My son is now a college student studying Psychology. Today he said to me, “You know Dad, I was reading an article that said that children ask a lot of questions but that as they move on into adolescence and beyond, they ask far fewer questions. I don't know. I think I'm different. I really …
Continue reading Answering Your Child’s Questions. More Important Than You Think
Yesterday we were walking down Session Road, the "Main Street" of Baguio City, Philippines. There were the normal crowds of walkers, strollers, and peddlers. It is quite nice to find a bustling downtown when so many downtowns in the US have been destroyed by the automobile, suburban sprawl, and big box stores. Going further, …
Continue reading How NOT to Share Christ– A Walk Down Main Street
I have often said that if I had not been raised in a Christian family and raised in a Christian church I would never have become a Christian. Now don't get me wrong, I would not have become a Buddhist, Hindu, Jew, Muslim, Mormon, or anything else either. I also doubt I would become a …
Continue reading Revealing the Christ Behind Every Christian
"Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon" (Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year) to everyone. While statements such as this may be thought trite, they are important. Our group, Bukal Life Care & Counseling Center (www.bukallifecare.org) is sending a disaster response chaplaincy team to Cagayan de Oro in the northern part of the island of Mindanao. …
In some previous posts, I have looked at Saint Boniface as a traditional model for Power Encounter. He used Ecclesiastical power (orders from the pope) and Political power (letters from Charles Martel) to go into pagan German villages and (among other things) desecrate pagan shrines (a clash of Divine power). I have questioned the value …
If this same topic were written today, closing in on 90 years later, there would be a few changes... but not many. This quote is from the 1928 Jerusalem Conference of the International Missions Council. Throughout the world there is a sense of insecurity and instability. Ancient religions are undergoing modification, and in some regions …
Continue reading Missions Quote from the 1928 Jerusalem Conference of the IMC
So what is the right amount of training for a missionary? Here in the Philippines, I see many people go off on missions (or come here on missions) with little to no training. This is especially true of bivocational missionaries or self-funded missionaries. In some cases people go on missions with an adequate amount of …
Continue reading Can Christian Missions Training Become a Weariness to the Bones?
Interpretation and application of scripture are affected by culture. In theory, the farther we are from Bible culture, the more difficult it is to interpret (and apply). But that is not necessarily always so. Many cultures have characteristics that relate very nicely to a passage of Scripture. Consider this passage: Remember you who are Gentiles …
Continue reading Great Example of Contextualized Interpretation in Christian Missions
I am not much of an art connoisseur. Sometimes I wish I was. There are some paintings, however, that do strike a chord with me. One of them is "The Neophyte" by Gustave Dore. I loved looking at it at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia. He did a number of etchings based on the …
Continue reading Religious Thoughts on a Painting. “The Neophyte” by Gustave Dore
I was reading an article in the International Journal of Frontier Missions (Spring 2011) and I saw that I was quoted... which is kind of cool. I'm sure some get used to that, but it's still fairly new to me. I had written an article on the use of trade routes by the early Christians …
Continue reading “Bazaar” Missions From Nestorian Missionaries of the First Millennium