Tag: Pentacostal

Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner (Book Review)

On By pastorjonathanIn books2 Comments

Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost by Matthew Paul Turner comes out Tomorrow (February 16, 2010).  Turner grew up in a fundamentalist Independent  Baptist church and fled to the edge of the music scene in Nashville.  He describes in vivid detail how his fundamentalist upbringing and his earnest desire to be part of the Christian music industry collided.

To be fair, Turner is a very gifted writer.  His writing style is engaging, comical, and pointed all at the same time.  He has a way of pulling the reader into his story and challenging them to see things through his eyes.  This book was very well written.

However, though the book was engaging, in the end it really lacked substance.  All it ended up being was a tirade against various forms of Christianity.  Turner exposed the flaws of fundamentalism, the extreme edge of Calvinism, held a sad reflection on Pentecostalism, and exposed the underbelly of Christian Music Industry.  But to what end?  Why?  What was the point?… That is it.  There was no strong way forward.  There was no call to abandon Christianity.  There was no call to move to the center.  There was no call to say, “Hey, we are all messed up.”  There was no challenge to find the real Jesus.  In the end it was just a well written book on what is wrong with the world of fundamentalism and a few other branches of Christianity.

In the opinion of this blogger, it is a little late for that.  It’s tired.  There are enough former fundamentalist writing out their angst against their parents religion.  Why are they still being published?  Lets push forward and provide some answers, clarity, and direction.  There are two ways to embrace a theology.  One is to be so repulsed by a theology that you back into one, the other is to open both eyes and examine the evidence for yourself.  Hear No Evil is a great example of backing into a theology.  If you are looking for a way forward check out Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris.  It is written in a similar style, but provides a clearer way forward.

I would really only recommend this book to former fundamentalist who are still full of pent-up angst against their parents and are looking for someone to agree with them.   The retail price of Hear No Evil: My Story of Innocence, Music, and the Holy Ghost is $14.99 (Paperback), and is available at places like Amazon.com for $10.11 I gave it three stars.

You can also get more information about this book from the publisher or purchase it here.

Disclaimer:  This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.  There was no requirement to give the book a good review.  Just to review it and tell you what I really think.

3 Questions About Healing and the Kingdom

On By pastorjonathanIn Kingdom of God2 Comments

jesus-heals1 So I guess it is only fair for me to admit my biases up front when it comes to “healing.”  My Theological Assumption: I would like to clearly state that I do believe that God does choose to heal and even miraculously heal certain people at certain times.  My Cultural Assumption: I would also like to state that I believe that many Americans neglect  a healthy understanding of the miraculous and supernatural because of an over dependence on a skeptical mind (how arrogant to assume that all cultures that hold to a supernatural world are living in ignorance).  My Experiential Assumption: I have several friends who despite great prayers and great faith have never experience a divine healing miraculous or otherwise.  They were asked to stand up out of their chairs or extend forth their lame hands all to no avail.  Many were accused of not having enough faith.

3 Questions About Healing and the Kingdom

So all of this arises out of the need to get something right in my mind.  A few times now I have been in a situation where a group of folks will get together with the idea to share Christ with the lost world and a brother of mine will stand up and start talking about healing. Usually when this happens they direct my attention to Isaiah 53:5 (By his stripes we are healed) gloss over the whole sacrifice part of the passage and ask if anyone wants to be healed.  The gospel seems to be diminished or passed over by the desire to display a powerful sign of healing.

I understand  that while in the midst of preaching the kingdom Jesus healed people. In many instances healing and preaching the kingdom were hand in hand and almost inseparable (Matt 4:23, 9:35, 10:7-8, Luke 9:11 and especially Luke 10:9).  Jesus demonstrates that the kingdom is coming by healing and showing us what the kingdom will be like (there will be no sickness or death).  This proves not only to authenticate his message, but help us to visualize what it would look like to live under the rule and reign of such a benevolent king.

Yet at the heart of what I generally observe when I hear healing preached is not an announcing of the Kingdom of God, but a statement that God wants you healthy and wealthy. Then some take it so far as to say that if you lack health or wealth you have no faith.  I often wonder if such people have searched the scriptures enough to develop and understand a theology of suffering.

So here are my questions…

. . . . . . . . .

  • Is there a connection between healing and the kingdom of God?
  • Does your theology of healing allow for a theology of suffering? If so how?
  • Does miraculous healing still happen today?