Do some desire God's wrathful judgment? It seems like it. Let me give you a case study and then discuss a few possibilities. Back in 2013, a devastating storm (Typhoon Yolanda--- aka, Haiyan) struck the Visayas region of the Philippines, and across to Palawan. Thousands died. Shortly after, the "prophecies" of a Christian "prophet" (I …
Month: June 2016
Why do some missionaries serve independent from an agency? – Ask a Missionary
My wife and I serve independent of a formal mission agency. We have generally found this good... but not all of the time. There are down-sides as well. I feel this link below does a fantastic job of looking at the pros and cons of this. The primary writer is an independent missionary, so it …
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Pastoral Care Book Finally Finished
It has been a slow process. People keep asking when it will be done. Principles of Clinical Pastoral Care in the Hospital and the Community. Vol. 1 by Robert H. Munson and Celia P. Munson. 2016. I serve as the administrator of a counseling center in the Philippines, and my wife Celia is a Clinical …
Picture Picture!! 6 Cautionary Tales
On mission, or on short-term mission trips, what is the ethics of picture-taking? At its best, it serves as a capturing of key memories of God's work and important relationships in the field. It also may inspire others , drawing people into the experience through pictures. On the other hand, pictures can be: Exploitive/Self-serving Humiliating/denigrating …
Misusing Christianity to Change Cultures – Global Theology
In his article, 10 Ways Christians Misuse Christianity, by Stephen Mattson (Author’s Blog — @mikta) describes areas that have been inappropriately conflated with a “Christian” identity. To value and celebrate (not simply reluctantly accept) cultural identity is an area that is difficult to succinctly communicate to people who do not already have a frame of …
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Doubts About Vision– Follow-on
I wrote a few days ago about my serious doubts regarding the idea that a pastor (or frankly, any leader) is the sole source of "Vision" in an organization. The article is HERE. While noting that some of the difficulty is that Christians use AT LEAST two different definitions of vision rather freely and inconsistently, …
How to Intentionally Contextualize
Doing Theology. Thinking Mission. Source: How to Intentionally Contextualize