Reflections of an Undeconstructed Pentecostal
I tested positive for the coronavirus. I self-isolated in our home for fourteen days. For six of those days I was too sick to do anything or think about anything. I have recovered well. In fact, I worked in our yards yesterday. According to the Tennessee Department of Health, I am out of quarantine. Someone recently asked for my reflections. So, here it goes.
Continue reading “Reflections on the CO-VID Pandemic”
The ancient people of Israel cried out, “Give us a king.” The desire for a king displeased Samuel, but Yahweh allowed Samuel to appoint a king over Israel. The desire for a king was an expression of idolatry. “The LORD said to Samuel, ‘they have rejected Me from being king over them… they have forsaken Me and served other gods’” (1 Samuel 8:5-8). The perennial temptation of humanity is to exalt human leaders to divine status. Admiration easily becomes adoration.
Continue reading “The Idolatry of Politics”
We tend to think that being called and anointed by God gives us a favored status which lifts us above accountability. The story of David reminds us that anointing brings greater accountability. David was a man after God’s heart and God anointed him to be king over Israel. The story of his defeat over Goliath is legendary and established him a one of Israel’s great heroic figures. As with most successful people, David was tempted to think too highly of himself. In David we have an example of an unintentional toxic leader. He began well, but his failures had lasting consequences.
Continue reading “When the Anointed One Falls”
Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before stumbling (Proverbs 16:18).
The proud are lifted up, exalted, and self-important. The arrogance of humanity is often depicted in the lives of great kings. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon toured his capital and reflected on his self-worth: “Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?” (Daniel 4:30). Nebuchadnezzar’s words – might, power, glory, and majesty – reveal the desire of the human heart and mind. Like Adam before him (Genesis 3:5), the Babylonian king desired to be a god.
Continue reading “Pride Goes Before Destruction”
Pentecostalism and sacramentalism are not mutually exclusive. By its very nature Pentecostalism is sacramental. Sacramentalism suggests that God mediates salvific grace through material means. The Pentecostal doctrine of baptism in the Holy Spirit with the initial physical evidence of speaking in other tongues provides the paradigm for Pentecostal sacramentalism.
Continue reading “Pentecostalism is a Sacramental Spirituality”
