical purpose of tongues, Scott Lencke wrote this article to get readers to rethink their approach and assumptions about glossolalia.

Alan Jacobs, “The Watchmen: What became of the Christian intellectuals?” Harper’s MAgazine (September 2016).

William De Arteaga writes: “This a is a long read, but also important to those of us wishing to make an impact on the secular world.”

Lee Dean, “The Financial Health of Pastors: New study points out key issues as churches seek long-term solutions” Church Law & Tax (September 2016).

“At any given moment, there are people in a church congregation who are in the grip of a financial crisis. One of those people could be the pastor.”

“WCC remembers Pentecostal ecumenist Walter J. Hollenweger” World Council of Churches (September 6, 2016).

“Rev. Dr Walter Jacob Hollenweger, a long-time professor of intercultural mission theology at Birmingham University in the UK and prolific author on the nature of the Pentecostal movement, died on 10 August in Krattigen, Switzerland.”

Stanley N. Gundry, “An Open Letter to the Members of the Evangelical Theological Society” Patheos (September 16, 2016).

Roger Olson has reproduced Stanley Gundry’s open letter to fellow ETS members about his concerns regarding introducing resolutions such as the recent four-fold statement on gender and marriage. He is responding to an apparent attempt to move the Society from having a doctrinal basis to having a precise and exclusive doctrinal statement.

Culture increasingly sees a connection between biology and sin. But what does the Bible really say? What does science actually suggest? How should we respond? You’re invited to explore these questions and more with Christian scientists and theologians at the 2016 Faith & Science Conference, September 23-24 at Evangel University.

Speakers include: Hugh Ross, Amos Yong, Stephen C. Meyer, Matthew S. Stanford, James Bradford, Marcus Ross, and Christina M.H. Powell.

Registration and more information: www.evangel.edu/faithandscience

Bible scholar Ben Witherington is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary.

Ben Witherington III, “Why I’m Not Hoping For Heaven: Jesus’ miracles promise a better fate—including for my daughter, who died at age 32” Christianity Today (April 2016).

Ben Witherington on faith, healing, the miracles of Jesus, and resurrection.

Eddie L. Hyatt, “7 Important Lessons from Azusa Street” CharismaNews.com (April 11, 2016).

Eddie Hyatt writes: “In 2005, I was asked to edit the Azusa Street Papers, published between 1906-08, for publication and write an introductory chapter. The book was subsequently published by Charisma House under the title Fire on the Earth: Eyewitness Reports From the Azusa Street Revival, and used as the official book for the Azusa Centennial held in Los Angeles in 2006.

“In doing the research, which required reading through those papers again and again, certain emphases and themes stood out—emphases and themes that need to be revisited by those seeking revival in our day. I have, therefore, categorized below quotes from those old Azusa Street Papers that will guide us in our quest for revival in the 21st century.”

Roger E. Olson, “A Pentecost Sermon: The Holy Spirit” Patheos (May 14, 2016).

Today is Pentecost Sunday. That’s our Christian celebration of the birth of the church as recounted in Acts 2. … So what happened then, in that “upper room,” that birthed the Christian church? Christian tradition says what happened was the Holy Spirit was for the first time given to people—as an indwelling gift. The Holy Spirit, who before had been a somewhat elusive presence and power of God descending on prophets, suddenly came to dwell within Jesus’s followers.

Michael Brown, “Five Reasons Why I’m Not Worried About the Antichrist” In the Line of Fire (April 4, 2016).

This brief post on End times was recommended to PneumaReview.com with this comment: “Nice article from Dr. Brown. Not theologically deep, but good.”

“Jesus Is Alive in London: A snapshot of Christian witness in the world” Christianity Today (May 2016).

“For every Anglican church that closed in London since 2010, more than three Pentecostal churches opened.”

 J. Lee Grady, “10 Occupational Hazards of Ministry” Fire in My Bones (May 25, 2016).

Lee Grady, former editor of Charisma, offers warnings to young ministers about hardships they must expect if they want to survive and thrive in their callings.

Cletus Hull presents papers at EGLBS 2016 and the Stone-Campbell Journal Conference.

Recently, I presented papers at two different conferences.

On March 10, 11, 2016, I attended the EGLBS 2016 (Eastern Great Lakes Biblical Society) at Mohican State Park & Conference Center in Loudonville, Ohio. My paper “The Purpose of Suffering and Glory in the Pauline Eschatology of Christ’s Parousia in 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10” entered under the category of Pauline Eschatology. About my paper:

The purpose of this exegetical study of 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 juxtaposes the biblical concepts of suffering and glory within the eschatological theology of Paul’s Thessalonian correspondence. Recognizing the historical and biblical background of the text creates a foundation for exposing the Pauline eschatology of suffering and glory. The outcome of the paper reveals the kingdom understanding that suffering must precede God’s glory in the life of his people.

Mohican State Park, Ohio, with 900 acre lake in view.

A pleasant surprise at this conference was meeting a colleague in the ministry I had not seen in many years. He had attended my ordination into the Christian ministry 27 years ago.

On April 1, 2, 2016, I attended the Stone-Campbell Journal Conference, held at Johnson University in Knoxville Tennessee. I presented two papers. The first paper was, “The Eschatology of the Dead Sea Scrolls and Qumran.” About my paper:

The proposal for this paper reveals the evident eschatology within the Dead Sea Scroll (DSS) documents, specifically the apocalyptic genre. The Qumran community of the Second Temple Period (2TP) existed as an eschatological commune, asserting the key themes of judgment and salvation in their eschatology. Specific attention in the research uncovers the meaning of numbers, the notion of messiah, the Teacher of Righteousness, and later apocalypses’ awareness of this eschatological motif. The overall narrative of the DSS eschatology strengthens the meaning of Qumran’s metahistory. For this reason, the 2TP opens the path for the reception of the forthcoming eschatology of Jesus the Nazarene.

After the sermon I invited the congregation to renew their charismatic gifts through a prayer exercise I had learned from the life of Mrs. Agnes Sanford. On one occasion she and two other women were exhausted from their work of healing evangelization in an era when cessationism reigned and opposition rampant. They asked the Lord for guidance and, and received the directive to pray for the “Holy Ghost.” They did so, two on one, two on one, two on one. They were wonderfully refreshed and filled with the Spirit. This is scriptural (2 Tim 1:6). The congregation was divided into groups of threes and fours, and laid hands on each other and prayed for a re-filling of the Holy Spirit. They too were wonderfully refreshed, and one lady was miraculously healed of a serious illness without even asking!

Here is the full article: “Encouraging Pentecost on Pentecost Sunday (What a novel idea!)”

http://anglicalpentecostal.blogspot.com/2016/05/encouraging-pentecost-on-pentecost.html

I have been a part of the New Wine Movement since being persuaded by the curate of the church I was attending back in 2007. I encountered the Holy Spirit in such a powerful way at their week long national summer gathering that I thought I was going to explode. I have returned, every year since, to serve on the prayer ministry team to see what God was doing first hand. Every year the same wrestle would ensue, was I to serve in this way or not. It felt almost too good, to get to see what Jesus would do. I was converted to ‘tenting’ it and then ‘caravanning’ it, saying I would do this week holiday in a cardboard box if I had to. New Wine is far more than a Bible camp on an annual basis, it is a force for renewal across the denominations but beginning first in the Anglican church. I am now an Anglican church vicar and the New Wine movement invests in me, keeps me grounded and yet believing in the supernatural power of our supernatural God. When I need refreshment; when I need to be reminded to whom I belong, I head to a New Wine gathering. My family, two tweenage girls and a husband, have since joined me as those who identify with the movement and have our faith fuelled by it.

Nicky Gumbel

This March the New Wine Leadership Conference happened in Harrogate, England and brought 1700 church leaders together to listen to speakers such as Mark Batterson from National Community Church, Washington DC; Nicky Gumbel from Holy Trinity Brompton, London; Justin Welby, the Archbishop of Canterbury; Revd Dr Kate Coleman, President of the Baptist Union; Pastor Edward from Damascus and Charlotte Gambill, Pastor of Life Church Bradford. I will say a little about what four of these speakers had me hear. I say that because speaking and hearing seem to be such different mediums. What I heard is perhaps what God had for me, and as you will probably know too, is not always the same as what was said. I know that too now, as a preacher, myself. One person’s reaction to something spoken is rarely repeated in another and often I am told of things that have been heard that I never said at all, hence I still script out everything I am going to say, just so I am able to check and then give thanks to God that some of the rubbish didn’t get remembered and he spoke to people in ways that I hadn’t even explored.

I have learnt along the way to be less of a Joseph and it was only a few weeks ago that someone said to me rather seriously ‘Be careful who you tell your dreams to, Rachel.’ I still have a lot to learn. Some of my dreams have been realised, like my work towards the launch of a Street Pastor project but many are yet to be realised and maybe never will be. Nicky spoke to me about how it hadn’t been very wise of Joseph to talk about his dreams in the way he had.