evangelical 360°

What happens when spiritual passion meets thoughtful engagement? Rev. Dr. David Wells, General Superintendent of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, takes us on a remarkable journey through the explosive growth of the Pentecostal movement from its humble beginnings to becoming the largest Protestant movement worldwide.Against the backdrop of increasing secularization, Wells reveals a surprising counter-narrative: Pentecostal churches are experiencing "incremental growth" with "record levels of first-time responses to Jesus." His approach rejects false dichotomies between heart and mind, embracing instead what he calls "wholehearted, whole-minded, whole-life discipleship."Perhaps most fascinating is Wells' unique role as chaplain for multiple Olympic Games, where he developed best practices for multi-faith environments. This work required building trust across religious divides while maintaining his evangelical convictions—a skill increasingly valuable in our polarized world.Wells offers fresh perspectives on denominational identity, describing a shift from rigid "franchise models" to a more flexible "center-set" approach that maintains theological integrity while allowing contextual adaptation. He addresses leadership development challenges with multiple pathways for ministry preparation, including traditional academic routes, second-career ministers, and global perspectives.For anyone interested in how faith communities can remain vibrant in changing times, Wells provides wisdom drawn from five decades of ministry. His story demonstrates how spiritual renewal comes through both passionate engagement and respectful collaboration, offering hope for the future of the church in an increasingly complex world.You can learn more about Rev. Dr. David Wells and the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada through their website and Facebook.And you can share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360

What happens when Indigenous identity meets Christianity? For Rev. Dr. Ray Aldred, Director of Indigenous Studies at Vancouver School of Theology, this intersection has been both painful and profoundly illuminating.Ray's story begins with generational trauma - a grandmother lost to alcoholism, a murdered uncle, experiences of racism that as a child he simply thought were "how it is with everybody." His journey through addiction to Christian faith, and eventually to deeper healing, reveals the gaps in how many churches address cultural shame and historical wounds."When you feel ashamed of who you are," Ray explains, "you think you're too bad to receive God's love. You spend most of your Christian life trying to do more religious stuff so God will actually love you." This breakthrough realization transformed not only his personal faith but his approach to theology and reconciliation.The conversation takes a fascinating turn when Ray describes reading scripture through Indigenous eyes. Suddenly biblical humour comes alive, community connections deepen, and creation itself becomes family. His interpretation of Adam as "son of God" led to the revelation that the earth could be understood as mother - not in an idolatrous sense, but as a relative deserving care and respect. "If people could feel that about the land," he suggests, "maybe we could make different decisions when it comes to how we live upon it."As Canada continues its journey toward reconciliation following the devastating legacy of residential schools, Ray offers wisdom for moving forward: tell the truth completely, listen with your heart to understand pain, then develop a shared plan to heal the damage. His approach places "the gospel in the center" while honoring Indigenous identity and addressing historical trauma.For anyone seeking to understand Christianity beyond colonial frameworks or wondering how faith communities might participate meaningfully in reconciliation, Ray's insights illuminate a path that requires courage, honesty and deep listening. You can learn more with Ray Aldred through his books and the Vancouver School of Theology. And you can share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360

David Bebbington, the world's foremost scholar on evangelicalism, returns for a second illuminating conversation that dives deep into the global evolution and remarkable growth of the evangelical movement.Starting with his observations on evangelicalism's consistent characteristics worldwide, Bebbington explains how the movement maintains its core identity across vastly different cultural contexts. He makes a compelling case for retaining the term "evangelical" despite political associations in America, arguing this centuries-old religious identifier serves a crucial function for believers worldwide who share common theological commitments.The conversation explores evangelicalism's extraordinary numerical expansion from approximately 90 million adherents in 1960 to over 600 million today. Bebbington attributes this unprecedented growth primarily to evangelicalism's emphasis on personal evangelism, reinvigorated by Pentecostal and charismatic movements that have injected fresh spiritual dynamism across denominations and borders.Yet alongside this expansion, Bebbington identifies serious challenges facing evangelicals today. External persecution threatens believers in many regions, while internally, he warns against "therapeutic evangelicalism" - a shallow, psychologically-oriented approach lacking doctrinal substance. His concerns about declining biblical literacy and the rise of Christian nationalism reveal the tensions within modern evangelicalism as it navigates contemporary cultural pressures.Drawing from his extensive publication history and research spanning Baptist communities, Methodism, and denominational studies, Bebbington demonstrates why historical understanding remains vital for evangelical identity. His insights on colonialism's complex relationship with evangelicalism and the increasing collaboration across denominational lines provide essential context for anyone seeking to understand this global religious movement.Whether you're a scholar of religious history, an evangelical believer seeking deeper understanding of your tradition, or simply curious about one of the world's fastest-growing religious movements, this conversation offers invaluable perspective from one of Christianity's most respected historians. You can learn more from Dr. David Bebbington through his scholarship and publications. And you can share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360

What exactly makes someone an evangelical Christian? Dr. David Bebbington, whose work has become the definitive framework for understanding this global movement, joins us to unpack the rich history and defining characteristics of evangelicalism.Prof. Bebbington's "quadrilateral" – emphasizing the Bible, the Cross, conversion, and activism – has become the most widely cited definition of evangelical identity since its introduction in 1989. In this illuminating conversation, he traces how evangelicalism emerged in the 18th century, drawing from Puritan theology while incorporating Anglican and continental influences. Far from being static, the movement constantly evolved in response to cultural shifts from the Enlightenment through Romanticism and beyond.We explore fascinating questions about evangelical boundaries: Are Pentecostals evangelical? What about fundamentalists? Can Roman Catholics be evangelical? Bebbington provides nuanced answers that challenge simplistic categorizations, revealing the movement's theological flexibility despite its clear core commitments.The conversation also addresses how evangelicalism catalyzed modern missions through voluntary societies that transformed Christianity's global footprint. While acknowledging the political associations that have become attached to the evangelical label in countries like the United States and Brazil, Bebbington reminds us that these alignments are not universal – in Britain, for instance, evangelicals have historically spanned the political spectrum.For anyone seeking clarity about evangelical identity amid today's complex religious landscape, this conversation offers rare historical perspective from the scholar whose insights have shaped our understanding of a movement that has grown from approximately 90 million believers in the 1960s to around 600 million today. You can learn more from Dr. David Bebbington through his scholarship and publications. And you can share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360

Against all predictions, Africa has become the world's fastest-growing center of Christianity. Rev. Dr. Goodwill Shana, Executive Chair of the World Evangelical Alliance and prominent Zimbabwean pastor, brings us inside this remarkable transformation while sharing his own unlikely journey from orphaned boy to global church leader.Growing up fatherless during Zimbabwe's colonial period, Dr. Shana initially pursued law driven by a passion for justice. Despite the injustices around him, a white Baptist missionary became his spiritual father—teaching him early to separate systemic problems from individuals. This perspective would prove invaluable as he reluctantly transitioned from legal practice to church leadership during Zimbabwe's turbulent political history.Pastor Goodwill offers fresh insights on several critical issues facing global Christianity. He challenges misconceptions about evangelicalism, arguing that its political associations in Western contexts shouldn't define the movement worldwide. "Evangelicalism is not the same as being politically right-wing," he explains. "Evangelicalism really is about Judeo-Christian values that are enunciated in the New Testament." The term itself, he believes, remains valuable: "Evangelical is in the Bible. Evangelical is good news."As Executive Chair of an organization representing over 600 million Christians through approximately 140 national alliances, Pastor Goodwill sees the WEA providing crucial stability in what military strategists call a "VUCA world"—volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. While many institutions and relationships fragment, the evangelical movement offers certainty, dependability, and global community.Perhaps most powerfully, Dr. Shana's personal testimony embodies hope for anyone feeling insignificant or overlooked. "God is a God of grace and He's a God of the improbable," he shares. "Our God can touch and use and transform anyone from anywhere to be anything in the world, because people's value is not defined by where they come from, or what they weigh or which family they belong to, but which God they belong to."You can learn more about Rev. Dr. Goodwill Shana and the World Evangelical Alliance through their website and Facebook.And you can share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360

What happens to people after they're sentenced and the news cycle moves on? In this profound and eye-opening conversation, Stacey Campbell, President and CEO of Prison Fellowship Canada, pulls back the curtain on a world most of us never see.Stacey's remarkable journey began at just 15 years old when a chance connection with Prison Fellowship in its early days planted seeds that would later bloom into her life's calling. Now, with over 15 years of leadership, she offers rare insights into Canada's prison system and the transformative work happening within its walls.The statistics might surprise you. Contrary to popular belief, 75% of Canadian inmates are serving time for drug-related offenses, not violent crimes. Perhaps most troubling is the dramatic overrepresentation of Indigenous people – making up only 5% of Canada's population but 33-40% of male inmates and a staggering 50% of female prisoners.Through powerful stories of transformation, Stacey reveals how Prison Fellowship's programs work through a three-part process of encounter, repair, and transformation. Their restorative practice brings surrogate victims together with offenders, creating spaces for healing conversations that answer long-held questions and foster genuine accountability. "We don't bring Jesus into prison," Stacey explains. "Jesus is already there. We just highlight him and say, 'See, there he is.'"Beyond prison walls, their Bridge Care program supports former inmates transitioning back to society, while Angel Tree connects thousands of children with their incarcerated parents through Christmas gifts. These connections prove crucial not just for emotional wellbeing but for breaking intergenerational cycles of crime.Whether you're interested in criminal justice reform, faith-based rehabilitation, or simply want to understand a forgotten corner of our society, this conversation challenges assumptions and inspires hope for lives being restored and redeemed in places we too often prefer to ignore. You can learn more about Stacey Campbell and Prison Fellowship Canada through their website and Facebook.And you can share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360

What happens when a nation rejects its moral compass only to find itself lost in the wilderness? Philip Yancey takes us on a journey through one of history's most remarkable untold stories - how Russia's brief spiritual awakening after communism's collapse ultimately gave way to authoritarian rule and war.In this fascinating conversation, Yancey shares his firsthand experiences from the early 1990s when both Mikhail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin made an extraordinary request of Western Christians: help "restore morality" to their country. For approximately ten years, Russia experienced an unprecedented openness to spiritual matters, with missionaries flooding in and churches flourishing. Yet this window of opportunity eventually closed under Vladimir Putin's leadership.The historical connections between Russia and Ukraine run deeper than most Western media coverage acknowledges. Yancey expertly guides us through the spiritual roots of the current conflict, explaining how Kyiv represents the birthplace of Russian Orthodox Christianity dating back to 988 CE. This religious heritage helps explain why Patriarch Kirill frames the Ukraine invasion as a "holy war" to reclaim Christianity's Russian birthplace.Perhaps most compelling is Yancey's cautionary tale about church-state relations. After enduring severe persecution under communism, the Russian Orthodox Church welcomed Putin's support and protection - only to become an instrument of state policy rather than its moral conscience. Meanwhile, Ukraine demonstrates a different model, with Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and Muslim communities uniting to serve those suffering from the conflict."The church should not be master of the state or servant of the state," Yancey reflects, citing Martin Luther King Jr. "It needs to be the conscience of the state." This wisdom challenges believers everywhere to consider how their faith intersects with political power. Rather than seeking influence through corridors of power, perhaps our most effective witness comes through consistent, compassionate action that embodies the gospel.As Ukraine stands at a historical turning point, Christians worldwide are called to respond with prayer, compassion, and support. Whatever the geopolitical outcome, the contrast between Russia's state-aligned church and Ukraine's interfaith cooperation offers profound lessons about faith's true power in a broken world. You can learn more from Philip Yancey through his website and books and you can find him on Facebook.And don't forget to share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360

Philip Yancey opens his heart and shares the painful journey that shaped his spiritual life in this riveting conversation about his memoir "When the Light Fell." With unflinching honesty, he recounts growing up in a fundamentalist community that opposed movies, bowling alleys, roller skating—and openly preached racism from the pulpit during the civil rights era.The raw vulnerability of Yancey's story emerges as he describes his father's death from polio after being removed from an iron lung against medical advice, based on misguided faith expectations. This tragedy left his mother a struggling widow who placed enormous spiritual pressure on her sons to fulfill her dashed missionary dreams—eventually leading to a 52-year estrangement between her and Philip's brother.What makes this conversation particularly powerful is Yancey's explanation of how he emerged from these wounds not as a cynical critic of Christianity, but as one of its most thoughtful voices. He shares a supernatural vision that unexpectedly transformed his perspective during his most skeptical period, revealing how grace broke through his intellectual barriers. "I wasn't trying to really meet God at the time," Yancey confesses, "I happened to be in the middle of a Bible college which I was scornful of...and God met me." The heart of this episode explores how healthy faith communities foster healing while toxic ones create wounds. Yancey draws from his decades of writing about suffering and grace to explain how church communities should function as extensions of "the God of all comfort and the Father of compassion." For those struggling with religious trauma, his journey offers hope that even the harshest religious upbringing need not determine one's spiritual future.This conversation invites listeners to examine their own understanding of grace—what Yancey describes as the recognition that, "there's nothing I can do to make God love me more...and nothing I can do to make God love me less." His story demonstrates how God often woos us through unexpected channels like natural beauty, music, and love rather than through fear and judgment.You can learn more from Philip Yancey through his website and books and you can find him on Facebook.And don't forget to share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360

A spiritual wildfire that began in a humble livery stable on Azusa Street has transformed into a global movement of over 700 million believers. How did an obscure, often misunderstood expression of Christianity become the fastest-growing religious movement of the 20th century?Dr. Billy Wilson, President of Oral Roberts University and Chair of the Pentecostal World Fellowship, takes us on a fascinating journey through the remarkable history of the Pentecostal and Charismatic movement. From its roots in the American Holiness movement to the pivotal Azusa Street Revival of 1906, Wilson reveals how a hunger for divine empowerment sparked a revival that would ultimately touch every nation on earth.What makes this conversation particularly illuminating is Wilson's explanation of how Pentecostalism bridged two worlds within Christianity—combining the cerebral, scripture-focused faith of the Reformation with the mysterious, experiential elements that had been more associated with Catholicism. This synthesis helps explain why the movement spread so rapidly across diverse cultural contexts, particularly in the Global South.The conversation explores several "waves" of Spirit-empowerment: classical Pentecostalism, the Charismatic Renewal that crossed denominational boundaries in the 1960s-70s, and the emergence of global networks and new expressions. Most exciting is Wilson's perspective on what may be a fourth wave emerging today—a movement led by young people hungry for authentic spiritual experience without performance or hype, connected through global youth culture and technology.Against misconceptions that Pentecostals focus solely on spiritual experiences while neglecting social concerns, Wilson highlights the movement's long history of community engagement, from disaster relief to addiction recovery programs. He also shares how diverse streams within the movement are finding new unity through relationship-building and shared mission, particularly around reaching every person with the gospel by 2033.Whether you're deeply familiar with Pentecostal/Charismatic Christianity or curious about this influential movement, this episode offers rich historical context, theological insights, and a compelling vision for Spirit-empowered faith in the 21st century. You can learn more from Dr. Billy Wilson through his books and find him on Facebook and Instagram. And you can share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360

What if the obstacles in your path aren't problems to overcome but divine opportunities to be shaped into Christ's image? In this soul-stirring conversation, bestselling author Ann Voskamp shares her harrowing journey from witnessing her sister's tragic death at age four to becoming a globally recognized voice on gratitude, suffering and faith.Ann opens up about the paralyzing fear that followed childhood trauma—leading to ulcers, self-harm and eventually agoraphobia. Despite these struggles, she found faith through a neighborhood Bible club and later discovered how intentional gratitude could transform her relationship to suffering. "Faith gives thanks in the middle of the story," she explains, offering this practice as a fulcrum for leveraging life's heaviest burdens.The conversation takes a profound turn as Ann unpacks her latest book, "Waymaker." Rather than finding an easier route through difficulties, it explores how God uses our obstacles to reshape us: "Our way is self-formed. God's way is cruciform." This insight became painfully real when her father died in the same farmyard where her sister had been killed decades earlier—on the very day her publisher returned edits for the manuscript.Perhaps most movingly, Ann shares how adopting a daughter from China with half a heart (hypoplastic left heart syndrome) deepened her understanding of our relationship with God. We aren't merely followers of Christ but "kin to the King," adopted into divine family through Jesus' sacrifice. This filial relationship moves beyond legal forgiveness to emphasize attachment and intimacy with our Creator.For those seeking a practical framework, Ann offers her S.A.C.R.E.D approach—Stillness, Attentiveness, Cruciformity, Revelation, Examine and Doxology—as a way of life that keeps us connected to Christ through life's deepest valleys. This isn't just about surviving hardship but thriving in God's presence regardless of circumstances.You can learn more about Ann's books and journey through her website and find here on Facebook and Instagram. And you can share this episode using hashtag #Evangelical360 and join the conversation online! ____________________▶ Watch Interviews on YouTube ▶ Sign Up for FREE Dispatches From the Global Village▶ Free Downloadable eBook "Here's Hope"▶ More Info: evangelical360.com#evangelical360