This is not fully thought out. I am thinking this through as I write. I feel that "Walking With" is a phrase that may serve as a unifying theme for a Missions Theology. The expression "Walking With" has a number of implications: 1. Relationship. "Walking With" implies some form of mutual relationship. A stalker may …
Continue reading On the Theme “Walking With”: a Missions Theology. Part 1
In a few weeks, I will be teaching a two-week module (at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary) on Missionary Member Care. It will be from April 29 to May 10 (2013). It is a topic I enjoy. The focus of the Member Care will be on the psychological, emotional, spiritual, and relational stresses associated with the …
Continue reading Wholistic Mentoring. Not Just Holy, But Whole.
I like murder mysteries. Particularly, I tend towards the somewhat "old-fashioned" ones... at least old-fashioned British in attitude and convention. Agatha Christie, P.D. James, Dick Francis. I like have no interest in figuring out "whodunit." I like to ride the rollercoaster of the story and see where it takes me. I want to see the …
Continue reading The Roles of Justice within Love and Mercy.
Three metaphors that have special value to me are listed below. One is abstract, One is practical. One is personal. The abstract metaphor is the "Flexible Bridge." To me, we have an unchanging God and an unchanging revelation. On the other hand, we are constantly changing and live in a world and culture that is …
I would like to pull together three fairly unrelated things. Layers of Culture, the Layout of the Temple in Jerusalem, and Christian outreach. First. Layers of Culture. Linwood Barney showed layers of culture. Inmost is ideology, cosmology, and worldview. The figure for this is below. These are the least visible cultural characteristics. Out from that …
Continue reading Cleansing the Church’s “Court of the Gentiles”?
This is one of my first blog posts, but I think it is worthy of reposting. All the training (long-term preparation) is meaningless if we aren't available and ready (short-term preparation).
Occasionally, I watch these ghost hunter or ghost buster shows on TV. Some (I will call "ghost hunters") claim that they are being objective... but clearly they are hoping to find evidence of the paranormal, thus evidencing the inadequacy of a naturalistic view of the world. The others (I will call "ghost busters") also claim …
Continue reading Ghosts, Truth Encounter, and Things that go Bump in the Night
<Suggestion... read the whole article before passing judgment. If you jump to a conclusion half-way through the post, you have jumped too soon> I got a religious tract recently written and printed in Baguio City, Philippines that seeks to convert Christians to Islam. On first reading, I thought they did a pretty good job. On …
Continue reading Contradiction is in the Eye of the Beholder
Mistake #3. The Challenges of Dependency, Paternalism, and Stewardship One of the first things I learned in missions is the danger of paternalism. A missionary should not amass control others but empower others. Therefore, one should not pass on resources with a lot of strings attached. I also learned that giving can create dependency... so …