I post papers I have written, some during my graduate and post-graduate studies, some in response to other papers, and some written for other purposes like Sunday school classes or Bible studies. I also post observations on whatever comes to my mind and videos from teaching sessions.
Tim Gaddy, District Superintendent for the Arkansas District of the United Pentecostal Church International, has asked me to teach at the upcoming Arkansas District Camp Meeting. The Camp Meeting will convene on July 11-14 at the campgrounds in Redfield, Arkansas.
I am scheduled to teach at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday on the topics of the Gifts of the Spirit and Signs and Wonders. Other speakers include Joel Urshan, Stan Gleason, and Elias Limones.
I appreciate this opportunity and look forward to sharing fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ in the Arkansas District.
My spiritual roots run deep in Arkansas, where my father, Glen Segraves, was pastor of the church in Rector from 1953 to 1959. It was in Rector that I was baptized with the Holy Spirit.
My wife Susan and I are grateful for the invitation to come to Arkansas once again. Many of you know the story of how our Lord brought us together. We are now in our tenth year of marriage! God has been good to us!
Grant Wacker, the Gilbert T. Rowe Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Christian History at Duke Divinity School, wrote the foreword for the recently released Oneness Pentecostalism: Race, Gender, and Culture. This 263-page hardback volume is published by The Pennsylvania State University Press and edited by Lloyd D. Barba, Andrea Shan Johnson, and Daniel Ramirez.
In addition to Wacker’s foreword, the book includes a list of illustrations, acknowledgments, and an introduction titled “Remapping the History of North American Oneness Pentecostalism,” with contributions from each editor.
Ten chapters explore the variety of topics to which the subtitle alludes, offering insights on race, gender, and culture from the perspective of Oneness Pentecostalism as it developed from the early twentieth century. The author of each chapter is a scholar in the field whose academic qualifications are presented in a list of contributors on page 251.
Here are the chapter titles with the authors’ names:
The Unresolved Issue: A Third-World Perspective on the Oneness Question, Manuel Gaxiola
Evangelical Origins of Oneness Pentecostal Theology, David A. Reed
Sounding Out Diversity in Pentecostal History: Early Oneness Hymnody, Daniel Ramirez
Andrew D. Urshan: An Eastern Voice in Early Oneness Pentecostalism, Daniel L. Segraves
The Dust District: Okies, Authority, and the Hard-Liner Transformation of California Pentecostalism, Lloyd D. Barba
The Braziers: Three Generations of Apostolic Activism, Rosa M. Sailes
Bossed and Bothered: Authority and Gender in the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Dana Coleby Delgado
Trust God to Provide for the Difference: The Economic and Opportunity Costs of Being Female and a Preacher, Andrea Shan Johnson
Women in the Luz del Mundo Church: A Transnational Study, Patricia Fortuny Loret de Mola
Liturgical Spaces in Mexican Oneness Pentecostalism: Architectural and Spatial Dimensions, Daniel Chiquete
The volume concludes with a final offering by the editors titled “Navigating New Paths to Old Landmarks,” followed by a ten-page index.
The need for this work is captured in Wacker’s first paragraph:
“Four score and seven years ago” – or so it now seems – I wrote a long essay on “Bibliography and Historiography” for the landmark Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (1988). For a young historian wading into uncharted waters, it was, I hope, a useful effort. Yet looking at that essay today, I am shocked – though not really surprised – by the topics that I shortchanged. The most notable was Oneness Pentecostalism.
As I mentioned in my post on February 15, 2023, I had the opportunity on February 26, 2023 to present a lecture on The Messiah in the Psalms to interested members of the general board of the United Pentecostal Church International. I posted a PowerPoint presentation including 135 slides to be sure all the information I wanted to share would be available to attendees. I’m leaving that presentation on my blog so anyone can make use of it.
Just as a point of interest, I noticed those who viewed my blog that day included people from the United States of America, Poland, Canada, India, Ghana, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Jamaica. Not only did viewers search the blog’s archives, they also looked specifically at posts titled “The Messiah in the Psalms,” “The Holy Spirit in the Book of Romans,” “A Response to Calvin Beisner’s Explanation of Acts 2:38,” “Daily Wisdom 234: Proverbs 11:17,” “Another Look at ‘Delivering Up the Kingdom,’ “The Day I Wore My Suspenders to School,” “The Spirit of the Lord in the Minor Prophets,” and “The Encyclopedia Brittanica and Baptism in the Name of Jesus Christ.”
Concerning Asbury University and my book Andrew D. Urshan: A Theological Biography. Most readers of this blog probably have some level of awareness of the recent move of the Holy Spirit at Asbury University. I am thankful for the Spirit’s work wherever, whenever, and however it occurs. When we first heard what was going on in Wilmore, Kentucky, my wife Susan reminded me that there was a connection between Asbury and my book about Andrew D. Urshan. The connection is that the book is published by Emeth Press, a publisher of academic books. The book is included in the series known as The Asbury Theological Seminary Series in World Christian Revitalization Movements. “Emeth” is a Hebrew word. Its range of meaning includes firmness, trustworthiness, constancy, duration, faithfulness, and truth. If you are interested in checking out information about my book, you can do so at http://www.emethpress.com. The book is available also at pentecostalpublishing.com and amazon.com.
I am scheduled to speak to the General Board of the United Pentecostal Church International on the subject of The Messiah in the Psalms on February 26, 2023. The occasion is the General Board Professional Development Seminar for board members and their spouses. To be sure all attendees have access to the presentation, I am posting it here.
Not only am I finished with Psalm 83, but after a discussion with Everett Gossard, Book Editor for the Pentecostal Resources Group, UPCI, I have clear direction for the future of The Messiah in the Psalms.
As many of you know, there are five books within the Book of Psalms. They are arranged in this way: Book 1: Psalms 1-41; Book 2: Psalms 42-72; Book 3: Psalms 73-89; Book 4: Psalms 90-106; Book 5: Psalms 107-150. My first volume covers Psalms 1-72 plus three appendices for a total of 382 pages.
Some commentaries on the Book of Psalms are released in one volume, some in two volumes, and some in three. My final work on the Psalter will be in three volumes. The second volume will include books three and four (i.e., Psalms 73-106). The third volume will consist of book five (i.e., Psalms 107-150).
Thus, volume two will include my comments on 679 verses and volume three my comments on 694 verses. I can’t predict the total page length of each volume, but they should be about the same.
I’m focusing on this project, and the more I do, the more clearly I see what Jesus meant when He said, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44, NKJV).
I have been invited to speak for two hours on this subject at an upcoming meeting of the general board of the United Pentecostal Church and their spouses. I’m looking forward to this event!
Yes, I have now finished my work on Psalm 82, a thought-provoking, Messianic psalm. Although it took me only about two days to complete and includes only eight verses plus a four-word superscription, the published work will come to 2,389 words.
Now to Psalm 83, the final psalm linked to Asaph.
So far, the idea of limiting the time I spend with emails is working!
He would have fed them also with the finest of wheat; And with honey from the rock I would have satisfied you (Psalm 81:16, NKJV).
At last I have completed my work on Psalm 81. Now, to Psalm 82, which Jesus quoted in John 10:34.
I am repeatedly surprised by the revelation of the Messiah in the Book of Psalms. What a wonderful thing it would be if I could finish this project by the end of 2023!
Since I retired from Urshan Graduate School of Theology on July 1, 2018, I’ve been trying to find the time to finish the second volume of my commentary on the Book of Psalms. The first volume, titled The Messiah in the Psalms: Discovering Christ in Unexpected Places, covers Psalms 1-72. Since retirement, I’ve continued to work on the second volume, posting updates on my progress from time to time.
It’s not that I haven’t completed any writing projects since 2018. For instance, I have started and finished a 314 page commentary covering nearly every biblical reference to the Holy Spirit, titled The Holy Spirit (Weldon Spring, MO: Word Aflame Press Academic, 2020). I have written several articles published in Pentecostal Life and lessons published in “God’s Word for Life,” the all-church curriculum available from the United Pentecostal Church International. I have contributed a chapter to a volume in the series “Studies in Holiness and Pentecostal Movements.” The volume is titled Oneness Pentecostalism: Race, Gender, and Culture. It is scheduled for publication in 2023 by the Pennsylvania State University Press.
But the completion of volume two of The Messiah in the Psalms remains before me. I am passionate about this project, because Jesus said, “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44, NKJV). From my previous research, I realize the psalms include rich insight on the person and work of Jesus Christ.
What shall I do?
In yesterday’s early morning hours, an idea came to me that may be the answer.
I have worked on this now for two days. I don’t know precisely how much time this will free up, but I think it will be substantial.
Unsubscribe to the many emails I regularly receive. Even those I value. Even those I enjoy reading.
I am determined, with the help of our Lord, to finish my work on Psalms, this wonderful book that includes so much concerning Jesus Christ, opening our understanding that we might comprehend the Scriptures (Luke 24:45).
Many of you know I am in the process of doing the research and writing for the second volume of my commentary on the Book of Psalms, to be titled The Messiah in the Psalms: Discovering Christ in Unexpected Places, Volume 2: 73-150. I am now working on Psalm 81, but I have already completed some work beyond this.
I have finished my work through Psalm 80, but today I did some reading in Ben Witherington III’s Psalms Old and New: Exegesis, Intertextuality, and Hermeneutics (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2017). Witherington III is Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies at Asbury Theological Seminary and is on the doctoral faculty at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland. He has taught at Ashland Theological Seminary, Vanderbilt University, Duke Divinity School, and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. He has written more than sixty books, including commentaries on every book in the New Testament and he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Durham, England in 1981.
The reason I am writing about this is that I was intrigued by some of the comments by Witherington and others included in what I read on pages 167-182. These comments relate to the importance of memory to help us avoid rebellion against God and the responsibility of parents to relate their history to their children.
Witherington points out that after Psalm 119, Psalm 78 is the longest psalm in the Psalter. The Masoretic scribes discovered that Psalm 78:36 is the precise center of the 2,524 verses in the entire Psalter. It is interesting that this central verse, with its references to recalling the past as an aid to avoid future failure, reads: “Nevertheless they flattered Him with their mouth, and they lied to Him with their tongue” (NKJV).
Here are some of the comments I read:
The reciting of God’s incredible works in vv. 12-16 and vv. 43-55 leads to particular examples of Israel’s past failures with the implicit message “go thou and do otherwise,” very much like Paul’s review of the same subjects in 1 Corinthians 10:1-11 [Witherington, 168, from A. F. Campbell, “Psalm 78: A Contribution to the Theology of Tenth Century Israel,” CBQ 41 (1979): 54].
There is irony here; those who passed on the tradition also failed it [Witherington, 168].
There are some twenty quotations, allusions, or echoes from Psalm 78 found in the NT. … Not surprisingly, these songs are meant to be mainly instructional, but the lesson typically takes us from Genesis 1 through the exodus and up to King David, proclaiming the mighty acts of God and his faithfulness, and at the same time, the not-infrequent infidelities of Israel. The obvious assumption is that a people who forget their past will neither know who they are, nor know who their God is either, nor will they behave better in the future if they forget their story [Witherington, 174].
Verses 5-6 makes clear that every generation of Israelites had a responsibility to tell and own the story [Witherington, 174].
Some twelve times we are told in this psalm that the people have responded unfaithfully to God’s wonders and gracious actions on their behalf [Witherington, 175].
Parents, not surprisingly, were tasked with passing on the “instruction” to their children from generation to generation. When one stops singing the songs, when one stops telling the old, old story and passing along the old wisdom in one form or another, amnesia and moral and theological infidelity set in [Witherington, 175-176].
What is also notable from the outset is the use of the first-person plural (see e.g., vv. 2-4). This is not a mere finger-pointing to the past, saying “they did things wrong.” It is an embracing of the history as a continuum saying, “we did things wrong” [Witherington, 176, from Terrien, Psalms, 366].
Instead of trusting God, they kept testing God [Witherington, 176].
It appears that two main sins of God’s people are being criticized: their greed — not ever satisfied with what they had — and their idolatry [Witherington, 176-177].
But having escaped the idolatries of Egypt, the Israelites ran right into the idolatries of Canaan: its high places and its graven images (v. 56) [Witherington, 177].
Last week I spent two and one-half days online in training with Morris Proctor’s Camp Logos 10. If this doesn’t ring a bell with you, I would like to tell you a bit about it. From time to time, I am asked what I think is the most helpful Bible software available.
My opinion is based on many years of use in the context of teaching on the Bible college and seminary levels as well as research and writing to fulfill the requirements for the degrees M.A. in Exegetical Theology, Master of Theology, and Ph.D. in Renewal Studies with majors in Christian Theology and History of Global Christianity.
In addition to using Bible software in preparation for teaching in classrooms, local churches, camp meetings, and other venues like Purpose Institute, I find it helpful in fulfilling writing assignments for the Pentecostal Life magazine, “God’s Word for Life,” the curriculum published by the United Pentecostal Church International, and a variety of other ministry opportunities that require writing. I have written twenty-one books.
So what Bible software do I recommend?
Without question, it is Logos Bible Software.
The reason I sat through last week’s training was to get caught up with the features of the latest version of Logos Bible Software, Logos 10.
I can’t begin to explain the details of this truly amazing technology here.
Here’s a link you can use to check out some aspects of Logos 10.
