This is an extended quote from Philip Jenkins book, "The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Goden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia-- and How it Died" (HarperOne, 2008). I suppose it may be a longer quote than normal copyrights approve. But I do heartily recommend getting the book for …
Continue reading Quote from Philip Jenkins and Timothy of Seleucia
<Warning: Just some speculative mental wanderings. If it seems imbecilic or pointless... you are probably correct.> Long ago, I used to be an engineer. I was a mechanical engineer and (for awhile) a nuclear engineer. As such I had a certain fascination with "techie" things, and with the boundaries of physics. As I transitioned into …
Being a missionary is both a divine calling and a professional vocation. These two truths exist in constant tension with each other. This is true of other forms of ministry as well. Take the story of Micah and the Levite in Judges 17-18. The two main characters are Micah, an Israelite living in Laish, and …
Consider the following metaphor: A child is running on the sidewalk. He trips and falls down. After a moment of being stunned and another moment of reflection and evaluation, he ties his right shoe lace, brushes the pebbles off his pants and shirt, gets up, and continues running. Who is the best witness? I …
"Bonhoeffer saw the chief temptation faced by Christians as the lure to withdraw out of the world into pious enclaves, to erect private spheres of religiosity or to view religion as one activity or dimension of existence in addition to the others. The Gospel is not a call to be religious in this sense. Bonhoeffer …
This is just some thoughts on Diaspora missions. I have a number of friends and colleagues who are experts on Diaspora missions. I am not such an expert. But writing is my way thinking and learning. Diaspora refers to the "scattered seed" or the scattered people group in other countries. Filipinos are commonly thought of …
Continue reading Diaspora Missions and the “Recovery of the Soul”
Blaise Pascal developed "Pascal's Wager", drawn from Thoughts (Pensees) that argues for faith in God over and against doubt or rejection (translated): Yes, but you must wager. There is no choice, you are already committed. Which will you choose then? Let us see: since a choice must be made, let us see which offers you …
Continue reading Pascal’s Wager in Pluralistic Cultural Context
Religion, spirituality, and faith all relate to aspects of power, which means that they are at risk of being abusive. That is because abuse is essentially the (selfish) misuse of power. <div style="width:425px" id="__ss_12823374"> <strong style="display:block;margin:12px 0 4px"><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/bmunson3/spiritual-abuse-i" title="Spiritual Abuse I" target="_blank">Spiritual Abuse I</a></strong> <div style="padding:5px 0 12px"> View more <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/thecroaker/death-by-powerpoint" target="_blank">PowerPoint</a> from …
I was doing some lookups on doubt on the Internet. Very little good information is available. I took a class called "Faith and Doubt" at Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary. Our two main texts were "Doubt: A History" by Jennifer M. Hecht and "In Praise of Doubt: How to Have Convictions Without Becoming a Fanatic" …