Harvie Conn wrote the book. Eternal Word and Changing Worlds: Theology, Anthropology, and Mission in Trialogue back in 1984, based on lectures he gave at Fuller Theological Seminary. It has been noted by multiple people, that Conn was limited by a tendency to use rather unclear language. That is one reason I have tended to …
Month: March 2017
Spiritual Abuse 5. Where do Abusive Churches Come From
This presentation explores the idea that abusive/dysfunctional churches spring naturally from leaders and members from abusive/dysfunctional families.
The “Fish” Model of Project-based Outreaches
A model for doing not only medical missions, but many forms of short-term projects (partnered with a long-term ministerial presence) looks a bit like a fish (or an ICHTHUS if you prefer). It is based somewhat on the model used for CPM (Church-Planting Multiplication). The same basic principle can be utilized. Visioning/Organizing Rapid Seed Sowing …
Continue reading The “Fish” Model of Project-based Outreaches
Our Racist Church?
I am going to start with religion, not race... but I think it comes together. A few weeks ago, there was a seminar here on Christians reaching out to Muslims, particularly in sharing their faith. An interesting statistic was brought up. I can't remember the exact numbers, but relationship of the numbers makes exactness unnecessary. …
Herodotus and Monumental Hubris
Herodotus (born around 485BC) was a Greek traveler and chronicler of stories. He was quite open to sharing tall tales... intermixed with solid history. In his book "An Account of Egypt" Herodotus recounts his conversation with Egyptian priests. In that account, the priests tell the story of the building of the great pyramids of Giza, …
The More Difficult Task
A relevant question that could come up here is which is more difficult? Is it harder to to make theology relevant to a community, or faithful to God's Word. At first glance, it may seem that it really depends on the person. For example, an untrained person who is fully enculturated (born into) culture “B” …
Theology as a Contextual Activity
The following is the very first draft of the very first chapter of the book on Missions and Theology I am working on. It is not meant to be highly in-depth, but more for Bible schools. Chapter 1 Theology as a Contextual Activity Contextualization has become a well-respected term in missions, since the term was …
2003 Missions Reflections
This is a sermon I spoke at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary chapel, on February 28, 2017. Actually, I suppose it is more of a testimony than a sermon. A number of you will be doing internship this Summer: It could be Short-term Missions (STM), it could be church internship, it could be Clinical Pastoral Education …
Nine Spiritual Temperaments | Focus on the Family
There are several spiritual temperaments that determine how a person worships. See if you can recognize yourself (and your spouse) in these descriptions. Source: Nine Spiritual Temperaments | Focus on the Family