I am a self-described pessimist. Some find this troubling... believing that optimism is healthier, and makes one happier. As a melancholic, I am not all that sure I want to be happier... I want contentment... I want peace,.. I want purpose... I want belongingness. I think I can generally do with just a small bit …
Month: January 2016
Reflections on Power and Powerlessness
I have struggled in my own heart and mind regarding the issue of Power and Powerlessness in the Christian Life and in Ministry. I have heard so many preachers who love to talk about receiving the POWER of God (and Yes, they will emphasize the term completely out of proportion to its value, in my …
Thoughts on Doing Local Theology
I have been doing a lot of thinking about Contextualized Theology, and reading works by Stephen Bevans, Paul Hiebert, Jose de Mesa et al. But I think I will use the term Local Theology here, since (REALLY) all theology is contextual. There is no such thing as supracultural theology. God works in and through cultures, …
Suffering and Viktor Frankl
I am not an expert on Theodicy, on suffering and its underlying meaning (or underlying lack of meaning). That being said, churches (especially the safe and affluent churches, but even the persecuted and vulnerable churches at times) have trouble with suffering. It seems to me that part of the problem is that the church (we …
The Mutable, Passible God
According to the Westminster Confession of Faith, God is "without body, parts, or passions, immutable." As a Baptist, I am supposed to be non-Creedal, and don't particularly value catechisms. That is, we adhere to Soli Scriptura, the Bible alone (although I believe it is more accurate to say Prima Scriptura), and as such we place …
The Taxidermic Minister
I come from a rural community in upstate New York in the United States. It is not known for its art culture. However, one art form that is quite strong there is taxidermy. I haven't really seen it practiced here in the Philippines. For those who don't know, it is the art of making the …
Power to Help and Hurt
I have recently been reading a book by Daniel Bagby, "The Church: The Power to Help and to Hurt." What a great title! It is a book on pastoral care, and so emphasizes the fact that the church can be a place of holistic healing, but also a place that can destroy lives. This paradox …
Our Missional Path
Quoting Steven Wright, "You can't have everything... Where would you put it?" Additionally, you can't do it all. You... Me... And anyone else you are likely to come across, are finite beings. We are limited in time, space, energy, skills, knowledge, wisdom, power, and just about anything else. That is not so bad. If we …
5 Questions I’d Ask a Missionary Before I Supported Them
Source: 5 Questions I'd Ask a Missionary Before I Supported Them
Celebrating the New Year and New Book
I decided celebrating the New Year by getting rid of a major headache. I finished and published my book on Applied Cultural Anthropology. It is primarily for Bible School students in the Philippines, but might be found interesting or useful to others. I tried to not get lost in the terminologies and minutiae. For those …