Reflections of an Undeconstructed Pentecostal
Hating the church, and all things religious, has become a raging fad among Christians. Daily I read Facebook posts and blogs expressing resentment toward religious institutions of all shapes and sizes. With friends like this, who need enemies?
I recently read through Hosea again. This time I was overwhelmed by the depths of sin and grace expressed in this narrative.
Continue reading “Loving the Great Whore”
I’ve learned some things about sin: (1) all have sinned; (2) we are often happy to talk about someone else’s sin; (3) those sins that directly affect us tend to get overlooked, or excused; and (4) eventually we stop talking about sin because we are uncomfortable with our sinfulness, and we don’t want to be accused of being judgmental toward others. This is especially true when it comes to sexual sin. However, the truth remains that sin is the condition of humanity – all of us. And, there is a remedy for sin.
Continue reading “Grace for Sexual Sin”
Footwashing has been observed by the Church for centuries. Some early church fathers understood footwashing as a sacrament and associated it with water baptism. Others used the word “mystery” when speaking of footwashing, and presented it as a sacred rite independent of communion and baptism. Churches representing all Christian traditions, from Roman Catholic to Pentecostal, observe this sacred act. Footwashing has often been adopted by various renewal movements as a protest against abuses of ecclesiastical hierarchy. Because early Pentecostals understood themselves to be a renewal of the “church of the Bible” the practice of footwashing was embraced. Every member was encouraged to observe this sacred act on the basis of fidelity to the Bible and the unity of the Church. Some have questioned the validity of footwashing. However, there are many biblical reasons why we should observe footwashing regularly.
Continue reading “Footwashing: The Fellowship of the Towel”
As the Roman soldiers hoisted the cross, with Jesus nailed to it, the Son of Man was being lifted up and he was drawing all humanity to himself (John 12:32).
Continue reading “A View from the Cross”
My favorite gospel music is that of Elvis Presley. From his majestic rendition of How Great Thou Art to Let Us Pray, the final song of his last movie, I love the hear Elvis sing songs of inspiration and faith. His musical style was born in his Pentecostal faith and married to the Blues music of Memphis. In fact, I enjoy all of his music, from Teddy Bear to In the Ghetto. When Elvis died I mourned his loss, but found myself wondering, “How can a man with his gift to sing sacred music and reared in Pentecostal church live and die like he did?”
Continue reading “The Gospel according to Elvis and Whitney”