Back in the 1800s were two small companies that made buggy whips… Smith Brothers and Jones Brothers. The vision statement of Smith Brothers was “We seek to make the best buggy whips in the world.” Jones Brothers had a vision statement “We provide navigational control solutions for the world.” The first vision statement makes a …
Month: September 2016
The 5 Types of Honor-Shame Cultures
Source: The 5 Types of Honor-Shame Cultures
Dialogue and Different Faiths
In "Acts of Faith," Eboo Patel (2007), founder and director of the Interfaith Youth Core, reflects on the issue of religious diversity. Mirroring W. E. B. Du Bois’s famous statement that “The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line,” Patel suggests that “the twenty-first century will be shaped by the …
Is Social Ministry Missions?
A. Scott Moreau noted in his book, "Contextualization in World Missions," that social ministry as a part of missions has been a matter of controversy among Evangelicals for 80 or 90 years. With William Carey, there seemed not to be a strong problem with seeking social justice along with evangelizing and disciplining. William Wilberforce, a …
A Question of Contextualization
"After a significant pastoral ministry in an urban setting in the United States, a former student of mine returned to his home country of India to minister. When visiting him, I asked, 'What is the most significant obstacle you face?' He paused and then said, 'The biggest I've seen recently has been working to overcome …
The Radical Middle in Historical Perspective
The following is an abridged quote from the "Declaration of the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Council" (April 1990). Noting the date, this at a key time in modern Russian history as the Communist government of the USSR collapsed while its replacement was still in doubt. The bold lettering as emphasis is mine, not …
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Watwat is What?
We had Communion (Eucharist) Sunday at church today. The message focused on Paul's first letter to the church of Corinth. Apparently in Corinth, the church would practice Love Feast wrongly. The love feast was an early form of Eucharist. A full meal was meant to be shared by the entire church... much like a potluck …