Dr Paul Allen

Stephen O. Presley As the iron gate slammed behind me, I read the sign, “Inmates taking hostages will not be allowed beyond this point.” It was an ominous beginning to a life of teaching. After graduating with my divinity doctorate from the University of St. Andrews, I hoped to land a tenure-track teaching position. I imagined strolling the grounds of some seminary or university campus with my students, discussing the deep thoughts of Augustine or Calvin. Instead, in the Lord’s kindness, I got so much better.  I was hired to teach at a seminary extension site with a course load that included several classes in a newly formed prison seminary program. This initiative, launched by the Heart of Texas prison ministry, offered seminary training for convicted felons serving life in prison. Like raising Indigenous missionaries in a foreign country, these seminary graduates would remain incarcerated and help minister to the prison population.  For four years, spanning 2011-2015, I was in prison

Pastor James Coates of Grace Life Church in Spruce Grove, Alberta was jailed this past Tuesday. As of February 17th, he remains imprisoned with a possible trial date to be set next week sometime. Currently, his wife and children are prohibited from visiting him. Coates is a graduate of the Master’s Seminary, was a personal classmate of mine, and has faithfully pastored Grace Life since 2010. Here is a brief summary of the situation. Grace Life suspended corporate worship services in the spring of 2020 in response to a largely unknown covid situation. On June 21st, the church resumed meeting for a corporate gathering. The lawyer representing the church stated, “Even in the summer of 2020, it had become apparent to congregants of Grace Life that government lockdowns cause far more self-imposed harm than the natural harm of covid.” In early July, two people who attended Grace Life tested positive for covid, upon which the church shut down for two weeks. They then resumed meeting when it w

Cover of How Now Shall We Live? Author: Chuck Colson Norway is one of the most beautiful places on earth. A Nordic paradise of fjords, coastline, glaciers, forests. Norwegians are rightfully proud of their prosperous, peaceful society. Well, today, Norway is in a state of absolute, total shock in the aftermath of one of the most cold-blooded, heartless acts of terrorism since 9/11. The Norwegians are desperately trying to explain this senseless slaughter. The killer has been described as a right-wing extremist, a fundamentalist Christian , an anti-immigrant fanatic, and mentally ill .  Most likely, in my opinion, a fascist. But here are two root causes of this horrible act that few in Norway, or the rest of the Western world for that matter, will acknowledge: Evil and sin. You see, Norway is one of the most secular countries in Western Europe. Hardly a shred left of the Christian faith that once dominated the country. So, without that Christian understanding of fallen human natu

Image via Wikipedia "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour ." ( 1 Peter 5:8 )   Several words are used in Scripture to imply spiritual watchfulness, and each has a slightly different meaning. Only as we compare and combine these words do we get the full force of the Scripture exhortations to watchfulness.   One such word is the Greek word   agrupneo , translated "watch." In   Mark 13:33   we read, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is." The word literally means to be sleepless and comes from two Greek words meaning "to chase" and "sleep." It implies a purposeful and active state of awareness.   More commonly used is   gregoreo . It is a stronger word, meaning to arouse oneself and shake off lethargy, implying activity as on the part of one who is fully awake. "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith" ( 1 Corinthians 16:13 ), a

Image via Wikipedia "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour ." ( 1 Peter 5:8 )   Several words are used in Scripture to imply spiritual watchfulness, and each has a slightly different meaning. Only as we compare and combine these words do we get the full force of the Scripture exhortations to watchfulness.   One such word is the Greek word   agrupneo , translated "watch." In   Mark 13:33   we read, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is." The word literally means to be sleepless and comes from two Greek words meaning "to chase" and "sleep." It implies a purposeful and active state of awareness.   More commonly used is   gregoreo . It is a stronger word, meaning to arouse oneself and shake off lethargy, implying activity as on the part of one who is fully awake. "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith" ( 1 Corinthians 16:13 ), a