B-4 PEOPLE-FILES
- Mark Blitz - Ginger Blomberg - Darrell Bock - Matthew Boedy - Greg Bramlage -
==mark blitz======
==ginger blomberg======
When my kids were little, a friend introduced me to the writings of Amy Carmichael. Carmichael’s young adult life was full of adventure as she traveled across the world and was part of a growing evangelism ministry in India. Then she started to shelter and raise young girls who were abandoned by their parents.
Carmichael remembered an Indian proverb “Children bind the mother’s feet,” and as the number of children grew, she wondered if it was right for missionaries like her to abandon blossoming public ministry to “become just nursemaids.” In the end, she concluded, “If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider ‘not spiritual work,’ I can best serve others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” Her writings about the beauty of everyday faithfulness, especially in caring for children, were profoundly encouraging to me as I raised my own kids.
--Ginger Blomberg; Gospel Coalition; Amy Carmichael Shaped Me as a Mom 5.25.23
Carmichael remembered an Indian proverb “Children bind the mother’s feet,” and as the number of children grew, she wondered if it was right for missionaries like her to abandon blossoming public ministry to “become just nursemaids.” In the end, she concluded, “If by doing some work which the undiscerning consider ‘not spiritual work,’ I can best serve others, and I inwardly rebel, thinking it is the spiritual for which I crave, when in truth it is the interesting and exciting, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” Her writings about the beauty of everyday faithfulness, especially in caring for children, were profoundly encouraging to me as I raised my own kids.
--Ginger Blomberg; Gospel Coalition; Amy Carmichael Shaped Me as a Mom 5.25.23
==darrell bock======
Darrell L. Bock is senior research professor of New Testament and executive director for cultural engagement at Dallas Theological Seminary. He has authored or edited more than 30 books, including Jesus according to Scripture: Restoring the Portrait from the Gospels, Jesus in Context: Background Readings for Gospel Study, Studying the Historical Jesus: A Guide to Sources and Methods, Jesus the Messiah: Tracing the Promises, Expectations, and Coming of Israel’s King, Who Is Jesus?: Linking the Historical Jesus with the Christ of Faith, and Key Events in the Life of the Historical Jesus: A Collaborative Exploration of Context and Coherence.
Darrel Bock
“It’s … a misrepresentation of what the Bible presents about creation and in that, it distorts the divine order that is a part of that creation story by really reframing the way the story is presented. And so it’s revisionism as opposed to really substantively reflecting what the Bible is saying. It fits PETA’s mission, but it doesn’t reflect what the Bible says about the creation.”
-- Darrell Bock, executive director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at the Dallas Theological Seminary 7.2.23
-- Darrell Bock, executive director of Cultural Engagement and Senior Research Professor of New Testament Studies at the Dallas Theological Seminary 7.2.23
Darrel Bock
“When Stephen declares that he sees the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God, he is stoned for blasphemy because, in the view of these Jews, no one has the right to be at the side of God’s heavenly presence.” ― Darrell L. Bock, Acts
Darrel Bock
“When Paul saw the exalted Jesus and was converted, he had to have known the church’s teaching in order to understand the experience.”
― Darrell L. Bock, Dethroning Jesus: Exposing Popular Culture's Quest to Unseat the Biblical Christ
==matthew boedy======
June 12, 2023: Word & Way: With Turning Point Faith, Pastors Use Politics as a Church-Growth Strategy
Matthew Boedy, a professor at the University of North Georgia who has researched TPUSA and been critical of its programs, said the organization’s pivot during the pandemic changed its orientation from “libertarian, economic, free speech” advocacy into a “Christian nationalist group,” a shift Boedy said played to Kirk’s strengths.
Matthew Boedy, a professor at the University of North Georgia who has researched TPUSA and been critical of its programs, said the organization’s pivot during the pandemic changed its orientation from “libertarian, economic, free speech” advocacy into a “Christian nationalist group,” a shift Boedy said played to Kirk’s strengths.
==greg bramlage======
Fr. Greg Bramlage was born in 1964 and grew up in Indiana. In 1990 he graduated from Marian College with a Degree in Business Administration. He worked 13 years in the Transportation Industry before being called to the priesthood. In 1996 he graduated Cum Laude from Mount St. Mary’s Seminary and was ordained for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. He has pastored multiple parishes and a school. He has led ten pilgrimages to the Holy Land and many throughout Catholic Europe. In 2004, he received the Blessed Gianna Molla Award for his leadership in the Pro-Life Ministry. And in 2005, Fr. Greg inaugurated the first Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration Chapel in Southeast Indiana. That same year, he began hosting and speaking at regional faith conferences. He incorporated a full-time Healing/Deliverance Ministry at his parish of St. Nicholas. He has been a guest speaker for EWTN as well as various Catholic Radio Stations. Since 2009, Fr. Greg has evangelized throughout Africa, India, Central & South America as well as in many parts of the United States. In 2011, Fr. Greg received permission from his Archbishop to begin full-time work as a Catholic Evangelist. That same year, he founded “Missionaries of the New Evangelization” to accomplish this purpose.
The Rise of Spirit Warriors on the Christian Right
A final point on the politics of Spirit Warrior Christianity: It is an easy fit for those who wish to dismantle democracy and entrench minority rule. Election denialism and other conspiracies find a comfortable home in the paranoid mindset of spiritual warfare in a demon-haunted world. An organizer of the Jericho March that preceded the attack on the Capitol of January 6, Robert Weaver, stated that God wanted Americans to march around “the spiritual walls of this country.” The Reverend Kevin Jessup, who spoke at the event, said, “This battle cry is a Christian call to all Christian men … as we prepare for a strategic gathering of men in this hour to dispel the Kingdom of Darkness.” Father Greg Bramlage, who conducted an exorcism on stage, told the crowd, “We are in a spiritual battle, this cannot be solved by human means” and prayed that “no demonic bondage, door, entity, portal, astral projection, or disembodied spirit may enter this space.” Bishop Leon Benjamin, senior pastor of Richmond, Virginia’s New Life Harvest Church, said, “The demons we kill now, our children will not have to fight these devils. These are our devils, and we will kill them now.” NAR leadership networks served as key mobilizers. (Katharine Stewart/New Republic 1/23/23)
Read More>>>>>
A final point on the politics of Spirit Warrior Christianity: It is an easy fit for those who wish to dismantle democracy and entrench minority rule. Election denialism and other conspiracies find a comfortable home in the paranoid mindset of spiritual warfare in a demon-haunted world. An organizer of the Jericho March that preceded the attack on the Capitol of January 6, Robert Weaver, stated that God wanted Americans to march around “the spiritual walls of this country.” The Reverend Kevin Jessup, who spoke at the event, said, “This battle cry is a Christian call to all Christian men … as we prepare for a strategic gathering of men in this hour to dispel the Kingdom of Darkness.” Father Greg Bramlage, who conducted an exorcism on stage, told the crowd, “We are in a spiritual battle, this cannot be solved by human means” and prayed that “no demonic bondage, door, entity, portal, astral projection, or disembodied spirit may enter this space.” Bishop Leon Benjamin, senior pastor of Richmond, Virginia’s New Life Harvest Church, said, “The demons we kill now, our children will not have to fight these devils. These are our devils, and we will kill them now.” NAR leadership networks served as key mobilizers. (Katharine Stewart/New Republic 1/23/23)
Read More>>>>>
Exorcisms across the street: Kilgore neighbors worried about new construction
KILGORE, Texas (KETK) — Some people in Kilgore say they are concerned Wednesday, as they claim a new construction project in their community could be used for exorcisms. The Ministries of New Evangelization is headed by Father Gregory Bramlage. Neighbors believe he is building a place where exorcisms will be performed..........Turnkey Construction tells KETK News that Father Gregory Bramlage and his nonprofit, owe them just over $14,000 saying they heard about these plans from Father Bramlage himself after beginning the project about a month ago.............KETK News also tried reaching out to Father Gregory Bramlage and he denied an on-camera interview, but he says the contractor’s side of the story is untrue. (Reyna Revelle/KETK 8/25/22)
Read More>>>>>
KILGORE, Texas (KETK) — Some people in Kilgore say they are concerned Wednesday, as they claim a new construction project in their community could be used for exorcisms. The Ministries of New Evangelization is headed by Father Gregory Bramlage. Neighbors believe he is building a place where exorcisms will be performed..........Turnkey Construction tells KETK News that Father Gregory Bramlage and his nonprofit, owe them just over $14,000 saying they heard about these plans from Father Bramlage himself after beginning the project about a month ago.............KETK News also tried reaching out to Father Gregory Bramlage and he denied an on-camera interview, but he says the contractor’s side of the story is untrue. (Reyna Revelle/KETK 8/25/22)
Read More>>>>>
