J-2 PEOPLE FILES
- Skye Jethani - Mark Jobe - Abby Johnson - Bill & Beni Johnson - Gary Johnson - Jeff R Johnson - Tommy Johnson - Jeff Johnston - Stephen Joiner - Ken Sundet Jones - Noel Jones - Robert P Jones - Stephen Jones - Tony Jones - Rachel Jordon-Wolf
==skye jethani======
Skye Jethani (MDiv, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is an award-winning author, former pastor, and speaker. He is cohost of the popular Holy Post podcast, with over 600,000 downloads per month. Jethani has written numerous books, including the What If Jesus Was Serious? series, and served for more than a decade in numerous editorial and executive roles at Christianity Today. He also writes a daily devotional called With God Daily.
The first clue that Jesus’s map of heaven is different from ours is found in the word itself. The Hebrew word for “heaven” in the Old Testament is shamayim, and the Greek word in the New Testament is ouranos. Both words are plural and are usually accompanied by a definite article. Therefore, they should more accurately be translated into English as “the heavens.” This means, according to the Bible, heaven is not a single place or a proper name, and we should not speak about heaven as a singular location the way we speak about London, Wrigley Field, or even something as vast as the Pacific Ocean.
The ancient cultures that shaped the Bible, and to which Jesus belonged, understood “the heavens” to be a vast realm surrounding the earth. First, they spoke of the heavens when referring to the sky or atmosphere. When Jesus said “the birds of the air,” the actual language he used was “the birds of the heavens” (Matt. 6:26). The heavens are also where the celestial bodies abide—the sun, moon, and stars. Modern people distinguish between the atmosphere and outer space, but ancient cultures did not. Therefore, the heavens were simply everything in the air and above the earth.
“The heavens” also carried another important meaning in the ancient world. It referred to the dwelling place of God. The heavens are the invisible, intangible realm occupied by the Lord and his hosts. When this meaning is intended, our English Bibles will often ignore the plural Hebrew or Greek word and use the singular instead. For example, Isaiah 66:1 is translated as “This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne.’” When modern people read this verse with our mental map, it conjures images of God occupying a celestial city far away from the earth. But in Hebrew the verse says, “The heavens are my throne.” The Lord is saying that he occupies the air/sky/atmosphere immediately surrounding us. Unfortunately, most of our translations of the Bible do not help us grasp this more immediate and accessible vision of God’s heavenly presence.
The reason is simple. Our modern scientific knowledge has influenced how we translate these ancient texts. We want to differentiate the natural realm of the atmosphere from the supernatural realm of the spirits. Therefore, our English Bibles will say birds, clouds, thunder, or rain occupy “the air” but that God and his angels occupy “heaven,” when all of these verses actually use the same plural word—“the heavens.” By imposing our mental map of heaven onto the Bible, we obscure or erase the mental map of the biblical writers and of Jesus himself. Instead, we come to believe that heaven is a distant place accessible only after death and that God could not possibly be as near as the air filling our lungs.
The implications of this, as Dallas Willard notes, are a warped understanding of God, his kingdom, and the message of Jesus. “The damage done to our practical faith in Christ and in his government-at-hand by confusing heaven with a place in distant outer space, or even beyond space, is incalculable. Of course, God is there too. But instead of heaven and God also being always present with us, as Jesus shows them to be, we invariably take them to be located far away and, most likely, at a much later time—not here and not now.”
READ MORE: Acts 2:42–47; Ephesians 2:11–22
Content taken from What If Jesus Was Serious about Heaven? by Skye Jethani, ©2023. Used by permission of Brazos Press.
The ancient cultures that shaped the Bible, and to which Jesus belonged, understood “the heavens” to be a vast realm surrounding the earth. First, they spoke of the heavens when referring to the sky or atmosphere. When Jesus said “the birds of the air,” the actual language he used was “the birds of the heavens” (Matt. 6:26). The heavens are also where the celestial bodies abide—the sun, moon, and stars. Modern people distinguish between the atmosphere and outer space, but ancient cultures did not. Therefore, the heavens were simply everything in the air and above the earth.
“The heavens” also carried another important meaning in the ancient world. It referred to the dwelling place of God. The heavens are the invisible, intangible realm occupied by the Lord and his hosts. When this meaning is intended, our English Bibles will often ignore the plural Hebrew or Greek word and use the singular instead. For example, Isaiah 66:1 is translated as “This is what the Lord says: ‘Heaven is my throne.’” When modern people read this verse with our mental map, it conjures images of God occupying a celestial city far away from the earth. But in Hebrew the verse says, “The heavens are my throne.” The Lord is saying that he occupies the air/sky/atmosphere immediately surrounding us. Unfortunately, most of our translations of the Bible do not help us grasp this more immediate and accessible vision of God’s heavenly presence.
The reason is simple. Our modern scientific knowledge has influenced how we translate these ancient texts. We want to differentiate the natural realm of the atmosphere from the supernatural realm of the spirits. Therefore, our English Bibles will say birds, clouds, thunder, or rain occupy “the air” but that God and his angels occupy “heaven,” when all of these verses actually use the same plural word—“the heavens.” By imposing our mental map of heaven onto the Bible, we obscure or erase the mental map of the biblical writers and of Jesus himself. Instead, we come to believe that heaven is a distant place accessible only after death and that God could not possibly be as near as the air filling our lungs.
The implications of this, as Dallas Willard notes, are a warped understanding of God, his kingdom, and the message of Jesus. “The damage done to our practical faith in Christ and in his government-at-hand by confusing heaven with a place in distant outer space, or even beyond space, is incalculable. Of course, God is there too. But instead of heaven and God also being always present with us, as Jesus shows them to be, we invariably take them to be located far away and, most likely, at a much later time—not here and not now.”
READ MORE: Acts 2:42–47; Ephesians 2:11–22
Content taken from What If Jesus Was Serious about Heaven? by Skye Jethani, ©2023. Used by permission of Brazos Press.
"The “church” is the community of God’s redeemed and empowered people. The church institution and its leaders exists to equip God’s people. God’s people do not exist to equip the institution. Ministry is not what we do within the church institution, but what we do to manifest the reign of Christ in the world".
--Skye Jethani
--Skye Jethani
==mark jobe======
June 17, 2020: Christianity Today: Moody Apologizes Over Historical Blackface Photos
Regardless of when these photos were taken, or what the intent of the students was at that time, these pictures are shocking and deeply offensive. As senior leadership of Moody Bible Institute, we come together in this letter to deeply apologize for these photos and the underlying ignorance and the racist foundation blackface represents,” wrote Moody president Mark Jobe, addressing the 1974 and 1984 yearbook photos.
Regardless of when these photos were taken, or what the intent of the students was at that time, these pictures are shocking and deeply offensive. As senior leadership of Moody Bible Institute, we come together in this letter to deeply apologize for these photos and the underlying ignorance and the racist foundation blackface represents,” wrote Moody president Mark Jobe, addressing the 1974 and 1984 yearbook photos.
In early 2013, it was announced that Shady Grove Church in Grand Prairie, Texas, would become a campus of Gateway. The transition started in March 2013. The Grand Prairie location seats around 1,500. The campus is off of 161 (The President George Bush Turnpike) and Carrier Parkway. Pastor Mark Jobe served as the Campus Pastor. In 2015, the Grand Prairie campus averaged 1,784 people per weekend.
Mark Jobe; Executive Pastor Gateway Church Gran Prairie Campus
Saved: Born again during my sophomore year in high school. I surrendered to the ministry my junior year and began traveling and speaking in churches my senior year.
Education: Attended Liberty Bible College and Criswell Center for biblical studies from 1979 through 1983.
Previous Lines of Work: Been in full time ministry for over 30 years
One of the Things I Find Most Fascinating: The power of God to change even the most impossible situations. I have watched God take lives and marriages that were over and turn them completely around. On a lighter note, I am amazed how a thermos can keep cold things cold and hot things hot! Have you ever wondered how it knows the difference?
Mark Jobe; Executive Pastor Gateway Church Gran Prairie Campus
Saved: Born again during my sophomore year in high school. I surrendered to the ministry my junior year and began traveling and speaking in churches my senior year.
Education: Attended Liberty Bible College and Criswell Center for biblical studies from 1979 through 1983.
Previous Lines of Work: Been in full time ministry for over 30 years
One of the Things I Find Most Fascinating: The power of God to change even the most impossible situations. I have watched God take lives and marriages that were over and turn them completely around. On a lighter note, I am amazed how a thermos can keep cold things cold and hot things hot! Have you ever wondered how it knows the difference?
==Abby johnson======
Beth Moore, doctor criticize John MacArthur for claiming mental illness isn’t real
Former Planned Parenthood clinic director turned pro-life CEO, Abby Johnson, who is also a trained Christian counselor, condemned MacArthur’s comments as well. “John MacArthur just publicly proclaimed that he has zero understanding of PTSD or any other mental health disorder. I have my doctorate in Christian counseling and anyone reading this who is struggling, this is NOT truth,” she noted on X. “This is NOT what Jesus wants for you. He wants health and wholeness for your mind, body, and spirit. That often includes therapy and sometimes medication. And that’s OKAY. Please do not feel ashamed for seeking health. Seeking help is the courageous thing to do.” (Christian Post 5/2/24) READ MORE>>>>>
Former Planned Parenthood clinic director turned pro-life CEO, Abby Johnson, who is also a trained Christian counselor, condemned MacArthur’s comments as well. “John MacArthur just publicly proclaimed that he has zero understanding of PTSD or any other mental health disorder. I have my doctorate in Christian counseling and anyone reading this who is struggling, this is NOT truth,” she noted on X. “This is NOT what Jesus wants for you. He wants health and wholeness for your mind, body, and spirit. That often includes therapy and sometimes medication. And that’s OKAY. Please do not feel ashamed for seeking health. Seeking help is the courageous thing to do.” (Christian Post 5/2/24) READ MORE>>>>>
==bill & Beni johnson======
The New Apostolic Reformation drove the January 6 riots, so why was it overlooked by the House Select Committee?
Other self-proclaimed modern-day apostles include Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer, Dutch Sheets, Cindy Jacobs, Che Ahn and Don Finto. Independent charismatic prophets are those who say they experience dreams and visions that allow them to tell what God wants to say for a certain moment. They often believe they can discern where certain demonic spirits are so that the apostles can lead the charge against them. (Rick Pidcock/Baptist News Global 1/10/23)
Read More>>>>
Other self-proclaimed modern-day apostles include Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer, Dutch Sheets, Cindy Jacobs, Che Ahn and Don Finto. Independent charismatic prophets are those who say they experience dreams and visions that allow them to tell what God wants to say for a certain moment. They often believe they can discern where certain demonic spirits are so that the apostles can lead the charge against them. (Rick Pidcock/Baptist News Global 1/10/23)
Read More>>>>
Jan 10, 2023: Baptist News Global: The New Apostolic Reformation drove the January 6 riots, so why was it overlooked by the House Select Committee?
Other self-proclaimed modern-day apostles include Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer, Dutch Sheets, Cindy Jacobs, Che Ahn and Don Finto.
Other self-proclaimed modern-day apostles include Bill Johnson of Bethel Church, Mike Bickle of the International House of Prayer, Dutch Sheets, Cindy Jacobs, Che Ahn and Don Finto.
Feb 14, 2022: Christian Headlines: Bethel Church Launches 24/7 Prayer Campaign for Beni Johnson amid Cancer Battle
Bethel Church recently launched a 24/7 prayer campaign for Beni Johnson, the wife of senior pastor Bill Johnson, who is battling cancer.
Bethel Church recently launched a 24/7 prayer campaign for Beni Johnson, the wife of senior pastor Bill Johnson, who is battling cancer.
June 18, 2019: CalMatters: How Redding, California, became an unlikely epicenter of modern Christian culture
It was founded by a fifth-generation pastor, Bill Johnson, who heads up local Bethel Church, and started with a few dozen local students. Today the school enrolls more international vocational students than any other school in the country, by far, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data. In 2017, Bethel had 1,792 international students enrolled. The institution with the next highest enrollment was Dean International, a flight-training school in Florida, with 888 international vocational students.
It was founded by a fifth-generation pastor, Bill Johnson, who heads up local Bethel Church, and started with a few dozen local students. Today the school enrolls more international vocational students than any other school in the country, by far, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data. In 2017, Bethel had 1,792 international students enrolled. The institution with the next highest enrollment was Dean International, a flight-training school in Florida, with 888 international vocational students.
Bill and Beni Johnson, two of the church's most senior leaders, have been accused of heretical conduct for what they believe in and teach. Bill, for example, included the Biblical truth in his book, "Jesus Christ is Perfect Theology," that God always intends to heal someone.
Beni, on the other hand, had been criticized for her focus on angelology Previously, she was claimed to have said in a blog post that is no longer available, that there are "different kinds of angels" who had "fallen asleep." And when she posted images of herself on the graves of well-known Christians such as C.S. Lewis, she was accused of "grave soaking" which was eventually called "grave-sucking."
Lloyd wrote: "Many wild suggestions have been made of the activity within these walls of 'wacky cheer'. It should be made clear that, initially, I, too, was the one who stepped over students laughing on the floor, inwardly judging their reactions to the presence of God. My secret conversations with the Lord however, would always confront my judgement for another's enthusiasm. Just as I was once encouraged by great art directors in London to let creatives take a risk, so too did I need to ensure I made space to allow their zealous spirit to encounter God, however that may look." -Sarah Mae Saliong; Christianity Daily 11.26.21
Beni, on the other hand, had been criticized for her focus on angelology Previously, she was claimed to have said in a blog post that is no longer available, that there are "different kinds of angels" who had "fallen asleep." And when she posted images of herself on the graves of well-known Christians such as C.S. Lewis, she was accused of "grave soaking" which was eventually called "grave-sucking."
Lloyd wrote: "Many wild suggestions have been made of the activity within these walls of 'wacky cheer'. It should be made clear that, initially, I, too, was the one who stepped over students laughing on the floor, inwardly judging their reactions to the presence of God. My secret conversations with the Lord however, would always confront my judgement for another's enthusiasm. Just as I was once encouraged by great art directors in London to let creatives take a risk, so too did I need to ensure I made space to allow their zealous spirit to encounter God, however that may look." -Sarah Mae Saliong; Christianity Daily 11.26.21
==gary johnson======
"God. Jesus. Holy Spirit. Co-equal/co-essential. There's order, but it has nothing to do with equality. There's no competition in the Godhead."
--Gary Johnson 10/24/81
--Gary Johnson 10/24/81
"Glory of God. Words with definition of glory: beauty, honor, cleanness, purity, rarity, heavy or weighty. Strive for a quality life that reflects His glory." Isaiah 43:7: Everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for my glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made."
--Gary Johnson 9/9/82
--Gary Johnson 9/9/82
"You can never take more from someone than what they give you. If you do, that's domination."
--Gary Johnson 12/11/82
--Gary Johnson 12/11/82
"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him."
--Gary Johnson 12/11/82
--Gary Johnson 12/11/82
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Black Hills area churches respond to Haiti crisis
On Friday, Gary Johnson breathed a sigh of relief. The pastor of Rapid City's Dove Christian Center learned Friday that his Haitian friend and longtime ministry partner, Pastor Serge Coulanges, had survived the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated the small, impoverished country. A soon-to-open three-story hospital that Coulanges recently built in the Port-au-Prince area, largely through Dove Christian Center's financial support, had its top floor heavily damaged in the earthquake, but the building was not destroyed. Dove Christian also contributes a $500 monthly stipend to Coulanges' ministries, which include 50 churches, schools and medical facilities, and Johnson set up a special relief fund for him this week on the church's Web site . (Mary Garrigan/Rapid City Journal 1/15/10) READ MORE>>>>> |
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Locals speculate on 'Last Days'
RAPID CITY - Dove Christian Center pastor Gary Johnson has imagined Armageddon and other end-of-the-world biblical prophecies, but he never imagined a scenario in which he would be sharing a primetime television show with the likes of super scientist Stephen Hawking and global-warming guru Al Gore. Johnson and several other Rapid Citians will do exactly that Wednesday night when the ABC News show "Last Days on Earth" mixes science, religion and special effects as it helps viewers imagine several end-of-earth scenarios. Johnson gave the ABC reporter his interpretation of End Times theology, which includes heeding prophetic signs, such as an increase in natural disasters, escalating ethnic strife in the Middle East, huge leaps in scientific and technological knowledge, and the ability to travel rapidly around the world and far into the universe. "Jesus said to look for these signs, including when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies," Johnson said. When asked what his church's response would be to global cataclysm, Johnson told ABC News that it should not despair. "I told him we wouldn't go hide in a cave and eat frozen foods. We'd be about our Father's business. You keep on doing what you're doing, but you look up," Johnson said. "It wouldn't be cause for despair, because we have hope."
. (Mary Garrigan/Rapid City Journal 8/28/06)
READ MORE>>>>>
RAPID CITY - Dove Christian Center pastor Gary Johnson has imagined Armageddon and other end-of-the-world biblical prophecies, but he never imagined a scenario in which he would be sharing a primetime television show with the likes of super scientist Stephen Hawking and global-warming guru Al Gore. Johnson and several other Rapid Citians will do exactly that Wednesday night when the ABC News show "Last Days on Earth" mixes science, religion and special effects as it helps viewers imagine several end-of-earth scenarios. Johnson gave the ABC reporter his interpretation of End Times theology, which includes heeding prophetic signs, such as an increase in natural disasters, escalating ethnic strife in the Middle East, huge leaps in scientific and technological knowledge, and the ability to travel rapidly around the world and far into the universe. "Jesus said to look for these signs, including when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies," Johnson said. When asked what his church's response would be to global cataclysm, Johnson told ABC News that it should not despair. "I told him we wouldn't go hide in a cave and eat frozen foods. We'd be about our Father's business. You keep on doing what you're doing, but you look up," Johnson said. "It wouldn't be cause for despair, because we have hope."
. (Mary Garrigan/Rapid City Journal 8/28/06)
READ MORE>>>>>
==jeff r johnson==================
ELCA synod elects its first openly gay bishop
A California-based synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has elected its first-ever openly gay bishop, over a year after the regional body removed its first-ever trans-identified bishop from office.
At the ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly last week, Pastor Jeff R. Johnson of Berkeley, California, was elected to a six-year term as bishop of the regional church body. (Michael Gryboski/Christian Post)
Read More>>>>>
A California-based synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has elected its first-ever openly gay bishop, over a year after the regional body removed its first-ever trans-identified bishop from office.
At the ELCA Sierra Pacific Synod Assembly last week, Pastor Jeff R. Johnson of Berkeley, California, was elected to a six-year term as bishop of the regional church body. (Michael Gryboski/Christian Post)
Read More>>>>>
==tommy johnson==================
March 2, 2023: Christian Post: ‘A ripple effect from Asbury’: Secular universities now seeing revival gatherings on their campuses
Tommy Johnson, a campus minister for WKU’s Baptist Campus Ministry, told The Christian Post that the gatherings were directly tied to the revival at Asbury.
“We have seen a ripple effect from Asbury on the WKU campus. Several students from WKU attended services at Asbury,” said Johnson. “After returning from Asbury, several of them gathered for prayer and worship at the chapel on WKU’s campus and invited other students to join that night.”
Tommy Johnson, a campus minister for WKU’s Baptist Campus Ministry, told The Christian Post that the gatherings were directly tied to the revival at Asbury.
“We have seen a ripple effect from Asbury on the WKU campus. Several students from WKU attended services at Asbury,” said Johnson. “After returning from Asbury, several of them gathered for prayer and worship at the chapel on WKU’s campus and invited other students to join that night.”
==jeff johnston===================
Feb 12, 2023: The Gazette: Colorado law bans 'conversion therapy' for those under 18, but debate continues
Jeff Johnston felt a sexual attraction to other boys in adolescence and also found himself fascinated with pornography.
“I struggled with my identity — who am I, what does this mean about me if I have some of these feelings,” he said.
“I asked God to take it away, and that didn’t happen.”"When I go into prayer with someone and they're praying for me, I've never heard them say, 'We pray for this to go away,'" Johnston said. "In prayer time, it was an issue God brought up, and God brought healing to it. That's how prayer works."
He’s now the culture and policy analyst for Focus on the Family, an evangelical Christian broadcasting and media organization headquartered in Colorado Springs.
Jeff Johnston felt a sexual attraction to other boys in adolescence and also found himself fascinated with pornography.
“I struggled with my identity — who am I, what does this mean about me if I have some of these feelings,” he said.
“I asked God to take it away, and that didn’t happen.”"When I go into prayer with someone and they're praying for me, I've never heard them say, 'We pray for this to go away,'" Johnston said. "In prayer time, it was an issue God brought up, and God brought healing to it. That's how prayer works."
He’s now the culture and policy analyst for Focus on the Family, an evangelical Christian broadcasting and media organization headquartered in Colorado Springs.
==stephen joiner============== |
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Stephen Joiner is Sr. Pastor at Nazarene Church in Columbus, Mississippi.
Mar 31, 2015: Christian Examiner: Pro-life pastor awarded damages for unlawful arrest at Mississippi protest
Columbus Police Department Capt. Frederick Shelton arrested Stephen Joiner, citing the city's parade ordinance requiring "groups" of even one individual to obtain a parade permit prior to engaging in speech on a public sidewalk.
Columbus Police Department Capt. Frederick Shelton arrested Stephen Joiner, citing the city's parade ordinance requiring "groups" of even one individual to obtain a parade permit prior to engaging in speech on a public sidewalk.
May 19, 2014: Charisma: Pastor Thrown in Jail for Holding a Sign That Tells the Gruesome Truth About Abortion
Pastor Stephen Joiner was arrested and jailed for four hours simply for holding a sign stating that abortion kills children alongside a busy intersection in the city.
Now he's filing suit.
Liberty Counsel filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Columbus in Mississippi and police Capt. Frederick Shelton on behalf of Joiner.
Pastor Stephen Joiner was arrested and jailed for four hours simply for holding a sign stating that abortion kills children alongside a busy intersection in the city.
Now he's filing suit.
Liberty Counsel filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Columbus in Mississippi and police Capt. Frederick Shelton on behalf of Joiner.
==ken sundet jones===============
Religious leaders experiment with ChatGPT sermons
Religious leaders are dabbling in ChatGPT for sermon writing, and largely reaching the same conclusion: It's great for plucking Bible verses and concocting nice-sounding sentiments but lacks the human warmth that congregants crave. Why it matters: As scarily good generative artificial intelligence tools start to disrupt all manner of professions, men and women of the cloth are pondering how eerily close it can come to projecting a human — or divine — soul. (Jennifer A Kingson/Axios 3/10/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Religious leaders are dabbling in ChatGPT for sermon writing, and largely reaching the same conclusion: It's great for plucking Bible verses and concocting nice-sounding sentiments but lacks the human warmth that congregants crave. Why it matters: As scarily good generative artificial intelligence tools start to disrupt all manner of professions, men and women of the cloth are pondering how eerily close it can come to projecting a human — or divine — soul. (Jennifer A Kingson/Axios 3/10/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
==noel jones===================
Noel Jones (born January 31, 1950) is a Jamaican minister and a Pentecostal bishop.. He is the senior pastor of the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, California, which has about 17,000 members and was formerly the Greater Bethany Community Church
Who is Bishop Noel Jones' wife? Video of a woman confessing to punching Loretta Jones goes viral
Loretta Jones, the wife of noted Pentecostal Bishop Noel Jones, was attacked by a woman during church service on Monday, August 14, at the City of Refuge Church’s Sanctuary in Gardena, Los Angeles. The security escorted the women out while Loretta was taken to a local hospital for a checkup. Her present condition is unknown. However, the woman who attacked her shared a video on Facebook addressing the incident and identified herself as Regina Adams. (Amrita Das/SK Pop 8/16/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
Loretta Jones, the wife of noted Pentecostal Bishop Noel Jones, was attacked by a woman during church service on Monday, August 14, at the City of Refuge Church’s Sanctuary in Gardena, Los Angeles. The security escorted the women out while Loretta was taken to a local hospital for a checkup. Her present condition is unknown. However, the woman who attacked her shared a video on Facebook addressing the incident and identified herself as Regina Adams. (Amrita Das/SK Pop 8/16/23)
READ MORE>>>>>
WATCH: Bishop Noel Jones’s tear-jerking tribute to Pearl Shongwe: ‘It’s like we lost a thousand lives’
Tributes continue to pour in for Pearl Shongwe after the broadcaster and news anchor was found dead in her Midrand flat on November 8. She was 35. Metro FM business manager Kina Nhlengethwa confirmed Shongwe’s death. (Kedibone Modise/Iol 11/9/22)
READ MORE>>>>>
Tributes continue to pour in for Pearl Shongwe after the broadcaster and news anchor was found dead in her Midrand flat on November 8. She was 35. Metro FM business manager Kina Nhlengethwa confirmed Shongwe’s death. (Kedibone Modise/Iol 11/9/22)
READ MORE>>>>>
Oct 30, 2021: Blog Talk Radio: Bishop Noel Jones Messed Up
Noel Jones is a Jamaican-American minister and a Pentecostal bishop. He is the senior pastor of the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, California, which has about 17,000 members, and was formerly the Greater Bethany Community Church. The City of Refuge church has a choir ‘City of Refuge Sanctuary Choir’ whose debut album ‘Welcome to the City’ released in 2007 charted on the Billboard 2000 and made number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart.
Feb 3, 2015: Youtube: Bishop Noel Jones || I'm Ready For Something Better
Oct 22, 2012: Youtube: Bishop Noel Jones, You Had To Go Throught It
Bishop Noel Jones, You Had To Go Throught It This Sermon is a Property of Noel Jones Ministries
Noel Jones is a Jamaican-American minister and a Pentecostal bishop. He is the senior pastor of the City of Refuge Church in Gardena, California, which has about 17,000 members, and was formerly the Greater Bethany Community Church. The City of Refuge church has a choir ‘City of Refuge Sanctuary Choir’ whose debut album ‘Welcome to the City’ released in 2007 charted on the Billboard 2000 and made number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart.
Feb 3, 2015: Youtube: Bishop Noel Jones || I'm Ready For Something Better
Oct 22, 2012: Youtube: Bishop Noel Jones, You Had To Go Throught It
Bishop Noel Jones, You Had To Go Throught It This Sermon is a Property of Noel Jones Ministries
==robert p jones======
Robert P. Jones is the president and founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) and a leading scholar and commentator on religion and politics. Jones writes regularly on politics, culture, and religion for The Atlantic, TIME, and Religion News Service. He is frequently featured in major national media, such as MSNBC, CNN, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and others. He holds a PhD in religion from Emory University and a MDiv from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of White Too Long: The Legacy of White Supremacy in American Christianity, which won a 2021 American Book Award, and The End of White Christian America, which won the 2019 Grawemeyer Award in Religion.
 Robert P Jones
One of the most dangerous things about Donald Trump is the way he has normalized hate speech. The venom and vitriol come so often that even when it is reported, its extremism fails to register with a fatigued and desensitized public. For a campaign that began with vulgar boasts about grabbing women by the genitalia and the mocking of a disabled reporter, to a presidency marred by repeated nods to White supremacists, it’s no surprise that Trump has produced outrage after outrage throughout his post-defeat, perpetual vengeance campaign. Even as a scholar who has tracked Trump’s rhetoric and its impact on his followers carefully since 2015, I have found myself, too often, responding to Trump’s latest hateful outburst with a demoralized shrug. Back in early 2016, I was keeping a list. It soon became unwieldy and impossible to keep up. Over the last eight years, the sheer volume has made us, collectively, comfortably numb. --Robert P Jones; Religion Dispatches; With "Vermin" Remark Trump Crosses Fully into Nazi Territory 8.31.23
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 Robert P Jones
The term “white Christian nationalism” has recently emerged in the social sciences and the media as a way of describing the worldview that has burst onto the public stage with Trumpism and the “Make America Great Again” movement. The toxic blend of ethno-religious identity politics was reflected in the prayers and religious symbols participants carried at the U.S. Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021, and it has become central to the trajectory of the contemporary Republican Party, two thirds of whom identify as white and Christian. But if we see these recent trends against the long backdrop of western history, we can see that the phenomenon this term describes has far deeper roots than the post-Obama MAGA backlash. Our two political parties are increasingly animated by two starkly conflicting moral visions that have struggled for ascendancy since the first Europeans landed on these shores five centuries ago. Is America a divinely ordained promised land for European Christians, or is America a pluralistic democracy where all stand on equal footing as citizens? Most Americans embrace the latter vision. But a desperate, defensive, mostly white Christian minority continue to cling to the former. --Robert P Jones; Time; The Roots of Christian Nationalism Go Back Further Than You Think 8.31.23
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==stephen jones======
Missouri Baptist pastor: US founders wanted religious liberty, not a Christian nation | Opinion
White Christian nationalists argue that because the signers of our nation’s founding documents were all white European Protestant men, that the United States should be declared a “Christian nation,” allowing Protestant Christianity a privileged role in America. As a Baptist pastor, you might think that I would be enthusiastic about giving my faith a leg up over other faiths. But there are too many errors in the thinking of white Christian nationalists to support their argument. I agree that our nation’s founders were white European men — however, they were not all Christians. A fair number were deists, and Thomas Jefferson believed that Jesus was a teacher, but he took scissors to the Gospels to create his “Jefferson Bible,” removing the miracles and resurrection of Jesus. For argument’s sake, let’s give white Christian nationalists a pass that our founders were Christians. A majority were. What was incredible was their courageous innovation. The only model of government they knew, and still predominant in many global societies, was to wed church and state. The state churches of Europe were the predominant model from which American colonists fled.
(Yahoo/Stephen Jones 6.9.24) READ MORE>>>>>
White Christian nationalists argue that because the signers of our nation’s founding documents were all white European Protestant men, that the United States should be declared a “Christian nation,” allowing Protestant Christianity a privileged role in America. As a Baptist pastor, you might think that I would be enthusiastic about giving my faith a leg up over other faiths. But there are too many errors in the thinking of white Christian nationalists to support their argument. I agree that our nation’s founders were white European men — however, they were not all Christians. A fair number were deists, and Thomas Jefferson believed that Jesus was a teacher, but he took scissors to the Gospels to create his “Jefferson Bible,” removing the miracles and resurrection of Jesus. For argument’s sake, let’s give white Christian nationalists a pass that our founders were Christians. A majority were. What was incredible was their courageous innovation. The only model of government they knew, and still predominant in many global societies, was to wed church and state. The state churches of Europe were the predominant model from which American colonists fled.
(Yahoo/Stephen Jones 6.9.24) READ MORE>>>>>
==tony jones=====================
Tony Jones is a leader in the Christian emerging church movement, a theologian, and an author. Jones grew up near Edina, Minnesota, and graduated from Edina High School in 1990. He later graduated from Dartmouth College and attended both Fuller Theological Seminary and Princeton University, pursuing a doctorate from the latter. While attending Fuller Theological, Jones returned to his childhood church—Colonial Church in Edina—and worked there as a youth pastor for seven years before leaving for his doctoral work at Princeton. Tony Jones is the author of Did God Kill Jesus? (HarperOne, 2015) and an award-winning outdoors writer. He’s written a dozen books, including The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life, hosts the Reverend Hunter Podcast, and has taught at Fuller Theological Seminary since 2011.
Tony Jones
I’m currently at the front-end of a three-year project with Ryan Burge, in which we are running the largest-ever survey of nones in America early next year, followed by two years of study and distribution of the results. (“Nones” are Americans who affiliate with no organized religion — it’s the fastest-growing category on the religious landscape, and comprises over 40 percent of Americans under the age of 40.)
Organized religion is hemorrhaging adherents, one of the most significant demographic shifts in our country right now. And churches are (rightly) worried.
--Tony Jones; Tony's Field Notes; Jesus Tatoos 11/30/23
Organized religion is hemorrhaging adherents, one of the most significant demographic shifts in our country right now. And churches are (rightly) worried.
--Tony Jones; Tony's Field Notes; Jesus Tatoos 11/30/23
==rachel jordon-wolf======
Jan 23, 2023: Christian Today: 'The Church is not in decline,' says missiologist
Widespread belief in the resurrection of Jesus is an opportunity for the Church, a missiologist has said.
Findings from the Talking Jesus Report published last year revealed that 45 per cent of the UK population believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and according to the people behind the report, that statistic should be encouraging news for churches as it can serve as a stepping stone for evangelism and conversations about faith within the wider community.
Dr Rachel Jordon-Wolf, Executive Director of HOPE Together, told church leaders gathered for The Briefing in London on Thursday that the resurrection is "key" and "a lot of people have some level of belief in it and we have to help them with that".
Widespread belief in the resurrection of Jesus is an opportunity for the Church, a missiologist has said.
Findings from the Talking Jesus Report published last year revealed that 45 per cent of the UK population believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and according to the people behind the report, that statistic should be encouraging news for churches as it can serve as a stepping stone for evangelism and conversations about faith within the wider community.
Dr Rachel Jordon-Wolf, Executive Director of HOPE Together, told church leaders gathered for The Briefing in London on Thursday that the resurrection is "key" and "a lot of people have some level of belief in it and we have to help them with that".