For those want a TLDR--- my answer is "I Don't Know." But here is a longer discussion. A few days ago, I was part of an online prayer gathering utilizing Facebook Live. When I joined, I put up the Emoji of Praying Hands to let people know I have joined the group. However, soon after …
Continue reading Should Missionaries Get Involved With Local Politics?
I just finished a post on the opposite--- "How Might Missiology Speak to Pastoral Counseling and Chaplaincy." So now I would like to suggest the value the opposite way. One challenge the the direction of Pastoral Theology informing Missions is that in a sense it has happened before. Back in the 1960s, a form of …
Continue reading How Might Pastoral Theology Speak to Missions
Background. I serve in a missionary (cross-cultural minister) capacity in the Philippines. I got my Master of Divinity degree taking all the mission courses that were in the schedule... and a couple that were not. In my early years, my wife and I were active in doing medical missions events, children's group outreach, and some …
Continue reading How Might Missiology Speak to Pastoral Counseling and Chaplaincy?
I am reading an article by Michael T. Cooper, “Necessity of Worldview Understanding for Sustainable Peace: A Case Study of United States Relations with Native Americans in the 18-19th [Sacred Tribes Journal Volume 4 Number 2 (2009):113-131]. It had a nice discussion on worldview as well as a Venn Diagram. (I am always a sucker …
So deathscrolling through the news and I saw that another famous pastor had been outed with regard to sexual misconduct. I was vaguely familiar with him... but apparently his is a pretty big name in certain circles. That same article then linked to a Charisma magazine article about a number of recent pastors who have …
I teach a class on cultural anthropology. I like to use case studies. Paul and Frances Hiebert wrote a book Case Studies in Missions. I find it very useful. (Another good book is Alan Neely's Christian Mission: A Case Study Approach.) One of cases in the book by the Hieberts had to do with a …
This is a continuation from Part One. If you haven't read it yet, please CLICK HERE. Obviously, when I am speaking of unintended audiences, I am also speaking of secondary audiences. That is, hopefully a speaker or writer is aware of potential audience members that may vary both over time and space. Taking these into …
Continue reading The Challenge and Value of Unintended Audiences (Part Two)
I have talked about it before... but maybe I can pull some of my disparate thoughts together here. I will give a few quick examples. Undermined Butch Hartman, the creator of the cartoon, "The Fairly Odd Parents" among others, decided to create his own brand and channel for children's media. As a Christian of a …
Continue reading The Challenge and Value of Unintended Audiences (Part One)
If you haven't read Part One yet, please feel free to CLICK HERE. Upon reflection, the use of "headhunting" blades as symbols of cultural pride makes sense. As the tribes began to interact more with the world--- they had several choices. They could try to maintain cultural separation--- a hard road to follow. They could …
Continue reading Reflections on Blades, Headhunting, and Cultural Symbols (Part Two)
Last week I visited the Bugkalot tribe. Understand, that this is the Philippines where some would say that tribes don’t really exist. They exist as a people group, and as a language group, and as a cultural group, but they don’t necessarily have tribal chiefs or a governmental structure as some would define a tribe. …
Continue reading Reflections on Blades, Headhunting, and Cultural Symbols (Part One)