In this work, Amy Peeler presents a robust reading of the New Testament incarnation narratives, arguing for a view of God that transcends gender. She energetically exposes the presuppositions undergirding the traditional claim that God is male. Peeler draws from her well-rounded experience as an associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College and associate rector at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Geneva, Illinois.

Peeler’s argument proceeds in three steps—elaborating on the meaning of sex, gender, and roles. First, she draws from Israelite history and New Testament writings to tackle the claim that God is male. Through an analysis of the purity laws of Judaism and the Gospels’ portrait of Mary’s pregnancy and birthing of Jesus, she uncovers the shortcomings of traditional assumptions. The work proceeds by reaching beyond the ordinary conception that God is masculine because of attributes such as sovereignty and divine initiative. Peeler challenges the usual trope of the oppressed feminine woman, underscoring how Mary represents strength. The third move of the argument addresses the controversial subject of gender “roles.” Peeler builds her position around the doctrine of the virginal conception, implying that the nature of the dogma makes Jesus’ maleness one of a kind.

Peeler’s argument against the alleged maleness of God engages Hebrew and NT scripture interpretations. She concedes that the OT scriptures characteristically represent God as male but maintains that they never depict God as a “sexual” male deity. She argues that the frequent Hebrew scripture allusions to God as Israel’s Father or King remain purely figurative, “contained within the ideas of founding or care, never procreation” (p. 13). Although NT depictions are more direct—God causes the birth of a baby—Peeler emphasizes that God’s maleness remains one of analogy. God is like a father. He is not a “sexual” male that impregnated a human woman (p. 19). Peeler’s most impactful argument is a pneumatological one, drawing on the linguistic representation of the Holy Spirit. In the OT, the Spirit is referred to using the feminine Hebrew ruakh. In the NT, the Spirit is neither masculine nor feminine, but referred to using the neuter Greek pneuma. In Trinitarian perspective, the agent of birth in the Gospels is the Holy Spirit who is responsible for Mary’s pregnancy (Matt. 1:18, 20) and the one whose power overshadows her making the child the holy babe of God (Luke 1:35).

Reviewed by Paul J. Palma

Publisher’s page: https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802879097/women-and-the-gender-of-god/

Bruce McCormack, the Frederick and Margaret L. Weyerhaeuser Professor of Theology at Princeton, is the most interesting and helpful Barthian working today. He has made his mark working to correct a certain North American distortion of Karl Barth’s thought. His contributions now include a number of edited works, including this one, which gathers the essays presented at the 2005 Edinburgh Dogmatics Conference.

As always with an edited work, the articles collected here are of uneven quality. They are also of varying atmosphere. Most of the essays breathe the air of British evangelicalism (which theologically has a lot of variation within it), while others are academic versions of something one might find in Christianity Today. Now and again, the staler air of the World Council of Churches wafts through the volume. The contributors vary from biblical scholars, to historical theologians, to systematic theologians. McCormack classifies some of the contributors as holding to a form of “classical theism”, and others as being more “‘progressive’ … in their willingness to pose questions to concepts of divine timelessness, impassibility, and so forth” (pp. 9-10). The decision to include biblical scholars was perhaps a move toward a broader outlook, but as everyone’s topic appears to have been assigned, the gain of including biblical scholars in the program has been minimized. The program as a whole has a systematic-theological stamp through and through. Topics like “divine simplicity” and “divine aseity” are not on the radar screen of biblical scholars, and for a good reason: they’re not on the radar screen of the Bible.

McCormack’s own contribution consists of a suit against Open Theism. Although McCormack’s admirers have already applauded this essay (on the internet), it ultimately fails to convince. He tries to show that Barth’s dissolution of metaphysics (as if that were conceptually possible!) presents a better solution to the problems that Open Theism has adduced. (McCormack prefers to think that God’s election “stands at the root of God’s being” [p. 210], but I think that is as nonsensical as it sounds. I much preferred Paul Helm’s case against the McCormack-Barth dissolution of metaphysics, found earlier in the same volume.) Much depends on one’s starting point. McCormack really only shows that Open Theism is incompatible with Reformed presuppositions, but he in no way shows that it is a poor fit for Christian theology in general. (Throughout many of these essays, this reader was constantly reminded that, for the Reformed tradition, the word “Protestant” basically means “Reformed”.)

This volume packs a lot of food for thought, and should be rewarding reading for those interested in a somewhat safe entry into the speculative side of modern theology. Those interested in biblical theology, however, will find considerably less of a reward.

Reviewed by John C. Poirier

Read an excerpt from Westminster Theological Seminary: www.wtsbooks.com/common/pdf_links/Excerpt_McCormack_Engaging.pdf [available as of June 6, 2014]

Originally published on the Pneuma Foundation (parent organization of PneumaReview.com) website. Later included in the Summer 2024 issue.

Independence is an American ideal, but God-dependency is a believer’s necessity.

As Americans we are rightly proud of our Declaration of Independence. It took a lot of courage for those men in 1776 to declare their independence from the mightiest nation on earth at the time, realizing the great cost it would take to actually achieve that independence. From that day on, independence has been a coveted American trait. Our folk stories are filled with tales of poor but proud individuals who, against all odds, “pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps.”

We still have a strong tendency toward independence. We don’t like to be told what to do. We want to do things ourselves. We have a distaste for those who could make it on their own, but instead rely on the generosity of others. Much of this high regard for independence is good and honorable. The danger arises when we carry it over into our relationship with Jesus.

God will have nothing to do with the independent person. He deals graciously with those who have learned that they are in every way dependent upon Him. “He opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6). It is, however, a very difficult thing to make the switch from a culture that glorifies independence into a lifestyle that demonstrates complete dependence upon God.

Hear what God’s Word says concerning our inability to function properly apart from depending upon Him:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain” (Psalm 127:1).

“I know, O Lord, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

“Not that we are competent to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God” (2 Corinthians 3:5).

The most practical way to live the life of dependence upon God, is to make prayer the central activity of our lives. In prayer we recognize our need and God as the One who can meet our need. We come before Him with empty hands, having nothing to offer but our need. This is the place that causes many to resist being people of prayer.

Ronnie Floyd in his powerful book, How to Pray, gets to the heart of the matter as he shares two critical statements concerning prayer:

• Prayer occurs when you depend on God.
• Prayerlessness occurs when you depend on yourself.

God is calling us to put away the childishness of thinking we can do anything without Him—our Creator. In humility we need to draw near to God and confess our inadequacy and complete dependence upon him.

We can say that we believe we are dependent upon God, but it is in our daily prayer lives that we will see the “rubber hit the road.” In the life dependent upon God, prayer becomes as natural as breathing – all that we do is brought before the Lord. There is no aspect of life that is outside the realm of prayer.

We should begin the day by thanking God for the night’s rest and the new day. This attitude of recognizing that all we have comes from His hand, will cause us to spend much time in prayers of thanksgiving in the course of our daily activities. This is a big step in acknowledging our dependence.

Throughout each day we can draw near to the Lord in intimate prayer, getting to know Him better. In prayer we put on our armor and trust in the victory of the One who died on our behalf. We can submit our thoughts, actions and words to Him. Simply and in humility, we can ask Him for direction and provision for the day. Asking for the outpouring of His Spirit, we can pray God’s blessings on those we come in contact with, and bring loved ones, pastors, missionaries and world leaders to Him for His intervention and work in their lives.

God desires us to come to the place where we can admit that we are hopeless and helpless on our own, so that he can call us to a Declaration of Dependence as we humble ourselves before Him in prayer and worship.

Used with permission of www.harvestprayer.com.

Published earlier on the Pneuma Foundation (parent organization of PneumaReview.com) website and later included in the Spring 2024 issue.

The title of this book may be initially off-putting to some, as though the author is proposing a view of the Holy Spirit akin to what is known as “adoptionist Christology.” But in the foreword, Matthew Bates makes it clear this is not the case: “While the revelation of the divinity of the Spirit (as part of the Christian doctrine of God) has an origin in time, nevertheless the Spirit’s divinity is not constrained by time or by our process of discovery” (xi). So, the book is not about the Spirit becoming God, as though there “was a time when he was not” God, but about how the Spirit came to be understood as being God.

The author, Kyle Hughes, apart from being an ordained deacon in the Anglican Church in North America, is also chair of the history department at Whitfield Academy in Atlanta, Georgia. He brings both a doctrinal lens and a historian’s perspective to this topic.

Chapter one, “The Problem of the Holy Spirit,” starts off by tackling some of the difficulties raised by the ways the Spirit is portrayed in Scripture. While the Father and Son are consistently portrayed in personal terms, phrases that depict the Spirit being “poured out” on people, or “filling” them, seem to suggest an inanimate substance rather than a personal being (3). Hughes then outlines how this historical study will not simply summarize the dogmatic teachings of various church fathers, but dive into how the early church’s methods of biblical interpretation that informed their declarations about the Godhead. Hughes proposes that the development of pneumatology in the first few centuries of the Christian era was based first on ideas being grounded in Scripture, while also including the church’s lived experiences of the Holy Spirit in light of Scripture.

Chapter three deals with “The Spirit and Christian Identity.” In discussing how the increasingly Gentile church came to see itself as no longer simply a messianic Jewish sect, Hughes looks at the Epistle of Barnabas and the writings of Justin Martyr. Barnabas argues that not only did the Spirit inspire the writers of the Ole Testament to look forward to Christ, but the Spirit himself looked forward to Christ, which is a personal activity rather than that of an impersonal force (42). Hughes points out that Justin wrote about the ongoing presence of the charisms in the second century, in the lives of both male and female believers, which means that the Montanists and other charismatic groups in the early church were not as innovative as some versions of history would assume (48-49). Justin also argued that just as the central Old Testament figures had gifts of the Spirit, the presence of these gifts among Christians showed that God’s Spirit was now upon them and had departed from the Jewish people as a group, indicating that the Christians had properly recognized the arrival of the Messiah.

The fifth chapter, “The Spirit and the Divine Economy,” examines Iranaeus’ presentation of the Spirit as the one who gives life, prepares believers for eternal life, reveals God across all of Scripture, and realizes the risen Christ’s presence in redeemed individuals (80-81). The work of Tertullian is further examined as well, discussing how his battle against modalistic monarchianism led to the development of trinitarian language, with Tertullian showing how that activities of the Father, Son, and Spirit are carried out by three divine Persons, and not simply one God playing three roles (85). The author also points out that Tertullian’s particular language sets up a problem for later trinitarian theologians, that of subordinationism (87). Novatian’s contribution of the eternal distinction of the Son from the Father is discussed (92), as is Origen’s articulation of the eternal existence of the Spirit with the Father and the Son (95).

I found this book to be very helpful in understanding the development over time of the doctrines we learn today in basic Christian discipleship classes and courses of systematic theology. The church’s teaching on the divine personhood of the Spirit—and thereby of the Trinity—did not descend fully-formed from heaven on golden tablets but was hammered out over the centuries through theological reflection on Scripture in the midst of the Spirit’s working among believers. I highly recommend Hughes’ volume to students of historical theology, as well as to anyone who desires to know more about “how we got here.”

Reviewed by Brian Roden

Publisher’s page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781532693748/how-the-spirit-became-god/

Image: Ivars Utinans

Bruce arrived in Motiloni territory several years later after fording jungle rivers alone, fighting snakes and poisonous insects, and crossing the towering Andes on foot. His welcome by the tribe was their shooting him with an arrow, imprisoning, and nearly starving him to death. In pain and isolated with the most backward people on earth, Bruce had long hours to reconsider what he had done. He had to deal with the memory of his parents ridiculing his stupid “call of God”, accusing him of being a fool, and of wasting his youth on religious fanaticism. Now alone and sick, the question pounded his heart: “Why had not God rescued him or forewarned him of these troubles before he left home? Why! Why!” Just when his ministry was beginning to take root, Bruce was captured by Communist guerillas and kept nearly a year with his hands tied behind his back tied to a jungle tree.

Before God finished Bruce Olson’s preparation, he was well-prepared for the work ahead: Here are some of Bruce’s accomplishments with the Motiloni: The Tribe has been converted to Christ, has made peace with their bitterest enemies, and have evangelized 18 other tribes. Today, there are more than 28 Medical Stations and 50 Motilone-Bari Health Centers in the jungle staffed with native doctors. They have established 45 Bilingual Schools, publish a newspaper in their own tongue, operate 42 Agricultural Centers, and have more than 250 Motilone graduate-missionaries actively preaching the gospel in 22 different Latin American tongues. The Tribe now has a representative in Columbia’s National State Assembly and another is the Director of the Office Of Indian Affairs for the National Government in Northeast Columbia. In 1999, when Colombian earthquakes left 180,000 homeless, a Motilone Medical Team of native physicians and nurses gave assistance to more than 5,000 victims. This “fanatical” young man whose parent’s accused him of being a fool, has been given Honorary Doctorate Degrees and addressed the United Nations.

Chas Carrin

From Charles Carrin Ministries monthly newsletter, Gentle Conquest (January 2020). Used with permission. http://www.charlescarrinministries.com/gentleconquest

A guest review by Evangelist David Hernandez.

Dallas Willard, Hearing God: Developing a Conversational Relationship with God (InterVarsity Press, 1999 and 2012) 304 pages, ISBN 9780830835690.

Many Christian leaders will agree with the saying that prayer is a two-way conversation with God, yet very few have ever experienced this type of relationship with our Lord. For me, prayer is very important and I actually view it as the most important spiritual discipline. In churches, we worship with the body of Christ, and in reading Scripture, we are reading God’s holy word. But only in prayer do we kneel before the God of the universe, and talk to Him. Every Christian believes we can do that, but what happens when He talks back?

The late Dallas Willard’s take on this is a very impressive perspective in the evangelical outlook. Many times you’ll believe he was a Pentecostal/Charismatic himself. I don’t know what his views were on this, but this book makes him sound like it, though I don’t think he was. He writes in the first chapter how we teach the Christian view that God wants a personal relationship with us, yet when we think about it or of people who’ve had these experiences of God speaking to them, we immediately have the UFO syndrome. We are skeptical of the very teachings we teach. He tells how God can communicate to us in many ways like Charles Carrin wrote.[1] One thing I learned throughout the book is that God will not speak to us if we’re always searching our own motives. Our motive is to seek God for himself and his guidance, not just so he can relieve the anxiety of our uncertainty of the future.

One myth that he knocks down is the belief that if God really spoke to you, you would know it for sure. He places the example of Samuel when he was a boy and heard the voice that was calling out to him. He runs to the high priest, and it was the high priest who perceived that God was speaking to the boy, not the boy himself. We must learn in our daily experience how to listen to God and really “practice the presence of God” as Brother Lawrence wrote. This is not to say that we should always go looking for supernatural experiences, but that we should open ourselves to the Holy Spirit more as He speaks to us. One thing I’ve taught others in ministry is that God is a speaking God and we must open ourselves to Him. Unfortunately, humanism and skepticism has crept into the Western church, and many have basically become biblical deists. As Roger Olson wrote, we’ve sought to become a respectable religion, but Christianity by its very nature is a supernatural one.[2]

Dallas Willard (1935-2013) was a philosopher best known for his books on spiritual formation including The Divine Conspiracy: Rediscovering Our Hidden Life in God (1998) and Renovation of the Heart: Putting On the Character of Christ (2002).

Willard goes on to present principles that will help us in our walk with God. One main one is to stay very close to the Word of God. We will know for sure that if something or someone speaks contrary to the Word, it is not of God. It can be our own human thoughts or worse, of demonic origin. But even then, this should not scare us from listening to God. He writes about the “still, small voice” that God can use to speak to us with. The thing about this voice is that though it was still and small, the information it carried was still clearly perceived. He makes clear that thoughts which we debate within ourselves are not the voice of God, unless of course those “voices” are trying to deliver you from sin or from a certain evil or from bad decisions. Any voice that promises a life void of pain and suffering is certainly not from God.

Many go to God only for big decisions in life (career, marriage, etc.) but we have people like David inquiring God for certain strategies (1 Chronicles 14). We can have the confidence and faith that God can do so with us. What about when God doesn’t speak to us? There can be various reasons for this. For example, you already know the choice but are seeking more affirmation. Maybe God has laid out various choices for you to decide and each is correct. Or there is a hindrance (like sin) that we need to get rid of so we can listen to God. Listening to God is not a formula taught, but a life experienced. You only know someone when you learn to recognize their voice, before that they were unnoticed in your life and mind. So also with God, we must learn to recognize His voice by experience, sometimes with trial and error, though mercy is always offered. When we believe and have the faith that God can and will speak to us, than we can develop a conversational relationship with God.

Reviewed by David Hernandez

Originally published on the Pneuma Foundation (parent organization of PneumaReview.com) website. Later included in the Winter 2022 issue.

Notes

1. http://pneumareview.com/six-ways-the-holy-spirit-will-communicate-with-you-by-charles-carrin/
2. http://pneumareview.com/roger-olson-embarrassed-by-the-supernatural/

This collection of essays presented in 2006-07 to the students and faculty of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary is part of the on-going work of The Forum for Evangelical Theology. D. Stephen Long and George Kalantzis, both the book’s editors and the convenors of the forum, invited a number of scholars from a wide range of Christian theological perspectives—many but not all would identify themselves as evangelicals—to present their views on questions surrounding the idea of the nature of God. In particular, these essays focused on the nature of what it means for God to be sovereign and, more particularly, on the nature of his relationship with creation, especially with humanity. Each author presented their perspective on whether or not God may be affected by the happenings of creation—known theologically as the question of divine impassibility—and, if so, the nature of that affect.

In the opening chapter, Jimmy Cooper introduces the question of divine impassibility, providing for the reader a short history of the debate and an introduction of the authors that follow. From there George Kalantzis, through an examination of a debate between two early church leaders, Cyril and Nestorius, shows that while the question of divine impassibility is important for orthodoxy it is not sufficient; one may hold to God’s impassibility and still be heretical (e. g. Nestorius). D. Stephen Long, on his chapter on the medieval theologian Thomas Aquinas, defends Aquinas and his theology from contemporary accusations of being too influenced by a pagan philosophical system. Instead, Long asserts that Aquinas’ theology is biblically grounded. He notes that, instead, it is the conclusions of many contemporary theologies that result in significant theological and practical problems. These problems are the consequences of, on the one hand, a diminished view of God (where is he too dependent upon his creation) and, on the other hand, having an exaggerated view of evil. John Calvin is famous for the prominence that God’s sovereignty has in his theology. Vincent Bacote, rather than appealing to the many theological traditions that look to Calvin as their founder, unpacks the theology of the Reformer himself. In regard to those passages that are often understood to assert the changeability or even the suffering of God, Bacote asserts that Calvin understood these as “divine accommodations”—instances where God represents himself not as he actually is (which is beyond our understanding) but in a way that allows us to understand him. The first contemporary theology represented in this text is presented by Michael Lodahl who asserts that the issue of God’s sovereignty is best dealt with by Process Theology with a little bit of John Wesley thrown in to compensate for the former’s limitations. The author begins by challenging the church’s historic understanding of Christ which, he asserts, sounds more like Caesar than Jesus. Process Theology asserts that given that all things exist in relationship, including God, and therefore He cannot be wholly disconnected from his creation but is, instead, “a fellow sufferer” and that rather than meticulously predetermining the actions of all other beings, God’s power is seen in his ability to persuade. A former student of noted German theologian Jürgen Moltmann provides insights from his theology to address the question of God’s sovereignty. Nancy Elizabeth Bedford notes that Moltmann’s response to this question revolves around his “theology of the Cross.” Consequently, God’s sovereignty must be seen in his ability to limit and humble himself. While God suffers, it must be understood as a consequence of the intensity of the love that he has for humanity. John Sanders presents the view of what is commonly called “Openness Theology;” the theological understanding that re-opened the debate on the nature of the sovereignty of God about twenty years ago. Sanders argues that God seeks to be in true relationship with humanity and that real relationship requires that humanity be able to exercise real freedom (especially in its response to love God or not) and that God truly respond to human action as opposed to meticulously predetermining the actions of all involved. Sanders asserts that Scripture portrays a God who actually takes risks. The final chapter, by Thomas G. Weinandy, places great emphasis on the historic Creator/creature distinction, noting that Scripture affirms both God’s nearness but also, and at least equally, his wholly-otherness from it. He notes that God’s unchangingness does not make God unfeeling or distant; it actually empowers him to be all that the creation needs him to be, including perfectly loving. The book concludes with a series of shorter chapters where each author is given space to respond to the contributions of the others.

This book is well worth investigation as it provides an excellent resource to those interested in investigating and comparing the varied views on the closely related questions of God’s sovereignty and immutability. Each author has done an admirable job of addressing the issue from their perspective. Novices, be warned! This text may prove daunting or , perhaps, out of reach. Much of the language and many of the concepts that are used assume a level of theological familiarity and sophistication. This is understandable, of course, given the audience to which the presentations were originally made.

Reviewed by Bernie A. Van De Walle

Publisher’s Page: wipfandstock.com/9781556352171/the-sovereignty-of-god-debate/

Originally published in 2013, later included in the Fall 2021 issue.

In our urban-dominated landscape, hunting, particularly sport hunting, has increasingly been viewed as a remnant of a barbaric era that is no longer needed and should be abolished. Clearly there is a cultural divide between hunters and anti-hunters. Hill and White sought to deepen their understanding of this intellectual and ideological divide and investigated how Christians have understood and understand their faith in regards to sport hunting. As Hill clearly says, “… this collection of essays was to provide a window into the different perspectives held historically by Christians in relation to sport hunting and to hear new voices on the debate. … The secondary goal was to encourage its readers to thoughtfully consider the various perspectives, many times not set in clear apposition, and the merits (and weaknesses) of each” (p.411). In brief, the book clearly accomplishes its goals.

Before delving into the text, readers should know that I was a contributor to this volume. My article, “Dominion Over Animals: Taking the Scriptural Witness and Worldview Seriously” (pp.33-348) summarizes my dissertation published in Dominion over Wildlife? An Environmental Theology of Human-Wildlife Relations, Wipf and Stock, 2009. My engagement with the specific contributions made by my fellow contributors to this volume occurred only after the book was published.

The editors did a superb job providing readers with an overall perspective on the topic. Their writing not only helped prepare readers to grasp the major themes and controversies, but their summaries of the articles enhanced reader pre-understanding and thus apprehension of the material. Heuristically, the book (both sections 1 and 2) stand as a model for educational best practice. I would note, however, that Hill’s contention that Christianity was a syncretistic religion (p.23) reflects a modernistic comparative religions bias and not the testimony handed down by Christ’s apostles.

The articles are organized into two major sections. Section One takes a descriptive approach to the debate over recreational hunting. Articles focus on historical attitudes and perspectives held by Christians over the centuries, starting with the biblical text and culminating with interviews of contemporary Christian hunters. The articles show how Christians argued both for and against sport hunting. Articles often described prevalent views by the way “Nimrod” of Genesis was portrayed in the literature. Interestingly, when hunting was in vogue, Nimrod was portrayed as a neutral or valuable character. When hunting was not in vogue, Nimrod became a term of derision and symbol of moral turpitude.

The second article entitled, “A Dying Legacy?: A Century of Hunting in the Stories of Texas Families”, Hill provides a sort of meta-analysis of the interviews contained in the following chapter. He keenly identifies key themes, concepts and sociological factors that impact one’s adoption (or lack) of hunting. If one wishes to have a quick, but not simplistic, look at the cultural-historical issues embedded in the hunting experience, this article is must reading. Though it focuses on the American, albeit Texas, experience, I suspect that the categories and insights will be useful elsewhere in the United States if not the world. The third article is actually a collection of interviews. These interviews are valuable for providing a more granular look at the motivations behind the desire to hunt as told by various hunters who claim a Christian heritage.

Section Two contains articles addressing the ethical or prescriptive views on hunting. Authors from both sides of the debate use a variety of rationales to support their position for or against the morality of hunting. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the emphasis focused on the justification (or lack thereof) for the killing of animals for “fun”.

Two articles that attempted to use Christian theology to condemn hunting (Killing and the Kingdom: A Case against Sport Hunting” by Shawn Graves and “Muscular Christianity and Sport Hunting: Missing the Target?” by John B. White were quite disappointing. Both ostensibly tried to use Christian teaching to condemn hunting but neither dealt with the concrete realities and teaching of the Biblical text. Their arguments reminded me of Supreme Court justices that attempt to argue that capital punishment violates the U.S. Constitution’s cruel and unusual punishments clause even though the authors of the Constitution clearly supported the death penalty. Any rational reading of the constitution clearly reveals that the authors were only referring to cruel execution methods such as Drawing and Quartering, etc., not to a condemnation of execution in general. Grave’s approach tended to avoid Scripture entirely choosing instead to rely on the vague notion of not causing harm. White’s article, on the other hand, argued that God’s intention was for humans to not kill animals. It never occurred to these scholars to even consider the ontological status of animals. If they did, the anti-hunting authors would perhaps understand that harm to an animal is categorically different (morally speaking) than harm to a person. (I suspect they would both grant that fact but apparently, they did not consider the full impact of that view). If God grants humans permission to kill His property, who are we to say that somehow violates God’s will? Neither of them considered how Christ was quite comfortable killing animals, sometimes for no apparent reason other than to demonstrate he could (e.g., miracle of the fishes). Dismissing this by saying that Jesus was God (though true) does not resolve the problem because Jesus was also the perfect human who provided an example of a sinless life before God.

Regrettably, Christian anti-hunters continue to commit two key mistakes that I have repeatedly pointed out over the years. First, they have either an inability or unwillingness to read literature that disagrees with their perspective. Not every scholarly article is found in top tier (often liberal) journals. Second, they are unwilling to consider the whole testimony of Scripture. Instead, Christian anti-hunters find a generic passage, such as “reconciling all things” and then use that generic principle to truck in every idea that fits their narrative even when specific passages counter those ideas. By rejecting or perhaps ignoring the principle of the general rule is constrained by the specific, they allow themselves to fly off into fanciful arguments without sufficient grounding in the Word of God.

Overall, this book provides an important contribution to the topic of sport hunting that is scholarly, yet accessible to college-level readers.

Reviewed by Stephen M. Vantassel

Publisher’s page: https://www.mupress.org/God-Nimrod-and-the-World-Exploring-Christian-Perspectives-on-Sport-Hunting-P952.aspx

Pneuma Review speaks with Dean Merrill about his book, 50 Pentecostal and Charismatic Leaders Every Christian Should Know (Chosen, 2021).

PneumaReview.com: Please tell us about your own involvement in the Pentecostal Movement.

Dean Merrill: My parents—good Midwestern Quakers—were drawn toward a fuller experience of the Holy Spirit about the time I was born. My personal infilling came while I was still a boy, a year after my conversion. Sensing a call to ministry, I trained at a Pentecostal school (Chicago Bible College) and was ordained thereafter by Philadelphia Church, Chicago. My convictions have remained the same throughout my life, even though much of my editing and publishing work has been in generically evangelical circles.

PneumaReview.com: Where did the idea for this book come from?

Dean Merrill: Actually, it was the idea of the publisher (Chosen Books, part of the Baker Publishing Group). They had published two similar volumes: 50 People Every Christian Should Know (2009) and 50 Women Every Christian Should Know (2014). They approached me to keep the series going.

PneumaReview.com: Were there specific criteria that were used to determine which Pentecostal and Charismatic leaders would be included in this volume?

PneumaReview.com: In the book you mention that you and at least one other family member received ministry from a couple of the people whose stories are in the book. Please tell our readers a little bit about those encounters.

Dean Merrill: I was about ten years old when, at an Oral Roberts campaign in Des Moines, Iowa, my father guided me into the healing line to receive prayer for my enlarged adenoids. It was the last night of the campaign, so Roberts was moving us through quickly, trying to touch everyone who hadn’t been able to come up previously. He laid his hand on my head and prayed a short prayer. My problem went away thereafter, never requiring surgery.

PneumaReview.com: As you have studied the lives of the leaders who are included in the book, what would you say are some of the key factors that caused them to be so effective?

Dean Merrill:

• They were incredibly bold, courageous, “gutsy.” Think about Maria Woodworth-Etter facing down a half-drunken mob intent on burning down her tent. Or David Wilkerson reaching out to hostile New York City gangbangers.
• They paid very public, no-apologies attention to the ministry of healing. They were confident that the God who saves us is the God who heals as well.
• If they felt God had told them to do something or had promised to provide, they didn’t flinch. No second-guessing.
• They had a laser focus on Spirit empowerment, not just human flash and flair.
• They prayed like crazy, all the time.

Is there one person in the book that you found to be particularly interesting?

Dean Merrill: Oh, my—that’s like asking a parent which child is their favorite. I’m intrigued with them all!

PneumaReview.com: How can the stories in this book challenge Pentecostals and Charismatics today?

Dean Merrill: They show us that Book-of-Acts Christianity is not just a historical relic. They tell us that it’s not all that important whether we keep our membership in what I call “the evangelical club.” In the book I quote Donald Gee (the British writer/editor), who wrote back in the 1950s, “Revivals are never launched without someone going to an extreme…. There has to be an extremism to move things…. Miracles of healing occur when faith refuses to be logical, and blinds itself to arguments, based on plenty of contrary experience.”

PneumaReview.com: How can the accounts in this book encourage Pentecostals and Charismatics today?

Dean Merrill: They assure us that the wind of the Spirit still blows in our time, if we will only take notice. The Holy Spirit has not gone off, like a grizzly bear, into a long hibernation. He is alive and active wherever given a welcome. Those who listen to him can do remarkable things for God’s cause.

PR

Publisher’s page: http://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/50-pentecostal-and-charismatic-leaders-every-christian-should-know/404900

John Lathrop wrote to many Pentecostal/charismatic Bible teachers to ask them if they have found that God is speaking to people more frequently or vividly through dreams during this time of isolation. Here are some of the responses that he received, may they become prompts to you for prayer.

Carolyn Tennant

A former student (graduate) of IBRP (Instituto Biblico Rio de la Plata) in Buenos Aires, Argentina recently woke up with a vivid dream of the holy city drawing near to the earth.  Some people were already in it, but it would soon be populated with more.

Interestingly enough, that night I was reading (as I was progressing through Revelation) from the church at Pergamum in Rev. 3 and found this very thing referenced there.  It was very impacting to me.

Addendum: Many IBRP students and faculty are reporting having dreams and visions during the pandemic.

J.D. King

Yes, John, I’ve been hearing a number of interesting reports. There are some individuals in my church that are seeing different things. Many of them are discussing notions of intense spiritual warfare. Even some kids seem to be having profound encounters. These sensations are extremely vast on one hand, but also understated.

Let me clarify that these are not weird or irrational people. So, I am listening attentively to their thoughts.

Most specifically, I’ve been hearing things from my daughter. She is nineteen-years-old and currently suffering from auto-immune disease. She has had several visions/dreams. The reoccurring vision is something along lines of a dark and sinister aura trying to advance toward the earth to crush and counteract that which is virtuous and good. She suggested that this evil force is desperate—reaching, grasping—but much of what it’s struggling to clutch, it cannot actually reach. She’s seeing something of the Spirit of God pushing back against this treachery and stopping it. Her takeaway is that Satan wants to obstruct and destroy—and is making an extraordinary effort. But God is on the threshold of bringing life and glory. She feels that God is about to release a remarkable move of the Spirit in the United States. From the darkness comes the glorious dawn.

It seems that one’s theology colors their prophetic experiences. Those with a more pessimistic outlook, see darker pictures and themes, but the more hopeful see ultimate victory. Obviously, the prophetic, and all non-scriptural impressions, must be diligently scrutinized and interpreted (1 Thes. 5:19-21). Christians are inadvertently filtering events through pre-existing worldviews and theological constructs. There should be humility in all of this.

I will conclude by saying this, perhaps both warnings and hope are messages from God. Both give relevant guidance to believers who are in a place of deep intercession and need.

Carolyn Tennant

Craig Keener

A dream that has become a prayer point:

Early in the process of COVID spreading I dreamed that it was caused by the devil tweaking an existing virus to weaponize it against humanity, and that some scientists were on the forefront of finding a solution against it, God being with them.

But I think you had asked if there were more prophetic dreams after COVID than before, so I didn’t mention that. I’ve been having prophetic dreams for a few years now.

Loren Sandford shared his April 15, 2020 newsletter, that has much to say about dreams.

“What has Happened… and What is Coming?”

More from Loren Sandford at PneumaReview.com: http://pneumareview.com/author/rlorensandford/

Craig Keener

Craig Keener shared an email newsletter from Will and Dehavilland Ford titled, “Update On Our 7 year Old’s Covid 19 Dreams For 7 Nights In A Row! Here’s What God Revealed To Us.”

Here is one place that article was reprinted: https://soundofheavenblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/30/update-on-our-7-year-olds-covid-19-dreams-for-7-nights-in-a-row-heres-what-god-revealed-to-us-will-ford-dallas-tx/

Spiritual explosion in the Middle East

Included here is the April 21, 2020 Press Release from Christian broadcaster SAT-7, “COVID-19 Lockdown Ignites ‘Spiritual Explosion’ as Middle East Clamors for ‘Real Hope’: Christian broadcaster SAT-7 reports surge in viewer numbers, social media interest, as coronavirus shutdown ‘opens hearts’ of millions ‘stuck at home.’” Although this report does not mention dreams, there are many sources that describe how God is using dreams to awaken hearts to the reality of the love, power, and forgiveness found only in Jesus.

Amid strict coronavirus lockdowns, millions of people across the Middle East and North Africa—“clamoring” for a spiritual and practical lifeline—are finding help right in their own homes through “living television.”

CORONAVIRUS IGNITES ‘SPIRITUAL EXPLOSION’ IN MIDDLE EAST: Christian satellite television broadcaster SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org) reports a dramatic surge in viewer numbers and social media interest, as the coronavirus lockdown ‘opens the hearts’ of millions of people stuck at home in the Middle East and North Africa. The ministry continues to broadcast across the region 24/7 in local languages.

In the region where Christianity began but is now a minority faith, Christian satellite television broadcaster SAT-7 (www.sat7usa.org) has seen viewer numbers surge and social media interest skyrocket since the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.

“There’s an explosion of spiritual hunger across the Middle East and North Africa right now as people stuck at home seek real hope and real answers,” said Dr. Rex Rogers, president of SAT-7 USA. SAT-7 continues to broadcast shows 24/7 that present Christians as ‘living epistles’ who speak to people where they are in life.

“Millions of people in countries like Iran, Iraq and Turkey are clamoring to see and hear in their own language what it’s like to be a follower of Jesus in a time of crisis,” Rogers said.

In coronavirus hotspot Turkey, where 99 percent of the population is non-Christian, more viewers have contacted the SAT-7 TÜRK channel daily in the past few weeks than any day in the previous five years since broadcasts began.

In Iran, another virus hotspot, viewers’ calls and messages to the live, Farsi-language Signal show—beamed into millions of homes across the nation—jumped to seven times the usual number last month, as Iranians rattled by the pandemic turned to the show’s hosts for reassurance and practical advice.

One viewer shared how God was looking after her family, even though “we don’t even have any loose change.” She told other Signal viewers: “We’re living in faith, and we’re praying for everyone else.”

Across the Middle East and North Africa, SAT-7 KIDS Facebook audience has soared more than 500 percent as children stream videos offering encouragement and hope based on Bible passages.

Total Lockdown, Open Hearts

“Coronavirus has locked people inside their homes, but it’s opening hearts to God,” said Rogers. “Lockdown and social isolation do not stop our unique satellite and online Christian programs from reaching millions of adults and children where they live.”

A total of 30 million viewers are tuning into SAT-7’s uplifting Christian live shows and recorded broadcasts that take a holistic view of life, addressing spiritual, emotional, physical, and social concerns. Hosted by Christian presenters, shows tackle the topics that most deeply affect everyday life in the volatile region, and invite viewers to join in the discussion.

“When people have hope, they find the strength to carry on,” said Lebanon-born SAT-7 CEO Rita El-Mounayer, based at the ministry headquarters in Cyprus. “Our broadcasts and social media channels are needed more now than ever.”

The ministry reports 160,000 people watched “God, Fear, and the Coronavirus,” one of SAT-7’s mental health programs, featuring church leader and psychiatrist Dr. Maher Samuel.

An online video—featuring the popular presenter of the ministry’s Family of Jesus children’s show—reached more than 425,000 people and was shared 2,700 times. Meanwhile, the ministry’s SAT-7 Academy—a social development and education channel—doubled its audience on social media.

Image: Joshua Newton

Paul King

Another of our prayer intercessors shared with me another dream she received. It does not appear to apply to our own church fellowship, but it appears to me to apply to the Church, the Body of Christ as a whole. Even with the Coronavirus, although we have seen some great inter-cooperation between churches and pastors, the Church as a whole is still not united. The moved table is significant. It reminds me of the saying and book, Who Moved My Cheese? Everyone has their set way of doing things, and when things get moved or changed, people in the church can’t handle it. I am no Joseph, so I don’t have the whole picture, but this little bit may shed some light. Here is her dream:

Last night, I had a dream that seemed significant enough to share, based on your request:

There was a large gathering at a house, or maybe an apartment. There were a lot of little details, such as the wooden floor, tall windows, upper level, etc. that I’m not sure mean anything, but the actions did.

The people there were gathering together for a meal. All of them seemed to be extended family, though I recognized no one. There was a definite sense of it being a religious celebration, but no one was celebrating; they were too busy bickering with one another. There was obvious jealousy, apathy, and drudgery among the people regarding the event.

One man tried to lead the group, and I sensed his faith was genuine. However, he also showed little humility or compassion. He was more concerned with how he was being unnecessarily persecuted by another man (a brother?) mocking him.

Another seemingly important detail (though I don’t know why) is the table was moved from the room where it usually sat, into an adjacent room very similar in size and structure.

My one memorable role was when a “cousin?” asked where she was supposed to sit, because there was no table. I joked about sitting on cushions like Jesus’ disciples. She was not amused. I then pointed her to the other room where everyone was sitting down and the one faithful man had begun to pray. Although he was sincere, his prayer was weak and he was clearly distracted by the others’ indignation.

The room was crowded with people, but no one was there with the right heart, including me. I was a confused outsider who was somehow supposed to be a part of all this.

My sense upon waking was this was a picture of church disunity, apathy, and disregard for the LORD’s worthiness of celebration. It was disheartening, but also confusing, as those I’m surrounded by don’t seem to fit this model at all.

What about you? What have you experienced in this season? What is the Holy Spirit saying to those that have ears to hear?