The authors of this book are both ordained ministers with the Assemblies of God. Joseph Girdler has served in pastoral ministry and is currently the Superintendent of the AG in Kentucky. Carolyn Tennant is professor emerita of North Central University and is an adjunct professor at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary. Both have doctoral degrees and both have written books prior to this one. This volume focuses on the controversial ministries of the apostle and the prophet. Girdler and Tennant are very qualified to write this book. Girdler wrote his doctoral dissertation on the topic of “apostolicity” and Tennant has taught and ministered in the prophetic in a number of places around the world.

The book consists of a foreword, an introduction, and twelve chapters. Some of the chapter titles are: “Work Details for Apostolicity,” “Apostolicity and Relationships,” “The Prophetic Core,” and “God Uses Creative Prophetic Roles.” One thing that you might notice in this brief sampling of chapter titles is that the authors do not use the words “apostle” or “prophet.” This is a practice that they maintain throughout the book. They refer to biblical individuals who are identified as apostles and prophets by those terms but they do not use them for the contemporary expressions of these ministries. They explain their reasons for this. The authors feel it is best to refrain from using the words “apostle” and “prophet” when referring to ministry in the contemporary church because of the increased number of false apostles and prophets in our day. They prefer to focus on the functions of these ministries rather than the titles.

Girdler and Tennant believe that there is a great lack of knowledge about these two ministries in the modern-day church. They say that most people who attend church do not have a clear picture of what these ministries are. They also say that there are church leaders who do not know what to say about these ministries. The book was written to correct how the lack of knowledge about these ministries, coupled with the abuses that have taken place, have contributed to the neglect or exclusion of the genuine expression of these ministries in some places in the church today. Girdler and Tennant say that this has left a vacuum that Satan has filled with false apostles and prophets. As the authors point out, this results in the church being cut off from two genuine ministries that Jesus gave to it for its good.

The subtitle of the book is Embracing the Authentic Avoiding the Bizarre. The writers help the reader to do this by setting forth both the positive qualities that characterize the life of a genuine apostolic or prophetic person as well as calling attention to signs that indicate that a person is not a genuine minister in these areas. For example, they say that people who genuinely function in the apostolic and prophetic are humble servants, who have been called by the Lord, and exhibit the fruit of the Spirit. False apostles and prophets generally lack these qualities, they are more self-absorbed. This is evidenced by their desire for titles and attention.

Having recently read and reviewed Angels of Light by Eddie Hyatt, Pastor Larry Russi asks questions to clarify and go even more in-depth.

Larry Russi: Thank you Dr. Hyatt for agreeing to do this interview. I was greatly blessed by your book.

Eddie L. Hyatt, Angels of Light: False Prophets and Deceiving Spirits at Work Today in the Church and the World (Hyatt Press, 2018), 120 pages, ISBN 9781888435252.
Read the review by Larry Russi.

Larry Russi: What were the main factors that prompted you to write Angels of Light?

Eddie Hyatt: Having been in Pentecostal/charismatic ministry for almost 50 years and having done my doctoral dissertation on spiritual awakenings in church history, I was aware of the good in Holy Spirit movements but also the dangers and pitfalls. In contemporary prophetic and revival movements I could see many of the same trends that had led to entire movements falling into heresy and destructive practices. This is what inspired me to write Angels of Light. I wrote out of a deep concern that we learn from the lessons of history and not repeat the same mistakes.

Larry Russi: What has been the response to this work?

Eddie Hyatt: The volume of response has been moderate, but the quality of response has been very enthusiastic.

To cite one example: Before he passed away, T.L. Osborn read one of the chapters in the book, which was published as an article at the time. He strongly commended what I had written and went on to say how shocked and embarrassed he was at some of the things going on in the modern charismatic movement—particularly in people chasing signs and miracles, rather than preaching the gospel and letting the signs follow the preaching the word.

Larry Russi: As for the future of Pentecostal/charismatic churches, do you see this deception continuing and intensifying or do believe that we will return to our Biblical roots.

Eddie Hyatt: I believe the Bible teaches a mixture in the last days.

Pastor Harvey takes a serious look at how we interpret God’s Word and cautions us to avoid the trap of subjective impressions.

Meet Sarah, a widow and mother of two small children. Sarah’s life tends to ricochet between Frenzy and Loneliness, with frequent stops at a place called Exhaustion. Yet Sarah has a source of hope and courage which few outside her church can relate to. That source is her Bible.

Image: Matthew Wiebe.

In the aftermath of the accident that took her husband’s life, many sought to offer Sarah words of comfort. Most of the non-Christians mumbled something about freak events or made vague references to “being strong.” The responses of believers, however, were less predictable: perhaps Satan had been able to strike because the family defenses were down; others sympathized, saying that God did not desire this untimely death; some questioned God’s goodness for allowing the accident. Eventually there were even rumors that the accident had been divine judgment on what “must have been” a secret, scandalous life. Through it all, Sarah remained steadfast. She had read God’s Word.

For each of these people—Christian or non-Christian, wise or foolish, right or wrong—tragedy revealed theology. An unexpected death exposed deeply rooted beliefs about the character and nature of God. This echoes one of the inescapable facts of human existence: we all believe something about God. We are therefore all theologians of a sort, and our theology is reflected in our daily lives. Given the hope she holds and the health she displays, it appears as if Sarah, unlike her would-be comforters, is a very capable theologian.

A Good Workman

Theology literally means “the study of God.” And because the foundation of theology is the Bible, a good theologian is simply a Christian who takes Scripture seriously.

To illustrate his point, Paul introduces the workman. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). The workman is a good theologian because he handles Scripture correctly. This passage presents believers with fundamental assumptions regarding the stewardship of God’s Word. Correctly handling the Word of truth:

1. is our responsibility
2. begins with “doing your best”
3. involves hard work (becoming a “workman”)
4. elicits approval rather than shame before God
5. will make us good theologians

Christians are defined and guided by the truth of a specific Book. We are to be a people distinguished by our faithful handling of The Book. This is an awesome privilege. It is also a fearsome responsibility.

Reclaiming the Mind

Our secular, therapeutic culture teaches that feelings trump thought. Today, emotion is erroneously equated with insight, and impulse is deemed to be wisdom. Even within the church, some see the mind as a hindrance to truth, either quenching the Spirit through over-analysis, or creating modern-day Pharisees who mouth pious platitudes about God. But Paul’s final letter clarifies the centrality of the mind in the pursuit of truth: “Reflect on what I am saying, for the Lord will give you insight into all this” (2 Tim 2:7). Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul is teaching that correct handling of Scripture springs from correct thinking about Scripture. True insight is always preceded by mental reflection.

As people of The Book, the church is called to reclaim the mind. We must transition from owning our Bibles to handling our Bibles. Right handling of the Word of truth requires Spirit-led thinking.

The mind is the leading faculty of the soul. When the mind fixes upon an object or course of action, the will and the affections (heart) follow suit. They are incapable of any other consideration … The mind’s office is to guide, to direct, to choose, and to lead.¹

Without the mind’s tutelage, the heart will never discover truth. But as the mind leads us into discovering God’s truth, the will chooses, and the heart rejoices in that choice. The road to good theology is one where neither mind, will, nor affections travel alone. Isolate and exalt any one of these and you have a dangerous imbalance.

To the gift-rich but theologically deficient Corinthians, Paul offered this advice, “Stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be adults” (1 Cor 14:20). When it comes to spiritual growth, adult thinking creates good theologians.