The struggle with precise definitions of revival comes from the fact that the nouns “revival” or “awakening” as we use it today, are extrabiblical. What we read in the Bible are active verbs like “revive” in Psalm 85:6 “Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you?” (c.f. Habakkuk 3:2, Psalm 119:25), “filled” in Acts 2:4 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them,” or “awake/arise” in Ephesians 5:14 “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”[1] There are more related words, but most of them are verbs connected to this idea of God revitalizing his people whether in their religious affections, in their vocational call as witnesses, in their spiritual health, and even in their relationship with God and with their neighbors.

Latham’s typology on the six senses of revival can help us understand the different revival encounters the church experiences today:

R1 A spiritual quickening of the individual believer

R2 A deliberate meeting or campaign especially among Pentecostals to deepen the faith of believers and bring non-believers to faith.

R3 An unplanned period of spiritual enlivening in a local church, quickening believers  and bringing unbelievers to faith.

R4 A regional experience of spiritual awakening and widespread conversions (e.g. the Welsh, Hebridean, East African and Indonesia revivals, and possibly Pensacola in    the 1990s).

R5 Societal or cultural “awakenings” (e.g., the transatlantic First and Second Awakenings).

R6 The possible reversal of secularization and “revival” of Christianity as such.[6]

This typology presents a wide semantic range of the term “revival” which is more appropriate for what’s really going on in the global church. This typology tells us that revivals today come in different shapes and forms, and that most often, what we experience in our Pentecostal churches are results of revivalism, or deliberate cultivation of revival experiences. The Asbury Revival, if we look at it from this semantic range, would fall under R3. Although we have heard testimonies that said they were praying for a revival at Asbury beforehand, it was an unplanned event and it did enliven the students, neighboring campuses, and led to the revitalization of student led prayer movements all over the nation.

A first-hand participant of the Asbury revival, Madison Pierce, testified via Facebook on February 15, 2023. Here’s an excerpt of the testimony:

The movements of the spirit in western evangelicalism always exist in the middle of a cultural moment. A generous interpretation of these movements reveals unique traits for each one. For example, fervor for the great commission at the Mt. Hermon Conference, overwhelming joy in Toronto Outpouring, zeal for the lost in Brownsville Revival, acts of healing at the Kansas City awakening, and manifestation of tongues at the Azusa Street revival. In each move of the spirit, God clearly manifests in a specific way for that generation. I find it interesting that God would mark this outpouring with:

A tangible sense of peace for an [sic] generation with unprecedented anxiety.

A restorative sense of belonging for a generation amidst an epidemic of loneliness.

An authentic hope for a generation marked by depression.

A leadership emphasizing protective humility in relationship with power for a generation deeply hurt by the abuse of religious power.

A focus on participatory adoration for an age of digital distraction.

It feels as if God is personally meeting young adults in ways meaningful to them. My generation was formed differently then [sic] previous generations and so the traits of this revival are different then revivals of old.[7]

For Pierce, the revival was timely for his generation. After a pandemic that brought fear of disease, anxiety, isolation, depression and grief, the younger generation has been asking for authentic encounters with God.

Although I evaluate this revival at the R3 level, we still don’t know its long-term effect. Who knows with the reinvigoration of student led prayer movements and the varied campus revivals around the nation, this revival may reach all the way to R6? We look forward to seeing its long-term effect.

In conclusion, revival is the spontaneous act of God in revitalizing his people and recentering us to his will, his love, and his passion. When the human “I” becomes less, and the eternal “I AM” becomes greater, the result is a restoration of wholeness and witness. The 2023 Asbury revival is just a reminder from God that he is still in control, and he is not done yet.

Let me end this essay by sharing Esther Jewel Holmes Shin’s testimony from her experience at Asbury. She posted it on Facebook on February 22, 2023. Here are excerpts of what she posted:

At Asbury people were delivered from demons, physical healings were taking place, repentance was a real thing, people were being saved. But mostly I heard testimonies of people who are experiencing internal healing.

A sense of belonging to those who feel alone. A sense of peace and hope to those struggling with mental health issues. People are being healed from social anxiety, PTSD, depression, trauma, panic attacks, and internal hurt from abuse of all types (religious, sexual, physical and power abuse.) All without hype or pressure. Just the gentle kindness of God’s love healing and restoring all things…

Truthfully, it was hard to leave…But we had responsibilities at home, and we needed to head out. But the beautiful thing with God is that he is not limited by geographic location. He is with us in our home. And I feel his presence more today than I have in a long, long time. I know everybody cannot drive to Asbury. But I promise you, no matter where you are located, if you will humble yourself and pray, God will be there. God is not pushy. He will not fill a space that has not been offered. But if you will make space for him in your heart (with your affection, thoughts, and time) He will gently, kindly, mercifully fill whatever space you have offered him.[10]

We don’t need to go to Asbury because our homes and our churches can be our sacred spaces. What we need is humility, repentance, and a recognition that we will never stop needing God. Let us not want revival for the sake of revival, but let us want God, desire God, and in humility lay flat on our face and pray: “Lord, have mercy on us. Take center stage in our lives and in our churches. Restore us to wholeness and embolden us to be your witnesses, so that the earth be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the water covers the sea (Habakkuk 2:14).”

PR

Notes

[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is taken from the New International Version (NIV).

[2] Harvey Gallagher Cox, Fire from Heaven: The Rise of Pentecostal Spirituality and the Reshaping of Religion in the Twenty-First Century (Addison-Wesley Pub., 1995).

[3] Douglas Jacobsen, The World’s Christians: Who They Are, Where They Are, and How They Got There (Chicester, UK: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, 2011).

[4] David W. Bebbington, “What Is Revivalism?,” Christianity Today, 1990, https://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-25/what-is-revivalism.html.

[5] Mark J. Cartledge, “‘Catch the Fire’: Revivalist Spirituality from Toronto to Beyond,” PentecoStudies: An Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements 13, no. 2 (2014): 225.

[6] Cartledge, “Catch the Fire,” 225.

[7] Madison Pierce, “I’m hesitant to post my thoughts on what’s happening in Wilmore. A few of you may have heard about the “Revival” at Asbury University.” Facebook, February 15, 2023, https://www.facebook.com/madison.pierce.353 (Accessed April 11, 2023).

[8] Zach Meerkreebs, “The Chapel Service that Launched the Asbury Revival 2023,” YouTube, https://youtu.be/VGvvGbgUmMU (Accessed April 11, 2023).

[9] Thomas McCall, “Reflections on the Outpouring-Dr. Thomas McCall,” YouTube, March 11, 2023. https://youtu.be/RSRql64CBTc (Accessed April 11, 2023)

[10] Esther Jewel Holmes Shin, “So why was 4 days of driving to and from Asbury worth it? I will do my best in this post to communicate when I saw and heard during my time at Asbury,” Facebook, February 22, 2023. https://www.facebook.com/esther.j.shin.5 (Accessed April 11, 2023).

This guest editorial by Christian historian William De Arteaga is a January 2021 update from his earlier article, “Donald Trump’s Presidency and False Prophecy.” Readers are invited to respond by including respectful comments on the article page.

Now that it is certain that President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in on January 20^th, it is time to reflect on why so many Evangelicals, and especially Pentecostal and charismatic leaders, fell into false prophecy and proclaimed repeatedly that Trump really won the election and the election results would be reversed.

Many pastors, including some of the most popular Evangelical and Pentecostals TV personalities such as Pat Robinson, Kenneth Copeland, and Sid Roth prophesied both Trump’s initial election (2016) and his reelection in 2020. Others, such as Paula White and Kenneth Copeland, continued to prophesy the 2020 election would be overturned and Trump would serve a second term. Some of the latter prophecies took bizarre forms such as Paul White’s ranting and Kenneth Copeland long laugh at the claim that Biden was the winner of the 2020 vote.[1] God was not surprised and knew that Biden would win. Thus, the TV pastors who prophesied Trump’s second election victory fell into a mass false prophecy. Why did this happen?

Image: Markus Winkler

I believe there are three principal reasons for this. The first is the demographic illusion. That is, White Evangelicals and Pentecostals mostly congregate among themselves and unthinkingly assume they represent most of America. The second reason is a lack of an understanding and appreciation of the entire span of Christian history and experience with false prophecies. The third is the formation of the new Christian cult, the “Forever Trump” cult. These are conservative White Christians that listens only to their own news outlets and social media sites and dismiss any negative information about Trump and his policies as “fake news.” This is a tragic and complex issue that I will deal with in the immediate future. For now, let me deal with the other two issues, especially the issue of false prophecy.

The Demographic illusion

My first civilian job out of the Army back in 1970 was as a public-school teacher in Atlanta (1970-1973). I taught social studies at a predominantly African American high school in Southwest Atlanta. Most of the students there believed that Nixon won the Whitehouse by cheating. They lived in an African American section of town and knew few people who voted for Nixon. So how could he have won Georgia or the other states? I could not convince them otherwise, as reasonable arguments would not overcome their personal (and limited) experiences.

Similarly, in the current situation, White Evangelicals and Pentecostals live mostly in predominantly White counties or towns, go to predominantly White Churches, etc. They have little contact with other demographic groups, as for instance, the African American Pentecostals, Latino Pentecostals and AME churches that are in the other parts of town from where they live. Thus, White Evangelicals and Pentecostals formed a “gut” feeling that few people voted for Trump, other than the crazy people in the “Left Coast” and New York, etc. Certainly Trump could not possibly have lost Georgia. (The recent election of two Democratic senators from Georgia proves this wrong.)

All of which is to say that White Evangelicals and Pentecostals projected their limited life experience as a broad demographic misunderstanding of the American population. This was flamed by Trump’s initial rejection of the election results and then conservative White Evangelicals and Pentecostals proceeded with enormous energy to find (mostly fictious) faults with the election process. The fact that many Republicans judges and the conservative dominated Supreme Court threw out the volumes of supposed election violations as rumor and passionate, but secondhand accounts, has made no impression on the Trump followers. It will take years for the damage done to our electoral system to be healed.

The Acceptance of False Prophecies about Trump

A whirlwind tour of Christian false prophecies

False prophecies and false prophetic movements have occurred throughout Church history, and most often involved very good Christians and communities who misinterpreted God’ direction. Paul is careful to encourage prophecy in New Testament Church and recommend it to Christians as the most important gift of the Spirit (1 Cor 14:1). But Paul put discernment boundaries around it, as in having the prophet submit their visions and prophecies to the church for discernment. It is also clear that Paul in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 principally refers to prophecies that uplift and correct at the local church level (1 Cor 14:3), not global, trans-church issues.

Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged (1 Cor: 29-31).

The discernment of prophecy is both a grace and a matter of experience. That is, having a discerning community that both cherishes prophecy as possibly direct words from God, but is aware of the danger of false prophecy. I have treated elsewhere the difficulty of practicing prophecy and having a church that is at ease with the gift. Even Pentecostal pastors are often unsure how to allow and correct spontaneous prophesies in their congregations.[3]

The consensus of the discernment literature – Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal – is that, especially in the local church, short prophetic utterances can be of the Holy Spirit (all must be discerned), but as they get longer they tend to bring in elements of the prophets’ subconscious wishes, prejudices, and preferences.[4] But before I proceed further, let me cite from Christian history some false prophecies that influenced the Church to its determent.

Montanists prophets caused divisiveness and conflict with the majority of churches and their bishops through the prophets’ moral rigor and legalism. They claimed, through repeated prophetic utterances, that the Holy Spirit decreed that those who had broken under Roman torture and renounced the Christian faith could never be accepted back into the Church. These had committed the “unforgivable sin.” Most of the bishops of the Church disagreed, calling instead for leniency, including restoration of these persons into the Church after a penitential period.

After a while, the Montanist prophets declared that the “prophetic age” (their own) was over, and the movement settled down as a legalistic sect – and eventually petered out. But the Montanist movement extended negative consequences throughout Church history. It vastly curtailed (but did not totally end) the frequency of spontaneous lay prophetic utterances. Without a flow of prophetic utterances in the Church’s normal parish life there was crated a vacuum of ongoing (and necessary) practice of discerning prophecy by church elders. That is, there were practically no living persons experienced in the gift of prophecy in their churches or who could exercise discernment and caution prudence.

Skipping centuries of history, and other false prophetic movements, but especially pertinent to our study, was a series of prophets and prophecies that centered around the time before the Franco-Prussian War of 1871-1872. At this time there were many Catholics in France who passionately disliked the French Revolution – with good reason that elements within it were truly anti-Christian. They also disliked the regime of Napoleon III (1808-1873) nephew of Napoleon I. These were devoted, practicing Catholics who yearned for the French royal family to be reinstated.

The Catholic prophets kept putting out prophecies, some of book length, assuring the coming restoration of the monarchy. These prophecies predicted the wholesale conversion of France to devote Catholicism (ridding the country of the pesky “secularists” and atheists). To boot, England and Scotland would be re-converted to Catholicism, and the Pope would reign over a mostly Catholic Europe. Permutations of these prophecies went on for decades.[8]

Later, when the Franco-Prussian War broke out, and it quickly went badly for France, there was another burst of prophecies assuring Frenchmen that the Prussians would be ultimately be driven back past their borders. Here is a snippet of some of these later prophesies:

They [the Prussians] will come back again, and they will destroy everything on their line of march. No resistance will be offered; they will be allowed to advance, but after their supplies will be cut off they will suffer great losses. They will retire towards their own country, but we shall follow them up, and not many of them will reach home. Then we shall recapture everything that they have carried off, and plenty more besides.[9]

None of the above happened. France lost big and had to sign a disastrous treaty. But it is important to note, just like the Montanists, many of the prophets were good, devout Christians with specific prejudices and desires – just like all of us. What they saw in visions or what they imagined was from their “flesh,” as Paul would term it. They were “wish for” prophecies not real prophecies from the Lord.[10] We will come to this again later in our examination of the Mark Taylor prophecies on President Trump.

The Catholic Church also developed the ministry of “spiritual direction” in which a mature Christian person, usually an ordained cleric, would act as the discernment person to mystics, nuns, monks, or others who experienced visions and prophecies. But this was a very specialized and limited ministry.[14] The Reformation rejected this tradition and the excellent literature on discernment that it generated, and saw prophecy, as the other gifts of the Spirit, restricted to the Apostolic Age (the doctrine of cessationism).

In more modern times, just before the Azusa Street revival and the birth of modern Pentecostalism, there was a revival that took place among several Holiness congregations in Corsicana County, Texas, in the 1870s. This revival began with a burst of worship and enthusiasm which included tongues. Significantly, the local leadership understood that the gifts of the Spirit described in 1 Cor. 12 -14 were for the present. Unfortunately, the leaders were inexperienced in prophecy and its discernment (of course, there were no mentors or readily available literature to help them) and drifted into false prophecy.

Some prophetic utterances included the message that a person baptized with the Spirit would be regenerated physically to the point of being able to live a thousand years. But strangely enough, some folks in the congregation continued dying. The revival disintegrated as local prophets urged their followers to sell all and await Jesus’ return in 1875. Jesus didn’t make it, and the only thing achieved by the revival was the discrediting of future Pentecostal efforts in the area four decades later as the people remembered the previous fiasco.[16]

The Prophesies of David Wilkerson

In the Twentieth Century there was the interesting case of David Wilkerson’s 1973 false prophecy. The Rev. Wilkerson was truly one of the heroes and pioneers of the Charismatic Renewal. He began as a small-town preacher (Assemblies of God) in the coal fields of Pennsylvania. Through a series of promptings from the Holy Spirit he went to New York and was led to minister to delinquent teenagers in the slums of New York City. This eventually led to a marvelous and effective ministry in New York and other cities for the evangelization and rehabilitation of inner-city teenagers called “Teen Challenge.” The story of this ministry is told in his book, The Cross and the Switchblade.[17] That book had a special anointing in its power to inspire people and was translated into many languages and sold more than 50,000,000 copies worldwide.

Although the book contains all the prophecies, one can best appreciate Wilkerson’s state of mind by listening to the tape. As he spoke at the Lutheran assembly, he asserted time after time that his message was directly from God, and that it was the “clearest vision I’ve ever had.” He assured the audience that the Spirit behind the vision was the same that guided him to the teen ministry. Several times during his delivery he was practically overwhelmed by emotion and said, “Never have I felt such an anointing,” or “I predict in the Spirit!” and so on.[20]

Wilkerson warned of major calamities that were surely coming on the world by 1983. In economics, the “next few years” would be prosperous (he missed the recession of 1974-1975), followed by a deep depression brought about by financial collapse. The depression was to start in Germany and the Arab countries will suffer the most – none of that happened. At the same time, he asserted, there will be severe earthquakes in the United States and worldwide food shortages. That also did not happen.

The most important and dramatic part of the vision pertains to the churches. According to Wilkerson, there would arise a new Church, really the Church of the anti-Christ, made of a liberal Protestant and Roman Catholic amalgam, in which the Pope will be recognized as the political head. The “true” Church of God, a new union of all authentic Spirit-filled Christians, will of course oppose this Church and in turn suffer persecution.

Wilkerson especially warned Catholic Charismatics to expect persecution from their own hierarchy. They would eventually be forced to choose between their Catholicism and the Spirit-filled life. As a practical measure he warned all Christian churches to put their financial houses in order so as to weather the coming hard times. Specifically, no new buildings or borrowing should be initiated in the immediate future.

All through the delivery of this prophecy Wilkerson provided ample biblical quotations to give it a sense of biblical validation. That The Vision was a false prophecy is now obvious. Was it merely a subconscious concoction of the beliefs, fears, and prejudices of a preacher raised in the tradition that the Catholic Church was the “whore of Babylon?” Certain elements in the prophecy suggest that they may have had a deeper, demonic influence. The very shrillness and lack of humility in his assertions was itself a sign of that. The prophecy did not call Christians to prayer or repentance, nor did it console, edify, or exhort – it frightened and condemned. There was not a single suggestion that might have been remotely useful, such as might have prepared Christians for the energy crisis of 1975 when Saudi Arabia stopped oil exports to the USA to protest our support of Israel.

Further, the only practical suggestions were destructive. The separation of Spirit-filled Christians into “one true Church” would have resulted in a new Montanism with results perhaps as destructive to the Church as the old Montanism. Even the minor point of financial conservatism had a source that was not from the Holy Spirit, for many churches in the 1970s did in fact continue to flourish and expand and to build in response to their growing needs.

That Catholic Charismatics did not follow the deadly advice of The Vision was due in great part to the quick response of other, more mature leaders. David du Plessis, the elder statesman of Pentecostalism, and who had seen firsthand the birth of the Catholic charismatic movement, quickly denounced the prophecy as not coming from God. He compared it with many a false prophecy he heard as a young man which claimed the coming world rule of Stalin and the Papacy.[21] Ralph Martin, one of the best-known and respected Catholic Charismatics quickly spread the warning of “false prophecy” among fellow Catholics. Indeed, as time has shown, Catholic Charismatics never suffered persecution from their bishops, and although the movement slowed down in the USA after the 1980s, there are many Catholic Charismatic fellowships in the United States that are doing fine. Further, in Africa and South America the Catholic Charismatic movement has been instrumental in bringing millions of nominal Catholics to become true disciples of Jesus Christ.

It is important to note some other issues. It is clear that Wilkerson’s original ministry was blessed by God and has borne much fruit. His book, The Cross and the Switchblade, was one of the great books of the Pentecostal/charismatic revival,[23] yet The Vision was destructive. This is a modern example of Peter’s “multiple inspirations.” Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah (Matt 16:17), but later urged Jesus not to continue to Jerusalem and His crucifixion (Matt 16:23). Perhaps the major failure with Wilkerson and his vision was that he did not seek an elder or mature spiritual director with whom to discuss his visions before he went to the public with them.

Mark Taylor prophesies on Trump

The year 2017 saw the publication of an influential best seller that described the prophecies received by a retired fireman Mark Taylor.[24] It pertained to how he had received various prophecies starting 2011 that Trump would be president and was chosen by God to bring America back to righteousness and its true Christian calling. The book was co-authored by Mary Colbert, an influential writer and editor who worked to gather influential Charismatic and Evangelical pastors to affirm the prophecy and pray for Trump’s election, and then his subsequent presidency.

The Taylor prophecies were not just one incident but a series of visions and “hearings” (called “locutions” in traditional discernment theology) supposedly from the Holy Spirit. These prophecies show many of the traits of false prophecy that have occurred throughout Church history. Among his predictions is the statement that Trump, after his election, would soon “captivate the media” and many in the mainline media will agree with his positions.[25] This has proven to be the very opposite of what happened and perhaps represents a “wish for” presented as prophecy – like those of the French Royalist we discussed above.

The Taylor prophesies are full of statements supposedly made by Lord that “tickles the itching ears” of conservative Republicans by affirming their beliefs and suspicions but are contrary to the character and a true message of God. For instance, there are several passages in which the Lord categorizes both President Obama and the Clintons as totally evil. The Lord supposedly said:

Beware, beware, the enemy roams about seeking whom he can devour and this sitting president [Obama] is doing that in this hour [2016]. He’s full of lies and deceit and is very hateful; he spreads division and corruption with every mouthful. Beware when he says, “look over here, what the right hand is doing” to divert your attention from what the left hand is doing, is his intention. This is a setup from this President and his minions, from the hate, the division, and Hilary Clinton. … For the signs are clear to see, that this President and his minions shall try for thee. A sign will be, he will try to and take the guns so the people can’t rise up and stop him when he tries to run [for a third term].[26]

The Holy Spirit does not rail against living persons and declare them evil, but if they are doing wrong, urges repentance. Another intemperate salvo against Obama has proven false with time:

For this man who holds the title of President of the United States, will begin to lose his grip from it and be stripped of it, for I the Lord God will rip it from him. The man who calls himself the Commander in Chief, is nothing more than a lying deceitful Thief![27]

This has now proven to be totally false, Obama left the White House with dignity, and in his inaugural address Trump recognized the gracious cooperation that Obama gave his transition team. The “prophecy” is another rant, manipulating and pandering to the ugliest areas of partisan Republican suspicions and hatreds.

The above demonically-influenced gun control rant echoes several conspiracy theories that circulated about Obama and his administration in conservative Christian circles. The most famous one was the fuss over the Armed Forces exercise in 2015 in the Southwestern USA called “Jade Helm 15.” This involved about 1,200 servicemen practicing to intercept a vehicle-loaded A-bomb brought in by terrorists via the southern border – a real possibility.

The conspiracy theory was that the Army was really sent to disarm conservative Texans of their weapons and bring them to empty Wal-Mart stores as makeshift concentration camps – several of which were indeed empty for renovation. Shamefully, this was widely believed, and even the Governor of Texas pandered to this conspiracy theory by ordering Texas National Guard officers to monitor the exercise just in case Texans started to be arrested.

Like many conspiracy theories, hatred and suspicion override common sense. [28] It is impossible for 1,200 soldiers to carry out a grossly illegal order and disarm millions of conservative Texans, who are often very heavily armed. That this conspiracy theory was believed by many Christian conservatives shows something very disturbing about their state of mind towards President Obama, their hatred overriding common sense, and this is continued in The Trump Prophecies.

That the Trump Prophesies is a false, and demonically-laced work is quite plain. Had Evangelical and Pentecostal elders been familiar with the traditional literature of discernment of prophecies this would have been clear to them. It was my opinion that certain elements of it may have been from the Lord, as in the part received in 2011 that Trump would be President. This is similar to the mix of true and false prophecies that sometimes occur in church prophetic uttering. A person may begin with a short word of wisdom from the Lord, but as they go on past, the revelation drifts into areas of their own prejudices and fears that are then utilized by demonic forces to incite fear, anger or mayhem.

The original fraction of true prophecy may be the factor why so many credible and anointed Charismatic and Evangelical pastors accepted it whole, and why Mary Colbert was able to rally such a large group of reputable pastors and teachers behind the prophecy and later convert the group into a huge prayer support team for Trump. Of course, praying for a sitting President is enjoined in scripture (1Tim 2:2). But the group organized by Mrs. Colbert became uncritical and accepting of Trump’s actions and his disrespectful and insulting tweets.

Here lies a large failure of the Forever Trump pastors. They became “court prophets” who agreed with all that Trump did and said, instead of discerning on what occasions they should play the role of Nathan to David (2 Sam 12), rebuke sin when it occurs. To be biblically specific, the incident in 2 Kings 22 shows four hundred kingdom-supported prophets “tickling the itching ears” of the Kings of Judah and Israel by prophesying victory in a coming battle. Only one (non-court) prophet, Micaiah, proclaimed the real message from the Lord – defeat. In fact, a very few Forever Trump pastors have had the discernment or courage to rebuke Trump in any of his intemperate sayings or actions. An exception to the rule is the popular TV evangelist Jentezen Franklin, who publicly rebuked Trump for his vulgar language reference to some of the more backward countries of the Third World.[29]

This failure to give just reproof began even before Trump’s election. One of the most disturbing aspects of the 2016 Trump campaign was his declaration that the southern border wall would be built,[30] and Mexicans would pay for it. Trump; “Who will pay?” Crowd: Mexico!” This dialogue was cruel, insulting and ultimately unrealistic, as time has shown. It unnecessarily offended Mexicans and prevented a sane dialogue and diplomacy on the wall with the Mexican government. Christians who participated in this rant should repent of it. It is a scandal that the Christians pastors who supported and surrounded Trump during his campaign did not reproof him for this.

One last comment would relate to the failure of the Republicans to bring forth a reasonable health coverage issue. Here again I feel there is some outright sin involved.[31] Many Republicans enjoyed mocking the Obama Affordable Care Act as “Obamacare” and something out of hell. Indeed, it was a flawed bill, but it extended coverage to millions, and could have been the basis of a reformed health care bill. The jeering dismissal by Republicans in general and Trump in particular made rational discourse and compromise with the Democrats impossible. Again, I invite Republicans who participated in this awful name-calling to consult their conscience in prayer and repent. The Affordable Care Act was very imperfect, but it brought millions health care coverage. In the two years of their total control of Congress, the Republicans did zero on health care, and ultimately must bear much of the blame for the thousands of Americans who are dying every year unnecessarily from lack of health care, making us the laughing stock of the rest of the developed world.

I should also make clear that I believe that some of the things that Trump has accomplished have been good and long overdue, as in his challenge to the unequal trade relationship with China, and a revision of NAFTA. But even his accomplishments could have been achieved with less narcissist attachments. I do not intend to go further with a litany of Trumps political atrocities that have so harmed the civility and political discourse of our Nation. My intention is to affirm that Christians who have become Forever Trumpers need to reconsider, and perhaps repent, of their failure to be a Nathan to a very flawed David, and to mistake their “want for” for the voice of God.

Some of this has already begun with several of the Forever Trump pastors and prophets who prophesied that Trump was the Cyrus of American Presidents.

Significantly, articles have even appeared in Charisma News, owned by Stephen Strang. Besides writing two books on how Trump was God’s man in the White House, Strang frequently editorialized in Charisma Magazine on how necessary it was for Trump to win the 2020 election. But now, among the most recent articles (published on January 7, 2021) was an apology for his errors in prophecy by the Rev. Loren Sandford, one of the most important and prominent leaders of the Charismatic Renewal.[32]

Christians need to pray that the present Trump cult deconstruct and fade to make possible a reasonable Republican Party again. The Republican Party needs to be a party not dominated by conspiracy theories nor centered on an authoritarian style cult of the personality about Trump that has so injured and disfigured it. All Christians in America need to pray for the success of the Biden Administration, particularly in his announced goal of reuniting our much-divided Nation.

Notes

[1] Link to Kenneth Copeland’s laugh https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag0-oXl-IDw

[2] Demos Shakarion, The Happiest People on Earth (Old Tappen: Chosen, 1975), 19-22.

[3] William De Arteaga, “Prophecy in the Church: Pathway to Revival” Pneuma Review (February 18, 2016).

[4] ibid.

[5] For a balanced and sympathetic view of Montanism, see the work by R. A Knox, Enthusiasm: A Chapter in the History of Religion (New York: Oxford University Press, 1950), chapter 3. The Wikipedia article on the Montanists is also balanced and excellent.

[6] John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries: The Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans and to the Thessalonians (Tr. Ross Mackenzie; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1960) 376ff.

[7] Hans von Campenhausen, Ecclesiastical Authority and Spiritual Power in the Church in the First Three Centuries. Trans. J.A. Baker, (Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1969) chapter 8 “Prophets and Teachers in the Second Century.” Dr. William Spencer of Gordon-Cornwall Seminary believes that already by the end of the 3^rd Century the gifts of the Spirit were waning. See his article, “The Chaining of the Church, Christian History #17 “Women in the Early Church” posted 1/1/88.

[8] Herbert Thurston, The War & the Prophets (London: Burns & Oates, 1915). Fr. Thurston was a master of documenting false prophesies and spiritual phenomenon of all sorts. His works deserve to be read in our day.

[9] Ibid., 40-41.

[10] Here I must confess that in my decades in the Charismatic Renewal I have issued forth some “wish for” prophecies but also a few valid ones.

[11]Among the best in the Catholic tradition is Karl Rhaner’s Visions and Prophesies, in Inquiries (New York: Herder & Herder, 1964).

[12] An excellent Catholic critique of apparitions and false messages from Pseudo-Mary is by Fr. Herbert Thurston, “The False Visionaries of Lourdes,” in his Surprising Mystics, ed. By J. H. Crehan (Chicago: Henry Regency, 1955).

[13]William De Arteaga, “Marian Devotion and the Coming Second Wave of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal,” Pentecostal Theology, Posted April 9, 2020. http://pneumareview.com/marian-devotion-and-the-coming-second-wave-of-the-catholic-charismatic-renewal/

[14] The crown jewel of Catholic spiritual direction and discernment literature is Augustine Poulain’s, The Graces of Interior Prayer (St. Louis, B. Herder, 1910). Still in print in various editions.

[15] In particular, Edwards’ classic, Distinguishing Marks of the Spirit of God. I treat this issue in my work, Quenching the Spirit: Discover the Real Spirit behind the Charismatic Controversy (Lake Mary: Creation House, 1996), chapter 3.

[16] On the rise and fall of this revival see: Barry W. Hamilton, “The Corsicana Enthusiasts: A Pre-Pentecostal Millennial Sect,” Wesleyan Theological Journal, 39 #1 (Spring, 2004), 173-193.

[17] (Old Tappen: Spire Books, 1963).

[18] David Wilkerson, The Vision (New York: Pyramid, 1974).

[19] David Wilkerson, “The Coming Persecution,” Tape #DW-8, Springs of Living Water tape library. In author’s possession.

[20] Ibid.

[21] “Persecution for Charismatic Catholics?” New Covenant (Jan. 1974) 13.

[22] Karl Rhaner, “Visions and Prophesies,” in Inquiries (New York: Herder and Herder, 1964).

[23] Editor’s note: See also Cletus Hull’s review of David Wilkerson: The Cross, the Switchblade, and the Man Who Believed written by his son, Gary Wilkerson.

[24] Mark Taylor, and Mary Colbert, The Trump Prophecies (Crane: Defender, 2017).

[25] Ibid., 132.

[26] Taylor, Trump, 149

[27] Ibid. 165.

[28] William De Arteaga, “The Sinfulness and Destructiveness of Conspiracy Theories,” Pneuma Review, June 29, 2015. In this article, I take special effort to deconstruct this ridiculous conspiracy theory. http://pneumareview.com/the-sinfulness-and-destructiveness-of-conspiracy-theories/

[29] Video on this: https://www.pentecostaltheology.com/thank-you-rev-jentezen-franklin

[30] To be clear, I am for the wall being built for our security.

[31] I see the spiritual negativity of the Republican Party as an outcome of its slow and steady adoption of Ayn Rand’s philosophy, “Objectivism” with its specifically anti-Christian morality, as seen in her famous novel Atlas Shrugged and elsewhere. See my “The Spiritual Decline and Fall of the Republican Party,” This was one of the blogs that was removed by Blogger, but now available at Troy Day’s web site: http://www.pentecostaltheology.com/decline-and-fall-of-the-republican-party/

[32] Loren Sandford. “Pastor Loren Sandford’s Open Apology: How and Why We Got It Wrong,” Charisma News. Posted 1/7/2021.

Open Doors, A non-denominational Christian watch group, identified Saudi Arabia, North Korea, Afghanistan, as the three most dangerous countries for Christian persecution. Another 65 countries are actively killing disciples of Jesus and there is no protection from local authorities. Sharia Law is merciless for non-Muslims. But Islam is not alone. Since May 2014, India’s government has been controlled by a Hindu Party under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With his approval, intolerance has risen sharply as radical Hinduism has gained greater political strength. In Bastar, Chhattisgarh, during Sunday worship, Hindu fundamentalists, raided a Christian Church, seized the pastor and his wife who was seven-months pregnant, doused them with gasoline and tried to burn them alive.

CC

From Gentle Conquest (May 2019). Used with permission.

Further Reading:
The Open Doors (USA) World Watch List for 2019 estimates that 245 million Christians are victims of high to extreme levels of persecution – attacks that include home expulsion, torture, rape, sex-slavery, murder, and genocide – which is an increase of 14 percent over 2018 (up from 215 million). Open Doors also estimates 1 in 9 of the world’s Christians experience high levels of persecution and that every day 11 Christians are killed.
https://www.opendoorsusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/WWL2019_FullBooklet.pdf

Aid to the Church in Need releases a bi-annual report on “Religious Freedom in the World.” For the report released November 2018, see: https://www.churchinneed.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/RFR-2018-Exec-Summary-Web-version.pdf

One source of up-to-date news regarding the persecution of Christians worldwide: ChristianPersecutionNews.com.

How does a local church flourish, by building the Kingdom of God or by offering a cafeteria of amenities to its surrounding community? Pastor Dan Reiland warns of appeasing cultural or consumer Christians, instead calling for bold and courageous leadership.

At Crossroads, we pray what can seem like a strange prayer. We pray that God does not send Christians to our church. Before you yell “heresy” and push your delete key, keep reading. We have such a passion to reach the un-churched that we don’t want to fill up the limited space we have with Christians who are looking for a new church to attend.

I have been asked: “How can you pray such a prayer?” “Do you turn away followers of Christ?” Of course we don’t. We don’t turn anyone away. We don’t have our parking lot attendants “carding” people, asking if they are Christians and turning them away. It’s easy to pray such a prayer when your heart is hot to reach people far from God.

We pray also for a second group. We pray for Christians to come who are nominal in their faith. We would love for the majority to be non-Christians, but particularly in the Southeast, that is not our reality; there are many who have some church background and consider themselves Christians even though their lives give no evidence. (Don’t go theological on me, stay practical here.)

We pray for a third group to attend. We pray that the Christians that do come are leaders who are ready to serve. For these believers we are most grateful. We ask God to make this a small but powerful percentage of new people.

An article in the August/September 2016 issue of Philosophy Now asks, “Is Kierkegaard Still Relevant Today?”[1] Author Mark A. Tietjen, who teaches at the Stony Brook School in New York and is the author of Kierkegaard, Communication, and Virtue: Authorship as Edification, makes a solid argument that Kierkegaard is indeed relevant today.

In this present volume Tietjen begins chapter one as follows, “My goal is to convince Christians as I have been convinced that Soren Kierkegaard is a voice that should be sought and heard for the edification of the church” (p. 25). Kierkegaard’s aim was to reintroduce Christianity into Christendom, hence the title of the book, A Christian Missionary to Christians.

Tietjen writes most convincingly as to whether a Christian should be suspicious of philosophy in general and Kierkegaard in particular. He puts to rest any fears one may have about philosophy by first citing its usefulness from noted Christians such as Clement and Augustine. Tietjen writes, “… Clement and Augustine might have viewed philosophy not as a threat but as a worthwhile pursuit.” (p. 34)

He alleviates any fears or suspicions about Kierkegaard that one may have by revealing his faith in God and theology. Tietjen records the following:

If one trolls around Kierkegaard’s work long enough, particularly his own voluminous collection of journals, worries about Kierkegaard’s own Christian faith dissipate rather quickly … there is no reason to think his personal Christian beliefs were outside the parameters of classic Reformed, Lutheran orthodoxy … in the very least one can rest assured that Kierkegaard’s intentions are themselves consistent with Christian faith (p. 36).

Mark A. Tietjen

Without these explanations one might discontinue reading Tietjen’s work and miss out on a clear and scholarly critique of Kierkegaard’s writings.

Tietjen tackles most adeptly and in great detail the writings of Kierkegaard on the subjects in chapters entitled “Jesus Christ”, “The Human Self”, “Christian Witness”, and “The Life of Christian Love.”

In the chapter entitled Jesus Christ, Tietjen writes, “Jesus did not come to be admired but to get followers, to be imitated… a Christian strives to be like Jesus, while an admirer does not.” (p. 73)

And he reminds us of the many people that Kierkegaard alluded to that Jesus reaches out to and gives the invitation to come to him—the lonely, poor, physically ill and disabled, those who experience emotional suffering, the abused, the suicidal and despairing, those in relational pain, and of course, the sinner (pp. 79-80).

Image: UNOCHA via Wikimedia Commons

According to reports, in November 2017, Algerian authorities formed a committee to inspect churches on its compliance with safety regulations. However, despite its main aim being safety issues, the committee has also questioned churches on whether it possesses permits to conduct religious activities. The committee has accordingly ordered several churches, two Bible schools, and a Christian-owned bookshop to close down.

In March 2006, the Algerian Parliament adopted Ordinance 06-03, which effectively confined non-Muslim worship to specific buildings approved by the National Commission for Non-Muslims Religious Groups. This has, historically, led to many complications for Algerian churches, which, as routine practice, rent buildings for worship activities and inform the authorities. According to Middle East Concern, “Church leaders inform local authorities about their activities and provide all relevant documentation, including statements confirming affiliation to L’Église Protestante d’Algérie (the EPA), the only Protestant denomination officially recognised by the Government.”

“We call on the government of Algeria to ensure that the religious freedom of Christians is safeguarded in accordance with international law”, said Godfrey Yogarajah, the Deputy Secretary General of the World Evangelical Alliance. “We also call on the government, in keeping with the country’s constitution, to take all steps necessary to guarantee the freedom of worship for all religious groups in the country”, he added.

February 26, 2018² Religious Liberty Commission World Evangelical Alliance

Notes ¹ Meconcern.org. (2018). Algeria: increasing pressure on Churches | Middle East Concern. [online] Available at: http://www.meconcern.org/2017/12/26/algeria-increasing-pressure-on-churches/ [Accessed 23 Feb. 2018]

² This report reprinted at PneumaReview.com with permission.

When we meet people’s humanity, we see how much we are alike. It is easier to appreciate others when we recognize that we are in the same human boat.

Jesus teaches to love our neighbors. He does not give us religious criteria for loving the neighbor. We do not need to agree with our neighbors to love them.

In a world of political and social distresses over ethnic, gender, racial and religious plurality, how can the Christian lead in expressing love? One way is to get to know our neighbors. It is hard to truly love people we do not know.

We must not allow the media, social media, politicians and others teach us who another person is because of the other person’s beliefs or preferences.

Let’s meet and spend time with people who are not like us – whatever “us” means to you.

Learning from others is a civil exercise.

Living alongside people who we do not agree with is a sign of intelligence.

Loving people who are “different” is the heart of Christian love of neighbor.

The future of our world belongs to those who know what it means to bear witness to Christ in lifestyle and love of neighbor. Amidst increased plurality, what wonderful opportunity as well as challenge to live out the call of Christ in renewed ways!

Many blessings,

Dr. Antipas

[Editor’s note: Read Tony Richie’s report: “Consultation on American Evangelicals and Islam.”]

I hope you’re off to a great week. This week is a big week in my family. My mom’s birthday is today; So, Happy Birthday to my mama! I know… She has 8 children. But, each of us refers to her as “my mama.” (smile)

I was inspired by the sermon that Jim Wood, senior pastor at the First Presbyterian Church of Norfolk, preached yesterday. The focus of his message was that Christians are called to a core identity of being “In Christ.”

Building on Jesus’ teachings in Mark’s Gospel (Mark 8:27-38; Mark 9:30-37; 42-50; and Mark 10:32-45), Rev. Jim explained that being “In Christ” means that we must die to our so-called status and agenda and become like servants to all.

Regardless of denominational or tradition affiliation, what’s important is not if I am baptist, methodist, pentecostal, presbyterian, etc.

What’s important is if we are truly “In Christ!”

In such a self-centered and selfish society a lesson about selflessness falls on deaf ears more times that it should.

Probably because we just don’t get it!

20th century theological educator Reinhold Niebuhr’s Moral Man and Immoral Society, he goes so far to say that we have become blinded by our “predatory self-interest.”

Jim’s sermon brings hope to a self-centered society. he explained that dying to Christ means “denying self, losing self, and forfeiting self;” but, not in a gnostic sort of way as in self-torture.

Indeed, we must take care of ourselves; but not for ourselves.

In The Cost of Discipleship, 20th century German Theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer explains the same lesson this way:

When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow him, or it may be a death like Luther’s, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time—death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at his call.

We cannot truly serve God and His work in the world until we are truly OUT of self and IN Christ.

Let’s ponder this question: “Am I into my self? Or, am I into Christ? If I am into myself, I serve myself. If I am into Christ, I serve Christ. This means that I am willing to deny myself for Christ’s sake, lose myself in Christ, and forfeit my will to serve Christ and Christ’s agenda in the world.

What eternal joy and great privilege to serve the Lord!

Blessings,

Dr. Antipas

Image: Jan Tielens

Read more about this situation:

“Jakarta heats up as anti-Ahok rally begins” The Jakarta Post (November 4, 2016).

“Indonesia protest: President Joko Widodo cancels Australia visit” BBC News Asia (November 5, 2016).

“The demonstrators accuse Basuki Tjahaja Purnama [the Governor of Jakarta, also known as Ahok], a Christian, of having insulted Islam’s holy book, the Koran.”

An encouragement to “Pray the News” from PneumaReview.com author William De Arteaga.

A peaceful day near Jakarta hotels.
Image: Wikimedia Commons

To begin, and in the interest of full disclosure, I have previously written on the question of the identification and relation of the Triune God and Allah being considered by Duane Litfin. (http://pneumareview.com/do-all-abrahams-children-worship-abrahams-god/.) In that article I essentially argue that the true and living God is not contained or controlled by any religion (Isaiah 66:1 and Acts 7:49). Why should it be considered inconceivable that God is infinitely greater than any religion’s perception and presentation of divine reality and identity? Yet I am a Christian. I unreservedly confess my faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as Lord and Savior (John 14:6; Romans 10:9). For me, the question is not to which religion does God belong but who among us belongs to God and in what way. According to the Bible, in some sense all creation and every creature belongs to the Creator God (Psalm 24:1; 1 Corinthians 10:26). However, according to John’s Gospel the Church belongs to Christ as the bride belongs to the groom (3:29). Christians belong to God as those who have heard God’s word in Christ (8:47). And Christians belong to Christ as the Father’s gift to him; therefore, Christ gives the Spirit to them to make known the otherwise unfathomable depths of divine mysteries (16:15). In my estimation, Christians can (and should) consistently affirm that God isn’t the exclusive property of any particular religion and also that God is definitively and decisively made known only in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Jerusalem, seen from the roof terrace of the Austrian Hospice of the Holy Family in the Muslim Quarter of old Jerusalem, looking towards the south. In the foreground is the silver dome of the Armenian Catholic chapel, “Our Lady of the Spasm,” the fourth station of the Via Dolorosa. In the background, left side, the golden Dome of the Rock.
Image: Justin McIntosh / Wikimedia Commons.