Why are you a Christian? There are probably many answers that people could give in answer to that question. Some may hold to their faith because it’s the tradition of their family. Others may have had an experience which has led them to believe in God. I’ll never forget when I heard, what I consider, […]
Author Archives: Sara Boyd
Heavy Hearts: A Christian Response to Suffering – Part 3
It’s easy, when speaking of how things went wrong in the world, to mistakenly believe that God was somehow surprised by these events. Since God is all-knowing, this can’t be an accurate understanding. While God chose to give humanity free will, and while it was (and is) his desire for us to willingly choose him, […]
Heavy Hearts: A Christian Response to Suffering – Part 2
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”[1] The beginning of any academic or even detailed discussion on the problem of evil has to begin with God’s original intention for mankind. A beautiful garden, perfect relationships between people and with their creator, and no death. Obviously this is a very different portrait […]
Heavy Hearts: A Christian Response to Suffering – Part 1
Unexpected events. Unspeakable tragedies. Unimaginable pain. If this past weekend in Orlando, and really this life, has taught us anything it’s that suffering is a part of the human experience. But why? If there’s a God, and if he’s good, why is there so much agony and evil in this world? Discussions about suffering can […]
The Passion Translation: The Bible of Bethel and the NAR
**Note: Since the original post of this article (in 2016), due to the scrutiny and pressure from many academic scholars, there have been dramatic revisions made to The Passion Translation. On one hand this is a good thing. On the other hand, it serves to show just how much personal interpretation/theology was woven into this […]
Bethel Church – Redding: In Their Own Words
Bill Johnson says he affirms the essential doctrine that Jesus is eternally the Son of God. But is that true? This doctrine has traditionally meant that Jesus was not created, meaning he has no beginning, nor did he ever stop being God, meaning he has no end. However, if you listen to Johnson’s messages, or read […]
Dear Classmate: On Your Notion of Science as Fact
Dear Classmate – I have found the discussions about religion in our assigned reading to be very interesting. It’s not my goal to create a debate, but since it feels as if I may the only one who has a different perspective on the matter, I guess I should attempt to articulate “the other” perspective. […]
The New Apostolic Reformation and Their New Version of the Bible
God’s Word is inspired. It is infallible. It is truth. If those statements are true, then any theological movement claiming new revelation or needed restoration for Scripture should cause unease. Any movement that then proceeds to create its own “translation” of the Bible, should raise an enormous red flag. Of course most Christians are familiar […]
The New Apostolic Reformation – Part Four: Is the Assemblies of God Part of the NAR?
Technically, the answer is no. The AG position papers separate themselves from the teaching found in the NAR. However, AG churches are congregational, and have a lot of autonomy from their district leadership. As such, it is up to the pastors and leaders in those individual churches as to what extent they allow NAR influence […]
The New Apostolic Reformation – Part Three: The Influence of Bethel Church in Redding, CA
About Bethel Pastor Bill Johnson, formerly of the Assemblies of God, leads Bethel Church. This leader and church are a segment of the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) called the Revival Alliance (http://revivalalliance.com/). Bill Johnson regularly speaks at The Voice of the Apostles Conference, has written several books, one of which is entitled When Heaven Invades […]
