NA - PEOPLE FILES
- Andy Naselli - Allison Nastoff - Philip Nation - Ezekiel Ndikumana - Troy Nehls - Carl Nelson - Jon Nelson - Elizabeth Neumann - Ingrid Newkirk - Gavin Newsom - Stephen J Nichols - Carey Nieuwhof - Penny Nixon -
|
|
==andy naselli======
Andy Naselli (PhD in theology, Bob Jones University; PhD in New Testament exegesis and theology, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of systematic theology and New Testament at Bethlehem College & Seminary, administrator of Themelios, and one of the pastors of The North Church. He earned two PhDs before age 30: one in Theology from Bob Jones University and another in New Testament Exegesis and Theology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, where he studied under D.A. Carson. Naselli’s academic work emphasizes how various theological disciplines—such as exegesis, biblical theology, and systematic theology—interrelate and lead to worship (doxology). Naselli has authored or co-authored numerous books on Christian living and theology, including: How to Read a Book: Advice for Christian Readers (2024): A guide on effective reading at different levels (surveying, macro, and micro), Conscience: What It Is, How to Train It, and Loving Those Who Differ (2016) Co-authored with J.D. Crowley, this book explores navigating differing convictions within the church, No Quick Fix: Where Higher Life Theology Came From, What It Is, and Why It's Harmful (2017): An evaluation of Keswick "Higher Life" theology, Killing Calvinism: How to Destroy a Perfectly Good Theology from the Inside (2012): A challenge to Reformed Christians to avoid pride and divisiveness, A Little Book on How to Be a Manly Man (2025): His most recent publication providing advice for young men on responsibility and mission. He maintains a blog at AndyNaselli.com, where he shares articles on theology, productivity, and book recommendations.
A Little Book on How to Be a Manly Man: Advice for Young Men
In this little book, I give advice to young men: Andrew David Naselli. Help! I Want to Be a Manly Man. LifeLine for Teens. Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd, 2025.
(Andy Naselli 12/22/25) READMORE>>>>
In this little book, I give advice to young men: Andrew David Naselli. Help! I Want to Be a Manly Man. LifeLine for Teens. Wapwallopen, PA: Shepherd, 2025.
(Andy Naselli 12/22/25) READMORE>>>>
Andy Naselli
Someone who once professed to be a Christian may become apostate. But a genuine Christian cannot become apostate. Those who apostatize demonstrate that they were never genuine Christians: “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us” (1Jn 2:19). -Andy Naselli; Gospel Coalition; What Is Apostasy? Can a Christian Become Apostate?
==allison nastoff======
Allison Nastoff
I am glad disability rights activists fought for legislation that is far from perfect but does provide some recourse so that people with disabilities can have a fighting chance at realizing our nation’s ideals of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, removing many barriers that used to prevent people with disabilities from accessing public transportation, going to a restaurant or movie theater, even getting an education or finding employment. But it should have been the other way around. If the American church were really serious about living according to Christ’s teaching, they should not even need the Americans with Disabilities Act to compel them to welcome those with disabilities. The recognition that we are image bearers of God should be written on their hearts, and they should have been ahead of their time, prioritizing access for people with disabilities and resources to educate children with disabilities above all else when making financial decisions, with the secular world lagging behind.
When it comes to culture war issues, Christian Nationalism welcomes the power of the state to impose their beliefs on society. But when religious leaders resisted the involvement of the state at the time the Americans with Disabilities Act was being drafted, Christian Nationalism was also at work, as some religious leaders disregarded Christ’s teachings, implying that people with disabilities weren’t worth the financial costs, ultimately corrupting the gospel with eugenicist, capitalistic views. --Allison Nastoff; Red Letter Christians; The Intersection of Ableism and Christian Nationalism 8.23.23
When it comes to culture war issues, Christian Nationalism welcomes the power of the state to impose their beliefs on society. But when religious leaders resisted the involvement of the state at the time the Americans with Disabilities Act was being drafted, Christian Nationalism was also at work, as some religious leaders disregarded Christ’s teachings, implying that people with disabilities weren’t worth the financial costs, ultimately corrupting the gospel with eugenicist, capitalistic views. --Allison Nastoff; Red Letter Christians; The Intersection of Ableism and Christian Nationalism 8.23.23
==philip nation======
Mar 6, 2014: Christianity Today: The Atonement and the Suffering Servant: Isaiah 53 by Philip Nation
This week, Philip Nation, Teaching Pastor at The Fellowship and Director of Adult Ministry Publishing at LifeWay Christian Resources, looks at the atonement in Isaiah 53.
This week, Philip Nation, Teaching Pastor at The Fellowship and Director of Adult Ministry Publishing at LifeWay Christian Resources, looks at the atonement in Isaiah 53.
==ezekiel ndikumana======
Nov 9, 2021: KESQ: Pastor, musician recount man waving gun at church service
The pastor and pianist at a north Nashville church recounted the minutes when a man waved a gun during the Sunday worship service.
“I don’t know how I can explain it, but I am very grateful to God how he used us to where no one got hurt,” Ezekiel Ndikumana, the pastor of the church said.
The pastor and pianist at a north Nashville church recounted the minutes when a man waved a gun during the Sunday worship service.
“I don’t know how I can explain it, but I am very grateful to God how he used us to where no one got hurt,” Ezekiel Ndikumana, the pastor of the church said.
==troy nehls======
Why don’t white evangelicals listen to Black Christians?
Texas Republican Representative Troy Nehls said Kirk would have been Jesus’ “13th disciple” if he had lived during biblical times. By contrast, many Black Christians familiar with Kirk’s rhetoric and activism considered him an unapologetic racist. For these individuals, accolades from President Donald Trump and designating a National Day of Remembrance in Kirk’s honor signified endorsement of Kirk’s views.
(Baptist News Global 10/14/25) READMORE>>>>
Texas Republican Representative Troy Nehls said Kirk would have been Jesus’ “13th disciple” if he had lived during biblical times. By contrast, many Black Christians familiar with Kirk’s rhetoric and activism considered him an unapologetic racist. For these individuals, accolades from President Donald Trump and designating a National Day of Remembrance in Kirk’s honor signified endorsement of Kirk’s views.
(Baptist News Global 10/14/25) READMORE>>>>
==carl nelson======
Carl Nelson is the President of Transform Minnesota, a regional evangelical network where church leaders engage complex issues from a Biblical perspective. Carl was also the Executive Director of Transform Minnesota's refugee resettlement program, Arrive Ministries, for seven years. He serves on the Executive Committee of the National Association of Evangelicals.
Evangelicals wrestle with faith and politics as ICE surge continues in Minnesota
Some 80% of evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
But as the immigration crackdown has unfolded in Minnesota — where federal agents killed observers Renee Good and Alex Pretti and where many ordinary people have risen up in protest — some evangelical Christians find Trump’s actions at odds with Jesus’ teachings. “As evangelical Christians, we’re known for placing a high priority on the sanctity of life and human dignity,” said Carl Nelson, president and CEO of Richfield-based Transform Minnesota, a 60-year-old network with hundreds of churches. “When we look at what is happening, we believe that any orderly or just approach to immigration enforcement has to adhere to those values.”
(The Lawton Constitution; 2.8.26) READMORE>>>>>
Some 80% of evangelical Christians voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
But as the immigration crackdown has unfolded in Minnesota — where federal agents killed observers Renee Good and Alex Pretti and where many ordinary people have risen up in protest — some evangelical Christians find Trump’s actions at odds with Jesus’ teachings. “As evangelical Christians, we’re known for placing a high priority on the sanctity of life and human dignity,” said Carl Nelson, president and CEO of Richfield-based Transform Minnesota, a 60-year-old network with hundreds of churches. “When we look at what is happening, we believe that any orderly or just approach to immigration enforcement has to adhere to those values.”
(The Lawton Constitution; 2.8.26) READMORE>>>>>
Evangelicals divided over what faith demands as immigration tensions deepen
Carl Nelson, president of Transform Minnesota, an evangelical church network, said he’s seen support for ministry to immigrants and refugees decline in recent years. “I see a moving away from being generally compassionate and favorable towards immigration—immigration that’s done lawfully and orderly, and particularly refugee resettlement—towards much, much more suspicion and resistance,” he said. Nelson said he has heard some Christians talk about what’s known as the “sin of empathy,” which views having compassion for others as suspect. That suspicion is meant to put a firewall between compassion and action, he said. As an evangelical, he said he was raised to believe that the role of the church is to be salt and light in the world. (Christian Century; 2.3.26) READMORE>>>>>
Carl Nelson, president of Transform Minnesota, an evangelical church network, said he’s seen support for ministry to immigrants and refugees decline in recent years. “I see a moving away from being generally compassionate and favorable towards immigration—immigration that’s done lawfully and orderly, and particularly refugee resettlement—towards much, much more suspicion and resistance,” he said. Nelson said he has heard some Christians talk about what’s known as the “sin of empathy,” which views having compassion for others as suspect. That suspicion is meant to put a firewall between compassion and action, he said. As an evangelical, he said he was raised to believe that the role of the church is to be salt and light in the world. (Christian Century; 2.3.26) READMORE>>>>>
Evangelicals divided over what faith demands as immigration tensions deepen
Carl Nelson, president of Transform Minnesota, an evangelical church network, said he’s seen support for ministry to immigrants and refugees decline in recent years. “I see a moving away from being generally compassionate and favorable towards immigration — immigration that’s done lawfully and orderly, and particularly refugee resettlement — towards much, much more suspicion and resistance,” he said. Within Transform Minnesota’s network is Arrive Ministries, a Minneapolis-area refugee resettlement agency affiliated with World Relief. Nelson said that to outsiders, the Twin Cities may look chaotic, while inside the cities, people are worried about their neighbors. “The dissonance between those two viewpoints, I think, has deepened,” he said, adding that he also sees a divide between Christians in rural areas and those in urban areas.
(Julie Roys; 1.30.26) READMORE>>>>>
Carl Nelson, president of Transform Minnesota, an evangelical church network, said he’s seen support for ministry to immigrants and refugees decline in recent years. “I see a moving away from being generally compassionate and favorable towards immigration — immigration that’s done lawfully and orderly, and particularly refugee resettlement — towards much, much more suspicion and resistance,” he said. Within Transform Minnesota’s network is Arrive Ministries, a Minneapolis-area refugee resettlement agency affiliated with World Relief. Nelson said that to outsiders, the Twin Cities may look chaotic, while inside the cities, people are worried about their neighbors. “The dissonance between those two viewpoints, I think, has deepened,” he said, adding that he also sees a divide between Christians in rural areas and those in urban areas.
(Julie Roys; 1.30.26) READMORE>>>>>
Feb 14, 2023: Christianity Today reported: “There have been chronic patterns of violence over many years, but in the last three years … it’s been exacerbated by the fallout effect after the murder of George Floyd and everything that cascaded down from that,” said Carl Nelson, president of Transform Minnesota, an evangelical organization that brings churches together to wrestle with social issues.
May 20, 2022: MPR reported: The Rev. Edrin C. Williams is the lead pastor at Sanctuary Covenant Church, which was started in 2003 in north Minneapolis as an intentionally multicultural congregation associated with the Evangelical Covenant Church. Carl Nelson is president and CEO of Transform Minnesota, a network of evangelical Christian congregations across Minnesota.
==jon nelson======
March 3, 2023: The Pathway: ERLC’s Leatherwood interviews former MBC president about racial reconciliation
The Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) recently released a video featuring Missouri Baptist pastor Jon Nelson, immediate past president of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC).
The Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) recently released a video featuring Missouri Baptist pastor Jon Nelson, immediate past president of the Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC).
==elizabeth neumann======
BOOK BYTE: October 13, 2024:
In the book, "Kingdom of Rage," Elizabeth Neumann blames today’s rise in extremism on herself and the grievance-filled evangelical subculture that formed her:
"We must start by acknowledging where we have failed. For too long, conservativism, Republicans and American Christianity have tolerated extremism.
We tolerated all the precursor steps: the us-versus-them framing, the scapegoating and pushing out moderate in-group voices, even to the point of demonizing those who called us to follow the ways of Jesus and not politicians.
We tolerated conspiracy theories. … We tolerated media personalities and politicians who claimed to be Christians but trafficked in extremist language and calls for violence. … We tolerated extremism because what we really worshipped was power, control, comfort or significance. We tolerated extremism because we felt like we deserved the American dream and did not want to do anything that might disrupt it.....The proximity between evangelical Christianity and right-wing extremism in our time is both a heretical aberration of the true gospel and a natural progression of the corrupt leaders and structures within evangelical Christianity that have allowed the church to be exploited and abused.....Christian extremism is the collision of these white power and antigovernment ideologies — widely considered over the last fifty years to be fringe — with a mainstream and arguably dominant cultural force of nationalism and evangelicalism. It is this particular intermingling of world views that makes Christian extremism so uniquely troubling and so uniquely dangerous....The problem arises when a group begins constructing narratives about an out-group’s opposition to them. They define the out-group’s beliefs, traits and practices, relying on information that may be unreliable, exaggerated or based solely on an in-group member’s negative experience with the out-group. They perceive the out-group poses a threat to them. Extremism sets in when the in-group adopts hostile attitudes toward the out-group......Making ourselves aware of these ideologies and how they pervert Christianity and leverage conspiracy theories and the political system is an important way we can help stop the spread of extremism.
"We must start by acknowledging where we have failed. For too long, conservativism, Republicans and American Christianity have tolerated extremism.
We tolerated all the precursor steps: the us-versus-them framing, the scapegoating and pushing out moderate in-group voices, even to the point of demonizing those who called us to follow the ways of Jesus and not politicians.
We tolerated conspiracy theories. … We tolerated media personalities and politicians who claimed to be Christians but trafficked in extremist language and calls for violence. … We tolerated extremism because what we really worshipped was power, control, comfort or significance. We tolerated extremism because we felt like we deserved the American dream and did not want to do anything that might disrupt it.....The proximity between evangelical Christianity and right-wing extremism in our time is both a heretical aberration of the true gospel and a natural progression of the corrupt leaders and structures within evangelical Christianity that have allowed the church to be exploited and abused.....Christian extremism is the collision of these white power and antigovernment ideologies — widely considered over the last fifty years to be fringe — with a mainstream and arguably dominant cultural force of nationalism and evangelicalism. It is this particular intermingling of world views that makes Christian extremism so uniquely troubling and so uniquely dangerous....The problem arises when a group begins constructing narratives about an out-group’s opposition to them. They define the out-group’s beliefs, traits and practices, relying on information that may be unreliable, exaggerated or based solely on an in-group member’s negative experience with the out-group. They perceive the out-group poses a threat to them. Extremism sets in when the in-group adopts hostile attitudes toward the out-group......Making ourselves aware of these ideologies and how they pervert Christianity and leverage conspiracy theories and the political system is an important way we can help stop the spread of extremism.
==ingrid newkirk======
Ingrid Newkirk Files
“The Bible has long been used to justify all forms of oppression, so we’ve used ChatGPT to make it clear that a loving God would never endorse exploitation of or cruelty to animals. It took God only six days to create the entire world, but we realized it would take us years to rewrite the whole Bible, which is why we’ve started with just the first book.”
-- PETA President Ingrid Newkirk press release 7.2.23
==gavin Newsom======
January 29, 2026
Stephen J Nichols
Dr. Stephen J. Nichols is president of Reformation Bible College, chief academic officer for Ligonier Ministries, and a Ligonier Ministries teaching fellow. Dr. Nichols earned his M.A. in philosophy from West Chester University, M.A.R. in theology from Westminster Theological Seminary, and Ph.D. in apologetics from Westminster Theological Seminary. He also received an honorary D.H.L. from Geneva College. He has authored or edited more than thirty books, including volumes in the Guided Tour series on Martin Luther, Jonathan Edwards, and J. Gresham Machen. He recently authored R.C. Sproul: A Life and is the general editor of the Church History Study Bible. In addition, he hosts the podcasts 5 Minutes in Church History and Open Book.
Steph J Nichols
Spurgeon has got a great quote. At one point he says, I find it odd that those who think so highly of what the Holy Spirit teaches them, think so little of what the Holy Spirit teaches others also. And what is behind Spurgeon’s quote is this idea that the Holy Spirit is not a unique gift to a Christian in the 21st century. The Holy Spirit is not a unique gift to an American Christian and the 21st Century. So what we need to realize as Christians is that the Holy Spirit is a corporate gift. --Stephen J Nichols; Crossway; What Are Some Dangers of Neglecting Church History? 7.21.23
==Carey Nieuwhof======
Christianity’s Next Small Thing
How does Christianity grow? This is a question that should be vital for Christians, especially since the Great Commission makes growing Christianity one of most important concerns.But do we really know? Sure, an industry of church growth, leadership organizations, and consultants have arisen to show us how to grow our church. Every day I get emails from Carey Niewhoff, Donald Miller, John Maxwell, Thom Rainer, and others. And, I should quickly add, I often find their advice helpful. (In fact, I should say that Carey Niewhoff has spoken into my life powerfully in the past few months. I am grateful for his ministry.) I also get almost daily invitations from organizations holding conferences on some aspect of church or ministry growth. But all this activity has, for me, made the question we started with — how does Christianity grow? — even more urgent. Because all the indicators are that, in the United States at least, Christianity is not growing. It is shrinking.
(Ministry Watch; 1.23.26) READMORE>>>>>
How does Christianity grow? This is a question that should be vital for Christians, especially since the Great Commission makes growing Christianity one of most important concerns.But do we really know? Sure, an industry of church growth, leadership organizations, and consultants have arisen to show us how to grow our church. Every day I get emails from Carey Niewhoff, Donald Miller, John Maxwell, Thom Rainer, and others. And, I should quickly add, I often find their advice helpful. (In fact, I should say that Carey Niewhoff has spoken into my life powerfully in the past few months. I am grateful for his ministry.) I also get almost daily invitations from organizations holding conferences on some aspect of church or ministry growth. But all this activity has, for me, made the question we started with — how does Christianity grow? — even more urgent. Because all the indicators are that, in the United States at least, Christianity is not growing. It is shrinking.
(Ministry Watch; 1.23.26) READMORE>>>>>
May 20, 2021: Greenfield Daily Reporter: Hope for Living: Will post-COVID-19 church attendance move from in-person to virtual?
In his blog post “8 Disruptive Church Trends that will Rule 2021,” Carey Nieuwhof predicts that growing churches will shift their focus from in-person gathering at a set location and a set hour to connecting.
In his blog post “8 Disruptive Church Trends that will Rule 2021,” Carey Nieuwhof predicts that growing churches will shift their focus from in-person gathering at a set location and a set hour to connecting.
|
Dec 13, 2015: One In Jesus: Carey Nieuwhof: How Pastoral Care Stunts Church Growth
I’m quickly becoming a fan of the writings of Carey Nieuwhof on church leadership. He writes very much in the manner of Thom Rainer, but he writes as the pastor of a megachurch (Connexus Church, north of Toronto Canada). |
|
==penny nixon======
An open letter to Speaker Mike Johnson
The Jesus of Scripture had much to say about the poor, the marginalized, the forgotten. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). He didn’t qualify this. He didn’t say, “Care for the least of these unless it’s politically inconvenient” or “Love your neighbor unless they’re undocumented” or “Welcome the stranger unless it costs you votes.” Yet under your leadership, we have witnessed policies that treat human beings as dispensable — as problems to be managed rather than people made in the image of God. We have seen budget proposals that gut assistance to families struggling to feed their children. We have watched as health care becomes less accessible to those who most desperately need it. We have seen the stranger not welcomed but turned away, sometimes into danger.
(Penny Nixon; 1.26.26) READMORE>>>>>
The Jesus of Scripture had much to say about the poor, the marginalized, the forgotten. “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). He didn’t qualify this. He didn’t say, “Care for the least of these unless it’s politically inconvenient” or “Love your neighbor unless they’re undocumented” or “Welcome the stranger unless it costs you votes.” Yet under your leadership, we have witnessed policies that treat human beings as dispensable — as problems to be managed rather than people made in the image of God. We have seen budget proposals that gut assistance to families struggling to feed their children. We have watched as health care becomes less accessible to those who most desperately need it. We have seen the stranger not welcomed but turned away, sometimes into danger.
(Penny Nixon; 1.26.26) READMORE>>>>>