Welcome to AlphaTav
The Progressive Plot of Exodus 9:9-22
9 And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: 10 Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our...
Out of the Flames by the Goldstones
Pulmonary circulation, heresy, and John Calvin make for an intriguing trio of historical companions. Still, these three elements all played a role in the life and death of Michael Servetus, who—lashed to the inquisitor's pyre—“was slowly roasted, agonizingly conscious...
An Elevated Pulpit: Redeeming Truth from the Cult of Self
As a note to fellow preachers, we must hold each other accountable to a standard that is consistent for even our closest friends. When we veer from exegesis to eisegesis, we must hold each other accountable for the sake of our most sacred text. Our conferences must not become harbingers of hazy hermeneutics where the benchmark for biblical expectation is lowered for the price of enthusiasm alone.
Responding to Biblical Illiteracy in a Post-Christian World
When America was founded, the language of the newly established constitutional republic spoke volumes of the foundational tenets that undergird its revolutionary development. The societal moorings of such a fledgling nation owed much credit to the homage and...
Norming the Abnormal by Aaron T. Friesen
The doctrine of initial evidence, a dogma oft associated with the early theological approaches to Spirit Baptism by Charles Parham, is a doctrine that has historically met with a diverse range of reactions and concerns (positive and negative) over the past century....
William J. Seymour and the Origins of Global Pentecostalism by Gaston Espinosa
The retelling of the modern Pentecostal movement seldom emphasizes the impact of William Joseph Seymour enough. As a one-eyed Black man in the early 1900s, Seymour offered a deeply divided society an eschatological view of the kingdom that struck at the very...
Pentecostal Aspects of Early 16th-Century Anabaptism
Tucked away in the 16th century lies a seldom-discussed phenomenon that worked its way through—and out from—the reforms of Luther and Zwingli. In his academic work, Pentecostal Aspects of Early Sixteenth-Century Anabaptism, Charles Hannon Byrd II undertakes the...
Asbury Revival: A Follow-Up and Other Insights
It is evident from the engagement with my last article that I was met with a healthy dose of agreement and disagreement. That aside, I find that It is important to express to my readers that the articles I publish are not sent into the digital atmosphere as a means to...
Asbury Revival: A Cautionary Stance for the Church
If you are on social media, then you will remember the first few posts celebrating what is being called a 21st-century Great Awakening at Asbury College, a Methodist University in Kentucky. According to many Pentecostal brothers and sisters, this is the “last day...
The Danger of Celebrity Culture in the Church
The fanfare that accompanies the secular Gala's and the high-societal affairs of the rich and famous are both humorous and pitiful to observe. Actors, actresses, and musicians line the red carpets as they are fawned over by an elite press and, beyond the ropes where...
Loud Church: Do I Really need to Lift my Voice?
What's with all this noise? Why is the preacher asking us to lift our voice? These are some common responses that many unfamiliar with Pentecostal churches have had when attending a service. These are fair questions when asked with the right attitude. Why do we lift...
Turning Red: The Real Problem another Disney Film Exposed (Culture Series #1)
Not even spending time on the quotes that captured overt references to sexual objectivity, such as, “shake your moneymaker,” it is clear that teenage puberty is the red herring of the film. This film, based on the aforementioned quotes, is more about “accept the beast” than it is “resist the beast.” In direct opposition to the Apostle Paul’s theological discourse outlining the battle against the deathly desires within us all, Disney subtly marches forward as a vehicle of propaganda whispering the idea of “don’t fight it, embrace it.”
Leave the Office, get to the Altar
The year was 2017 and Pastor Mark Brown stood before 37,000 Pentecostals at the North American Youth Conference in Indianapolis, IN. The crowd he spoke to represented a varied gathering of Pentecostals from across the broad landscape of Pentecostal flavor. In...
The “Voice of God walking in the Garden”
In a postlapsarian world, it is difficult to imagine life in the Garden. First, much of what we hear on life in the Garden is laden with misinformation and/or oral tradition within hermeneutic communities. Take, for example, the commonly held idea that Adam daily walked with God in the cool of the day. Nowhere does scripture substantiate such a claim, but we have come to view this idea as sacrosanct. Of course, this also lends to the next unsubstantiated claim that likely gave rise to the first; the voice of God walking in the Garden in a literal sense.
Beware Greeks Bearing Gifts (Academic Trojan Horses)
I speak not of the fabled horse harboring surreptitious Greeks in its belly, but instead, the University—a modern Babel—whose ivory towers of intellectualism have engineered moral decay under the guise of righteous enlightenment. Educational achievement, though commendable and deserving our engagement, has been a means by which secularized imaginings have found entrance into the mission and mindset of the ecclesia. This hyper-infatuation with intellectualism and educational success, albeit exciting, is wooing us into an upside-down paradigm of process that looks down its nose at what it perceives as being ecclesial barbarism; uncivilized, uncouth, and unacculturated churches that lack the prestigious Oscars of the University—the Degrees.
The doctorate, though prestigious and worthy of investiture, has become—for many who claim confederation with the academic elite—a grandiose promotion above the rudimentary ministries given to the church as outlined in Ephesians 4. Slowly—almost imperceptibly—the resolute gates of the Apostolic church are yawning wide to make way for these majestic machinations that seem both a gift and a trophy to the inhabitants within. Yet, as day gave way to night, the prophet was shoved aside to make room for the professor.
Kanye and the Church in 2022: Reflections on Promoting Trees before they Produce Fruit
I had forgotten--until this morning--the fever-pitch fanaticism that went on display a few years ago when Kanye (A.K.A, Yeezy) become a "born-again" Christian who had accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. The Christian world of all stripes went bonkers. I'm...
The Psychology of the Artificial Face (Image War Series)
To bring this phenomenon into proper focus, it is important to understand the correlation between the porn industry and the unrealistic expectations of the female body. First, porn producers screen and select performers who, by average standards of society, are far more attractive than the average person. Second, lighting, camera angles, intense tanning to cover up normal skin blemishes, video editing, stylists, makeup specialists, and a myriad of other industry practices work to cover things considered to be “unsightly.” Third, because there has been an increasing rise in demand for youthfulness (as revealed in search inquiries on major porn video sites),many porn performers are engaging in practices (laser hair removal, vaginoplasty, etc.) to facilitate what is becoming known as the “designer vagina.” (Future articles will deal with porn’s subtle promotion of Pedophilia).
The Rise of the Artificial Face (Image War Series)
The first charge that critics of this treatise will articulate is the “majoring on the minors” premise that is also cast alongside the missional urgency of the Church to reach and reconcile the lost to Jesus Christ. In response, I merely point toward the writings of...
Decayed Offerings on Pentecostal Altars
I grieved as I watched, not as men moved ancient landmarks, but as men etched new lines that disfellowshipped, castigated, and shamed brothers and sisters over a myriad of subjects. Honestly? The spirit on the streets casting shadows from the fires of buildings that burned was raging in the corridors of the Ecclesia. And today, many of those same individuals whose spirits smoldered with divisive rhetoric and discord have yet to say “I’m sorry.” In fact, the failure to “make things right with thy brother” remains one of the most neglected biblical admonitions of the present day. As such, offerings that have been placed upon altars now rot and decay since God will not accept what was offered by those unwilling to rectify the oughts of their brothers and sisters.
The Real Reason Caleb Wanted the Mountain
"Give me my mountain!" How many times have we heard this phrase preached? How many times have we centered on the vigorous desire of an aged Caleb who--after 40 years wandering in the wilderness--confronted Joshua regarding Moses' promise that Caleb should receive the...
Called to Share: Stewardship in the Christian Life
Let's face it. Stewardship is most often associated with wealth and the responsibility of the individual to distribute wealth based on a tithe and offering paradigm. I introduce stewardship this way--not because I disagree with the biblical paradigm of tithe and...
The Forensics of False Doctrine:Exposing Motive
For most individuals, the idea of forensics is a fascinating field of criminal science that is dominated by genetic whistleblowers and the uncanny witness of footprints, fibers, and fingerprints. Emerging from the crude and superstitious means by which early criminal...
The Idolatry of Convenience
1 Kings 12:28–30 (KJV 1900) — 28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 29 And he set the one in...
NICOT and NICNT Mini Bundles at Logos
This is one of the reasons why I waited when the entire set was selling for around 1,100.00. I don't want every commentary in the set, but there are specific ones that I do. This bundle offer was perfect for me in that it offerred what I primarily wanted from the...
Navigating Logos Bible Software Libraries
For those of you not familiar with Logos Bible Software, it is a robust software\biblical library that is packed full of feature sets that make studying the Scriptures an effort of efficiency. Now, let me be honest. I love physical books and I am convinced that...
Pedophobic? The Playbook of Tolerance at Work Again.
On August 17th, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland, another symposium was held by the 501(c)(3) organization known as B4U-ACT. The name of the symposium was “Pedophilia, Minor-Attracted Persons, and the DSM: Issues and Controversies.” The keynote of the symposium, “On the...
What Should our Conversation be in Babylon?
Jeremiah 29:4-9 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them; Take ye...
Developing a Daily Devotional System
Let me be honest at the outset of this brief article. I have never been a fan of calendrical devotions due to the clique-driven premise of so many of the books on the market. This is, in part, due to the way my brain navigates written literature. I struggle to "just...
Therapeutic Intervention in Pentecostal Community
Somewhere between pneumatology and phenomenology lies an obvious void for the Pentecostal therapist or counselor. At the heart of this void are antiquated misunderstandings, problematic predispositions, and the enduring failures of an overreaching involvement of...
Tony Spell and the Shadow Cast by Covid
At a time when, rightfully so, we are seeking justice for our neighbor who was tragically murdered in a manner that appears to have been cold and calculating, we are putting together lengthy social media discourses, videos, and communications that are assassinating the character of our brothers and sisters. Have we forgotten that poignant words of Christ?
COVID-19: When the Light of the Church Shines or Flickers
It began as a trickle-down rumor and, in just a very short amount of time, became a global panic fueled by reports of pandemic spread and increased rates of mortality. As though the world stepped into the pages of a Robin Cook novel, we found ourselves caught up in the chatter of ignorant conspiracies, political wrangling, and the widely varied responses between the states and the federal government. To make things worse, stockpiling of essential and nonessential goods began to overtake the most sensible of people. Informed or misinformed, even those who were quick to criticize found themselves wandering the empty aisles of local grocery stores looking to fill their cupboards–just in case.
Achsah, the Daughter that Asked
Tucked away neatly within two places in scripture (Joshua and Judges) we are introduced to a character that seldom receives much spotlight. Perhaps it is due to the slow progress of land allotments discussed in Joshua 15 or perhaps overshadowed by the gory events that...
Porn and Supernatural Stimuli
Pornography, often expressed in the more caustic four lettered version (PORN), has become the proverbial elephant in the room. However, I think elephant is a bit too generous and, to be more accurate, I think we ought to just call it the Monster in the...
The Wife-Sister Motif in Scripture
Three stories that are central to the Book of Genesis; namely, 12:10-20, 20:1-18, and 26:6-11, all tell a similar story that has stood out as a source of consternation for many readers. Essentially, the stories involve a patriarch that is visiting (passing through) a...
It’s all about the image…
Paul’s contrast between Adam and Christ (first and last) is an appeal for us to have an “image-change.” Hence, in Christ, we are a “new creature” (II Cor. 5:17). Without the new birth experience, we remain in the image of the 1st Adam and fail to rise to the image of...
The Disturbing Truth about Mark Brown’s NAYC message
There is no other way to really say this, but we went through a period of time where the effects of relevant and cool were realized in the rubble of ruined ministries and countless younger men and women feeling as though the compass was not pointing true North. The strong were found to be weak, the anointed were found to be relics of early years of consecration, and everything suddenly failed to appear as it has always appeared.
Truth Communicated (Teaching or Preaching?)
It remains a convoluted line, the edges blurred, and the lens of correction panning in and out, creating a false perception of understanding. What am I speaking of? The line between teaching and preaching. Does anyone have an adequate answer to the fundamental...
Doctrines, Traditions, and Preferences
In contemplation this morning, I began to mentally navigate and probe the multi-faceted angles of church doctrine and their continued importance to the direction and future of the church. Of course, by doctrine I mean to employ the Biblical Greek understanding as outlined by the word Didache. Simply put, things taught that serve as unchanging, concrete beliefs that further establish and engender one’s unique identity within a Biblical frame of understanding.
A Case for Context: Closing the Roman Road
It is likely that the vast majority of my readers have heard mention of the “Roman Road.” Perhaps some of you have even practiced various aspects of its approach or, based on your religious affiliation, have applied its concepts in your own approach to Jesus Christ and salvation. To put it simply, for those who may need a refresher on its basic beliefs, the Roman Road can best be described as an approach used by various religious denominations to lead one to Jesus Christ and secure an individuals eternal salvation. Let’s take a look at the five basic steps involved in the process that is referred to as the Roman Road:
A Case for Context: Pressed Down, Shaken Together, and Running Over
If you have frequented the pews of a Pentecostal church long, then you have probably heard this text used with fever pitched redundancy. By this, I mean you have heard it via an exhortation to give out of your finances with the superfluous promise that God will give back to you, “pressed down, shaken together, and running over.” Ring any bells?
