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Revisiting the Trump Prophecies

One of the more remarkable aspects of Donald Trump’s rise to the presidency is that at least two prominent Pentecostal-charismatic ministers publicly foretold it. Another individual, a retired fireman, also prophesied that Trump would become president, and his “word” circulated widely in Pentecostal circles. Since that time, we’ve seen many leading Pentecostal-charismatic figures become deeply entwined in Trump’s presidency. Preacher, pastor, and author Paula White; Robert Morris, pastor of Gateway Church, the biggest Pentecostal-charismatic church in the Dallas-Fort Worth area; Cindy Jacobs, who leads a Red Oak, Texas-based prophetic ministry with an international profile; and Lance Wallnau, a Dallas-based author

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Unity or We Die

I long for racial unity in the Church because I once experienced a taste of it. There was such a sense of rightness—of beauty, joy, and well-being—that I will always search for it. It is the joy set before me. There is no question that this joy lines up with the Word of God. Jesus prays in John 17 that we would be one. He doesn’t pray that God would whisk us away to a bunker where we’re safe from BLM, Antifa, and the godless Democrats. No, he says, “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that

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Just Give Me Jesus…I Mean Right-Wing Politics

A couple friends sent me a link to The Return prayer gathering in Washington a week and a half ago. I tuned in on September 26, attracted by the event’s billing as a national call to repentance. Repentance is always good, right? Same with prayer. How can you go wrong with prayer? Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, a Messianic Jew, was already on the stage at the National Mall when I got online. I respect Cahn, author of The Harbinger and The Paradigm, two bestselling books that have circulated widely in Pentecostal-charismatic circles. I listened to his ardent prayer for this nation,

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The Fly in the Ointment Is Race

As I listened to the Mike Pence-Kamala Harris debate, I found myself agreeing with Pence on policy far more than Harris. That’s because I’ve become more conservative in middle age, as many people do after raising kids, working hard, and realizing time is no longer on your side. Parts of the Joe Biden platform seem crazy to me. Legalizing marijuana is a terrible idea. I drew that conclusion years ago when I rode a motorcycle up into the hills of Jamaica and encountered real Rastafarians, who smoked weed, like, 24-7, and seemed to be living and cogitating in slow motion.

An American Tragedy

I was about to sit down to write today, and then I noticed this Facebook post from Dr. Shawn Okpebholo, Professor of Music Theory and Composition at Wheaton College. “Dr. O” expresses his thoughts about today’s biggest headline better than I ever could. Shawn is one of my son’s music professors, and I served with him in a South Sudanese refugee settlement in 2019. I can tell you that he is a man after God’s own heart. This post is used with permission. Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, have tested positive for COVID-19. Those who know me understand that

The Cost of Your Support for Donald Trump

No need to brace yourself: I’m not going to tell you how to vote. But you need to be aware of the price of your support for Donald Trump. The costs have been piling up for the last four years, and it doesn’t seem that President Trump’s Christian supporters are in the right places to see it. By the way, I find no need to write a post about the cost of supporting Joe Biden, because Christian media are all over that one. So let’s add up the spiritual and human costs of your support for Trump: 1. It’s a

Guns, Ammo, and Gold

In the last couple of months a video titled “THREE Prophetic WARNING DREAMS!!! ‘BRACE YOURSELVES'” has been circulating in Pentecostal-charismatic circles. In it, a Kentucky pastor named Dana Coverstone recounts a dream he received in December 2019 that appears to foretell the COVID-19 pandemic. He also details two more recent dreams that prophesy a wave of violent unrest and terror coming to the United States in September through November 2020. As of today, the video has gained more than 500,000 views. I’m taking these dreams seriously for two reasons. First, they could be from God. I affirm the gift of

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