Caring For The Vulnerable Among Us

02/08/2017 Rev. Faith Totushek Leave a comment

by Faith Totushek

Who are the poor in scripture and how are they to be treated among the community of God’s people? As believers and those who believe the Bible is our guide, we might examine the many stories, and passages in the Bible to find our way through the various conundrums our society faces. Especially as believers, we have a great and holy call to be agents of God and healers of a sin-sick world.

The group I wish to examine in the Bible are the widows, orphans and foreigners. They are described as the vulnerable ones who need the extra support and focus from God’s people. They are also the ones whom God has said that He himself would defend.

Who are the widows? Widows often become poor or socially vulnerable due to the loss of a husband. This could apply to women who are divorced and raising small children, to women who are emotionally abandoned through abuse and neglect by a spouse. These are women whose husbands have died and are now vulnerable in the community. Continue reading Caring For The Vulnerable Among Us →

Politics, Spirituality

Is Trump Really the Great Man of God Charismatics Prophesy About?

02/03/2017 pcpjwriter 4 Comments

by Alexander Venter

I have come across people who prophesy that Trump is a modern-day Nehemiah, a godly leader over God’s covenant people. This is biblically problematic. Trump is a leader with seriously flawed moral character and is not godly in any form or fashion (certainly not a follower of Jesus) according to the fruit of his life and business practices… he is clearly a “post-truth” person and leader (fruit does not lie, as John Piper shows in his blog).

America is not a Christian nation – like all nations today the US is a deep mix of all sorts of faiths, idol-worship, corrupted values, etc… although it has a strong Christian heritage. Only President Jesus will establish a (truly biblical) ‘Christian’ nation when he returns to rule the earth… until then we live in a deeply compromised world of right and wrong, good and evil, living and operating side-by-side in spiritual warfare (including social, economic, political, ecological battle). Continue reading Is Trump Really the Great Man of God Charismatics Prophesy About? →

Spirituality

“My Witnesses”

02/02/2017 pcpjwriter Leave a comment

by Ramone Romero

“Look, My children! I am coming!
My love is being abandoned and
My name is being used as a weapon.

“Those who see the truth hear the groaning of My Spirit,
and they are being prepared to speak as My witnesses
to those who call themselves My ‘house’ and My ‘people’.

“I am sending My witnesses to the churches,
for judgment begins at the house of God
before judgment comes to the world.
I am sending My witnesses to speak My discipline
so that those who profess My name
will not be condemned with the world.

“The time is near!
I am coming soon!”

*****

Art: “Apostolic Succession”

Ramone Romero grew up near Washington, D.C. and currently lives in Osaka, Japan. He prophesies in painting, words, and poetry on Facebook and at the Weeping Jeremiahs blog.

Economic Justice, Interviews

Why Most Pentecostals Around the World are Progressive

01/28/2017 Micael Grenholm 11 Comments

When sociologists Donald E. Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori decided to study indigenous churches with active social programs in the developing world, they were astounded to find that the overwhelming majority of them were Pentecostal or charismatic. They studied the dynamic of Pentecostal social engagement further in their book Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement in which the coined the term “Progressive Pentecostal”. PCPJ’s Micael Grenholm asked Dr. Miller to expand on their findings in an email interview.

What does it mean to be a “Progressive Pentecostal”?

The stereotype about Pentecostals is that they are focused exclusively on salvation and not social transformation. In our research, this was a false dichotomy since we encountered many Pentecostal and charismatic congregations that were engaged with their local community, addressing issues related to poverty, drug addiction, mental illness, corruption, etc. It is relatively rare that Pentecostals are addressing social policy issues at a political level and, unfortunately, they have sometimes supported right-wing dictators. Continue reading Why Most Pentecostals Around the World are Progressive →

Economic Justice, Interviews

What is Community of Goods Like?

01/25/2017 ericaramirez 1 Comment

Since early August last year, PCPJ:er Micael Grenholm lives in a Christian intentional community in Kettering, central England, called Holy Treasure. Erica Ramirez interviewed him about what it’s like to live and share income with nine other people.

Micael, can you explain to me your living arrangement, both in domestic terms and economic terms?

Holy Treasure is part of something called New Creation Christian Community (NCCC) which in turn is part of the Jesus Fellowship Church, or Jesus Army. NCCC is at the core of Jesus Army, basically every local congregation is based around a community house, and almost a quarter of all church members live in community.

I work at one of the church’s businesses called Goodness Foods with video making. All my wages are sent to the bank account of Holy Treasure, the “common purse”, which then provides me with all the food, clothing and transport I need.
Continue reading What is Community of Goods Like? →

Spirituality

A Mennonite Who Speaks in Tongues

01/23/2017 pcpjwriter 3 Comments

By Deborah-Ruth Ferber.

While I am not from a Charismatic background, over the past 3-4 years I have become increasingly more charismatic in my beliefs and Christian practices. When I was a student at Tyndale was affectionately called a “Pennonite” (a mixture of Pentecostal and Mennonite). There are still a variety of charismatic gifts that I simply do not know enough about at this time to offer any real insight via blog. Therefore, at this present time topics of prophesy and being slain in the Spirit are a bit out of my reach, though I recently read a very interesting book by Dr. James Beverly (a professor at Tyndale) “Holy Laughter and the Toronto Blessing” that deals with a few of the more “wild” types of charismatic movements.

One topic that I would like to address, though, is that of speaking in tongues – a gift that I seldom see practiced in Mennonite churches but which I feel could have value for us. This blog will be written from the perspective of someone who does not have much charismatic theological training and with the (perhaps incorrect) assumption that readers of this blog may not be very familiar with this gift and perhaps may never even have experienced it in their faith lives. Continue reading A Mennonite Who Speaks in Tongues →

Politics

Trump or Jesus: We Do Have to Choose

01/20/2017 Micael Grenholm 2 Comments

America’s new President is controversial, to say the least. Saying outrageous things concerning women or ethnic minorities to gain massive media attention and popularity, just to then lie about the statements ever being made, sounds like an absurd way to become the most powerful person in the world. But it tragically seems quite effective.

Hillary Clinton was also criticized for being unreliable when it comes to security and honesty, and so during the election, America found itself in a bizarre situation where most people didn’t really want any of the candidates to become President. It was an election about who you dislike the least rather than who you like the most. When people want a leader with dignity, morals and faithfulness, turning to politicians seems to guarantee a letdown. Continue reading Trump or Jesus: We Do Have to Choose →

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