I simply try to teach, write, preach, and live authentically and faithfully as a follower of Jesus, and I am passionate about working for justice and peace.
I’m a fourth generation pentecostal (Assemblies of God) who was born and reared in Kansas. I rarely missed a kid’s or youth camp or convention while growing up and I was saved and filled with the Spirit repeatedly at early ages.
While attending Southwestern Assemblies of God University in Waxahachie, Texas (B.S., Cross-Cultural Missions, 1993) I met the wonderful Deborah Bird (of Hawkins, Texas) and we were married in 1992. We served as youth pastors at Faith A/G in Ennis, Texas while in college, spent a summer in Mexico planting a church, and then moved to Springfield, Missouri where I attended the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary (M.Div., 1995). While in Springfield we taught Peanut Butter and Jelly Preschool and attended Oak Grove A/G.
After returning to Southwestern to teach for a year (1995-96), I entered the Ph.D. program at Baylor University in Waco, Texas (Religion/Theological Ethics, 2000). While there I day-traded stocks and invested in real estate to get filthy rich, lost my faith in God, became an atheist and worshipped mammon, and then accidentally found conscientious objection to war and concern for social justice, of all things(!), in the history of pentecostalism. Yes, the Assemblies of God was officially a peace church for 50 years (1917-1967)!
Thinking this was about the dumbest thing I had ever heard, I devoted my dissertation to examining and telling the story of this pentecostal peace with justice witness. Needless to say, by the time I was done I was convinced that those crazy first-generation pentecostals were on the right track-biblically, theologically, and realistically-and reading John Howard Yoder and Stanley Hauerwas helped me learn to follow Jesus and believe in God again (and try to abandon mammon).
This inspired me to look for other pentecostals and charismatics who wanted to talk about and live out in this real world the way and teachings of Jesus. So I wrote “Spirit Empowered Peacemaking: Toward a Pentecostal Charismatic Peace Fellowship” and presented it at the European Pentecostal Charismatic Research Association meeting in Leuven, Belgium in July 2001. Several people at the conference agreed that this was a good idea and a network began to develop. Following 9/11 both the need for and resistance toward a peace and justice fellowship was felt acutely and PCPJ has since been steadily becoming what the Spirit wants it to be.
Deborah and I have three amazing children. I’m a minister with the Assemblies of God and serve as Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Policy at Palmer Theological Seminary of Eastern University, and Director of Public Policy for Evangelicals for Social Action.
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John |
A little history (in particular order):
http://www.whtt.org/show
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYWlB64upSc Onward Christian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q42zlLrH3hY Audience Relevance
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKvYQefjU3M What Really Happened?
Part of the problem is in the false assumption that the stipulations of the Old Covenant (Deuteronomy 28) are still intact and thus it is believed that this Old contract must be extended indefinately. One in Christ is a New Creation. NOTE: HEBREWS. There are political reasons with massive theological implications to the young teaching.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ITyptJ9aAXs One or Two? NOTE: GALATIANS
Colten Barnaby |
Hi. I have been loving your blog. I am a fourth generation pentecostal as well. Although I come from the oneness side of the aisle (UPC). I am a graduating student of Theological and Historical studies at Oral Roberts University. Since my time at ORU I have gone through a lot of changes. For instance, I am now a bona fide trinitarian.
The work of people like Bonhoeffer, Yoder, and Hauerwas have affected me deeply. I do fancy myself a Christian Pacifist and am becoming more and more rooted in that story everyday.
In the last year I have become increasingly interested in the situation in Palestine. I have been talking about this issue a lot to almost everyone around me and because of that I had a friend send me a link to the pcpj website. From there I found your blog. Both sites have materials that embody the conviction that the lord has been working in me for the people of Palestine. Thank you for the work you are doing.
Also, I find your material particularly interesting because I am currently writing my senior paper over the heritage, present state, and future of Christian pacifism in the pentecostal church. Your blog materials have been helpful in formulating thoughts and provoking certain ideas. However, I am in need of more published sources addressing this issue. If you could help point me in the right direction I would really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Colten
Scott Simmons |
Paul,
I just finished watching your sermon on the third way of Jesus and wanted to thank you for posting it on youtube. Well done. Funny, engaging, powerful. You have a gift.
I also appreciate your faith story in this “about” section. I am to dedicated to the palestinian jew who taught us God’s way of breaking the cycle of violence through the power of willing sacrifice and redemptive love.
Peace,
Scott Simmons
Director of Youth Ministry
Northminster Presbyterian Church
Project Director
The Coffee Lab
Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary