For Christians who believe in the continuing gifts of the Spirit, testing national prophecies is a tricky task. In every election cycle, there are prophets announcing who the Lord’s pick is, and which candidate will win. In 2012, for instance, the prophetic consensus was that Mitt Romney was the Lord’s choice and that he would win. They were wrong.

In the 2016 election, Trump emerged as the prophets’ pick. As early as 2007, Kim Clement had delivered a prophecy that God would “raise up the Trump to become a trumpet.”[1] In 2011, ex-fireman Mark Taylor received a series of visions and locutions stating that Trump would become president and was chosen by God to bring America back to righteousness and its true Christian calling.[2] In July 2015, Charisma magazine published a prophecy by Jeremiah Johnson that God was raising up Trump to be a Cyrus figure in the 2016 election, and that Trump would be like “a bull in a china closet”[3] (Cyrus was a pagan king who was anointed by God to return the Jews to their homeland). In fall 2015, businessman Lance Wallnau prophesied that Trump was God’s “chaos candidate” and would be a “wrecking ball to political correctness.”[4] Numerous other, lesser-known prophetic people also reported dreams and visions showing that the Lord had a special purpose in Trump becoming president.

These prophecies played a large role in gathering charismatic support behind Trump and eventually securing his victory.  Looking back, did these prophets truly hear from the Lord? Or did soulish “wish for” prophecies lead to an outcome that was not, in fact, what the Lord had intended?

As we head into the 2020 election, how should believers weigh the Trump prophecies? Should we take them at face value and conclude that Trump is the Lord’s anointed, and so vote for him, because to do otherwise would be to oppose the Lord? Or should we view them skeptically and vote on other criteria, such as the candidates’ character and position on relevant issues?

A Discerning Voice

In his new book, On Discerning Trump’s Character and Presidency:  A Theological Reflection on How False Prophecy Influenced American Politics, historian William De Arteaga offers insight on these questions. For those familiar with De Arteaga’s excellent book Quenching the Spirit, it comes as no surprise that De Arteaga brings his considerable grasp of history and discernment literature, as well as his penetrating insight, to this work.

The first three-quarters of the book are actually not about discerning the prophecies themselves, but about discerning Trump’s character and his presidency. De Arteaga also traces what he sees as the decline of culture and of the Republican Party that made Trump’s presidency possible. While this may seem like a detour, it lays important groundwork for De Arteaga’s ultimate argument that the prophecies were wholly or in part false.

De Arteaga begins with an assessment of Trump’s character. Like others before him, he blasts Trump’s habitual reviling of opponents, his “aggressive speech and uncharitable tweets and off the cuff remarks” (14), and how these behaviors have contributed to the decline of civility and reasoned discourse in American politics. He questions how a man who frequently lies can be trusted. De Arteaga expresses disappointment that Christians would excuse and even embrace Trump’s immoral behavior and links this attitude to antinomianism – the heresy that conduct does not matter so long as one confesses Jesus as Lord. The analysis in this section is erudite and well-reasoned, but not especially novel if you’ve followed other criticisms of Trump in National Review, First Things, etc.

De Arteaga then traces the events that led to American Christians’ increasing sense of persecution by mainstream culture and secular authority to the point that many viewed 2016 (to borrow Michael Anton’s arresting metaphor) as the “Flight 93 Election.” The increasing secularization of education and popular culture, Supreme Court decisions and liberal legislation chipping away at traditional understandings of the family and sexuality, and the eradication of Christian values in schools led to a situation in which many American Christians felt they needed to turn the tide at any cost.

Prophecy

The most interesting part of the book is where De Arteaga specifically looks at the Trump prophecies and compares them with instances of false prophecy by sincere Christians in the past.

De Arteaga insightfully points out that evangelicals and charismatics tend to be largely ahistorical:

Many charismatic and non-denominational churches are a-historical: they have little or no understanding of Church history. They usually pay much attention to Scripture, but assume that, for instance, the “Catholic” period of the Church is so full of error it is not worth learning about. The Patristic period of the Church Fathers, and their wonderful discernment writing might as well have been written for another planet and race of beings. (83)

This ahistorical approach to Christianity has serious consequences. As is often said, those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. False prophecy is not a new phenomenon. As early as 170 AD, the prophet Montanus prophesied the imminent return of Christ and led many believers astray. While the Catholic Church has dealt with its share of false prophecies, the regular stream of monks, nuns, and laypeople receiving visions and personal revelations led to the development of a rich literature of discernment. Spiritual directors arose to mentor prophetic people and help them discern which revelations came from the Lord, their flesh, or the devil.

De Arteaga discusses the very interesting example of David Wilkerson’s false prophecy, The Vision. De Arteaga does not doubt that Wilkerson was a very anointed minister who bore great fruit for the Kingdom; however, his apocalyptic predictions for 1973-1983 largely proved false. They were based upon “the fears, prejudices, and belief structures of his own subconscious mind and those in his immediate faith community” (76).

De Arteaga makes a strong case that many of the Trump prophecies fit the same pattern. Many of Mark Taylor’s prophecies, for instance, demonize Democratic leaders and unambiguously paint them as evil. They cater to right-wing fears, such as Obama’s intent to strip the people of their guns or run for a third term in violation of the Constitution. And some have proven false with time – for example, the prophecy that Obama would be forcibly stripped of his office instead of leaving gracefully with dignity. De Arteaga’s analysis of the Taylor prophecies is fascinating, and I wish that he had devoted more attention to the other prophets that foretold Trump’s presidency.

In the end, De Arteaga comes to a very nuanced conclusion. He neither says that all of the Trump prophecies were categorically false, nor does he say that they were all true. Rather, he concludes that they may have contained true revelation from the Lord, which got diluted with soulish concerns and wishes. The kernel of truth may have been what led charismatic leaders to embrace the prophecies, and Trump. Nonetheless, De Arteaga chastises charismatic leaders for what has been, for the most part, uncritical support of the President. Even if Trump is anointed by God for a special purpose, the Bible gives precedent for prophets speaking truth to anointed kings. For instance, David was the Lord’s anointed, and yet the prophet Nathan confronted his sin. De Arteaga urges prophetic leaders to fulfill this aspect of their function.

On the other hand, De Arteaga also raises the possibility that perhaps all of the Trump prophecies were false, even demonically inspired, and that following them has led to grave damage in the Body of Christ and to our nation. Many will disagree, but it is a sobering possibility to consider. Whatever you think of President Trump and the Trump prophecies, De Arteaga’s book is a worthwhile and thought-provoking treatment of an important subject.

Reviewed by Esther Tsai

Notes

[1] https://www.charismamag.com/video/40242-2007-kim-clement-prophecy-says-president-will-be-baptized-in-holy-spirit-build-the-wall-win-second-term.

[2] Mark Taylor and Mary Colbert, The Trump Prophecies (Defender Publishing, 2017).

[3] Jeremiah Johnson, “Prophecy: Donald Trump Shall Become the Trumpet,” Prophetic Insight, (July 28, 2015),  https://charismamail.com/ga/webviews/4-864964-30-224-231-371-9d7ae3cdab.

[4] Dr. Lance Wallnau, God’s Chaos Candidate: Donald J. Trump and the American Unraveling (Killer Sheep Media, Inc., 2016), 7.

This excerpt from Led by the Spirit is the Preface and Introduction. Missionary-scholar Dave Johnson has brought together a chronicle of over 300 Pentecostal missionaries serving in the Philippines from 1926 through the first decade of the new Millennium.

Preface

Like many other books, this volume was written to fulfill a perceived need. While serving as country moderator in the Philippines for the Assemblies of God World Missions (AGWM) from 2002 through 2003, I sometimes asked myself how my predecessors might have handled similar situations to those I was facing. Then, looking around at the churches and institutions that former missionaries had built and passed on, I found myself asking who these missionaries were. I had few answers to my questions. My wife, Debbie, and I both began to sense that God was directing us to do something about it. The book you hold in your hands is the result.

My intent here is to describe what God has done through the United States (U.S.) Assemblies of God missionaries who served or are serving in the Philippines, with the understanding that God accomplishes His purposes through flawed people. The philosophy used in writing this book is to present an accurate, comprehensive, and balanced account of the work of the Assemblies of God Missionary Fellowship in the Philippines that neither lionizes nor libels those involved in order that God is revealed as the Hero of the story.

The limitations are numerous. The personnel and policies from the AGWM home office in Springfield, Missouri, will only be included as they relate to the work in the field. The activities of the missionaries while home for itineration or other reasons are beyond the scope entirely. The relationship between the missionaries and the Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God (PGCAG) was and remains symbiotic and, therefore, has some overlap. Since the history of the PGCAG is not the focus of this story, its history will only be recorded in places where it intersects with that of the U.S. missionaries. The rest of their story will have to be told elsewhere. Also not included here is the work done by Assemblies of God missionaries from other countries.

Additionally, a number of international ministries such as the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary (APTS) are all based in the Philippines. Since the focus of the book is limited to the Philippines, the activities that missionaries assigned to these ministries engaged in outside of the country are beyond the scope of this book. The valued work of missionary associates is not included mostly because of space limitations but also because of lack of research materials available.

Historian William De Arteaga invites Pneuma Review readers to journey with him into Latin American Christianity as presented in Issue 130 of Christian History magazine.

Christian History 130, “Latin American Christianity: Colorful, complex and conflicted”

Christian History magazine is a wonderful journal. I recommend a copy of it be at the coffee table of every Christina household so that friends and neighbors would be influenced by it.

Have you noticed how many books of the Bible are historical? No accident. This is different for the scriptures of other religions, which are mostly texts of moral do’s and don’t’s or meditation practices, such as in Buddhism. Without a sense of history, a Christian will have difficulty forming a mature biblical worldview. Without this grounding, Christians fall into errors like conspiracy theories—where one believes another group is especially evil—or so-called pedestal history—where one believes the present generation is the wisest and best. ().[1]

Many Christian writes still fall into modern forms of “hagiography.” That is, writing only the positive about Christians and their ministries, and skip any sinful or negative aspects. Note that the Biblical history books are not written in that way. We learn, for instance, of David’s murder-adultery, Paul had and ugly donnybrook with Barnabus, and the “heroes” of the book of Judges all had serious faults that were not over looked.[2]

In this issue, the editor and writers did a wonderful job of balancing the achievements of the Spanish and Brazilian evangelization of Latin America and some of the saints they produced as well as looking in on the dark sins of genocide of the indigenous people of the Caribbean, the mass importation of African slaves, and the imposition of serfdom on most of the indigenous peoples. The editor, Jennifer Woodruff Trait, an Evangelical Christian, could have accepted the Evangelical suspicion that Catholics are not really Christian, but she did not.[4]

The “Latin American Christianity” issue is divided into ten articles that cover wide panorama of issues about Christianity in Latin America plus its usual and useful sections, “Did You Know” factoids, and “Recommended Resources“ of books, web sites and videos.

This article, “American Exorcism,” by Mike Mariani, which appears in the recent issue of The Atlantic is an important resource for those in the deliverance/exorcism ministry. The Atlantic has had a reputation of being a liberal news outlet, and this may make it suspicious to some. However, their coverage of religious issues is generally professional and fair. The Atlantic’s coverage of exorcism has been courageous and flies in the face of the Liberal persuasion that the supernatural does not exist and exorcisms are a meaningless intrusion into psychiatric matters.[1]

Mike Mariani is a well-respected researcher who has written on a large variety of topics. In “American Exorcism,” he takes his journalistic skills to the present day exorcism ministry of the Catholic Church in America. This article follows a woman called Louisa from her apparent psychiatric problems that could not be helped by secular professionals to her exorcism by a Catholic priest. The article then goes on to address the general status of the exorcism within the Catholic Church. In short, it is a robust and growing ministry.

Some evangelicals and Pentecostals who grew up believing that Catholics are not really Christian may find this difficult to accept. But that is a parochial viewpoint that contradicts Paul’s generous definition of a Christian in Romans 10:9, and the response of many Catholics to the Charismatic Renewal.

In any case, Catholic priests have a long history of dealing with the demonic in exorcism ministry. Mariani gives no statics on the number of Catholic exorcisms currently performed, as the Catholic hierarchy tries to keep a subdued stand on the issue and the numbers are confidential. But Mr. Mariani reveals that now every Catholic diocese in the United States has an assigned exorcist, and that the number of exorcisms have been increasing in the last decade.

As important as this article is, I do have some reservations. It does a good job showing Catholic exorcism of a possessed person, that is, a person so overcome by demons that that they will often control their bodies or voice. Louisa was such a person. This is the extreme form of demonization, as in the Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5:3-5). However, the Catholic tradition of exorcism does poorly in lesser states of demonic oppression or intrusion, believing that frequent confession and Holy Communion as the proper pastoral response to lesser forms of infestation. Here Pentecostal and Charismatic ministers do much better. Thus the article may appear to be unbalanced to some.

Reviewed by William De Arteaga

Notes

[1] See for example: Benson Daitz, “A Modern Exorcism: As a young doctor, I helped perform a Santeria ritual for a patient in jail, rather than sending him to psychiatrists. I think I did the right thing” The Atlantic (Sept 25, 2013). https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/09/a-modern-exorcism/279958/

Image: Pratik Patel

Religious liberty was important to those that risked everything to break away from Britain to form the USA. Did they anticipate a secular nation? Christian historian Eddie L. Hyatt is passionate about making known the true story of America’s founding.

America was founded on Christian principles and values. It was not founded as a theocracy. Theocratic rulers claim a Divine right to rule over their subjects. America’s founders held no such grandiose view of themselves or any human being, and they had rejected the theocratic claims of popes, priests, and monarchs. They had not, however, rejected Christianity.

America’s Founders, for the most part, identified with the mindset of those they called “dissenting Protestants.” The dissenting Protestant insisted that civil government should have no role in the church nor in matters of faith and conscience. Freedom from government tyranny in matters of faith was an ideal that pervaded the thinking of America’s Founders.

However, for there to be liberty without license, the Founders knew that the populace would have to be governed from within by virtuous values. That is why they all agreed that only Christianity provided the moral values and intellectual underpinnings for a stable and prosperous nation.

Here are 5 pillars on which the American Republic was founded.

Pillar #1

Faith in God as the Creator and Moral Governor of the Universe.

The Founders considered belief in the God of the Bible as being essential for good citizenship. Unless the citizens would have a moral sense of obligation to their Creator, they would tend to live selfish, unrestrained lives, harmful to society.

This was expressed by James Madison when he wrote, “Before any man can be considered as a member of civil society, he must be considered as a subject of the Governor of the Universe.” Madison also wrote,

The belief in a God All Powerful wise and good, is so essential to the moral order of the world and to the happiness of man, that arguments which enforce it cannot be drawn from too many sources nor adapted with too much solicitude to the different characters and capacities impressed with it (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 131).

The Founders functioned on the assumption of a Divine Creator to whom all creatures owe their love, honor, and respect, and this is made clear by the many proclamations for days of prayer, repentance and thanksgiving issued by the Congress and presidents. During the Revolutionary War no less than 15 such calls for days of prayer were issued by the Continental Congress.

After being sworn in as president, George Washington issued a proclamation designating November 26, 1789 as a Day of Thanksgiving. The proclamation assumes the obligation of all citizens to acknowledge God’s existence and to show honor to Him. It opened with the following statement.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor, and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God ….

The Declaration of Independence begins by acknowledging the Creator and recognizing that all human rights come from Him. That is the basis on which John Dickinson, chairman of the committee for the Declaration of Independence, declared in 1776, “Our liberties do not come from charters for these are only the declarations of preexisting rights. They do not depend on parchment or seals; but come from the King of Kings and the Lord of all the earth.”

Indeed, although there was tolerance for those of various faiths, there was a hostility toward atheism in early America. This was born out when a judge in the court of Chester County in the state of New York, threw out the testimony of a witness when the witness admitted he did not believe in the existence of God.

PneumaReview.com asked Jim Linzey to send reports of his ministry trip to the Philippines. Here is his account of the Memorial Day Ceremony he participated in.

On May 27, 2018, from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., the annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the Manila American Cemetery in Manila, Philippines occurred to honor the Allied heroes of the War on the Pacific Front of World War II. This historic cemetery is located at the former United States Military Reservation, Fort William McKinley, now known as Fort Bonifacio. It is comprised of 152 acres, containing the most graves of World War II heroes—over 17,000 deceased representing 48 States of the Union, Washington, D.C., Panama, Guam, the Philippines, Puerto Rico, Australia, Canada, China, England, Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras, Finland, Jamaica, Burma, and Peru. The following order of events took place:

The Colors were presented by the Philippine Army and United States Marine Corps. The Philippine and American National Anthems were played by the Philippine Army Band. The invocation was delivered by Elder Shane Brown, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The welcoming remarks were given by Mr. Larry Adkison, Superintendent of the Pacific American Battle Monuments Commission. Floral offerings were presented by Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana who is the Secretary of National Defense, Republic of the Philippines, and by Mr. Michael S. Klecheski who is the Charge d’ Affaires, a.i., Embassy of the United States of America.

The opening remarks were made by Mr. Robert Lane, American Association of the Philippines, who declared (his own personal views) that the annual Memorial Day Ceremony at the Manila American Cemetery is a Christian event.[1] Memorial Day speeches were delivered by Brigadier General Christopher A. McPhillips who is the Commanding Officer of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, United States Marine Corps, located in Okinawa; Mr. Michael S. Klecheski who is the Charge d’ Affaires, a.i., Embassy of the United States of America; and by Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana who is the Secretary of Defense, Republic of the Philippines.

Memorial prayers were then delivered by Commander Don Biadog, Chaplain Corps, United States Navy, who is the Command Chaplain of Marine Corps Air Station, Miramar in San Diego, California, and by Rabbi Eliyahu Azaria who represents the Jewish Association of the Philippines. The National Moment of Remembrance Tribute was delivered by both Miss Isabella Sampilo and Mr. Joe Maristela. Then I, Chaplain (MAJOR) James F. Linzey, USA (Ret.), was honored to deliver the benediction.

The Memorial Day Ceremony came to a close with the Ceremonial Salute, given by the Philippine Army Honor Guard; Taps, played by the Philippine Army Band; and the Retirement of Colors, conducted by the Philippine Army and the United States Marine Corps.

Panel during the Friday, August 25, 2017, public forum entitled, “Learning to Engage Our Muslim Neighbors.” From left to right: Michal Muelenberg, John Azumah, Richard Mouw, Marion Larson, Rick Love, and Cory Willson (facilitator).

Yet it has been rightly said that Christian responses to Islam and Muslims in the post-9/11 world represent “a struggle for the soul of the Christian faith”. How individual Christians, congregations, and the larger church engage with their Muslim neighbors and with Islam generally has tremendous import for the mission of Christ’s church and for Christian witness worldwide. This conundrum is true around the world and is increasingly as relevant in North American communities, large and small.

While the American context was the focus, input came from leading majority world voices, particularly Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Organizers understood that living in an age of the global church requires wisdom from those parts of Christ’s body for the American church to properly and effectively continue to play its leading role in global missions. The hope is that this gathering will spur on future smaller consultations that bring together Muslims and evangelicals to discuss pressing issues and tensions that exist between Christians and Muslims in America. Several participants are already engaged in these types of conversations and projects with Muslims. For example, Fuller Seminary, Columbia Theological Seminary, and Pentecostal Theological Seminary regularly teach courses involving engagement with the reality of Islam and its adherents at various levels of theological and dialogical discourse.

There are some that would say private faith has no place in the public sphere. Historian Eddie L. Hyatt shows this was not what America’s Founders believed, and urges all Americans to recapture their vision that linked faith and freedom together.

In a meeting with Delaware Indian chiefs in 1779, George Washington commended them for their request that their youth be trained in American schools. He assured the chiefs that America would look upon them “as their own children” and then said,

You do well to wish to learn our arts and our ways of life and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. Congress will do everything they can to assist you in this wise intention.

Washington’s freedom in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ with this Indian tribe was normal for the founding generation for such freedom was rooted in the original American vision. This original vision was brought here by the Jamestown settlers of Virginia, the Pilgrims and Puritans of New England, the Baptists of Rhode Island, the Quakers of Pennsylvania and other Christian reform groups who were drawn to this land with a proactive vision burning in their hearts.

The Original American Vision

Indeed, the original American vision was for a land of individual liberty and a place from which the Gospel would be spread to the ends of the earth. America’s Founders were not shy in expressing this vision for they believed, that in this world, real freedom could only be realized in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

John Adams, circa 1815, portrait by Gilbert Stuart.
Image: Wikimedia Commons

This link between freedom and the Gospel was expressed by America’s second president, John Adams, just two weeks before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. In a letter to his cousin, Zabdiel, a minister of the Gospel, Adams wrote, “Statesmen, my dear sir, may plan and speculate for Liberty, but it is Religion [Christianity] and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles, upon which Freedom can securely stand” (Hyatt, Pilgrims and Patriots, 174).

Adams was not expressing anything new or novel for the idea of freedom rooted in the Gospel of Christ was a common American belief brought here by the very first European immigrants to this land. Consider the following quotes.

“From these very shores the Gospel shall go forth, not only to this New World, but to all the world.”
Rev. Robert Hunt, April 29, 1607, as he and the Jamestown settlers, who had just landed at Cape Henry, gathered in prayer around a large oak cross they had brought from England.

This documentary, produced for the Public Broadcasting System, is a very fine introduction to the life, writings and influence of Reinhold Niebuhr, perhaps the most prominent and influential American theologian of the 20^th Century. His theology of social justice, peace and the sometimes tragic necessity for war, helped guide the leadership of World War II and the Cold War.

This documentary by Martin Doblmeier includes a wonderful series of photos of Niebuhr’s life and teaching career at Union Theological Seminary. It has multiple commentaries from a wide range of Niebuhr’s admirers such as David Brooks (conservative commentator for the New York Times) Andy Young (Civil Rights leader of the 1970s) various contemporary theologians and two presidents, Obama and Carter.

It is a balanced and fair presentation, and I heartily recommend it for both those who have never heard of Niebuhr and for those who already are familiar with some of his works. It is available as a free download for viewing at your leisure. It is also a great teaching tool for those doing, for instance, a survey class of modern theology, or an adult Sunday school class.

The link is:  http://www.pbs.org/video/2365984011/

Reviewed by William De Arteaga

George Gallup outlines what he feels will be the next true spiritual movement in America. This book is a survey that answers two main questions. First, what is the daily shape of faith behind the public expressions? And secondly, how do people experience God in everyday life? The thrust of his ideology comes from his statistics of the need to experience spiritual growth (27). The church stands in the threshold of this opportunity and must learn how to step forward into its presence (24). Gallup has come to the conclusion that people want practical everyday approaches to spiritual life. They want “the prayers on the run, and spiritual practices squeezed into the crevices of a busy day…” (136). In this they need to be handed down the practices from centuries past that have been tested and proven wise. In this churches face two age group challenges. First, is to understand the first fully post-modern generation, the millennials. The second, is to address the needs of empty nesters who are the fast-growing group of pre-retirement households.

Gallup likens this to “forming souls” which requires diligence and practice (136). The 21^st century congregations will have to place prayer over program, presence over practice, and authenticity over numbers (136). Without this approach the 21^st century church will not be able to minister to a nation that longs for meaningful spirituality. The task for the church will be to ground the desire for meaningful spirituality in the concrete truth of God’s word (128). The problem with training the present church members is that they suffer from Biblical illiteracy. According to Gallup we lack the ability to present the gospel on a basic level that allows people to understand the profound truths of Christian faith (131). This biblical illiteracy usually translated into spiritual blindness. He points out that the church needs simple incremental things that nurture their spiritual journey. These include having a spiritual focus to their activities, prayer without ceasing, and always asking spiritual implications questions about situations they face. As the churches themselves place priority on prayer, presence, and authority they become interwoven with their discipleship and operational methods. This intern roots itself into the daily personal discipleship of the individual members. The goal is to aid the post-modern society in experiencing an authentic spirituality outside on a daily basis. As the church models authenticity the people live authenticity. This modeling of authenticity can only be achieved when the spiritual blindness, or biblical illiteracy, is overcome.

Our churches today have become stuck on providing programs rather than experiences. We have to get ourselves to the point where we are implementing strategies that will help people experience a spiritual growth journey.

Reviewed by David Redden

Preview: https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Next_American_Spirituality.html?id=c02nyqbnW20C

Note from the editor: this review originally appeared on the Pneuma Foundation website in January 2004. The Pneuma Foundation is the parent organization of PneumaReview.com.