The January-February 2012 PNEUMA INFORMER
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In this issue
What's New at www.PneumaFoundation.org
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New Online Articles
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Reports from Around the World
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Lithuania: Miracle of New Life
Iran: Government declares house churches a threat
USA: Church wins Firing case at Supreme Court
More than 5 Billion can hear the Bible in their heart language
Nigeria: Christians Murdered, Boko Haram Terrorist Accepts Christ
Arab Spring not bringing revolution or freedom for Christians
Liberia: Brutal Warlord Finds Jesus and Becomes Evangelist
Charismatic Leaders Experience Fire of Revival at Empowered21 Asia
Japan: Missionaries of hope needed
News and Headlines
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Resources You Can Use
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Billy Graham Sermon Audio Archives Available Online
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Upcoming Conferences
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Excerpts from THE PNEUMA REVIEW
Excerpt from "The Third Wave" by Henry I. Lederle
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THEOLOGY FOR A TROUBLED BELIEVER, Reviewed by Bernie Van De Walle
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Lithuania: Miracle of New Life
Evangelistic crusade that
reports hundreds making first time decisions for Jesus. "... Franklin Graham
began his message on the final night of the Lithuania Festival of Hope. 'Is your
soul secure in the hand of Almighty God?'"
www.charismanews.com/world/32237-lithuanias-proof-miracles-can-happen
Iran: Government declares house churches a threat
It
seems that the gloves are finally off. According to a report from Iranian
Christian News Agency, Iran's Minister of Intelligence calls house churches "a
threat to youth." He also says the Iranian authorities are working to stop the
growth of Christianity. Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs says, "This
is a change of direction from what we saw even two or three years ago, where the
government ignored the Church. Now they feel threatened because so many people
are coming to Christ that they're publicly speaking out about it." Although
believers were already being rounded up under the apostasy law, there was a
spike in persecution around the Advent Season: "This is a time where Christians
are celebrating. It's a time where perhaps they are sharing the Gospel, sharing
the story of Christmas. So I don't think it's a surprise that the government
would say, 'Beware of this threat.'" Prayer is needed. "I think this is yet
another confirmation of what an incredible work God is doing in Iran."
Source: Adapted from Mission Network News, 30 November,
2011. Full story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/16518
USA: Church wins Firing case at Supreme Court
Hailed as
one of the most significant religious freedom cases in 20 years, the Supreme
Court has ruled in the Hosanna-Tabor case against the US government's attempt to
narrow the ministerial exception. The ministerial exception allows churches and
religious schools to hire and fire ministers (including certain teachers at
Christian schools) without regard for rules against discrimination that would
otherwise be applicable. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2012/januaryweb-only/church-firing-case-supreme-court.html
Source: Adapted from the summary in January 16, 2012
Rush to Press from
the ECPA
More than 5 Billion can hear the Bible in their heart
language
Faith Comes By Hearing, the world's largest audio Bible
ministry, has announced that they now have available the New Testament in over
600 languages, languages spoken by over 5 billion people around the
world.
Read the press release about their latest milestone and astounding
progress: www.faithcomesbyhearing.com/audio-bibles-now-available-601-languages
Nigeria: Christians Murdered, Boko Haram Terrorist Accepts
Christ
More than 130 Christians, including several indigenous
missionaries, were brutally slaughtered on November 11 when members of a fanatic
Islamic sect viciously attacked the mostly Christian community of New Jerusalem
in Yobe State, Nigeria.
As one of the Boko Haram terrorists was poised to
slit the throat of his Christian victim, he was suddenly struck with the weight
of the evil he was about to commit. Dropping his machete, he ran to the nearest
church, asking a pastor for help. The confessed killer was led to Christ and is
being discipled, even though the family members of the former terrorist have
been murdered in retribution for his "disloyalty to Islam."
Read the full
story: christianaid.org/Missionaries/MIR/mir20111123.aspx
Source: Adapted from the Nov 23, 2011 Africa e-Alert from
Christian Aid.
Arab Spring not bringing revolution or freedom for
Christians
The "Arab Spring" brought fresh hope for freedom and
change, but for believers, that has been anything but true. Open Doors' Carl
Moeller says, "The reality for Christians in the Northern Africa/Middle Eastern
region who have experienced an 'Arab Spring' is that the situation is far more
complex and dangerous for Christians in that region than it was a year ago. The
political dimension of almost every one of the revolutions has become the
contours of an Islamic government," resulting in a spike in persecution. The
situations are still fluid; however, Moeller expects to see an exodus. "We think
that Christians will emigrate more; we think there will be an upswing in
persecution and restrictions, but we're still hopeful and prayerful that the
church will continue to grow, nonetheless." Pray not only for the strength of
Christians in the region. Also pray "that in the midst of turmoil, people would
be searching for spiritual answers and that they would find those answers in
Jesus Christ."
Christian Freedom International says "'Arab Spring' Means
'Christian Winter' for Millions of Persecuted Christians." www.christianfreedom.org/news/%e2%80%9carab-spring%e2%80%9d-means-%e2%80%9cchristian-winter%e2%80%9d-for-millions-of-persecuted-christians/
A
Saudi journalist calls it "The Muslim Brotherhood Spring" english.alarabiya.net/views/2011/11/06/175697.html
Source: Mission Network News, 15 December, 2011. Full
story: http://www.mnnonline.org/article/16585
Liberia: Brutal Warlord Finds Jesus and Becomes
Evangelist
An African warlord who killed 20,000 people repented and
is now a Christian evangelist. A practitioner of human sacrifice for years and a
believer in demonic protection, his vision of Jesus in the middle of a battle
was a dramatic turning point in his life.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/african-warlord-who-killed-20000-people-repents-now-christian-evangelist-65550
Charismatic Leaders Experience Fire of Revival at Empowered21
Asia
Report from Empowered21 Asia: www.charismanews.com/world/32244-charismatic-leaders-experience-fire-of-revival-at-empowered21-asia
Japan: Missionaries of hope needed
The devastation of the
March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami has created an unprecedented opening for
many in Japan to hear the good news of Jesus. But the laborers are few.
"We
need hundreds of missionaries to come to Japan. This is the hour."
www.mnnonline.org/article/16546
See other news to pray and praise God about in the Prayer Requests department below.
Report the News
We are looking for stories about what God
is doing in the world, reports about the persecution of Christians, and
information about significant trends and ministry opportunities. If you have a
news item to report, please send an email to the PNEUMA
INFORMER. www.PneumaFoundation.org/ContactUs.jsp
Billy Graham Sermon Audio Archives Available
Online
CharismaNews announcing this resource: www.charismanews.com/culture/32265-billy-graham-sermon-audio-archives-available-online
Billy
Graham Evangelistic Association website where the resource is available: www.billygraham.org/audio-archives.asp
Pentecostal Theology Conversation
John Lathrop writes
about a new group on Facebook that might be of interest to our readers:
Yesterday I saw that there is a new group on Facebook called Pentecostal Theology Worldwide. A couple of my Facebook friends joined. You have to ask to join (and be approved). ... I see that Assemblies of God scholar, Stanley Horton, is part of the group.
Converge 2012
Converge 2012: joint meeting of
Empowered 21 USA with the 41st annual meeting of the Society for Pentecostal
Studies
Where: Hosted by Regent University (Virginia Beach,
VA).
When: February 29 through March 3, 2012.
Theme: Pentecostalisms, Peacemaking, and Social Justice/ Righteousness
Converge 2012 is a gathering of ministry leaders and scholars from around the world and across the United States.
More information: Empowered 21
http://www.empowered21.com
Society for
Pentecostal Studies http://www.sps-usa.org
THE PNEUMA REVIEW is a quarterly printed journal of ministry resources and theology for Pentecostal and charismatic ministries and leaders. For more information about THE PNEUMA REVIEW, and to learn how to subscribe, please visit: Introducing THE PNEUMA REVIEW. www.pneumafoundation.org/intro_pr.jsp
For a full index of the contents of all Pneuma Review issues, visit: http://www.pneumafoundation.org/pr_archive.jsp.
From the Winter 2012 issue
An excerpt from:
"The Third Wave: New Independent Charismatic
Churches"
Part 1 of 2
The third major movement of the Pentecostal-Charismatic segment of Protestantism distinguishes itself from the First and Second Waves in two important ways. First, as we have just seen, it led to new structures being formed. Although the word "denomination" has remained suspect in these circles, and the idea of tradition is usually also viewed rather negatively, these new Christian groups are, in fact, already new denominations in the making, rapidly forming their own traditional patterns of organization and church life. It has been estimated that over 3,000 of these new independent Charismatic groups or denominations have been established globally. Second, in the teaching of these Independent Charismatic Churches, a whole spectrum of innovative doctrinal emphases emerged. There has been much debate about some of these teachings. Usually there is some continuity to be found within the Pentecostal-Charismatic heritage with these new teachings. Some of their teachings have remained contentious, especially in the wider circles of Christianity. The fact is, however, that most of these innovations had their roots in the classic spiritual writers of the nineteenth century. This fact will be pursued later.
The term "Third Wave" will now be used as synonymous with the Independent Charismatic Churches. Here the primary slogans and metaphors were not "Hang in there," "Be salt and light," "Renew from within," as in the Second Wave, but rather, "Go out from among them," avoid "unequal yoking," seek "new wineskins" for the new wine. The universally pervasive conviction was that "the Cloud has moved on" and God's pilgrim people need to launch out and chart a new course. The people who make up this new move include both converts to the Christian faith and many believers who transferred from other churches. A significant number of the latter group came from both the First and the Second Waves. Classical Pentecostalism provided a large number of leaders in the Independent Charismatic movement.
Some believed that the Pentecostals had themselves fallen prey to denominationalism and had become too formal or traditional. The Latter Rain movement expressed this in a scathing critique of Pentecostal churches that led to an equally swift denouncing of the Latter Rain as a heretical movement. Although the Classical Pentecostal denominations continued to experience growth, some of their members left to join the new Independent Charismatic ministries. The same applied to the Second Wave. It has been estimated that at least 50% of mainline denominational Charismatics gave up on their program to renew their churches from within and left for what they considered to be greener pastures. They had a hunger for a church where Spirit-empowerment and Charismatic gifts and ministry could be more visible or regular. Some naturally found a home in major Pentecostal denominations, such as the Assemblies of God. A larger section of the discontented, however, pursued the pathway of the non-denominational or Independent Charismatic Churches.
First a word needs to be said about the term "Third Wave." It was, I believe, first coined by C. Peter Wagner, at that time from the School of World Missions at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He believed that the "Second Wave," or denominational Charismatic movement, influenced the larger mainline Protestant churches that were of a more liberal background theologically. I disagree with this analysis and maintain that more conservative and evangelical Protestants were also deeply involved in this movement from the very beginning. Wagner further stated that the Second Wave writers, who preferred to identify themselves as Charismatics rather than as being of a Neo-Pentecostal persuasion, nevertheless still remained within the theological tradition of a theology of subsequence with a heavy emphasis on glossolalia. The more integrative understandings of Spirit-baptism, as developed in the global Charismatic awakening, especially in England and Germany, were less prominent in the United States than in Europe, and their unique contribution may have escaped his notice. As a result, the awakening of charismatic gifts - especially of healing and prophecy - among more conservative Protestant groups was heralded by Wagner as constituting a "Third Wave," while others, like myself, still considered them as an integral part of the whole denominational Charismatic Renewal, or Second Wave.
A significant aspect among the evangelical Charismatics, which Wagner was accentuating, is a fresh openness and acceptance of all the charisms of the Spirit without requiring any initiatory crisis experience. In these circles, the major hurdle to clear was the theory of cessationism, which still held sway in many conservative Protestant groups. Cessationism teaches that at some point in early church history all miracles ceased. In this study, Wagner's third wave is discussed loosely under the third subsection of the Third Wave (Empowered Evangelicals). The term Third Wave is here more broadly understood as the whole Independent Charismatic movement.
To my mind, the primary objection against designating this group of more conservative denominational Charismatics as a separate Third Wave is the limited size of this movement. Whenever illustrations of this approach are given, the examples seem to come from the Vineyard movement associated with the ministry of John Wimber. The Vineyard movement, however, is not structurally parallel to the renewal movement within conservative Protestant Churches, such as Southern Baptists or conservative Congregationalists, because it is clearly a new denominational grouping. It took the major ecclesiological step of forming a separate structure. The renewal among conservative Protestants has been an arduous journey. The Southern Baptist Convention, for example, has a long history of disfellowshiping local congregations that become overtly charismatic, and it objects to glossolalia being practiced among its missionaries - even as a private prayer language.
As a result, this researcher chose to use the term "Third Wave" for a much more prominent and sizeable movement that has taken place in the last two decades of the twentieth century. I am referring to the Independent Charismatic churches that grew to become a global phenomenon in the eighties and nineties. They are structurally distinct from the renewal movement within established churches and have become known for specific doctrinal emphases. There is, nevertheless, a very broad spectrum of theological views represented in this group.
For this chapter, no thorough written history of the development of this movement is available, as was the case with the First and Second Waves of the Spirit. The tentative analysis of the major groupings presented here is the result of my own taxonomy that was published in 1990. Due to the paucity of sources, some attention will be given to the development of the movement itself. The Third Wave - used in this particular way to designate all Independent Charismatic churches - has at least four subsections or currents (to maintain the analogy of waves). These currents range from the faith emphasis found in the Rhema Bible Church to the more "laid back" West Coast style of the Vineyard movement. Some of these Independent Charismatic churches or ministries are rooted in Classical Pentecostalism or, more especially, in the Latter Rain movement of the late 1940s and early 1950s. Others more clearly have a post-denominational renewal stamp to them, being born of the dissatisfaction that arose when traditionalists in many churches resisted Charismatic emphases and the renewal movement was stifled or sidetracked by denominational leadership.
The Third Wave has produced a large number of strong and dynamic leaders. While many Independent Charismatic groups over time felt the need to form loose networks and some even opted for clearly defined Episcopal structures (such as the International Communion of Charismatic Churches), others formed local congregations with no formal links to any other believers at all. Churches of this latter category are usually generically named according to locality, e.g., Middleton Family Church, Laketown Fellowship of Believers, and Westville Worship Center. The term "non-denominational" has sometimes been used to describe the whole Independent Charismatic movement, but "non-denominational" applies only to the unconnected type of churches referred to in the previous sentence. Most Independent Charismatic groups have tended to seek some form of mutual accountability, association, and networking with those of similar ministerial focus and teaching. The trend toward forming links has been made more urgent by the unfortunate circumstances of several prominent Charismatic leaders going astray morally when too much influence and control were concentrated in the hands of an individual. "Non-denominational" or unconnected churches may initially still have a strong sense of theological heritage, communality and connectedness to Christian tradition, simply through the heritage and training of the current leadership.
The Independent Charismatic movement is a global phenomenon. Firmly established in the United States and Canada, it has spread internationally, with significant concentrations in England, Sweden, France, the Netherlands, South Africa, Nigeria, China, Russia, South Korea, Singapore, and India.
. . .
__________
This is part of chapter six from Henry I. Lederle, Theology with Spirit: The Future of the Pentecostal & Charismatic Movements in the 21st Century (Tulsa: Word & Spirit Press, 2010). Used with permission.
Henry I. Lederle, Theology with Spirit: The Future of the Pentecostal
& Charismatic Movements in the 21st Century. Tulsa: Word & Spirit
Press, 2010. x + 246 pp.; bibliography, index. ISBN:
978-0-9819526-3-5.
Distributed by Ingram (ingrambook.com). Available at
BarnesAndNoble.com and Amazon.com, also in the Kindle Store.
Query
Wor...@gmail.com regarding discounts for quantity purchases.
Henry I. Lederle, D.Th. (University of South Africa) and M.A. (University of Orange Free State), is Professor of Theology and Ministry at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas. He is the author of Treasures Old and New: Interpretations of Spirit-Baptism in the Charismatic Renewal Movement (Hendrickson, 1988) and several collections of essays, articles and reviews.
Read more articles in the
Winter 2012 issue of THE PNEUMA REVIEW
www.pneumafoundation.org/intro_pr.jsp
From the Winter 2012 issue
Diogenes Allen, Theology for a Troubled Believer: An Introduction to the Christian Faith (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), 223 pages, ISBN 9780664223229.
When I was first offered the opportunity to review Diogenes Allen's new book, Theology for a Troubled Believer, I immediately welcomed the opportunity. While in graduate school, I had the great pleasure of having Dr. Allen as a Sunday School teacher and, consequently, eagerly looked forward to the opportunity to interact with him again. His teaching was, at the same time, profound, understandable, and practical. The mastery of a subject necessary to accomplish all three is not common. Dr. Allen, though currently retired, had a long and prestigious career as the Stuart Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Princeton Theological Seminary. In addition, he holds the rare distinction of being ordained in both the Episcopal Church and the Presbyterian Church (USA).
While he engages most of the classical topics in systematic theology in this book, his approach is, to a degree, novel. This book is Allen's extended response to questions posed to him by a thoughtful and intelligent man; a friend seeking to make sense of the world and, particularly, of the Christian faith in light of both the significant suffering that exists in the world and the fact that we live "in a world very different than the one inhabited by the biblical writers." Allen's goal is to aid his readers in gaining the skills necessary to put the various pieces of life's puzzle together in a coherent fashion, to help them make more sense of the world through a Christian perspective, and to move them beyond simply a "notional" understanding of the faith to something more "real."
With the idea of human suffering as his central theme, Allen addresses the major topics of classical Christian systematic theology. Not surprisingly, however, his somewhat unique purpose leads him to present these categories with varying amounts of emphasis and, to a degree, in an order outside of the ordinary. He starts with an investigation into the nature of God, challenging the philosophical ideas of how God must be, including some ideas that have been adopted by classic Christian theology. Allen gives significant attention to the holiness of God, focusing on the idea of God's "transcendence," which he calls "the essential quality of the Deity." (The two chapters that Allen dedicates to this topic alone, in my opinion, is worth the price of the book!) It is a thoughtful, engaging, and masterful treatment of the Christian doctrine of holiness; both in the sense of that which is essential to God Himself and in the sense of how humanity, created in His image, is to manifest this holiness through the pursuit and establishment of justice. From there, Allen, who has received significant and numerous accolades for his work on the relation of faith and science, discusses what it means for God to be the Creator and the inherent limits of science to investigate Him. In this chapter, Allen, dismantles the commonly held "God-of-the-gaps" thesis that asserts that the concept of the divine is simply an historic, and now unnecessary, approach to explaining the heretofore mysterious.
The next major section, "The Divine Sacrifices," contains Allen's thoughts on a number of classic theological categories, including creation (which Allen asserts is the prototype of true human behaviour), human lostness, the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Temptation of Christ, and the Cross. Throughout this section, Allen ably and effectively weaves together insights from various thinkers and authors across the expanse of the last 2,000 years. Following that, in the section titled, "The New Life in God," the author unpacks his understanding of salvation, which he asserts is not only grounded in the resurrection of Jesus but brings, consequently, not just life but a new kind of life not only filled with but the product of the life of God Himself. God's purpose and priority in the work of salvation is to share His divine life with humanity. While traditional evangelical systematic theology tends to introduce the definition of faith early on in system, Allen saves that topic until much later. When he finally does introduce it, he asserts that, contrary to popular opinion, faith and reason are not mutually exclusive. Instead, both are necessary aspects of Christian belief. The question is not, then, "Which one is the true Christian practice?" but "How do the two relate and contribute to Christian discipleship?"
The final section, "Responding to God," contains Allen's exposition of the church - a colony of heaven, which I found particularly thought-provoking and helpful. Yet, his discussion of the sacraments, while insightful and instructive, seemed so different from the rest of book as not to fit. Many readers will undoubtedly find his discussion of "Sin, Evil, and Hope for the Future," uncomfortable, at least. While his assertions regarding the relative power and the nature of sin are valuable, many will find his challenge of the necessity and actuality of Adam and Eve as the historical progenitors of the human race beyond what they may feel is acceptable. Regrettably, many may miss out on the value of this chapter (if not the value of the entire book) due to this concern.
Reviewed by Bernie A. Van De
__________
Bernie A. Van De Walle, Ph.D. (Drew University), is Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Ambrose University College in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The author of The Heart of the Gospel: A. B. Simpson, the Fourfold Gospel, and Late Nineteenth-Century Evangelical Theology, he has served as the President of the Christian Theological Research Fellowship and sits on the Steering Committee of the Wesleyan Holiness Consortium.
Read more reviews and other articles in the Summer 2011 issue of THE PNEUMA REVIEW www.pneumafoundation.org/intro_pr.jsp
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