Serial The Anointed: 3. Apostle Over The East Coast

November 25, 2023 By Matt Vlaardingerbroek

After visiting John and Abigails’ Joy church, where my critical questions are cut off – “John speaks for God, you shouldn’t question him” – I’m certain that we’re on different paths. Even though I don’t see John for several years after that, I continue to follow him through the internet, acquaintances, and Christian magazines. 1995 is a great year for John. The Toronto Blessing sweeps through the States. John rents a large hall in Brooklyn and starts with inter-denominational revival... Read more

Why I Wrote The Serial “The Anointed”

November 22, 2023 By Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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Time and again in the Christian world, we are shocked by good men who fall. Leaders with a nationwide ministry who suddenly vanish as if they were never there. They dedicated their entire soul to God and His cause, but unchristian behavior led to their downfall. They’re now silenced, their legacy swept under the rug, their names unspoken. Imagine if an angel had visited these men when they were eighteen, still full of passion and fire for Jesus. What if... Read more

Serial The Anointed: 2. Visiting John’s Church

November 18, 2023 By Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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After hearing all the negative stories about John and his wife Abigail from a former elder of his congregation, I unexpectedly run into him one day. In the spring of 1994, I suddenly come across John at an evangelical conference in Philadelphia. We exchange news, and with pride, he tells me about his work in the congregation. How the ‘Joy’ church is growing massively and that God has promised him that his congregation will become the biggest church in New... Read more

Following the Bible is Much Easier than a Surprising God

November 18, 2023 By Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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In the past, the Book followed the people of God. Now, the people of God follow the Book. Is this something to celebrate or mourn? Have we lost something by becoming faithful followers of the Bible rather than of a surprising God? Would our adventures with God be worthy of being written into the Bible if it were possible? The older I get, the more I’m troubled by those phrases that suddenly pop into my head and can linger there... Read more

Serial The Anointed: 1. From Nice Guy to ‘The Anointed’

November 11, 2023 By Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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The first time I met John was in the summer of 1989 when we both participated as eighteen-year-olds in the summer outreach of Youth with a Mission in New York. John and I were to share a room for the entire month of July, and that’s how we got to know each other. We were both ‘on fire’ for Jesus and had the biggest plans: we were going to change the world for Jesus. He in Asia, me in... Read more

Jesus Dealing With Letters of Complaint: A Parable On Modern Church Leadership

November 10, 2023 By Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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Imagine Jesus as the senior pastor of a megachurch, grappling with numerous complaints about his leadership style and decisions. This could offer a thought-provoking parable on modern church leadership. I had a terrifying dream last night. In my dream, Jesus has just finished the Last Supper and is about to go to the Garden of Gethsemane with his eleven disciples. At that moment, Mary Magdalene grabs him by the cloak. “Rabbi, I need to speak with you now. Things are... Read more

The Anointed: A Faith-Based Serial On The Rise And Fall Of Pastor John

November 8, 2023 By Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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Dive into a fresh and gripping faith-based drama this week! Penned by columnist Matt Vlaardingerbroek, “The Anointed” chronicles the challenges and triumphs of John, a passionate young pastor from the suburbs of New York. Leading a humble Pentecostal congregation, John believes he’s received a message from God that he’s destined to become the most successful pastor in the US. How will John’s ministry fare as he aims to lead a potential mega-church with thousands of attendees? Follow John’s journey through... Read more

Why Evangelicalism Needs ‘Limping Courage’ On The Road To Maturity

November 4, 2023 By Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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This article explores the evangelical movement’s necessary transformation from a phase of youthful certainty to a mature state of ‘limping courage,’ a term inspired by Jacob’s transformative struggle with God. It advocates for a form of faith characterized by vulnerability, honest acknowledgment of doubt and weakness, and a humble yet brave stance in the face of life’s paradoxes and uncertainties. Revisiting Evangelical Origins and the Need for Maturation In the initial four articles about the evangelical movement and its trauma,... Read more

Only By Facing Our Trauma Can The Evangelical Movement Reach Real Fatherhood

October 28, 2023 By Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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This fourth article in a five-part series discusses the evangelical movement’s stagnation in its youthful phase due to trauma, hindering its maturation to real fatherhood. It advocates for the movement’s evolution from a simplistic youth phase to a complex fatherhood stage, highlighting the necessity of embracing uncertainty, reassessing understandings of God, and fostering an environment of love, comprehension, and inclusive faith. Evangelical Movement’s Origins and Traumas In the first three articles about the evangelical movement and its trauma, we looked... Read more

Please God, Strike Evangelicalism On It’s Hip…

October 25, 2023 By Matt Vlaardingerbroek

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What a shocking prayer! Praying for violence… or is there more to the story? The original title for this article was “Please God, Strike Us Evangelicals on Our Hip.” It was indeed more inclusive but simply too lengthy. Rest assured, this is not a plea for violence. Rather, it’s about drawing a parallel between Jacob and Evangelicalism. Jacob was destined to be a patriarch, but his trauma from interactions with his secular and liberal brother, Esau, left him mired in... Read more