Where They Make Manna
When Pastor Ed Carey arrived at Hope International Bible Fellowship (Hope IBF) in 1994, the situation was grim. The once-thriving congregation was down to 30 people and thinking of closing its doors. …
Southern California and the World
Aspirations for Modernity and Prosperity
Aspirations for Modernity and Prosperity Christine Gudorf, Zainal Abidin, Mathen Tahun, Authors (ATF Press: 2014) The writing of this book was supported by the Pentecostal Charismatic Research Initiative. Indonesia is the largest …
A Meditation on the Nones
Anna Stephens was on a humanitarian mission to Sudan with the International Red Cross when she first read The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle. For Anna, …
In Mellow L.A. and Suave Rio, Religious Movements are Similar (but Different)
When I walked by the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on USC’s campus this week I thought of Rio de Janeiro. The Coliseum stands as a symbol of both the 1932 and 1984 …
The Many Faces of Lord Krisha in the O.C.
It’s a Friday evening in Laguna Beach, an affluent seaside city in Orange County. In a converted two-story former Baptist church a short walk from the beach, a couple of hundred lay …
From Margin to Center: A Queer (and Timely) Theological Mix in Los Feliz
Founders MCC, the Los Angeles-based mother church of the Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches, is literally putting new flesh on some of the Mainline Protestant establishment’s old bones. Three years ago …
Coachella Valley: Creating Recovery Spirituality for the 21st Century
(Photo by Joanne DiBona) The Coachella Valley communities of Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, Indian Wells, Cathedral City and Indio share a legacy as retreat centers for the rich and famous, spiritual seekers, …
Finding the Future in Los Feliz
During his comments at a recent Getty House event to mark the National Day of Prayer, Mayor Eric Garcetti referred to L.A.’s current cultural moment as “this hinge of history.” Civic boosterism? …
Incarcerated Pentecostalism
The familiar sounds of a Brazilian Pentecostal worship service flew from the open sanctuary doors of a church in Rio de Janeiro. The rattle of tambourines and shouts of “Gloria a Deus!” …
Rwanda Rising
(Photo: Lorna Miller with family friends in Kigali) The slogan “Never Again” rings false to me, since a more appropriate refrain seems to be “Once Again,” especially given what happened in Darfur …