BE - PEOPLE FILES
- Greg Beale - Katelyn Beaty - David Bebbington - David Beckmann - Micah Beckwith - Michael Behe- Matthias Beier - Peter J Belini - Peter Bell - John Benefiel - David & Jason Benham - Leon Benjamin - Alan Bentrip - Steve Berger - Tom Berlin - David Berry - Alan Bevere
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==greg Beale======
Greg Beale
Peter Enns begins his new blog series with his own story about what caused his view of the Bible to change. One of the “culminating ‘aha’ moments” came from his study of 1 Cor 10:4: “for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”
Paul is clearly referring back to the times when God refreshed the Israelites with water from a rock during their desert wanderings (Exodus 17, Numbers 20). However, Enns argues that Paul is doing more than just referring to the Old Testament accounts. Paul describes the rock as something which “accompanied them”—a clear reference, according to Enns, to ancient Jewish tradition that the rock in the desert actually travelled along with the Israelites.
Since the Jewish tradition about a travelling rock is clearly a legend—a legend that Paul apparently took to be fact—then we have a real problem, says Enns, for the evangelical view of biblical authority. He puts it bluntly, “no rock moved in the Old Testament, but Paul said one did.”
Of course, I have already responded to Enns’ argument in prior works (e.g., see my Erosion of Inerrancy in Evangelicalism, chapters 4 and 5). But, I shall try to summarize some of those earlier points here, but the fuller discussion should be consulted, which also interacts with Enns’s responses to my critiques.
The problem with Enns’ argument is twofold: (a) there are doubts about whether this Jewish “tradition” of a moveable rock was present in the first century; and (b) even if the tradition was present, there are doubts about whether Paul was alluding to it.
As to the first problem, there is only one Jewish reference to this “tradition” that plausibly is dated around the first century A.D., but even part of this reference is clouded by textual uncertainty. The lone Jewish source is Pseudo-Philo, which is dated by the majority of scholars as early as the first century A.D., though there is some debate even about that. The main text in Pseudo-Philo is 11:15: “and the water of Marah became sweet. And it [the well or the water] followed them in the wilderness forty years and went up to the mountain with them and went down into the plains.” However, while some very good manuscripts (the ∆- group of mss. [A, K, P]) have “it followed,” the majority of manuscripts (the π – group of mss. [H, R, W, X, Y, Z, S, Ad, D, E, V, M, B, C, O, G]), which are also manuscripts of very good, indeed almost equal, authority with the ∆- group of manuscripts, have “the Lord [Dominus] followed.”
If “Lord” is the correct reading, then the identification of the “following well” in Pseudo-Philo 10:7 (as well as, presumably, in 20:8) would apparently be the Lord himself. Put another way, if “Lord” is original, then the “following well” in 10:7 and the “water” in the preceding clause of 11:15 could well be viewed as metaphorical for the “Lord” in 11:15, which would take the legendary punch out of the evidence.
The point is that this is not a minor textual problem, despite one’s final conclusions about it, and to base a major conclusion in 1 Cor. 10:4 on this Pseudo-Philo text is precarious. This leaves only Tosephta Sukka 3.11 (date ca. 300 A.D.) and Targum Onquelos Numbers 21:16-20 (date ca. 250-300 A.D.). These are the only really solid textual witnesses to the kind of Jewish legend that Enns says Paul was dependent on; however, because of their late date, it is difficult to say that the legendary tradition was even extant in the first century.
As for the second problem, even if this Jewish “tradition” was extant in the first century there are serious doubts about whether 1 Cor 10:4 demonstrates Paul’s adoption of it. He may well be doing a biblical – theological exegesis of Exodus 14-17 in the light of Psalm 78:14-20 (e,g., “he splits the rocks . . . and gave them abundant drink . . . he struck the rock so that waters gushed out”) and 78:35 (“God was their rock”), the latter of which appears to identify God with the “rock” of Ps. 78:15-16, 20.
Note also some of the differences between Paul’s reference and that of later Judaism: (1) he identifies the rock as the Messiah, (2) he does not use the language of a “well” and (3) he refers to the “rock” from which they drank as a “spiritual rock” from which “spiritual drink” was obtained (1 Cor. 10:4), not a literal rock, significant differences with the later Jewish legend, which appears to see a literal traveling well that “followed” Israel. Incidentally, note also that the idea of God in association with a “rock” that “followed” Israel in the wilderness is not unique to the later Jewish midrashic literature but occurs also in Exod. 14:19 in relation to Exod. 17:5-7, where in the latter passage the presence of the rock from which drinking water came may also implicitly suggest that God is a rock or at least is directly linked to the phrase “the Lord is among us” in response to the people’s doubt about this.
In this respect, note the “following” concept in Exod. 14:19: “and the angel of God who had been walking before the camp of Israel, moved and walked behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.” And the presence of God continues to move between the Egyptians and the Israelites as the latter go through the sea. Note similarly that Isa. 52:12 and 58:8 allude to Exod. 14:19 and prophesy that in the new, second Exodus God would also be Israel’s “rear guard.” Thus, in light of the fact that Exod. 17:6 very closely associates God with the “rock” (as does Psalm 78), it does not take much ingenuity to see how Paul could posit that Christ was a “following rock” in his pre-incarnate divine existence as the “angel of the Lord.” Paul may be doing intratextual and intertextual exegesis, which is a form of biblical theology. Thus, Enns’s attempt to say that the “following” aspect is unique to the Jewish well legend is not correct, since both linguistically and conceptually the notion occurs in the Old Testament itself.
In sum, we can conclude that Enns’ primary conclusions about 1 Cor 10:4 simply remain unproven. It is not certain that this Jewish tradition was even extant in the first century, nor is it certain (if it was extant) that Paul was alluding to it or adopting it.
--Greg Beale; Cannon Fodder: Does the Bible Ever Get it Wrong? Facing Scripture’s Difficult Passages (#1): 8.25.14
Paul is clearly referring back to the times when God refreshed the Israelites with water from a rock during their desert wanderings (Exodus 17, Numbers 20). However, Enns argues that Paul is doing more than just referring to the Old Testament accounts. Paul describes the rock as something which “accompanied them”—a clear reference, according to Enns, to ancient Jewish tradition that the rock in the desert actually travelled along with the Israelites.
Since the Jewish tradition about a travelling rock is clearly a legend—a legend that Paul apparently took to be fact—then we have a real problem, says Enns, for the evangelical view of biblical authority. He puts it bluntly, “no rock moved in the Old Testament, but Paul said one did.”
Of course, I have already responded to Enns’ argument in prior works (e.g., see my Erosion of Inerrancy in Evangelicalism, chapters 4 and 5). But, I shall try to summarize some of those earlier points here, but the fuller discussion should be consulted, which also interacts with Enns’s responses to my critiques.
The problem with Enns’ argument is twofold: (a) there are doubts about whether this Jewish “tradition” of a moveable rock was present in the first century; and (b) even if the tradition was present, there are doubts about whether Paul was alluding to it.
As to the first problem, there is only one Jewish reference to this “tradition” that plausibly is dated around the first century A.D., but even part of this reference is clouded by textual uncertainty. The lone Jewish source is Pseudo-Philo, which is dated by the majority of scholars as early as the first century A.D., though there is some debate even about that. The main text in Pseudo-Philo is 11:15: “and the water of Marah became sweet. And it [the well or the water] followed them in the wilderness forty years and went up to the mountain with them and went down into the plains.” However, while some very good manuscripts (the ∆- group of mss. [A, K, P]) have “it followed,” the majority of manuscripts (the π – group of mss. [H, R, W, X, Y, Z, S, Ad, D, E, V, M, B, C, O, G]), which are also manuscripts of very good, indeed almost equal, authority with the ∆- group of manuscripts, have “the Lord [Dominus] followed.”
If “Lord” is the correct reading, then the identification of the “following well” in Pseudo-Philo 10:7 (as well as, presumably, in 20:8) would apparently be the Lord himself. Put another way, if “Lord” is original, then the “following well” in 10:7 and the “water” in the preceding clause of 11:15 could well be viewed as metaphorical for the “Lord” in 11:15, which would take the legendary punch out of the evidence.
The point is that this is not a minor textual problem, despite one’s final conclusions about it, and to base a major conclusion in 1 Cor. 10:4 on this Pseudo-Philo text is precarious. This leaves only Tosephta Sukka 3.11 (date ca. 300 A.D.) and Targum Onquelos Numbers 21:16-20 (date ca. 250-300 A.D.). These are the only really solid textual witnesses to the kind of Jewish legend that Enns says Paul was dependent on; however, because of their late date, it is difficult to say that the legendary tradition was even extant in the first century.
As for the second problem, even if this Jewish “tradition” was extant in the first century there are serious doubts about whether 1 Cor 10:4 demonstrates Paul’s adoption of it. He may well be doing a biblical – theological exegesis of Exodus 14-17 in the light of Psalm 78:14-20 (e,g., “he splits the rocks . . . and gave them abundant drink . . . he struck the rock so that waters gushed out”) and 78:35 (“God was their rock”), the latter of which appears to identify God with the “rock” of Ps. 78:15-16, 20.
Note also some of the differences between Paul’s reference and that of later Judaism: (1) he identifies the rock as the Messiah, (2) he does not use the language of a “well” and (3) he refers to the “rock” from which they drank as a “spiritual rock” from which “spiritual drink” was obtained (1 Cor. 10:4), not a literal rock, significant differences with the later Jewish legend, which appears to see a literal traveling well that “followed” Israel. Incidentally, note also that the idea of God in association with a “rock” that “followed” Israel in the wilderness is not unique to the later Jewish midrashic literature but occurs also in Exod. 14:19 in relation to Exod. 17:5-7, where in the latter passage the presence of the rock from which drinking water came may also implicitly suggest that God is a rock or at least is directly linked to the phrase “the Lord is among us” in response to the people’s doubt about this.
In this respect, note the “following” concept in Exod. 14:19: “and the angel of God who had been walking before the camp of Israel, moved and walked behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them.” And the presence of God continues to move between the Egyptians and the Israelites as the latter go through the sea. Note similarly that Isa. 52:12 and 58:8 allude to Exod. 14:19 and prophesy that in the new, second Exodus God would also be Israel’s “rear guard.” Thus, in light of the fact that Exod. 17:6 very closely associates God with the “rock” (as does Psalm 78), it does not take much ingenuity to see how Paul could posit that Christ was a “following rock” in his pre-incarnate divine existence as the “angel of the Lord.” Paul may be doing intratextual and intertextual exegesis, which is a form of biblical theology. Thus, Enns’s attempt to say that the “following” aspect is unique to the Jewish well legend is not correct, since both linguistically and conceptually the notion occurs in the Old Testament itself.
In sum, we can conclude that Enns’ primary conclusions about 1 Cor 10:4 simply remain unproven. It is not certain that this Jewish tradition was even extant in the first century, nor is it certain (if it was extant) that Paul was alluding to it or adopting it.
--Greg Beale; Cannon Fodder: Does the Bible Ever Get it Wrong? Facing Scripture’s Difficult Passages (#1): 8.25.14
==katelyn beaty======
Katelyn Beaty is a writer, journalist, editor, and keen observer of trends in the American church. She has written for the New York Times, the New Yorker, the Washington Post, Religion News Service, Religion & Politics, and the Atlantic and has commented on faith and culture for CNN, ABC, NPR, the Associated Press, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. She also cohosts the Saved by the City podcast (Religion News Service). Beaty previously served as print managing editor at Christianity Today and is the author of A Woman's Place: A Christian Vision for Your Calling in the Office, the Home, and the World.
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April 12, 2023: Katelyn Beaty: The Roys Report: Opinion: It’s Unloving to Quickly Restore Fallen Pastors
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==david bebbingtom======
David William Bebbington (born 25 July 1949) is a British historian who is a professor of history at the University of Stirling in Scotland and a distinguished visiting professor of history at Baylor University. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Royal Historical Society. Bebbington was born in Nottingham, England, on 25 July 1949 and was raised in Sherwood, a northern suburb of Nottingham. An undergraduate at Jesus College, Cambridge (1968–1971), Bebbington began his doctoral studies there (1971–1973) before becoming a research fellow of Fitzwilliam College (1973–1976). Since 1976 he has taught at the University of Stirling, where since 1999 he has been Professor of History. He was President of the Ecclesiastical History Society (2006–2007).
November 13, 2025: Christianity Today reported: Robert Webber once reminded evangelicals that “the road to the future runs through the past.” If evangelicalism is fracturing, we may just find our way to unity through what Kevin Vanhoozer called “Protestant catholicity” by retracing our steps. This, of course, raises the thorny question “What is an evangelical?” People have made valiant efforts to sort evangelicals into groups or types. Evangelicals are a diverse bunch, and the rapid growth of the movement in the Global South has only increased this diversity. It needs to be said more often and more clearly that evangelicalism is not an American movement—it is a global one—and the vast majority of the world’s evangelicals today are African, Asian, and Latin American. Evangelicalism was a transnational movement from the very outset and has never been confined to a single nation or ethnicity. David Bebbington, whose intellectual labors laid the cornerstone for building out a robust evangelical historiography, is a British evangelical whose perspectives have helpfully challenged American-centric descriptions of the movement. In this new era of world Christianity, deeper engagement with the global church (and the older church) could lead us closer to an evangelical catholicity.
November 11, 2023: Public Discourse reported: American evangelicals have long been proficient at introspective assessments of our own movement. Since the mid-1980s, sociologists like James Davison Hunter have diagnosed evangelicalism’s contemporary virtues and pathologies, while thinkers like Mark Noll and David Bebbington have sought to interpret the movement through a historical lens. Such diagnoses have often taken on an urgent tone that, rather than undermining the movement, has been one of the keys to its endurance and vitality. In 1967, Carl Henry wrote Evangelicals at the Brink of Crisis, warning that evangelicals were in danger of being culturally marginalized. In 1976, he penned a similarly anxious missive, Evangelicals in Search of an Identity. If evangelicalism is anything at all, it is probably a movement preoccupied with such a search and with the social alienation that demands it.
==david beckman======
David Beckmann is coordinator of the Circle of Protection, an advocacy coalition of church bodies and ministries that include 100 million people. He is both an economist and a pastor.
We need to hear from the presidential candidates about poverty
(RNS) — In the run-up to Election Day in 2020, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden delivered a major address on strategies to reduce U.S. poverty. To his credit, that strategy was later reflected in his Build Back Better program, much of it passed in the first year of the Biden administration. Its pandemic relief and recovery measures, some of them approved on a bipartisan basis, provided needed assistance, kept unemployment low and reduced poverty in America to its lowest level in history. A diverse coalition of church leaders called the Circle of Protection, working with the Poor People’s Campaign, helped convince Biden to give that big speech about poverty. Starting with outreach to the Obama and Romney campaigns in 2012, the group had been working for years to get presidential candidates to explain how they would provide more opportunity to people struggling with poverty and hunger. Our simple ask has been for the candidates from the two major parties to make videos explaining their policies on poverty. In the 2016 and 2020 elections, nearly all candidates in both parties made videos. Donald Trump submitted a written statement in 2016.
(David Beckmann/ Religion News 11/24/23)
Read More>>>>>
(RNS) — In the run-up to Election Day in 2020, then-presidential candidate Joe Biden delivered a major address on strategies to reduce U.S. poverty. To his credit, that strategy was later reflected in his Build Back Better program, much of it passed in the first year of the Biden administration. Its pandemic relief and recovery measures, some of them approved on a bipartisan basis, provided needed assistance, kept unemployment low and reduced poverty in America to its lowest level in history. A diverse coalition of church leaders called the Circle of Protection, working with the Poor People’s Campaign, helped convince Biden to give that big speech about poverty. Starting with outreach to the Obama and Romney campaigns in 2012, the group had been working for years to get presidential candidates to explain how they would provide more opportunity to people struggling with poverty and hunger. Our simple ask has been for the candidates from the two major parties to make videos explaining their policies on poverty. In the 2016 and 2020 elections, nearly all candidates in both parties made videos. Donald Trump submitted a written statement in 2016.
(David Beckmann/ Religion News 11/24/23)
Read More>>>>>
==micah beckwith======
James H. Madison: Threat of Christian Nationalism grows
One year ago this week, I authored a piece for The Indiana Citizen that drew on my scholarship of that dark period in Indiana history a century ago, when the Ku Klux Klan took over our state. I noted, “The past never repeats itself exactly, but in this case, there are lines that rhyme and questions that cause concern.” One year later — with their agenda becoming clearer — I might be guilty of actually understating the threat to Indiana posed by the Klan’s successors, including some Hoosiers who today identify as Christian nationalists, none more prominent than Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith.
(Daily Journal; 1.23.26) READMORE>>>>>
One year ago this week, I authored a piece for The Indiana Citizen that drew on my scholarship of that dark period in Indiana history a century ago, when the Ku Klux Klan took over our state. I noted, “The past never repeats itself exactly, but in this case, there are lines that rhyme and questions that cause concern.” One year later — with their agenda becoming clearer — I might be guilty of actually understating the threat to Indiana posed by the Klan’s successors, including some Hoosiers who today identify as Christian nationalists, none more prominent than Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith.
(Daily Journal; 1.23.26) READMORE>>>>>
==michael behe======
Michael J. Behe (born January 18, 1952) is an American biochemist, author, and intelligent design (ID) advocate. He currently serves as professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania and as a senior fellow of the Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture. Behe is best known for his argument for irreducible complexity (IC), which argues that some biochemical structures are too complex to be adequately explained by known evolutionary mechanisms and are therefore more probably the result of intelligent design. Behe has testified in several court cases related to intelligent design, including the court case Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District that resulted in a ruling that intelligent design was religious in nature. Behe's claims about the irreducible complexity of essential cellular structures have been rejected by the vast majority of the scientific community, and his own biology department at Lehigh University published an official statement opposing Behe's views and intelligent design
Apr 25, 2023: Evolution News: Michael Behe, Stephen Meyer, John Lennox: The Evidence for Design Is Growing
On a new episode of ID the Future, Uncommon Knowledge’s Peter Robinson sits down with Michael Behe, John Lennox, and Stephen Meyer, three of the leading voices in science and academia on the case for an intelligent designer of life and the universe. In this wide-ranging conversation in Fiesole, Italy, they explore the growing problems with modern evolutionary theory and the increasing evidence, uncovered by a rigorous application of the scientific method, that points to intentional design of the physical world.
On a new episode of ID the Future, Uncommon Knowledge’s Peter Robinson sits down with Michael Behe, John Lennox, and Stephen Meyer, three of the leading voices in science and academia on the case for an intelligent designer of life and the universe. In this wide-ranging conversation in Fiesole, Italy, they explore the growing problems with modern evolutionary theory and the increasing evidence, uncovered by a rigorous application of the scientific method, that points to intentional design of the physical world.
Aug 30, 2021: Evolution News: How Engineers Helped Save Biology from Evolutionary Theory
Evolutionist Jerry Coyne emphasized in his hatchet-job review of Michael Behe’s Darwin Devolves how life should display similar bottom-up design:
Dec 19, 2014: Rational Skepticism: Behe declares victory on all fronts
In a talk in South Korea, Michael Behe has admitted doing a "victory dance" in his office based on new evidence that he claims supports his ID contentions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlvYn0WrHaY
Evolutionist Jerry Coyne emphasized in his hatchet-job review of Michael Behe’s Darwin Devolves how life should display similar bottom-up design:
Dec 19, 2014: Rational Skepticism: Behe declares victory on all fronts
In a talk in South Korea, Michael Behe has admitted doing a "victory dance" in his office based on new evidence that he claims supports his ID contentions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlvYn0WrHaY
Sept 10, 2008: Evolution News: Rebuttals at OpposingViews.com: Will Intelligent Design's Legal Critics (Americans United) Retract Their Demonstrably False Claims?
Michael Behe and I have posted our first couple objections to the opening statements posted by critics of intelligent design (ID) on OpposingViews.com.
Michael Behe and I have posted our first couple objections to the opening statements posted by critics of intelligent design (ID) on OpposingViews.com.
==matthias beier======
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Lt. Gov. Micah Beckwith and Matthias Beier, associate professor at the Christian Theological Seminary
Nov 12, 2025: Watch as two Indiana pastors on opposing ends of the spectrum on Christian Nationalism debate the role Christianity should have in governing and society. In this segment, they take on the question," What role do Christian morals play in policy? |
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==Peter j Bellini======
Peter J. Bellini received his B.A. in English from the Ohio State University, the M.Div. from Asbury Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Studies from Asbury Theological Seminary with a specialization in Urban North America. Bellini is a mission theologian and serves as Senior Pastor of Westville United Methodist Church and Adjunct Professor of Urban Studies at United Theological Seminary in Ohio. He is an ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church and has served in urban ministry for 21 years. Dr. Bellini has been a leader in every facet of ministry, including new church starts, church turnarounds, mergers, local church renewal, discipleship and leadership training, inner city and global missions and several marketplace ministries.
Peter J Bellini
Christ becomes the beginning and end of our identity and our salvation. The Athanasian idiom claims that “God became human that we may become like God.” The Incarnation is the grounds and goal of our sanctification, theosis. Humanity is made in the image of the Logos, and the Logos became human in Christ Jesus. The God-man defines the image of God and reforms the shape of that image in us. The image of God in Christ is revealed to us through him that we may become like him. The Incarnation, the image of God in Christ, is understood relationally. It is a hypostatic union between God and humanity, divinity and humanity in a person. The Incarnation defines who Christ is and why he came to save us. The Incarnation defines our image in creation and redemption, our genesis and our end. In creation, God identified with us by making us in his image. In salvation, Christ identified with us, so that we can identify with him. We begin to learn and practice his righteousness. For the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.
“Whose image and inscription are engraved on that coin?”
“Caesar’s!”
“Well, give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s! And whose image and inscription are engraved on your soul?”
“God’s!”
“Well, give unto God what is God’s!” -Peter J Bellini; Firebrand Magazine; Giving Unto Caesar: Thoughts on Power and the Church in a Day of Politicization 9.5.23
“Whose image and inscription are engraved on that coin?”
“Caesar’s!”
“Well, give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s! And whose image and inscription are engraved on your soul?”
“God’s!”
“Well, give unto God what is God’s!” -Peter J Bellini; Firebrand Magazine; Giving Unto Caesar: Thoughts on Power and the Church in a Day of Politicization 9.5.23
==peter bell======
Peter Bell is a Reformed theologian, researcher, and host of The Sons of Patriarchy, an investigative podcast examining the rise of Christian Nationalism and abuse aligned with hyper-patriarchal theology. Raised in the PCUSA and educated at Wheaton, Biola, and Westminster Seminary California, Bell brings a rare mix of theological expertise, pastoral sensitivity, and investigative rigor. His work focuses on exposing harmful systems within the church while championing the flourishing of survivors and vulnerable Christians. Bell has served in multiple Reformed traditions, most recently within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. He is driven by a commitment to truth, accountability, and a church that reflects the love and justice of Christ. Based in Southern California, Bell’s voice is emerging as a significant and courageous advocate at the intersection of faith, power, and cultural influence.
After Challenging Doug Wilson, Podcaster’s Confession Shakes Anti-Patriarchy Movement
Days after challenging Pastor Doug Wilson to a public debate, Peter Bell, producer and host of the podcast “Sons of Patriarchy,” made a social media confession that has forced a reckoning within the community he helped build around exposing abuse in patriarchal churches. Bell, whose podcast investigates Wilson’s Moscow, Idaho-based church movement, said in a since-deleted Aug. 23 Facebook post that he struggled with pornography addiction for nearly two decades, was fired from multiple jobs for lying and experienced marital separation during his podcast’s first season last year. The confession came shortly after Bell appeared at a Moscow community event Aug. 8 at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Center, where he and others spoke about the impact of Wilson’s teachings. The podcast producers scheduled their first Moscow visit to coincide with Grace Agenda, a weekend conference hosted by Wilson’s Christ Church that serves as a major recruiting event for the church. (Julie Roys 9/4/25) READMORE>>>>>
Days after challenging Pastor Doug Wilson to a public debate, Peter Bell, producer and host of the podcast “Sons of Patriarchy,” made a social media confession that has forced a reckoning within the community he helped build around exposing abuse in patriarchal churches. Bell, whose podcast investigates Wilson’s Moscow, Idaho-based church movement, said in a since-deleted Aug. 23 Facebook post that he struggled with pornography addiction for nearly two decades, was fired from multiple jobs for lying and experienced marital separation during his podcast’s first season last year. The confession came shortly after Bell appeared at a Moscow community event Aug. 8 at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Center, where he and others spoke about the impact of Wilson’s teachings. The podcast producers scheduled their first Moscow visit to coincide with Grace Agenda, a weekend conference hosted by Wilson’s Christ Church that serves as a major recruiting event for the church. (Julie Roys 9/4/25) READMORE>>>>>
==john benefiel======
Dr. John Benefiel is the founder and Senior Pastor of Church on the Rock, Oklahoma City. He also founded and leads the Heartland Apostolic Prayer Network (HAPN) and the Global Apostolic Prayer Network (GAPN), with a leader and a network in each of the 50 states and 112 nations. The purpose of the networks is to impact the seven mountains of culture - Religion, Family, Education, Government, Media / Arts & Entertainment, Protect & Serve, and Economy - for God's Kingdom through our prayers and influence.
Pennsylvania’s Prayer Warrior: Abby Abildness And Her Dominionist Crusade In The Commonwealth
Apostle Abby Abildness is on a quest to claim the Keystone state for God. She’s a Pennsylvania-based leader in a worldwide network of neo-charismatic Christian leaders called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which promotes dominionism, the belief that Christians have a mandate from God to control all aspects of government and culture. NAR leaders advance a supposedly divine strategy for achieving dominion called the “Seven Mountains Mandate,” which divides society into seven categories, or “mountains”, and encourages Christians to pick a mountain and then head into their community to conquer it for God. In The Commonwealth We initially reported on the NAR in August last year. As stated in that report, some of the NAR’s most prominent leaders include: Cindy Jacobs , John Benefiel, Lance Wallnau, Abby Abildness, Dutch Sheets, Chuck Pierce, Ché Ahn, Lou Engle, Jim Garlow, Steve Strang (Charisma News), Steve Shultz (Elijah List).
(Heather Hahn/United Methodist Church 11/7/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Apostle Abby Abildness is on a quest to claim the Keystone state for God. She’s a Pennsylvania-based leader in a worldwide network of neo-charismatic Christian leaders called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR), which promotes dominionism, the belief that Christians have a mandate from God to control all aspects of government and culture. NAR leaders advance a supposedly divine strategy for achieving dominion called the “Seven Mountains Mandate,” which divides society into seven categories, or “mountains”, and encourages Christians to pick a mountain and then head into their community to conquer it for God. In The Commonwealth We initially reported on the NAR in August last year. As stated in that report, some of the NAR’s most prominent leaders include: Cindy Jacobs , John Benefiel, Lance Wallnau, Abby Abildness, Dutch Sheets, Chuck Pierce, Ché Ahn, Lou Engle, Jim Garlow, Steve Strang (Charisma News), Steve Shultz (Elijah List).
(Heather Hahn/United Methodist Church 11/7/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
==David & Jason Benham======
“In the Ten Commandments, we were told to honor our father and mother. The difference between obedience and honor is that obedience needs a command. Obedience is doing what we’re commanded to do. Honor does what we’re supposed to do even without being commanded. David was known as a man after God’s own heart. Do you know one of the reasons why? Because he had it in his heart to build a temple for God. And God never commanded him to do that. God commanded Moses to erect the tabernacle. God never commanded David to do it. It came out of his heart. And God says, ‘That’s the kind of heart I like.” --Jason Benham; National Bible Bee; Dec 2023
==leon benjamin======
Leon Benjamin is the Senior Pastor and Bishop of New Life Harvest Church in Richmond, VA. Bishop Benjamin, a former Democrat and Gulf War veteran, is an emerging evangelical leader on the national front as a media spokesperson and conservative political activist. He operated as a surrogate for Trump on the presidential campaign trail and worked on the Faith-Based Initiative support team during the President-Elect’s transition to the White House.
Leon Benjamin is the Senior Pastor and Bishop of New Life Harvest Church in Richmond, VA. Bishop Benjamin, a former Democrat and Gulf War veteran, is an emerging evangelical leader on the national front as a media spokesperson and conservative political activist. He operated as a surrogate for Trump on the presidential campaign trail and worked on the Faith-Based Initiative support team during the President-Elect’s transition to the White House.
At Labor Department Prayer Service, MAGA Preacher Says Employees are Working for God and Trumpeflect Blacks', whites' divergent traditions
During the third monthly Christian worship service held inside the U.S. Department of Labor’s office building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday (Feb. 11), a Trumpian pastor baptized the work of the federal agency. Leon Benjamin, a charismatic preacher who leads a nondenominational church in Richmond, Virginia, and another in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also urged government employees to faithfully follow the DoL’s secretary to bless President Donald Trump. Benjamin, who lost three races as the Republican nominee for a U.S. House of Representatives seat in the last five years, was a frequent speaker at the ReAwaken America Tour, a traveling carnival of MAGA conspiracies, anti-vax rhetoric, and Trumpian preachers. Benjamin attended Trump’s rally on Jan. 6, 2021, and even walked with the crowd to the Capitol grounds. He also spoke the day before the insurrection at a “Jericho March” that was part of the effort to overturn the presidential election. With Wednesday’s prayer service centered on the theme of “love and charity” in honor of Valentine’s Day, Benjamin read from 1 Corinthians 13, among other passages, to urge people to live and work in such a way they’re like a band of instruments, each making the right sound. Then, he argued, the DoL could lift up both Trump and Jesus. (Word & Way 2.11.26) READMORE>>>>>
During the third monthly Christian worship service held inside the U.S. Department of Labor’s office building in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday (Feb. 11), a Trumpian pastor baptized the work of the federal agency. Leon Benjamin, a charismatic preacher who leads a nondenominational church in Richmond, Virginia, and another in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also urged government employees to faithfully follow the DoL’s secretary to bless President Donald Trump. Benjamin, who lost three races as the Republican nominee for a U.S. House of Representatives seat in the last five years, was a frequent speaker at the ReAwaken America Tour, a traveling carnival of MAGA conspiracies, anti-vax rhetoric, and Trumpian preachers. Benjamin attended Trump’s rally on Jan. 6, 2021, and even walked with the crowd to the Capitol grounds. He also spoke the day before the insurrection at a “Jericho March” that was part of the effort to overturn the presidential election. With Wednesday’s prayer service centered on the theme of “love and charity” in honor of Valentine’s Day, Benjamin read from 1 Corinthians 13, among other passages, to urge people to live and work in such a way they’re like a band of instruments, each making the right sound. Then, he argued, the DoL could lift up both Trump and Jesus. (Word & Way 2.11.26) READMORE>>>>>
Jan 23, 2023: New Republic reported: 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.
February 22, 2023: The Washington Post reported: Voters in Virginia’s 4th Congressional district are returning to the polls to elect a new representative after the death of Democratic Rep. Donald McEachin. McEachin passed away just weeks after winning reelection. Democratic state Sen. Jennifer McClellan and Republican Leon Benjamin are in the running for the seat. McClellan prevailed in a competitive December primary. Benjamin was McEachin’s Republican challenger in 2020 and 2022.
==alan bentrip=====
MAGA Officials Disinvite Pro-LGBTQ+ Episcopal Priest from City Council Invocation After Pride Event Backlash
Local officials in Keller, Texas, part of Tarrant County, invited Reverend Alan Bentrip, pastor at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, to offer the invocation at a recent city council meeting. The invitation was rescinded last week after officials learned of his involvement in hosting a Pride event on church property. The event, which took place a few months prior, attracted approximately 700 attendees and 140 vendors, with minimal protests following initial controversy.Reverend Bentrip decided to host the Pride event in response to community needs, providing a space for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies to gather safely. Despite enduring online threats before and after the festival, the event proceeded smoothly, supported by local police who ensured security. When Bentrip arrived at the city council meeting to deliver his planned prayer, a staff member informed him of a supposed double booking, barring him from the program. (Edge Media Network; 1.6.26) READMORE>>>>>
Local officials in Keller, Texas, part of Tarrant County, invited Reverend Alan Bentrip, pastor at St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church, to offer the invocation at a recent city council meeting. The invitation was rescinded last week after officials learned of his involvement in hosting a Pride event on church property. The event, which took place a few months prior, attracted approximately 700 attendees and 140 vendors, with minimal protests following initial controversy.Reverend Bentrip decided to host the Pride event in response to community needs, providing a space for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies to gather safely. Despite enduring online threats before and after the festival, the event proceeded smoothly, supported by local police who ensured security. When Bentrip arrived at the city council meeting to deliver his planned prayer, a staff member informed him of a supposed double booking, barring him from the program. (Edge Media Network; 1.6.26) READMORE>>>>>
==steve berger======
Steve Berger is Grace Chapel founding pastor
“Give us a man who fears [God] more than he fears the media — give us a representative who will lead with holy courage and not with squishy compromise,” Berger prayed in part, adding, “[God] alone can stem the tide of wickedness that masquerades as progress, freedom and democracy, when in reality it is regress, bondage and godless communism.” -Steve Berger supporting republican candidate Matt Van Epps in Tennessee; 12/1/25
==tom berlin======
Tom Berlin was elected as a bishop of The United Methodist Church on November 2, 2022, by the Southeastern Jurisdiction. He was assigned to serve as the residential bishop of the Florida Episcopal Area beginning January 1, 2023, which includes the Florida Annual Conference. Bishop Berlin attended Virginia Tech and received a BS in business with a major in public administration. He received his Master of Divinity from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University. Bishop Berlin was ordained in 1987.
‘Like a revival’: UMC bishops talk of ‘a future with hope’ after over 6K churches depart
Moderated by Hamilton, the panel included East Ohio Bishop Tracy Smith Malone, Florida Bishop Tom Berlin and Bishop Mande Muyombo of the Congo Central Conference. The event comes as thousands of UMC congregations have disaffiliated in the past couple of years amid the ongoing debate within the denomination over whether to change its rules to allow for the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals. Although efforts to change the UMC Book of Discipline's stance on these issues have failed, many theological liberal leaders in the denomination have either refused to follow or enforce the denomination's rules.
(Michael Gryboski/Christian Post 10/12/23) READ MORE>>>>>
Moderated by Hamilton, the panel included East Ohio Bishop Tracy Smith Malone, Florida Bishop Tom Berlin and Bishop Mande Muyombo of the Congo Central Conference. The event comes as thousands of UMC congregations have disaffiliated in the past couple of years amid the ongoing debate within the denomination over whether to change its rules to allow for the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of noncelibate homosexuals. Although efforts to change the UMC Book of Discipline's stance on these issues have failed, many theological liberal leaders in the denomination have either refused to follow or enforce the denomination's rules.
(Michael Gryboski/Christian Post 10/12/23) READ MORE>>>>>
==david berry======
Abigail Kessler
After hearing over three hours of public comment on the topic, Flagstaff City Council approved a resolution supporting abortion access in the city at its meeting Tuesday...........Many commenters who spoke against the resolution cited religion, specifically Christianity, as their reason for opposing abortion, quoting Bible verses and prayers and using religious language.
The group included a few local pastors: Joshua Walker, teaching elder of Church of the Resurrection (though he said he was here as a “concerned citizen” rather than a pastor), David Berry, senior pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship, Barbara Swee, associate pastor of Northland Christian Assembly, and Jim Dorman, founding pastor (now retired) of Christ’s Church of Flagstaff. “I’m here today on behalf of myself and the nearly 300 people of my church,” Berry said. “ ... Together we are all in vehement opposition to the proposed resolution 2023-12. The mission of Flagstaff as we’ve been reminded is to protect and enhance the quality of life for all. That certainly includes the most vulnerable among us who cannot defend and speak for themselves, people in the womb.”
Some of those who supported the resolution mentioned the separation of church and state in their comments, saying that to act based on the religious beliefs of other commenters would go against it.
Northern Arizona University professor of comparative cultural studies Diana Coleman also noted that these beliefs were from a subset of one religion.
“We have not heard the religious side, as I’ve heard people say; we’ve heard from a thin, select fringe of conservative Christianity that doesn’t represent all of Christianity,” she said. “ ... We do have separation of church and state, we have the establishment clause. This religious-inflected dialogue is inappropriate to be forced on and also very disingenuous.”..........Matthews said the religious views should be heard, however, as they were community members’ perspectives.
“I don’t think that it was about well, this is a religious thing or a God thing, so you need to be shamed into making a decision,” she said. “ ... This is their belief and they are part of the community.”
In his part of the discussion, McCarthy said the question was about who was making decisions.
“Someone [tonight] said there are differing opinions on the issue. Well, that’s obvious. But one side, who would say ‘pro-choice,’ they’re saying, ‘I’m not going to make that decision for you.’ The other side is saying, ‘I want to make that decision for you.’” --Abigail Kessler; Arizona Daily Sun; Flagstaff City Council adopts resolution supporting abortion access 3.11.23
The group included a few local pastors: Joshua Walker, teaching elder of Church of the Resurrection (though he said he was here as a “concerned citizen” rather than a pastor), David Berry, senior pastor of Flagstaff Christian Fellowship, Barbara Swee, associate pastor of Northland Christian Assembly, and Jim Dorman, founding pastor (now retired) of Christ’s Church of Flagstaff. “I’m here today on behalf of myself and the nearly 300 people of my church,” Berry said. “ ... Together we are all in vehement opposition to the proposed resolution 2023-12. The mission of Flagstaff as we’ve been reminded is to protect and enhance the quality of life for all. That certainly includes the most vulnerable among us who cannot defend and speak for themselves, people in the womb.”
Some of those who supported the resolution mentioned the separation of church and state in their comments, saying that to act based on the religious beliefs of other commenters would go against it.
Northern Arizona University professor of comparative cultural studies Diana Coleman also noted that these beliefs were from a subset of one religion.
“We have not heard the religious side, as I’ve heard people say; we’ve heard from a thin, select fringe of conservative Christianity that doesn’t represent all of Christianity,” she said. “ ... We do have separation of church and state, we have the establishment clause. This religious-inflected dialogue is inappropriate to be forced on and also very disingenuous.”..........Matthews said the religious views should be heard, however, as they were community members’ perspectives.
“I don’t think that it was about well, this is a religious thing or a God thing, so you need to be shamed into making a decision,” she said. “ ... This is their belief and they are part of the community.”
In his part of the discussion, McCarthy said the question was about who was making decisions.
“Someone [tonight] said there are differing opinions on the issue. Well, that’s obvious. But one side, who would say ‘pro-choice,’ they’re saying, ‘I’m not going to make that decision for you.’ The other side is saying, ‘I want to make that decision for you.’” --Abigail Kessler; Arizona Daily Sun; Flagstaff City Council adopts resolution supporting abortion access 3.11.23
==alan bevere======
Allan R. Bevere (Ph.D. University of Durham, U.K.) is a retired United Methodist pastor. He is a Professional Fellow in Theology at Ashland Theological Seminary also in Ashland. He has also served as a police chaplain. Bevere is an ordained Elder in the East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church and has served the Conference in several different capacities over the years. Throughout his ministry Dr. Bevere has been actively involved in short-term mission work in Haiti and Puerto Rico. He regularly travels to Cuba to teach theology, biblical studies, and ministerial studies to the pastors serving in the Methodist Church there. He also teaches intensive courses at Africa University in Zimbabwe.
Alan R Bevere
I hate death, God hates death, and Jesus hates death... that’s why Jesus walked out of the tomb on Easter Sunday morning. Indeed, I understand that we can in our pain and grief welcome death. We cannot fathom the pain from the cancer that slowly eats away at our loved one's body. We no longer wish to witness the loss of our mother’s or father’s identity as Alzheimer’s ravages their brain. Death becomes a sigh of relief for us, a sad but reluctantly welcomed arrival. That is indeed the tragedy of life this side of perfection—the enemy of death itself is welcomed because we no longer wish to see the enemy do its dirty work on those whom we care about so deeply and dearly. So we welcome into our midst the very force that leads to our demise in the first place. It seems that death has us trapped. But death does not have the last word, “...in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ” (I Cor 15:20-22). -Alan R Bevere; Death Is the Enemy 4/17/22
Alan Bevere
Ananias is told that he must encounter this Saul and bring him into the faith through baptism. It is understandable that Ananias would be quite skeptical over Saul’s conversion. After all, Ananias has heard of Saul and what he had done to the church in Jerusalem. What if this is a ruse; a trick of Saul's to infiltrate the church in Damascus in order to arrest the leadership and bring them back to Jerusalem? Just as Saul, Ananias is awakened from the routine of his life and called upon to be part of something larger, something that will change the course of Christianity. Most commentators focus on Saul in Acts chapter nine, which is understandable. He is by far the most famous and most influential of the two men in our story. But it is unfortunate that often Ananias in neglected. He is a critical part of Saul’s conversion. He not only initiates Saul into the Christian faith, but it will become his job to convince the Christians in Damascus that Paul’s conversion is indeed real and that this former persecutor and now be trusted as a fellow disciple.
-Alan R Bevere; Faith Seeking Understanding; A Tale of Two Men... and of Us 4.30.22
-Alan R Bevere; Faith Seeking Understanding; A Tale of Two Men... and of Us 4.30.22
