Antipas Harris introduces his new book, the serious challenge behind it, and his invitation to join him in proclaiming anew that Jesus is Good News for everyone.

Without doubt, we are living through troubled times. The world is engulfed in noxious uncertainties: contentious politics, racial unrest, hate groups and global warming, to name a few. Now, amidst the devastation of coronavirus, or COVID-19, many people are turning to – or back to – faith. Amid the constant resurgence of blatant racism, as exemplified in the recent murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, reminds us that we are really battling two pandemics, simultaneously. People are looking for answers, seeking the “peace that passes all understanding,” and a new and better normal. As president of a divinity school, my primary aim is ensuring that current and future ministers are prepared to bear witness more effectively for such a time as this. To that end, seminarians and faith leaders alike will discover refreshing new strategies for overcoming obstacles and deepening faith in my forthcoming book, Is Christianity the White Man’s Religion?

Americans searched for God with renewed interest in the last decade, and it seems that COVID-19 has only intensified this quest. Spiritual fulfillment, after all, is an important dimension of the human psyche. While many people will continue to look to the Bible and their Christian faith for guidance, others question the relevance of the Bible for contemporary times. In any case, people in general are scouring America’s spiritual landscape, hoping to find a faith that is real, one that heals and unifies. I explore this faith anew in Is Christianity the White Man’s Religion?

Let me share an experience I had a few years ago while teaching a graduate course on leadership. A 22-year-old student interrupted my lecture with a question: “What do you say to people who are leaving the church and arguing that Christianity is the white man’s religion?” I was taken aback by the question. First, it was unrelated to the topic. Second, I wondered who in the world would argue such a thing. I knew that this had been a common question back during the Jim Crow era, and I almost brushed it off. However, the discussion that ensued opened a world of discovery. Apparently, my ethnically diverse class of millennials was more attuned to the relevance of the question than I.

Unable to shake the discussion from my thoughts, I embarked on a journey of research and found that many Christians are unaware that much pondering about faith exists outside the church. How relevant is the Bible for understanding today’s complex issues? What does the Bible offer to a nation of multi-ethnic, multicultural, multi-generational individuals? The answers to these and similar questions led me to write Is Christianity the White Man’s Religion?

Harris will be honored along with 55 other FBI honorees from across the country at the FBI Director’s Award Ceremony to be held at the FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, May 3, 2019.

[click on the photo below to read the statement from the FBI]

Antipas Harris, a regular contributor at PneumaReview.com, writes: “I am surprised, humbled, and truly grateful for this honor. To God be the glory!”

Tania Harris is both an academic and a practioner. She has been a student, teacher, pastor, church planter, an international speaker, and now, an author. Her calling is to help God’s people hear God’s voice on their own (page xiv). In several places in this book she mentions that it does not take years of education to hear God’s voice. God wants us to know Him, and God longs for us to hear Him (pages 16-17). The author herself uses examples in her interpretation of biblical texts along with her personal experiences and her humor, which when combined, takes us on the journey with her, hearing, seeing, and wondering out loud what we have stepped into.

The Table of Contents reveals 26 chapters, all with intriguing titles. I have chosen three as examples of her unique style of writing. To really appreciate this style and I heartily recommend that you read the book for yourself.

Chapter 1: How Do I know It’s God?

Chapter 1 gives us a background on the God who speaks. We find God desires communication with his people. God wants to be heard. So it is very common to hear the question, “How do we know it is God that is speaking?” Using examples from the kings of Israel and the prophets she leads us on the road to the New Testament, where Jesus walks and talks with the disciples. No question about who’s talking here. But what happens after the crucifixion and the Resurrection? How will we hear that voice? The Day of Pentecost arrives and Peter speaks to the crowd from the book of Joel, telling them that God will pour out his Holy Spirit upon all people. That there will be prophecy and visions and dreams, for men and women alike (Acts 2:17-18). With this promise, which is for each succeeding generation, comes the ability to hear God’s voice.

Chapter 3: I’m Yours Lord

Tania Harris, image from GodConversations.com.

In this chapter the author is excited about her spiritual life. She is experiencing God on her own and enjoying worshipping at church. She is elated that she is stepping out in ministry and is looking forward to teaching children of Wycliffe Bible Translators. As she is singing she hears a voice, “Give all your money away” (page 21). She has planned a trip and the money is all accounted for. An internal struggle pulls at her. What is she to do? Then she remembers Abraham. She thinks of his struggle as he arranges stones into a pile that is meant to become an altar (page 25). His belief in the promises of God may be stretched thin, but God sees his faith and makes a way. Because she has no doubt that it was God’s voice, she gives her money away, and finds in its place a God that can provide her with everything she needs.

Chapter 16: Silence

When we have been praying about something specific and sense the Presence of God, it is wonderful. When suddenly we do not sense his presence, we begin to wonder what happened. Did I do something displeasing God? Are you hearing me, Lord? Are you there? The author had never planted a church before, but she was absolutely sure it was his will. She just needed a little help. The voice she longed to hear was silent. So she prayed … and she prayed. And still no voice. Nothing. She had a choice.

This reminded her of a boy named David. David became King of Israel. David heard from God. As he grew older he desired to honor God by building Him a temple. So David prayed, but God gave no answer. Nathan the prophet told David to do what was in his mind. Here David had a choice. He chose to wait and God spoke through Nathan. David was not to build the temple, that would be for his son. But God would build a house for David, a house of kings. The author had a choice, just as David did. Sometimes God lets us choose. Be creative, do something new, learn and grow (page 134)!

This book encouraged, instructed, and inspired me. As I read through the book there were times when I had to put it down, there was so much to glean from her observations. Her writing style grabbed my attention—it is amazing how she pairs the biblical stories with her own stories. Her insight tugged at my heart. Her writing was clear, intentional, humorous and transparent. Each chapter builds to the next one. You must read this book to see the whole picture.

I recommend this book for those who are not sure if God speaks today, and for those who are seeking to hear His voice for themselves. For young women and young men, for they are the church of today and tomorrow, and for their elders, many of whom are young at heart. God Conversations is a guidebook for hearing the voice of God.

Reviewed by Cynthia Lathrop

For more from author Tania Harris, go to GodConversations.com.

What can Christians do to bring racial unity in their communities?

Added October 3, 2016: “Here is a clip from my interview about the recent race related community factions concerning police killings in America with Andrew Knox on the 700 Club Interactive. The interview aired last Thursday on the Free Form Network (formerly ABC Family Channel).”
 

 
“Regent professor and pastor Antipas Harris shares what Christians can do in the midst of the current social climate of racial tension in America.”

To see more from Antipas Harris, click on his name in the About the Author section below to see his author page where you will find a full listing of PneumaReview.com articles.

In Antipas Harris’ book, Holy Spirit, Holy Living: Toward a Practical Theology of Holiness for Twenty-First Century Churches, the author aims to broach the topic of holiness by writing an academically informed work that is accessible and beneficial to the everyday Christian (xv). Although this work is academic in nature, non-academic readers will be able to enjoy the author’s work due to the book’s readability. The book is divided into two parts each containing four chapters. Part one explores and addresses the meaning of and need for biblical holiness, and the part two is largely a proposal on how to walk out holiness from day-to-day. This book is located within a Wesleyan Pentecostal perspective on holiness, although it refreshingly explores both the strengths and weaknesses of the overall tradition.

Antipas Harris

Chapter one lays a foundation for the whole of the book by showing the need for a practical theology of holiness for the twenty first century. The author does this by showing how this call to a holy life lies within the pages of scripture and touches on the fact that there is a middle way between lawlessness and legalism. Chapter two further develops this middle ground by giving further definition to how to live “in the world but not [be] of the world”. According to Harris, holiness at its core is forsaking the world and identifying with Christ (p. 25), yet responding to the call to be missional in the world (p. 33). In this chapter, it becomes more apparent that for Harris, holiness is a lifestyle and a “distinctive way of living in the world” (p. 37).

Chapter three serves as an overview of the scriptural content that speaks to the issue of holiness and sanctification specifically. Here the author looks at various elements that speak to holiness in the Old Testament including the Torah (pp. 43-44), the Sabbath (pp. 45-48), the Old Testament Holiness code (pp. 48-50), and the Psalms (pp. 52-55). Then he shifts to cover the New Testament by looking at what Paul (pp. 57-58) and Peter (pp. 58-59) had to say about it. Although the author clearly desires a balance between heart and action, it is worth noting that this concise yet thorough treatment of the scriptural content on holiness focuses more on the OT view of holiness than the NT, which lends itself to being more performance based. Nonetheless, it is evident the author attempts to strike the difficult balance between an inward heart condition and an outward lifestyle. Chapter Four touches on the connectedness yet dissimilarities between salvation and sanctification (pp. 62-67), and then the rest of the chapter focuses on how to live out that sanctification. Harris makes an important distinction, though, by connecting living the “sanctified life” through the Holy Spirit’s empowerment (pp. 85-86).

Part II begins in chapter five where the author gives his “four Ds” on how to live out the holy life: “devoted life of prayer, a disciplined lifestyle with determination to live God’s ways despite the odds, and commitment to developing a life of service to and on behalf of others” (p. 92). This chapter is filled with good, practical advice on how to begin to put holiness to practice. Further, chapter seven gives “Four Cs” (confusion about the definition of holiness, culture might get in the way, church might get in the way, cravings [lust] get in the way) that serve as hindrances to holiness and chapter eight gives “Four Rs” (repentance, recommitment, recovery, and renewal). Chapter seven gives a helpful picture of common hindrances many have to living out holiness and chapter eight serves as a strong appeal to the church on her situation of “urgency in society” (p. 134). Harris’ conclusions in chapter eight might cause debate among readers as whole, but is nothing new in light of the controversy surrounding the relationship between the church and greater society (particularly in the political arena). All in all, I commend the author for discussing how this issue speaks to the issue of holiness.

Reviewed by Andrew Ray Williams

Publisher’s page: http://wipfandstock.com/holy-spirit-holy-living.html

Harriet A. Harris, Fundamentalism and Evangelicals (Oxford Theological Monographs; Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1998 [2008 in paperback]), 400 pages, ISBN 9780199532537.

Fundamentalism and Evangelicals is a revealing and fascinating book. Harris gives a close and objective reading of the evidence that modern evangelicalism is ruled by a fundamentalist mindset, which, as Harris defines it, primarily has to do with an insistence on the factual content of Scripture. This book is not so much about naming two separate streams (evangelicalism and fundamentalism), but rather about the fundamentalist side of evangelicalism. This book is largely a (mostly friendly) response to James Barr’s critique of fundamentalism (found in Fundamentalism [1977] and Beyond Fundamentalism [1984], along with various articles). It is therefore worth noting that Barr largely agreed with Harris’s response, which is strong testimony to its worth: “[W]here she differs from my own past judgements, I generally accept her correction” (review of Harris, in Journal of Theological Studies 51 [2000] 408-11). Although Harris is aware that the terms “fundamentalism” and “evangelicalism” should not be used interchangeably, she pointedly allows a good deal of the overlap to remain in the reader’s mind throughout this book. This inevitably will annoy some readers (as no one really wants to be called a “fundamentalist”), but I found it challenging and refreshingly honest. I say this even though I count myself an “evangelical” (in the broader sense of the word).

Harris is the chaplain of Wadham College (Oxford University), and, as such, her treatment of evangelicalism is somewhat stronger from the English side than from the American side. I should also note that her discussion of Pentecostals is not always accurate. For example, Harris mistakenly refers to the Journal of Pentecostal Theology as a “British counterpart” to the journal Pneuma (p. 82 n. 12). Undoubtedly she was confused by the (then) location of the imprint (Sheffield, England). In terms of editorship and the balance of contributions, both journals are American.

Harris obviously does not care for the fundamentalist insistence that the truth of Scripture lies in its factual content. Like so many before her, she tries to connect the propositionalist focus of modern evangelical hermeneutics with the Common Sense Realism of the Scottish Enlightenment. Her attempt falls flat, as it fails to consider propositionalism on its own. Harris falls victim to the idea that you can debunk a view simply by deconstructing its history. In this case, the error is double, in that propositionalism is a notion going back way earlier than Common Sense Realism. Harris’s alternative to propositionalism represents the weakest point of the book. Her rather dismissive attitude to the notion that Scripture is primarily propositional (and to the question of how factualness relates to truth) is disappointing, as she shows little regard for the historical genre of much of Scripture, nor does she trace out the “fundamentally” factual content of the gospel message lying at the center of the New Testament. In this regard, I have to say that James Barr’s books on fundamentalism still hold the edge, as he never loses sight of the creedal shape of Christian belief.