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Giveaway: Heretics & Politics: Theology, Power, and Perception in the Last Days of CBC

This is only open to those with a USA mailing address. There is absolutely no cost to enter.

This is your chance to receive a new copy of Heretics & Politics: Theology, Power, and Perception in the Last Days of CBC by Thomas Fudge. It is the second book in his series on Oneness Pentecostalism. It sells for $29.95. It covers the United Pentecostal Church sponsored Conquerors Bible College that was founded in Portland, Oregon in 1953 and abruptly closed in 1983.

Fudge attended this college. Former UPCI minister Don Fisher is addressed in this book as he used to be the president of the college. Some will also be interested in his daughter’s memoir, The Uncomfortable Confessions of a Preacher’s Kid, by Ronna Russell.

This giveaway is a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on April 19, 2024 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw a winner. We also have entries being made in our Facebook support group.

Be sure to check back to see if you have won as in the past some people have not responded after winning and so a new winner had to be drawn. You will then need to email me your mailing address if I do not already have it, so be sure to watch your email and check the spam folder. If I know your Facebook profile, I will message you there.

Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as it may require approval.

Some might be interested in a series of lectures by Thomas Fudge on the history of Christianity from the Roman Empire until the Reformation. https://youtu.be/WgTDplQabRk

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What about Judas????

Last year during the week before Easter the question kept coming up, “What about Judas?” That, and the “immersive experiences” that include a mirror with “Behold the betrayer!” as though we should identify with Judas.

I’ll change the questions for myself this year. Instead of “What happened to Judas?” let’s ask what happened to the betrayed. Not just to Jesus, but to the disciples. Jesus knew what was coming, but the disciples didn’t. They felt lost, scared, confused, and angry. So much that had been wonderful in their lives was seemingly upended with a single kiss. Judas was their friend, someone they’d spent a lot of time with and cared about, maybe even respected.

Maybe some argued it couldn’t have been Judas. It was dark. It must have been someone else they saw. And maybe this upset others who knew who they saw, even in the dark. Maybe some blamed themselves. They recalled something Judas had said or done… they should have known. They should have warned Jesus. They should have done something. Anything. And then there was Peter. He did something. He drew his sword. But it was too late, and he was rebuked, and then he denied Jesus on top of everything else.

I’m sure the disciples felt to one degree or another that they were betrayers, but not because they identified with Judas. No, if they felt like betrayers, for the most part that was because they’d trusted Judas. Except Peter, who had even more to deal with. They couldn’t see through what was happening. They felt betrayed, and they may well have wrongly blamed themselves for a large part of the betrayal. They were scattered. Sunday didn’t bring them all back together, either. We like to think of resurrection as the final victory, but it would take a week or two or three for all the disciples to realize the story wasn’t finished.

I sat around a table tonight with strangers. There were prayer requests… and so many were for hope. Mine too. Last year this time was filled with so much joy and hope. This year is so different than I thought it would be, and I grieve what should have been and could have been. And yet Sunday’s coming, and even that’s not the end of the story. Just the beginning.

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Easter?

I just wasn’t feeling it today. Maybe I missed the memo. It’s Easter. I should be excited. But like Thomas I’m just not quite there yet. And like Thomas, when others are saying, “Look, there’s hope! Here’s joy!” I’m asking to see it and feel it first. Before I celebrate, I want to know there’s really a reason because images and sounds of all the reasons not to are still too fresh in my mind. Or maybe I know there will be a time when I can celebrate again, but I’m not so sure that time is now.

Give me time. It’s OK to hang back, to want to be sure, or not to take others’ word for something that sounds too outrageous to be true. After everything that’s happened those saying it’s all OK could be a bit delusional. Or maybe not. Giving it time is OK. If Christ is risen, he’ll still be risen in a few more hours or a few more days. There will be time to celebrate. But maybe not yet.

I don’t think anyone was angry at Thomas that day. No one said “shake yourself out of it!” I’m not sure anyone even pressured him to take their word for it. Surely no one was frustrated because Thomas wasn’t on their timeline, their schedule. They were still pretty surprised themselves. Whispered stories. “Did I imagine it?” “No, I heard Peter…” “Yeah, and Mary said…” “Cleopas was on this road and…”

Did he eat? Did he touch you? He just appeared — the doors were locked! A ghost? A vision? Are we crazy?

Yeah, there was excitement, but I suspect it was still hushed and that there were more than a few doubts even among those who’d seen Him. So I don’t think anyone was bothered by Thomas’ statement that he’d need to see Jesus himself and touch the wounds — to experience joy, he would need to see a reason for hope but also fully experience the pain. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s actually a pretty wise thing to do.

And the thing is, when Jesus did appear, apparently Thomas didn’t need to touch him anymore. But Jesus was willing to go as far as necessary for Thomas’s hope and joy to be restored. May we all find that kind of resurrection in our own lives.

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Giveaway: Backsliding Into Jesus & There’s No Such Thing As Dragons

This is only open to those with a USA mailing address. There is absolutely no cost to enter.

This is your chance to receive a new copy of Jennifer Brewer‘s new book, Backsliding Into Jesus: Finding Hope After Legalism AND There’s No Such Thing As Dragons: Examining The Theology of The United Pentecostal Church by Jonah McElhaney.

Jonah’s book covers aspects of the United Pentecostal Church such as Oneness, uncut hair for women, holiness standards, and their teachings on salvation. Jennifer’s book “explores the feelings and emotions one will inevitably face when leaving legalism and discovering the freedom of God’s grace.”

Jennifer Brewer, author of Free: From Legalism to Grace Breaking Out of the United Pentecostal Church, had this to say about There’s No Such Thing As Dragons:

After spending most of his life in the United Pentecostal Church the author examines the theology of the UPCI. By drawing on his own experiences and examining the teachings of Scripture with the teachings of the UPCI, the author shows that the imaginary dragons that were placed in his life to prevent him from venturing out too far away from the doctrines were not real. The hope is for others who see the issues within the United Pentecostal Church but have been too afraid to question or examine the theology that they too will see that there’s no such thing as dragons.

One reviewer of Backsliding Into Jesus wrote:

This book was just as good as Jennifer’s first book. She has a way to speak so openly about her road and her life after the UPCI. One of my favorite lines from the book is “Freedom in Christ means more than just getting to wear what we want….” I can’t tell you how many times I have heard that myself. I have actually been asked is walking away from God to wear what you want and cut your hair worth it. I was NEVER walking away from God, I was walking away from a belief system that was not fulfilling me. It was not feeding me, it was harming my family, and we wanted to be free from that. Thank you Jennifer for taking a stand and helping those that are looking for a way to their own freedom, Not freedom from God but Freedom from legalism.

If you have already read either of these books, please consider leaving a review or star rating on Amazon as it would be greatly appreciated. Reviews count more and can give others a better idea of the book contents and if it helped you.

This giveaway is a drawing. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on March 30, 2024 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw a winner. We also have entries being made in our Facebook support group.

Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as it may require approval.

You can follow Jonah at his blogs here and here. Also, Amateur Faith Night had Jonah as a guest when they discussed Authentic Trinitarianism versus Oneness Pt 1 & Authentic Trinitarianism versus Oneness Pt 2.

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Giveaway: C.H. Yadon & the Vanishing Theological Past in Oneness Pentecostalism

This is only open to those with a USA mailing address. We always provide these giveaways at no charge to our readers.

This is your chance to receive a new copy of C.H. Yadon and the Vanishing Theological Past in Oneness Pentecostalism by Thomas Fudge. It is the third book in his series on Oneness Pentecostalism. It sells new for $29.95 (currently reduced to $25.29). It covers Oneness Pentecostal history, and highlights the United Pentecostal Church, of which Mr. Fudge was once a member. The emphasis is on the life of C.H. Yadon. Yadon turned in his UPC license in 1993 when the affirmation statement started being required of all ministers. Over the years, the UPCI has pushed people out of the organization as they took stands against various beliefs.

United Pentecostal General Superintendent David Bernard did not want this book to be published and his comments are included in Fudge’s work. His comments alone are a good reason to want to read this book as the UPCI doesn’t want aspects of their actual history known. This is what Bernard wrote:

“I do not recommend the book for publication, for the following reasons: (1) The audience is extremely limited. The focus and tone are too narrow to appeal to most scholars. The subject matter is of interest primarily to Oneness Pentecostals, but C.H. Yadon is not a well-known figure in the movement’s history, and those who would be interested could be repelled by the harsh anti-UPC rhetoric. Thus, the most likely readers are those who have left the Oneness Pentecostal movement or who are considering it. (2) The research does not meet scholarly standards. It doesn’t adequately engage the latest scholarship in the field. It doesn’t consider or interact meaningfully with opposing evidence or alternative views. It relies excessively on marginal, questionable, or unverifiable sources with inadequate attention to readily available, documented, and credible sources. (3) It is a mixture of historical analysis and theological debate, but doesn’t fully complete either task successfully. In any case, the author has already covered this ground in a previous book. (4) It gives excessive space and coverage to a little-known, insignificant work by a nineteenth-century, semi-Arian writer. Since that work doesn’t represent a significant position within Oneness Pentecostalism, it has limited historical or theological value. (5) The family of C.H. Yadon opposes publication.”

This giveaway is a drawing and not a first come, first served giveaway. To enter, just leave a comment to show you wish to be included. The drawing will close on March 20, 2024 at 6pm (eastern time), after which I will draw the winner.

Don’t be alarmed if your comment does not immediately show as it may require approval.

Some might be interested in a series of lectures by Thomas Fudge on the history of Christianity from the Roman Empire until the Reformation. https://youtu.be/WgTDplQabRk

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Shop at our Amazon store! As an Amazon Influencer, this website earns from qualifying purchases.