Emerging Scholars Blog

InterVarsity's Emerging Scholars Network

Bill Nelson

Rediscovering Jesus: Global Gifts from South Asia

Image Credit: Deepak Sethi Licensed under iStock Photo.

This post is the fifth in a multi-part series revealing the gifts Christians from other countries bring to our American campus communities and churches. This part focuses on the gifts South Asian Christians bear.

“I told these girls how much Jesus loved Mary Magdalene and elevated women’s status. God then led me to tell them how worthy they are in Jesus’ eyes and how much He loves each of us.” Writing to me after returning to Pakistan as a Ph.D. candidate and leader of her university campus ministry, Nabila (alias) continued, “God used me to guide all these young girls of self-awareness and worth. I felt so humbled by this,” she said.. 

I first met Nabila the year she came to Baltimore as a visiting scholar. She and South Asians like her show us how Christ brings holistic spiritual and embodied liberation. Many of Jesus’ faithful followers from the Indian subcontinent can help us rediscover Jesus’ longing to free us spiritually, his passion for loosening chains of injustice, and his power to break oppressive yokes.

Nabila’s home country of Pakistan, along with the broader Indian subcontinent (about one-fourth of the world’s population), consistently scores at the bottom of global rankings in human rights and gender equality. Women from the lower castes suffer disproportionately. India is home to more than 80 million Dalit women, formerly known as ‘untouchables,’ considered some of the most oppressed in the world.

“Calcutta, West Bengal, India – December 20, 2008: Group of Indian women sorting through piles of rubbish in the Chowringhee are of Calcutta (Kolkata). These women are amongst the poorest people in India and scrape a living by salvaging anything of value from piles of refuse, which they sell for a small cash income.” Licensed under iStock Photo. Photo by JeremyRichard

After Nabila returned to Pakistan, she and I continued discussing Jesus and women. Nabila confided:

So many women around me—neighbors, relatives, etc.– live daily, enduring abuse from their spouses; it makes me sick and afraid of marriage. In our culture, the pain and disgrace of exposing that you are unhappy in a relationship is much more demeaning and painful than physical abuse. I feel very sad and helpless that ladies must choose between tolerating spousal abuse or enduring abuse from society. My heart cries for those who neither realize their worth nor think they deserve better.

With Easter approaching, Nabila sought freedom in Christ for the women at her university. God led her to share the story of Jesus’ post-resurrection encounter with Mary Magdalene.

 
Image Courtesy of the Naya Jeevan Project.

Mary Magdalene: Apostle To the Apostles

After Jesus delivered her from many demons, Mary of Magdala followed him everywhere, helping to support his mission. Jesus honored her loyalty and faith.

Mary was the first person Jesus revealed himself to as the resurrected Christ (see John 20:11-18). After choosing to see this grief-stricken woman first, Jesus commissioned her to proclaim the good news of his resurrection to the eleven apostles, even though society deemed women unreliable witnesses.

“Gossiping” About Jesus

Like Nabila, Nepalese women pick up Mary Magdalene’s mantle. They “gossip” about Jesus helping others escape oppressive caste and gender hierarchies to find freedom in Christ.[1] Their teaching provides hope for those feeling trapped by fate.

Ghale, a Nepalese evangelist and business owner, says, “When I tell women, ‘You are so beautiful,’ they are shocked and want to know what beauty I see in them that their loved ones have never seen or acknowledged. It is then that they are ready to hear about the God who loves them unconditionally.”

Amid persecution, the Nepalese church flourishes as one of the fastest-growing worldwide.

Women initiate for the Gospel, says Manoj Pradhan, director of the leadership training department for Nepal Christian Fellowship. “God is raising women […] bringing them to the forefront, calling them into ministerial leadership roles.” Pradhan hopes that women will also be ordained as ministers while acknowledging that “it might take some time.”

Jesus Distorted

Meanwhile, America’s largest protestant denomination—under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department for their decades-long abuse coverups—recently added restrictions for female ministers.

Pastor Rick Warren, whose Saddleback Church was also expelled for having female Pastors, warned that a total ban on women as pastors would drive hundreds of Black churches from the denomination. “For hundreds of years, Black Baptist churches have been ordaining women […]. If this is true, the SBC is holding up a sign that says, ‘All Black churches look elsewhere.’”

Disengagement from the American church is reflected in the plummeting membership within the SBC and other evangelical denominations and churches.[2] Today’s youth feel particularly disconnected. Sadly, some are exiting the church to search for Jesus and re-examine church teachings.[3]

Jesus Restored

For Mahatma Gandhi, Christianity became “the religion of kings” as it moved westward during its first several hundred years.[4] While rejecting Christianity, Gandhi became a remarkably Christlike man.

Drawn to the person of Christ and Christ’s teachings from his youth, Gandhi freely credited Jesus for his life principles of forgiveness, love for enemies, and returning evil with good. He chose Indian clothes worn by poor villagers to identify with them.

Many South Asians today show us a similarly authentic portrait of Jesus.

Jesus Brings Freedom

“Generation Next (Gen Next) in South Asia today seek ideals that will lead them to freedom. As the ‘connected generation,’ they make links across the classes and castes,” says Dr. Jacob Isaac, founder, and CEO of Kerygma, an organization based in India dedicated to permeating urban society with Christ-like values and serving needy young people. “This longing [for freedom] has led to large-scale conversions to Christianity in Nepal.”[5]

Christians from the Indian subcontinent often understand their experience of God’s freedom as a responsibility. Like Jesus, they consistently engage the disenfranchised, those for whom God’s heart aches.

“I learned that Jesus loved people on the margins,” writes Simran (alias), a first-generation Hindu convert raised in California.  “He [Jesus] drew near to those whom society considered to be the dirtiest, most broken, untouchable people. […] He wanted to involve me in sharing his love with others. […] I fell in love with the Jesus I met in Scripture and wanted to follow Him.  […] I was filled with so much freedom, joy, and love.”

Jesus Rediscovered

South Asian believers consistently show us Jesus elevating the downtrodden, poor, marginalized, and sick as he crosses boundaries and violates taboos in ways that subvert how society is ordered and stratified. Through them, we see Jesus’ magnetic appeal as a personal and social liberator, seeking to stretch our faith and radically transform our lives.

Resources To Consider

Building Multiethnic Community: Insights from Sri Lanka on Navigating Privilege (5—min. read)

“Following Christ includes desiring multi-ethnicity and taking thoughtful steps to honor people from all cultures in the way we practice Christian community […] and how we relate to people who are ethnically different from us,” says Jasmine Obeyesekere Fernando, speaking from her thirty-year relationship with Sri-Lankan Fellowship of Christian University Students, and 20 years of ministry with InterVarsity. Jasmine shares her journey stewarding privilege and power in Sri Lanka, providing insights into what a Christ-centered multiethnic community looks like.

South Asia Bible Commentary

A one-volume commentary written and edited by over 90 South Asian Biblical scholars on all the books of the Bible. Strategically placed application articles are interspersed throughout the commentary, along with perspectives on biblical interpretation and matters of Christian faith and practice relevant to South Asians and Christians globally.

Previous Posts in this Series

Global Gifts: A Declaration of Dependence

Global Gifts: The Forgotten Faithful in the Middle East

Global Gifts From East Asia: Unboxing Our God of Surprises

The Lion’s Side of the Story: The Gifts of the African Church Beyond the 3D’s of Diseases, Disaster, and Despair

[1] As in Pakistan and India, the traditionally patriarchal society in Nepal creates systematic barriers to gender equality, particularly among those in the lower castes. Though outlawed in 2001, caste discrimination is still widely practiced, particularly in rural Nepal.

[2] The SBC has lost over 1.3 million people in just three years, with 2022 marking the largest single-year membership decline in SBC history.

[3] Among disaffiliated youth raised in religious homes, 69% say religion causes problems more than provides solutions.  Barna researchers conclude that the church’s perceived absence of  impact among 18-35 year-olds on issues of poverty and justice should be taken seriously.

[4] Fischer, Louis, Gandhi: His Life and Message for the World (Mentor/New American Library, 1954), p. 131.

[5] South Asia Bible Commentary (p. 1189). (Open Door Publications and Zondervan Academic, 2015), p. 1189.

Global Gifts From East Asia: Unboxing Our God Of Surprises

“Young East Asians sitting in a restaurant giving surprise gifts to friends in winter” by Jiyi is licensed by iStock

This post is the third in a multi-part series revealing the gifts Christians from other countries bring to our American campus communities and churches. This part focuses on the gifts East Asian Christians bear.

“I stood up and said yes,” said Jing (alias for her security). She, like many other East Asian followers of Jesus, shows us that God is not limited by our perceptions of him and our life circumstances.

As an undergraduate student in China, Jing’s longings for unconditional love were crushed after her boyfriend broke off their relationship. Already, she felt an immense weight of parental expectations — now this. Life seemed meaningless; she contemplated ending it. 

As she envisioned herself jumping from a high building, two visiting Chinese campus missionaries asked Jing if she knew Jesus. “At any other time in my life, I would have quickly dismissed them,” Jing recalled. “But by this point, I felt desperate.”

The missionaries told Jing that God loves her unconditionally and has a unique purpose for her life. They also invited her to a local house church gathering.

There, Jing felt a connection with the character of a heartbroken girl in a powerful skit. “I also had been looking for unconditional love in many different ways, and none satisfied me,” said Jing. “When I saw the girl holding a gun, I felt convinced she would surely end her life[…]. But Jesus died for her. I felt Jesus told me then that He died for me too.”

Afterward, when the pastor asked who would like to know more about this God, about Jesus, Jing said yes!

God’s Spirit moves powerfully within Mainland China. He is not limited by tightening restrictions and increasing surveillance.[1]

Amid state-sponsored crackdowns on large non-government-sanctioned church gatherings, a pastor writes his flock: “Being persecuted [is] something we should rejoice at: It proves that we belong to Christ, not to the world. God uses these opportunities to purify his church.” He also reminds them that God rewards those who faithfully persevere in the faith.  

Forced to abandon the megachurch model, China’s church leaders adapt. Like the early church following Stephen’s martyrdom, they scatter into places they would never have otherwise gone, bringing the Gospel to new areas.[2] They meet in smaller groups or within online communities that creatively evade China’s “Great Firewall.”

Contrastingly, some U.S. evangelicals show a more limited perspective of how God might work amid restrictions.[3]

“There is no pandemic,” said the pastor of Grace Community Church (GCC), John MacArthur, attributing the supposed fabrication to “a virus of deception orchestrated by Satan.” As Coronavirus cases surged in the late summer of 2020, seven thousand mostly white maskless worshippers sat shoulder-to-shoulder, ignoring pleas from the predominantly Latino neighborhood and mocking county health measures.[4] “Christ, not Caesar, Is Head of the Church,” MacArthur and church elders said in a statement signed by over twenty-one thousand people, including several thousand pastors.[5]

Christians within the U.S. freely attend church and—at least with GCC and COVID restrictions—can even defy local and state government leaders without legal consequences.[6] But about a third of America’s 350,000 Christian congregations are “on the brink of extinction,” says Ryan Burge, a political science professor, pastor, and author. Meanwhile, the church in China, officially an atheist state, sees remarkable growth where religious freedom is severely curtailed.

Might actual threats to the American church be more internal (a too-small view of God) than external (risks of losing religious freedoms)? How might East Asian believers help expand our view of him?

Genki and Mitsumi share about God’s goodness with over a hundred Johns Hopkins University students and scholars. Photo courtesy of Tabitha Bayangos.

Gifts From Japan

Like Jing in Mainland China, Genki—then a neuroscience post-doc at the Johns Hopkins Medical School—experienced God unboxed through a broken relationship. “From then on, I started asking the Lord to equip me for loving and shepherding God’s beloved people with the love of gentle and lowly Jesus,” Genki resolved.

The Lord honored Genki’s surrender.

When he returned to Japan during the following winter break, “Mitsumi surprised [him] with her invitation for coffee (which extended into a three-hour brunch!),” he recalls.

Before their visit, Genki prayed exclusively for Mitsumi. “God had changed my heart!  My prayers were totally different from eight years ago when I told God, in effect, I want to date her no matter what!” Genki said.

“Our wedding day (in Japan) was full of blessings and joy!  God was most glorified. Besides hundreds of Christian friends, one hundred non-believers listened to the Gospel for the first time.”

After returning to Baltimore, Genki and Mitsumi testified of God’s beautiful work as ministry leaders.

Kitesong Global’s launch at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 2018. Photo by Sevly Snguon. Used with Permission.

Gifts From Singapore

“Many times, we doubt if we heard God right when things don’t go according to our plans, or we wonder if He made a mistake, says Dr. Wai Jia Tam, a Singaporean alumnus of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. “But I’m learning that our detours are not mistakes. They are more purposeful and intentional than we ever imagined, often stepping stones to our next launchpad.”

Wai-Jia learned these lessons over a decade of wrestling with God and his call. During that time, he gave Wai-Jia a vision of her family in Baltimore. Then he miraculously paved the way for her to study at Hopkins.

While at Hopkins, the Lord led Wai-Jia to launch Kitesong Global as an international non-profit bringing wholeness to vulnerable communities. Her program director booked the school’s largest conference hall. Hundreds came to hear Wai-Jia testify of God’s unboxed work.

“Three years later, a young woman reached out to me when she became suicidal during the COVID-19 pandemic, as she remembered what I had told her about Jesus,” said Wai-Jia. I led her to Christ and connected her to a [local] church community.”

Urbana 22, Courtesy InterVarsity Christian Fellowship/USA

Gifts from China

God also gave Jing a vision of what she later experienced in America. In China, after she came to faith in Christ, Jing saw a multitude of worshipers praising God in different languages. A Muslim woman wearing a red hijab and smiling stood out among them.

Jing’s multilingual worship vision five years earlier mirrored her experience at InterVarsity’s Urbana Missions conference this past December. Urbana 22 featured speakers and music from the church outside America, inviting participants into God’s global mission.  Jing, now an international student in the U.S., also joined a Peace Feast Urbana seminar featuring God at work as Muslim and Christian students gather for a delicious meal, sharing from the heart, listening respectfully, and gaining new friends.

“The message shared [at Urbana] was about saying a small yes to God, and eventually, He will guide us to say the big yes for his calling,” Jing recalls. “As long as I keep saying small yeses to God in my daily life, He will lead to [God’s great vision for me] one day,” she says.

“Urbana reminds me that my extended Ph.D. journey could be a gift since it allows me to interact with students from different backgrounds,” Jing continues. My current lab has a very diverse culture, and I’m in good relationships with multiple Muslim international students. I see it as a training opportunity, preparing me for the multicultural vision God gave me.”

God Unboxed

Over three decades of ministering among East Asians (three years serving in a Taiwanese church and twenty-seven with InterVarsity), I repeatedly sense an inner peace within many of our brothers and sisters that flows from their humble surrender to God and quiet confidence in his special purpose for their lives. As part of God’s global church, they challenge us to enlarge our view of God so that he can work as he wishes in and through us.

Resources to Consider

Catalyze Course, “Every Corner, Every Campus, Every Country: Receiving the gifts of the global church,” June 20-22!

Growth in globalization and other recent developments (ex., COVID, wars, and refugee resettlement) requires us to learn from the rest of the world more than ever. The growing number of Christians coming to America provides an amazing opportunity to learn from the global church!

Engaging Chinese International Students

This bite-size resource provides quick tips and tools for engaging Chinese internationals.

Engaging Japanese International Students

A similar resource for connecting with Japanese internationals.

Webinar: WeChatting to the Glory of God

This May 31 webinar shows what God is doing through four ministries involved in digital engagement with people in China.

Previous Posts in this Series

Global Gifts: A Declaration of Dependence

Global Gifts: The Forgotten Faithful in the Middle East

[1] Fenggang Yang of Purdue University’s Center on Religion and Chinese Society estimates there are between 93 and 115 million Protestants in China, with fewer than 30 million attending officially registered churches. High-profile crackdown cases include demolishing a megachurch in Shanxi Province and lengthy prison sentences for members of an unregistered church in Yunnan Province. 

[2] See Acts 8:1b; 11:19-20.

[3] A 2017 Public Religion Research Institute survey found that 57% of white evangelical Protestants say that “there is a lot of discrimination” against Christians in the U.S. today.

[4] The LA Times reported, “Many of the unmasked congregants park on nearby streets, worrying some residents so much that they fear coming out of their homes on Sunday mornings.”

[5] According to the Pew Research Center and the Public Religion Research Institute, white evangelicals were the least likely religious group — Christian or otherwise — to social distance, wear masks, and get vaccinated.

[6] Grace Community Church received payments totaling $800,000.00 in legal settlements with the state of California and Los Angeles County after GCC sued because of their pandemic restrictions.

Global Gifts: The Forgotten Faithful in the Middle East

James Tissot – Online Collection of Brooklyn Museum; 1886

This post is the second in a multi-part series revealing the gifts Christians from other countries bring to our American campus communities and churches. This part focuses on the gifts Middle East Christians bear.

With roots extending back to Jesus’ ministry, Pentecost, and the early church’s witness, Middle Eastern Christians faithfully persevere in unbroken witness to Christ. Despite obstacles and challenges, thousands are coming to the Savior, particularly within the Arab and Persian worlds. They offer inspiring examples of patient endurance in life’s sufferings and struggles. Too often, however, disinformation and negative stereotypes fuel misperceptions that hinder us from receiving their gifts.

Ignored, Discredited, Dehumanized

Dr. Munther Isaac speaks to these harsh realities in his book, The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope. As an heir to the unbroken Christian presence in the land of Jesus, Dr. Isaac serves as the Academic Dean and Professor at Bethlehem Bible College in Bethlehem, Palestine. He tells of strikes, school closures, street marches, checkpoints, and military-imposed curfews within Jesus’ place of birth.[1] “I still have clear and vivid memories of the demonstrations […] in front of our house, being slapped in the face by a soldier when I was eleven years old, and lying on the floor in fear because of shooting outside our house,” he writes.[2]

Dr. Isaac also painfully recounts repeatedly having his and his Palestinian fellow workers’ speaking invitations withdrawn. After he was disinvited by organizers of a major U.S. 2018 student missions conference, Dr. Isaac told them, “[It’s] a shame [you] rid thousands of students and future leaders of the opportunity of meeting a Palestinian Christian for the first time and changing their preconceived notions of Arabs and Palestinians.”[3]

Some Christian teachers perpetuate these preconceived notions. Their biased interpretations provide a cover for toxic stereotypes of Arabs and Muslims.

Ishmael Framed

Most Arabs revere Ishmael as their patriarch, and many non-Arab Muslims view themselves as Ishmael’s spiritual descendants. Biblical teachers sometimes cite Scripture’s depiction of Ishmael as “a wild donkey of a man” (see Gen. 16:12) as evidence of his supposedly hostile nature.[4] Some even characterize Arabs and Muslims today as Ishmael’s hostile offspring. A quick Google search of the spirit of Ishmael reveals multiple Bible teachers citing radical Islam and violent jihadism as proof that “Ishmael’s spirit” remains.

As with Ishmael, Scripture uses animal imagery to portray Jacob’s family (see Gen. 49). Jacob mediated God’s blessings to generations of Israelites. The Israelite patriarch depicted his sons Judah (lion) and Benjamin (wolf) as predators, stalking and tearing their prey apart (vv. 9, 27). Judah and Benjamin’s tribes brought the Jews military strength, vital for their national survival and security in the violent ancient world.[5]

Bible scholars do not infer that the tribal descendants of Judah (lion) and Benjamin (wolf) are hostile peoples. But too many treat Ishmael’s line (wild donkey) differently.

The newly revised Genesis installment in the IVP Bible Speaks Today series commentary on Genesis 16:12 reads, “Even today Arab descendants of Ishmael are in dispute with their neighbours who have descended from Isaac, and they continue to manifest a rugged independence.”[6] Another popular commentary refers to Ishmael as “the father of a great tribe of wild, hostile people, […] a [bitter] harvest that is still being reaped today. Ishmael became the ancestor of the Arabs, who are still hostile to the Jews,” the text reads.[7] Other commentators cite a New Testament reference to Ishmael’s supposed persecution of Isaac as evidence of his hostility, even though the context shows that Paul is speaking allegorically.[8] Paul himself says: “These things may be taken figuratively” (Gal. 4:24).

How many U.S. Christians absorb these mischaracterizations of Ishmael and slip into disparaging and even racist views?[9] Might these misperceptions cause a deterministic or fatalistic view of Jewish and Arab relations? Do Middle Eastern peoples feel the American church is a safe place for them?

Post 9-11, Arab American Derek Rishmawy—a RUF Campus Minister and Ph.D. student at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School—became frustrated by the implications of evangelicals: “that my entire ethnic heritage was an unfortunate mistake. [They suggest] this whole conflict in the Middle East could’ve been avoided if Abraham had just been patient and not fathered Ishmael—and the Arabs never existed,” he laments.

A Counter Narrative

The current Middle East conflict does not reflect the pattern of biblical history.

Hostilities between Ishmael’s Arab descendants and Isaac’s Jewish offspring occur infrequently.[10] The Pentateuch does not mention any conflict between Ishmael’s and Isaac’s families. Israel experienced far more conflict with other peoples related to Abraham.[11] The Hebrew prophets do not speak of Ishmaelite oppression.

The biblical record does not portray Ishmael and his offspring as hostile, violent, and fiercely anti-social.

Scripture does include beautiful promises concerning Ishmael.

Ishmael: God Hears

[Trigger Warning: Biblical descriptions of rape and violence. Survivors may feel traumatized by God commanding Hagar to return to the abusive home she had fled. Applications suggesting that God calls, for example, battered wives to return and submit to their abusive husbands are unwarranted.]

Ishmael’s story begins with his Egyptian mother in Genesis 16. Hagar is used as a surrogate mother by her barren enslavers. She flees Sarah and Abraham’s abuse.

The LORD visits Hagar—pregnant, homeless, alone, afflicted, and humiliated—in a remote desert. He tells her to return and submit to Sarah, but this time armed with a promise. The LORD vows that Hagar will become the mother of a great multitude. Hagar’s son will be called Ishmael, which means “God hears” because God has heard her misery.

Ishmael: Wild And Free

To Hagar, a powerless slave, God promises Ishmael, a powerful son. Hagar submits to her slave masters. Ishmael— “a wild donkey of a man”— is subject to no one; he is neither harnessed nor tamed.[12] By day, he freely roams the wilderness. At night, he erects his tent under the unparalleled beauty of the star-studded desert sky.

Ishmael: God With Him

“O that Ishmael might live before you,” Abraham prayed for his firstborn (17:18). Indeed, the Lord remains “with the boy as he grows,” becoming a skilled archer (Gen. 21:20; cf. 17:18).[13]

Later, Ishmael joins his half-brother Isaac to bury their father (Gen. 25:9). The Lord blesses Ishmael with twelve sons who become tribal chieftains (Gen. 25:12-18).[14]

Ishmael: A Great Nation

Fulfilling his promises to Hagar and Abraham, the Lord makes Ishmael a great nation.[15] Ishmael’s Arabian descendants dwell in freedom and increase in might and number.[16] While nations fall and empires crumble, the Ishmaelites escape foreign domination by fleeing to the inner desert’s remote parts.[17] They acquire a vast amount of wealth through livestock and spice trade.[18]

Arabs Before The LORD

Courtesy of InterVarsity ISM Stock Photos

Ishmael’s son Kedar represents desert-dwellers who worship the LORD (Isa. 42:11). The prophet Isaiah foresees multitudes coming to the Lord’s temple, drawn by his bright dawning light (Isa. 60:1-5). Kedar and Nebaioth (Ishmael’s two oldest sons) and three other Arabian tribes Abraham fathered come first among Gentiles to worship the LORD. They offer him their native Arabian offerings of frankincense, gold, and animal stock (Isa. 60:6-7).

Isaiah’s prophecy is partially fulfilled several centuries later.[19] God’s glorious light draws Arabian worshippers to the Messiah (Mt. 2:1-12 cf. Isa. 60).[20] Matthew’s reference to the wise men’s homeland as “from the east,” i.e., east of the Jordan, clarifies their Arabian origins (Mt. 2:1).[21] A heavenly illumination guides them to a single home in Bethlehem where the Magi offer their uniquely Arabian gifts to the Christ child.

At Pentecost, Arabians join Jews, the Jewish diaspora, and God-fearers from many nations to worship the Lord. Filled with God’s Spirit, they proclaim his mighty deeds in Arabic (Acts 2:11).

Arab Christians in the Middle East are proud of their continuous presence in the region. Like Dr. Isaac, they live peacefully amid hostility and conflict, persevering through social, economic, religious, and political tensions.

Through faithful perseverance, they—along with Persians, Turks, Kurds, and other redeemed Middle Eastern peoples—become pillars in God’s temple (Rev. 3:12). They bring him their wealth into the New Jerusalem, a city illuminated by the lamp of Messiah’s glorious presence, as Isaiah prophesied (Rev. 21:22-26; cf. Isa. 60).

Resources To Consider

Loving those who identify with Ishmael reflects the heart and character of God. We honor them by receiving their gifts.

The Other Side of the Wall: A Palestinian Christian Narrative of Lament and Hope

“This book is my invitation to you,” Dr. Munther Isaac writes, “to step into the other side of the wall and listen to our stories and perspective. […] to allow me to share how Palestinians experience God, read the Bible, and have been touched and liberated by Jesus—a fellow Bethlehemite who has challenged us to see others as neighbors and love them as ourselves.”

Arabs in the Shadow of Israel: The Unfolding of God’s Prophetic Plan for Ishmael’s Line

The late Lebanese Christian scholar, Dr. Tony Maalouf, contends that anti-Arab bias differs dramatically from the biblical portrayal of Ishmael and the nations that sprung from him. He presents a well-researched counter-narrative.

Every Corner, Every Campus, Every Country: Receiving the Gifts of the Global Church

This June 20-22, National IVCF ISM leaders will lead this online interactive training course with guest presenters from three continents. Campus ministry staff are encouraged to extend invitations to fellow staff and key volunteers, joining as teams to learn and apply the material. Registration is open now through June 9th.

Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels

New Testament scholar Dr. Bailey (1930–2016), ministered in the Arab world for four decades. He brings us insights into the Middle Eastern cultures and oral traditions to reveal Jesus in his historical context and cultural setting.

IVCF International Student Ministry (ISM) has created a video of Middle Eastern leaders discussing their Christian leadership views. To obtain access, contact: ism@intervarsity.org.

Previous posts in this series:

Global Gifts: A Declaration of Dependence

[1] Systemic discrimination, outbreaks of communal violence, and the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to strain their ties with Israel’s Jewish majority. Most Palestinians (5-6 million) live in exile in semi-permanent camps outside the Palestinian Territories.

[2] Munther Isaac. The Other Side of the Wall (Kindle Locations 183). InterVarsity Press, 2020. Kindle Edition.

[3] Ibid, (Kindle Locations 610-612).

[4] Dr. Tony Maalouf notes that “a Westerner who calls someone a donkey intends it as an insult. This misunderstanding clouds how many view Ishmael’s descendants.” Absent an established legal system, the freedom-loving Ishmaelite nomadism placed them in conflict with settled people (16:12b). Jewish translators, past and present, translate Genesis 16:12c consistent with the KJV, “and he (Ishmael) shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren,” unlike several English translations which suggest Ishmael’s hostility. – Maalouf Tony. Arabs in the Shadow of Israel: The Unfolding of God’s Prophetic Plan for Ishmael’s Line. Kregel Publications, 2003, Kindle Locations 656-658).

The NIV translation of al-pene as “in hostility with” (Gen. 16:12c) depends heavily on contextual considerations. Translations other than the KJV that do not suggest hostility include the NASB, “to the east of,” the NET, “away from,” the YLT, “before the face of,” the CSB “settle near,” and the NETS translation of the Septuagint, “live facing all.”

[5] As Judah’s descendant, David selflessly and courageously fought Israel’s battles, bringing God’s people to rest from all their enemies (2 Sam. 7:1; 9-11). Benjamin led Israel’s tribes (Jdg. 5:14).  As the smallest of Israel’s tribes, he is featured in the lead, celebrating God’s victory over their enemies (Ps. 68:27). Benjamin’s tribe was renowned for its left-handed warriors (Jdg. 3:15, 20:16; I Chron. 8:40).

[6] Baldwin, Joyce G. The Message of Genesis 12-50, InterVarsity Press, 2022, p. 44. Dr. Baldwin softens her original commentary. Her first edition (1986) reads, “Even today Arab descendants of Ishmael are in dispute with their neighbours who have descended from Isaac, and manifest a rugged independence, which makes co-operation with anyone uncertain and precarious.” p. 59.

[7] Ross, Allan P., Genesis. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, 1985, Genesis 16:7-16.  SP Publications, Inc, p. 57.

[8] For example, Bruce Walkte references Galatians 4:29 in his Genesis commentary, “The descendants of Ishmael, in their hostility to the descendants of Israel, belong to the seed of the Serpent.” (Waltke, Bruce K., Genesis: A Commentary, Zondervan, 2003, p. 297). In Genesis 21:9, Old Testament scholars conclude that Ishmael either (1) mocks Isaac (e.g., NASB, NIV, NLT) or (2) merely plays with Isaac as if on equal footing (e.g., NAB, NRSV). In either case, Sarah feels threatened and demands Ishmael’s removal from their household.

[9] Pew Research in 2017 suggests that white evangelicals are the most likely demographic to support broad travel restrictions of residents in several countries with large Arab and Muslim populations.

[10] During the lawless and spiritually dark era when judges ruled Israel, the Ishmaelites joined coalition forces to oppress Israel for seven years (Judges chapters 6-8). A second isolated incident of deadly fighting over grazing lands occurred during the reign of King Saul (I Chron. 5:10, 19-22). The Ishmaelites also joined other nations to conspire against Israel at an unspecified time (Ps. 83:1-8).

[11] Multiple prophets foretell the destruction of the Edomites who descended from Esau, Abraham’s grandson, for their cruel betrayal (e.g., Obad. 1:10-14; Ezek. 35:1-5; Isa. 34, 43:2-5; Mal. 1:1-5). God commanded the Israelites to blot out the memory of Amalek (Abraham’s great-grandson) because of the Amalekite’s cruel treatment of the Jews (Dt. 25:19; 26:17-19). The Ammonites and Moabites who descended from Lot (Abraham’s nephew) were forbidden to enter the Jerusalem temple for mistreating the Israelites (Dt. 23:3-6).

[12] Wild donkeys (onagers) are untamable; they have never been domesticated. The LORD pictures the wild donkey (onager), freely roaming the remote, arid desert, endlessly searching for food while scorning civilization (Job 39:5-8). The Syrian onager is a now-extinct subspecies of an onager native to the Arabian Peninsula. It was compared to a thoroughbred horse for its beauty and strength. (Harper, Francis. Extinct and Vanishing Mammals of the Old World, New York: American Committee for International Wildlife Protection, 1945, pp. 367-371.

[13] Gen. 21:20; cf. 17:18. Ishmael is the only person outside the covenant line about whom it is said, “the Lord was with him.”

[14] The phrase “breathed his last … gathered to his people” in Ishmael’s obituary, which also appears in the preceding account of Abraham’s death, suggests Ishmael’s prominence (Gen. 25:17; cf. 25:7-8), Waltke, p. 346.

[15] See Genesis 16:10, 17:20, 21:13, 17-18.

[16] Many of the names of Ishmael’s sons are Arabic, crediting the Arab tradition that Ishmael was their ancestor (Gen. 25:7-8).

[17] Philip Hitti, widely recognized as the leading scholar in Arab and Middle Eastern studies, states, “The Assyrians, though rightly called the Romans of the ancient world, could not have brought under even a nominal rule more than the oases and a few tribes in North Arabia.”  P. K. Hitti, The Arabs: A Short History, rev. Ed. (South Bend, Ind.: Regnery/Gateway, 1970); pgs. 56-70. 

[18] See Ezek. 27:21, cf. Isa. 60:17; Jer. 49:28-29. Arabs mostly controlled important trade routes (collectively called the “Incense Route”). Camel caravans brought frankincense and myrrh from South Arabia to the Mediterranean port in Gaza. The incense trade flourished between the third century BCE and the 2nd century CE. Frankincense was regarded as worth its weight in gold.

[19] The Magi’s worship of the Christ-child only appears in the Gospel of Matthew, written to the Jews to show Jesus as the Messiah the Old Testament prophets promised.

[20] The Magi in Matthew chapter 2 were likely not Persian and Babylonian as commonly thought. Scripture repeatedly refers to Mesopotamia’s inhabitants as a people “from the north” (Jer. 1:13-15; 3:18; 4:6; 6:22; 16:15; 31:8; 46:10; Zeph. 2:13; Zech. 2:6; 6:6). Invading armies from Mesopotamia moved northwest along the Euphrates River and then turned south to avoid hazardous desert travel.

[21] Jeremiah identified the tribe of Kedar, descended from Ishmael’s second-born son, as “children of the east” (Jer. 49:28). Likewise, the Jewish, second century B.C. apocryphal book of Jubilees located the Ishmaelites and their Arabian cousins through Keturah dwelling together “in all the land which is towards the East facing the desert” (Jubilees 20:12-13). New Testament scholar Dr. Kenneth Bailey states, “Living on the West Bank in Israel / Palestine I observed that visitors arriving from Jordan were always referred to as having come ‘from the East’ which meant ‘the east side of the Jordan River.’ It is only natural to assume that Jewish Christians, living in the Holy Land in the first century thought and talked the same way. ‘The East’ for them would naturally refer to the Jordanian deserts that connect with the deserts of Arabia.” Bailey, Kenneth E., Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes, InterVarsity Press, 2008, (pgs. 51-52).

Global Gifts: A Declaration of Dependence

Photo courtesy of InterVarsity 2100 Productions (Stock Photo 49)

This post is the first in a projected six-part series revealing the gifts Christians from other countries bring to our American campus communities and churches.

The American church suffers historic declines in participation and credibility. The losses would be even greater absent the steady growth of religious groups drawing large numbers of immigrants. Meanwhile, Christianity booms overseas. The fastest-growing Christian communities are in more populous non-Western countries.[1]  With the U.S. home to more immigrants than any other country, more Christians are migrating to the United States.[2] As we actively listen to their insight, perspective, and wisdom, our faith can become more complete. Their presence and voice bring hope for renewal within the American church. 

Here in part 1 of our Global Gifts series, I relate themes from the early church to today, sharing inspiring examples of God’s work through foreign-born residents in America. My InterVarsity (IVCF) International Student Ministry (ISM) staff colleagues will join us over the next several weeks as we explore God’s unique work through specific people groups.

Decentering the (White) American Church

Johns Hopkins International Fellowship [JHIF] Core Serving Team (December 2019). Photo courtesy of Bill Nelson

Born in Baltimore, I am a White male serving Christ at Johns Hopkins University. Along with my co-writers, I care deeply about the American church.

Given current trends, it is vital that American Christians humbly learn from sisters and brothers in Christ worldwide. Generation Z—the oldest turning 27 this year—has become the most unchurched generation in U.S. history.[3]  Roughly two-thirds of churchgoing teenagers leave when they graduate from high school, concludes author and pastor Reese Carlson, based on numerous research studies.[4]

Pastor Carlson cites young people’s belief that the church doesn’t share its social justice concerns as a cause for their perceptions of its irrelevance. “Gen Z expects brands to take a stand on social causes and is likelier to buy from a brand that aligns itself with a cause,” says Carlson.[5] Gen Z’s pursuit of “climate change, racial justice, and gender equality is fast becoming a defining feature of the generation,” says Rachel Hatzipanagos of The Washington Post. Barna researchers conclude that young people’s perceptions of the church’s lack of impact on poverty and justice “could pose barriers to belief and should be taken seriously by church leaders.”

Gifts for Addressing Injustice

Cecelia (right) and Nate, leaders of our JHIF Faith In Action small group. Photo courtesy of Bill Nelson

Issues of poverty and justice similarly threatened the early church community in Jerusalem. Greek-speaking widows suffered discrimination in the early church’s daily food distribution (see Acts 6:1-6).

To avert a crisis, Jerusalem’s ministry leaders sought help from the minority community born outside Palestine. They commissioned seven Grecian Jews, giving them authority over the distribution.

Afterward, the word of God spread, and the church multiplied greatly as at least some of these foreign-born fellow workers extended their service into cross-cultural evangelism.[6]

Wise majority culture church leaders today also seek perspective and share power and resources with ethnic minorities. Global voices help illuminate how the American church has often been silent on race and immigration ethics.

Cecilia Gonzalez came to the U.S. as an international student. Born in Ecuador, Cecilia shines a light on how the American church has too often been silent about racism and immigration ethics. As volunteer campus ministers, she and her husband Nate formed and now facilitate our JHIF multinational Faith in Action small group. Their group meets weekly, sharing Scripture, stories, and perspectives and building relationships with, learning from, and advocating for minority communities in Baltimore and beyond.

Gifts for Engaging Diversity

Empowered as equal ministry partners, many global Christians help us address poverty and injustice. They can also help the American church become more inclusive, equipping Christ’s body to reach U.S. Gen Zers, the most ethnically diverse generation in American history.[7]

The varied church leadership team in first-century Antioch provides a second early church paradigm for engaging our increasingly diverse communities (Acts 13:1-3). Antioch was a massive city with an eclectic mix of separated cultures and ethnicities.

The believers in Antioch saw the division as a barrier to the gospel. The Holy Spirit led them to form a mixed core ministry team that comprised their city community’s ethnocultural and socioeconomic diversity.[8]

Bearing witness to Jesus’ power transcending cultures, they prioritized faithful gospel proclamation and acts of compassion. Paul used Antioch as his base for three successive missionary tours.[9] Antioch’s believers engaged in global outreach within their city, a crossroads for international travelers. As a “daughter” church, they gladly gifted their Jewish brothers and sisters in Jerusalem during a severe famine (Acts 11:27-30).

Taylor Straatman recently spoke of her encounter with a Christian community resembling the first-century Antiochian church.  A first-year Northeastern College in Boston, Taylor sought answers about Jesus. She joined the Christian Fellowship’s welcome activity, finding beauty in how the ethnically diverse community cared for her and each other.

At the Chinatown restaurant, Edwin, a freshman from Hong Kong, hosted her through the evening. “He poured my tea, walked me through the menu, and helped me order things,” said Taylor. “I felt so cared for and hosted.”

After Taylor came to faith, she and Edwin led an international small group. Taylor credits Edwin with challenging her to see that the good news about Jesus is so precious that we invite everyone in the student center. “[Edwin’s] heart led [us] in seeing different parts of the campus that we would have missed,” Taylor said.

Our traditionally American JHU Graduate Christian Fellowship (GCF) is similarly experiencing God in deeper ways through the presence and voices of new international students from Africa, East Asia, and Latin America. Their sacrificial love and service challenge us as American students and campus ministers in our commitment to Christ, thinking about the Christian community, and how we make space for God to do new things. Our now multinational community provides a richer expression of our unity in Christ, necessary for the world to know that God has truly sent him and loved them (Jn 17:23).

Resources to Consider

Engaging in Multinational Race Conversations

This resource provides practical, concise guidelines for constructive dialogue with a global perspective.

Every Corner, Every Campus, Every Country: Receiving the Gifts of the Global Church

This June 20-22, National IVCF ISM leaders will lead this online interactive training course with guest presenters from three continents. Roleplays, training tools, videos, and more are offered during six 90-minute sessions spread over three days. Participants will learn how to form and grow multinational communities to reach their Gen Z campuses better locally. Campus Ministry staff are encouraged to extend invitations to fellow staff and key volunteers, joining as teams to learn and apply the material. Speaking of her excitement, course instructor Eva Glick says, “There’s been a growing number of Christians coming as international students, particularly from Africa, so it’s an amazing opportunity to learn from the global church.”  Registration is open now through June 9th.

Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church

The authors of this book, published by InterVarsity Press, make a compelling case that diaspora Christians are already helping to save the American church from more decline by citing extensive research, quoting ethnic church leaders, and sharing personal anecdotes.

[1] In his book “The Unexpected Christian Century,” Scott Sunquist notes that in 1900, about 80 percent of the world’s Christian population lived in the Western world and about 20 percent in the majority world. By 2000, only 37 percent lived in the Western world, and nearly two-thirds lived in the majority world.

[2] More than 40 million people in the U.S. are foreign-born. Approximately one million international students study and work at American higher education institutions.

[3] Author, pastor, and assistant professor of political science Dr. Ryan Burge summarizes the latest data from the Cooperative Election Study, “Generation Z is the least religious generation in American history. And, they are becoming less religiously identified as each year passes.”

[4] Carlson, Reese. Church Doesn’t End With Z: Why Gen Z is Leaving the Church and How to Reach Them, (p. 154).

[5] Ibid., (p. 154).

[6] Acts 6:7-8; 8:5-40; 9:31.

[7] About half of the Gen. Z population in the U.S. are ethnic minorities, according to the Pew Research Center.

[8] Antioch’s church leaders included Barnabas (a Greek-speaking Jew), Simeon (probably an African), Lucius (from Cyrene, located in present-day Libya), Manaen (brought up in Herod the Great’s household), and Saul (a Greek-speaking Jew with Roman citizenship).

[9] Acts 13:1-3; 15:36-41; 18:22-23

Part 2: Jonah, White Supremacy & Christian Nationalism

“MAGA Jesus” with QAnon slogan on January 6, 2021 by Tyler Merbler is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Religious nationalism is not a new phenomenon. In this two part series (Part One here) GFM staff minister Bill Nelson will explore the elements of religious nationalism and how the book of Jonah serves as a call to repentance and restoration.

A bewildering array of images emerged amid the chaos of the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021. Rioters carried wooden crosses and erected wooden gallows with hanging nooses. Insurrectionists carried Confederate flags, first flown by states that supported secession from the United States and the continuation of slavery. Others paraded Christian flags alongside the Confederate flag bearers. Such toxic mixtures of racism and Christendom are also found in Christian social studies textbooks. As shown in Part 1, mainstream Christian curricula teach history through an ethnocentric lens, mirroring and providing a religious covering for white supremacy.

To the toxic mix of racism and religion, I add American exceptionalism. Racism, religion, and American exceptionalism provide the foundational pillars of Christian nationalism, the belief that America is and must remain a uniquely virtuous “Christian nation.”

Christian nationalism is an idolatrous ideology that distorts our witness for Christ and undermines the Gospel. The Old Testament book of Jonah speaks as a corrective call to repentance and a hopeful message of restoration.

 American Exceptionalism

“American Progress” by John Gast, Library of Congress, Public Domain

American exceptionalism proposes that God uniquely and providentially chose the US for a unique mission to transform the world. Christian curricula’s pseudo-historical narratives cast the settlers, founders, and leaders of European descent in early America heroically as God’s new chosen people. They idealize the United States’ past “golden age.” An Abeka US history textbook opens by stating, “God in His wisdom allowed America to remain hidden until the Modern Age [brought] important changes that would profoundly affect the course of American history.”[i]

Of course, First Nations peoples occupied the” hidden land” for millennia until White European settlers drove them out. America’s colonists stole livestock, burned, and looted houses and towns, and committed mass murder. They left a legacy of stolen lands, broken treaties, massacres, boarding schools, and forced assimilation. Their lust for land and power conflicted with America’s proclaimed moral superiority.

Christian textbooks ignore the brutal mistreatment and genocide of Native communities. “Certainly, the colonists’ harsh treatment of Native Americans has no part of this [American] heroic tale,” writes Kathleen Wellman, author of Hijacking History: How the Christian Right Teaches History and Why It Matters.[ii] 

Instead, Christian curricula call Jesus’ followers to arise and lead the way back to America’s “golden age of moral and spiritual purity.” Abeka states, “As salt and light, Christians must strive to hold back the evil and preserve the good in America.”[iii] A Bob Jones University textbook adds, “At no time in American history has there been a greater need for such spiritual leaders [as the U.S. patriots at Valley Forge and Stonewall Jackson, the Confederate Civil War general] driven by the demands of Calvary.”[iv]

Christian textbooks claim “that the United States was founded as a Christian nation and that Christianity should have a privileged public position, […] that America is exceptional and its history entirely admirable,” says Dr. Wellman, “[Their] positions are widely diffused in school board meetings, on the floors of state legislatures, in the sermons of megachurches, and the speeches of political candidates.”

“Our Nation, Not Theirs”

In events leading up to the January 6 Capitol riots, Christian nationalism advocates used historical narratives resembling those in Christian textbooks to call God’s people to arms. Promoters incited Christian “patriots” to fight the outside invaders — socialists, secularists, Muslims, and Black radicals. Crusading “prophets” charged the “Lord’s mighty armies” to restore a mythical version of America to its rightful owners: those “right for God.”[v]

Jonah and Religious Nationalism

Jonah embraced similarly toxic views of religious nationalism. As a court prophet within evil King Jeroboam’s militaristic administration, Jonah spoke of God restoring the northern kingdom of Israel’s fortunes and lands (2 Kings 14:23-27). Jonah personified how the Israelites perceived themselves as exceptional. They had a special covenant with God that “inferior others” lacked.

The Lord connects Israel’s great calling (“you only have I chosen”) with the grave consequences of their unfaithfulness (“therefore I will punish you”) (Am 3:2). Amos, roughly Jonah’s contemporary, delivers scathing accusations and judgments against Israel’s northern kingdom three times longer and more intense than those against seven of Israel’s enemies (Am. 3-6; cf. 1:3-2:6). The Lord passionately calls Israel to repentance (Am. 5:14-15).

The book of Jonah similarly prompts God’s people to repentance. The narrator of Jonah’s story casts “pagans,” various animals, and a plant as Jonah’s literary foils. They highlight the prophet’s ridiculous attitudes, inviting critique of Jonah and correcting those he represents.

Jonah’s first self-identifying words: “I’m a Hebrew” (1:9), suggest his nationalistic pride. Jonah frames himself as religiously superior to “those who cling to worthless idols” (2:8-9).

In Nineveh, the Lord’s compassion towards the humbled and repentant Ninevites ignites Jonah’s outrage. His morbid hot anger mirrors the blazing desert sun.

The Lord prods Jonah to self-examination, trying to help him comprehend unsettling truths. He provides Jonah a shade plant “to ease his discomfort (ra’ah)” (4:6). The narrator puns on the word (ra’ah) for an ironic twist.[vi] The term refers to Jonah’s physical discomfort and his inner evil. Subsequent events show that God intends to deliver Jonah from his inner evil.

The Lord appoints a worm to devour the shade plant, re-exposing Jonah to the scorching sun. He also adds a second layer of misery — hot desert winds.

Jonah’s meltdown resumes. His exuberant rejoicing over his shade plant reverts into a bitter tirade and a second death wish. He feels entitled to a plant he neither planted nor caused to grow. He pities his soulless shade plant, but not Ninevite souls. Jonah cares only for himself.

Jonah’s story ends with him sulking, morbidly peering down on the city of Nineveh. But he is not alone. The Lord continues relentlessly pursuing His wayward prophet.

Should I Not Have Concern?

God appeals, “You [Jonah] have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (4:10-11).

The Lord’s rhetorical question to Jonah orients us toward self-awareness, seeing others from God’s perspective, and embracing His universal concern for all peoples.

We join in God’s restoration of our hearts and world as we mourn losses, ask the Lord to show us our complicity, confess sin, and pray for His just intervention. Dr. Soong-Chan Rah shows how lament can shape us into better Christ-followers, advocates, reformers, and friends, in  Prophetic Lament: An Interview (5-minute read).

The Gospel calls us to look beyond our communal and national borders to engage our broken world. We cannot ignore urban poverty and the rights of workers who provide us with cheap goods from abroad. Nor can we ignore global warming because we have air conditioning and environmental exploitation that does not affect our neighborhood. And we cannot turn our backs on impoverished refugees. Jesus identifies himself with the “foreigner,” warning those who fail to recognize him, “I was a stranger, and you did not welcome me in” (Mt. 25:43).

White Christian Nationalism conflates white supremacy and Jesus’ teachings with delusional patriotism. In The Religion of American Greatness: What’s Wrong with Christian Nationalism, Georgetown University Professor Paul Miller clarifies what Christian nationalism is and explains its dangers. Dr. Miller also equips us to address these issues in our public witness and within the church. Christians Against Christian Nationalism also provides resources for understanding and communal engagement.

Join the Emerging Scholars Network and Paul D. Miller, author of The Religion of American Greatness for a discussion of Christian nationalism. This live conversation will be on September 15, 2022 at 12 pm ET. Sign up at https://tinyurl.com/ESNAmericanGreatness.

[i] Michael R. Lowman, George Thompson and Kurt Grussendorf, United States History in Christian Perspective: Heritage of Freedom (Pensacola, FL: Abeka, 1996), 678.

[ii] Wellman, Kathleen. Hijacking History: How the Christian Right Teaches History and Why It Matters, (Oxford University Press, 2021), 163.

[iii] Abeka, US, 5.

[iv] Timothy Keesee and Mark Sidwell, United States History (Greenville, SC: Bob Jones University Press, 2001), 656. 

[v] For example, at the December 12 Jericho March’s “Let the Church ROAR” event, the blowing of shofars echoed the summoning of an invasion. Bishop Leon Benjamin pronounced, “We are here in the mighty name of Jesus today to declare that every Jericho wall must come down!” Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano prayed, “As in the time of Joshua, […] break down the walls of the City of darkness, granting victory to those who serve under Thy holy banner.” 

[vi] The NIV captures the term’s broad semantic range translating (ra’ah) in Jonah variously as “wickedness” (1:2), “calamity” (1:7), “trouble” (1:8), “evil” (3:8), “evil” and “destruction” (3:10), “seemed very wrong,” (4:1), and “discomfort” (4:6). Evil (ra’ah) now applies to Jonah as it did previously to the Ninevites (Jon. 4:6; cf. 1:2; 3:8, 10).