Racism is America’s deepest and longest lasting wound. Sometimes, the wound seems to heal; other times, to deteriorate. According to a 2022 Gallup poll, only 28% of Americans currently are satisfied with the state of race relations in our nation. … Continue reading Life-Changing Cross-Cultural Friendships | Book Review
In 1 Corinthians 12–14, Paul responds to Corinthian church members’ questions about the use of spiritual gifts in corporate settings (12:1, cf. 7:1). Corinthian worship included uninterpreted tongues (14:1–25) and prophecies delivered chaotically (14:26–40). These misuses of those gifts resulted … Continue reading Six Tests of Pentecostal Worship
“The currency of the kingdom of God isn’t prayer, Bible study, missions, or service; it’s love,” writes Choco De Jesus in his new book, Love Them Anyway (Charisma House). “All the disciplines are means to put us in touch with … Continue reading Love Them Anyway | Influence Podcast
“If I want to do something with my life and make a difference in the world, how do I do that?” A college student asked Hal Donaldson this question several years ago after Donaldson made a presentation at his university. … Continue reading Disruptive Compassion | Book Review
“There is power available to you that can unlock your soul and all of its hidden longings,” writes John Lindell—“the buried hopes of the past, the strength needed for the moment, and the dreams for a beautiful future. That is the power of the best news: the gospel is able to change your life at this moment, even now.” In this episode of the Influence Podcast, I talk with John Lindell about this power, which is the power of God’s grace. Lindell is pastor of James River Church, a multisite congregation in Springfield, Missouri. He is devoted to seeing the local … Continue reading Why Grace Is More Liberating Than You Believe | Influence Podcast
In the Church’s first few centuries of existence, Christians spread the gospel by means of Roman roads. Today, the internet and social media are Roman-road equivalents, giving Christians the ability to share the gospel farther and faster than at any time in history. Unfortunately, a lot of Christians — especially, though not exclusively, in America — are blowing it. Take a look at your Christian friends’ social media posts, if you doubt me. Many use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like innocuously enough as platforms for sharing grandkid pics or corny jokes. To the extent that they use them to … Continue reading Truth Plus Love | Book Review
Arthur C. Brooks opens Love Your Enemies with a personal anecdote about a speech he gave to conservative activists in New Hampshire. Brooks is president of the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative Washington, D.C., think tank, so the audience for … Continue reading Love Your Enemies | Book Review
Jesus Christ is the greatest news the world has ever heard, and the internet and social media give contemporary Christians effective means to share it. Unfortunately, a lot of Christians are blowing their chance, as even a quick glance at Christians online shows. How can we better use these communication tools for greater gospel influence? I’m George P. Wood, executive editor of Influencemagazine and your host. In Episode 172 of the Influence Podcast, I’m talking to Matt Brown about the biblical formula for influence, whether you’re online or off. Matt is an Assemblies of God minister, founder of the online … Continue reading Truth + Love = Influence | Influence Podcast
Today, over at InfluenceMagazine.com: Craig Keener explains from Scripture why Pentecostals need always to keep power and love together, because the Spirit is the source of both. John Davidson reviews Chris Sonksen’s new book, When Your Church Feels Stuck. Make sure … Continue reading Tuesday’s Influence Online Articles
This review first appeared at InfluenceMagazine.com. James K. A. Smith, You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2016). You Are What You Love by James K. A. Smith is a small book with large ambitions. It aims to reshape the way evangelical Christians understand discipleship, replacing their emphasis on thought with an emphasis on desire. Rather than saying, “You are what you think,” Smith urges Christians to say, “You are what you love.” For Smith, this reshaping of discipleship is not something new, but something old. Both the Bible and the pre-Enlightenment … Continue reading Review of ‘You Are What You Love’ by James K. A. Smith
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