Two young sons of a pastor got involved in a typical sibling squabble. They sparred verbally until the older brother had enough—and he knew just how to shut down the fight. Photo by Danica Tanjutco on Unsplash With condescending glance and tone, he simply stated, “You have no destiny.” If you’re a charismatic Christian, you know that’s the worst insult he could have come up with! I’ve spent my entire life in Pentecostal/Charismatic circles, and I’m grateful for my background and history in many ways. That said, I see both strengths and weaknesses in my Continue Reading

Author’s note: this article was originally published by CBEinternational.org. The church faces a huge crisis today. More and more (mostly) female survivors are courageously speaking out about the sexual abuse they’ve endured from pastors and other spiritual leaders. Photo by Aditya Saxena at Unsplash   One deflection method used by guilty parties is pointing out the sin of other ministers so people won’t detect their own similar behavior. Another is crying, “I’m under demonic attack!” And within these deflections, an evil spirit named after a certain woman Continue Reading

I’ve been reading through Jeremiah, struck by how timely and relevant the prophet’s words are for us today. Jeremiah helps us discern whether someone claiming to be a prophet is genuine or a fraud. Photo by Trophy Technology on Unsplash   In Jeremiah’s time, the people of Judah believe their future is safe as long as they keep offering sacrifices and uttering what scholar Carmen Imes calls their magic password, “…the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord (Jer. 7:4)!” The people think because God dwells among them they are immune to his Continue Reading