What: This webinar celebrates the sesquicentennial (150 years) of the birth of William J. Seymour. The Alliance for Black Pentecostal Scholarship mark this important landmark with two lectures given by scholars of Pentecostal studies and a panel discussion.

When: Oct 9, 2020 09:00 AM in Pacific Time (US and Canada)  

Register: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_tDjUzCiPSJGLOC1a273Jyg

I share two Christmas stories that have been meaningful to me:

American soldiers in the Ardennes Forest during the Battle of the Bulge.

“Peace Through Christ: A Christmas Truce” by Jim Linzey.

“The Not-So-Tidy Christmas Story” by Scott Lencke

Let us also remember our brothers and sisters around the world that are suffering for their public trust in Jesus. Chas Carrin’s article, “The Persecution of Christians Worldwide” will help you focus your prayers for our global Christian family.

Merry Christmas!

Yesterday was Father’s Day. I am grateful for my father. He has always been fully present in my seven siblings’ and my life. We certainly credit his involvement, as well as mom’s participation for any good that we have experienced.

Thank God for parents!

Last week, the U.S. Department of Education convened a group of faith, education, and governmental leaders to discuss the national situation of fathers, families and education. I was humbled to join the conversation on behalf of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conferences’ Faith and Education Coalition.

In our conversation, it was evident that social scientific research and sacred texts agree that fathers are crucial figures in the life and development of children. Indeed, there is an opportunity for private-public partnerships (faith-based and governmental organizations) to address the dismal reality of absent fathers in our society.

The National Center for Fathering points to our society’s appalling extent of fatherlessness:

More than 20 million children live in a home without the physical presence of a father.  Millions more have dads who are physically present, but emotionally absent.  If it were classified as a disease, fatherlessness would be an epidemic worthy of attention as a national emergency.

To add to this research, a few years ago Prison Fellowship re-published a very thought-provoking article concerning children with fathers in prison. The article points out, in part:

There are 2.7 million children with a parent in prison or jail. Ninety-five percent (95%) of all inmates will eventually be released. Ninety-two percent (92%) of parents in prison are fathers. Most — 2 out of 3 inmates — will re-offend and be back in prison.

When it comes to fatherhood and prison, we are locking too many dads in jail with little to no help.

Yesterday, I preached the Father’s Day Sermon at Victory Church in Yorktown, Virginia. The title of the sermon was “Rise Up and Walk,” based on Acts 3:1–10.

1. The message explained that the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2was the Jesus’ name power in Acts 3 that Peter and John offered to the lame man;
2. The message challenged men to get up and get moving with their lives in the name of Jesus;
3. The message showed how in the text, the lame man needed other men to help him. Peter and John commanded the man to get up and walk and then gave the man a hand up.

They reached out to grab the man’s right hand because in Hebraic tradition, the right hand is the hand of power.

The lame man needed men to empower him to do what they commanded him to do. As a result, the lame man was able to do what he had never been able to do but always wanted to do.

Martin Luther’s Ninety-five Theses

When the “Disputation of Martin Luther on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” was nailed to the door of the castle church at Wittenberg, Germany on the 31st of October 1517, it sparked the Great Reformation.

Pentecostal journalist-scholar Roscoe Barnes reviews The Reformation: How a Monk and a Mallet Changed the World by Reformation Bible College president Stephen J. Nichols.

In showing why the Reformation matters today, Nichols reminds readers of the Bible five important doctrines that became the foundation of the Reformation.

The Impact of Martin Luther and the Reformation on Modern Revivalism by Eddie L. Hyatt

The emphasis by Martin Luther and other Reformers on the ultimate authority of Scripture and the priesthood of all believers opened the way for all the great revivals of the modern era. Luther’s work broke the paralyzing hold of a religious hierarchy that claimed final authority over the people, quenched the work of the Holy Spirit in their midst, and confined Biblical knowledge to the priesthood. His emphasis on the priesthood of all believers unleashed the masses to pray and expect answers from God. If there had been no Luther, there would have been no Methodist revival, no Great Awakenings, no Cane Ridge, and no Pentecostal-Charismatic revival. [Read more]

Patricia Riley reviews The Reformation for Armchair Theologians by Glenn Sunshine.

Presenting the events and leaders of the Reformation in a straightforward and easy to understand fashion that is enjoyable and with a good amount of humor.

Jeffrey Anderson reviews Is the Reformation Over?: An Evangelical Assessment of Contemporary Roman Catholicism, edited by Mark A. Noll and Carolyn Nystrom.

This exceptionally well researched book begins with an overview of the developments between Catholicism and Protestantism over the past fifty years.

Pietists as Pentecostal Forerunners

Excerpts from the paper “The Petersens and the Silesian Kinderbeten Revival” by Eric Jonas Swensson. Trace the connections from Hus to Luther, the Pietists to the Moravians, and the Wesleys to the Pentecostals.

The Holy Spirit Never Left the Church

More about Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians from veteran pastor Charles Carrin.

Wednesday, August 27, 1727, at the initiation of the children, Herrnhut began a prayer meeting that lasted night and day, without stopping, one hundred years. That century-long prayer meeting of laboring, travailing, intercession, 1727-1827, birthed the modern mission movement. [Read more]

The Gospel in History series by Christian Historian Woodrow Walton

How did God work through his people to keep and spread the true good news about Jesus Christ despite global-scale opposition?

Robert Cooke reviews Carl Raschke’s book, The Next Reformation: Why Evangelicals Must Embrace Postmodernity.

“Raschke does believe that postmodernism is congenial with evangelicalism and can help the evangelical church stay true to its Reformation roots.” [Read more]

Supernatural Physical Manifestations in the Evangelical and Holiness Revival Movements, by Paul King

Paul King investigates the historical precedents for the phenomena associated with the “Toronto Blessing” and the Brownsville revival such as falling under the power of the Spirit, trembling and holy laughter.

The Fire of Revival with Eddie Hyatt

John Lathrop interviews Eddie Hyatt about revival and his book Revival Fire.

Eddie Hyatt: As a new believer many years ago, I had the privilege of participating in a genuine move of the Holy Spirit that impacted many lives and an entire community. In contrast, especially recently, I have observed so-called revivals where there was so much hype, exaggeration and manipulation. This has grieved me deeply. I have a passion to see genuine Spiritual awakening but I know it must be based in Scriptural truth. [Read more]

The late Murray Hohns reviews The Ten Greatest Revivals Ever: From Pentecost to the Present and shares why reading and learning about revival is so important.

Revivals are wonderful periods in the life of believers. They also are demanding and exhausting periods and—as with any move of God—bring all sorts of controversy and scorn. [Read more]

Pioneer Women of Pentecostal Revivals

Leah Payne speaks with PneumaReview.com about her book, Gender and Pentecostal Revivalism.

Paul King reviews Larry Martin, The Life and Ministry of William J. Seymour: and a history of the Azusa Street Revival (Christian Life Books, 1999).

A valuable and accessible record of Seymour’s life and ministry and the events surrounding the Azusa Street revival. [Read more]

Please join the PneumaReview.com editors in offering thanks to God for the successful transformation of the journal from print to digital. One year ago, none of us dreamed that we would be inviting readers to engage with such an amazing online platform. It is our pleasure to offer these great resources and to join you in conversation.

We would certainly appreciate your prayers as we continue to roll-out features on the website, add every article from every back issue, and continue to publish new issues of the journal.

You can find the eight most recent issues on these pages:

• Fall 2013: PneumaReview.com/fall-2013
• Summer 2013: PneumaReview.com/summer-2013
• Spring 2013: PneumaReview.com/spring-2013
• Winter 2013: PneumaReview.com/winter-2013
• Fall 2012: PneumaReview.com/fall-2012
• Summer 2012: PneumaReview.com/summer-2012
• Spring 2012: PneumaReview.com/spring-2012
• Winter 2012: PneumaReview.com/winter-2012