I think most Christians would kind of like the Bible to be written more like a Charles Dickens novel. I mean that in terms of characters. Dickens wrote social commentary with numerous characters. In this sense, his novels share something with much of the Bible. A big difference is that Dickens uses pretty simple characters. …
Author: missionmusings
Writer, Seminary Professor, NGO Administrator, Missionary, Father, Husband, Blogger (not necessarily in that order)
Slavery and Hermeneutics
I don't normally point people to someone else's article, but I will today. William Wade Burleson, wrote a great article, sharing it on FB, strangely, addressing the issue of female clergy. He links the hermeneutics of this issue with that of slavery. He was not relabeling or equivocating. Rather, he was noting the similarity in …
Theology and Three Sources of Truth
Where does theology come from? Many would say that it comes from the Bible. However, the Bible is not a theological work--- it is a work of revelation. Theology is first interpreted (Hermeneutics), and this should be done based on what it says in the context of it being originally said (Grammatical-Historical Exegesis). But theology …
Can We Speed Up the Return of Christ (If We Are of a Mind To)?
Can we speed up the return of Christ? Up until quite recently, I would have given a resounding NO!! However, more recently, I have drifted into the "PROBABLY NOT, BUT MAYBE" response. My reason for the resounding NO in the past was that there were two common arguments that I heard. Argument #1. Matthew 24:14 …
Continue reading Can We Speed Up the Return of Christ (If We Are of a Mind To)?
What is the “Plain Sense of Scripture” Anyway?
If one looks it up online, the expression "plain sense of Scripture" refers to the literal sense of Bible interpretation. But this doesn't help at all. Why? Because both "plain sense" and "literal" are somewhat technical terms that sound as if they are anything but technical. Both "Plain Sense" and "Literal" focus on the grammatical-historical …
Continue reading What is the “Plain Sense of Scripture” Anyway?
Responding Poorly to Criticism— Historical Missions Example
In my last post I noted the problem of responding badly to criticism. A historical example occurred in the 1600s in Germany. Back in 1651, the faculty of the University of Wittenburg was responding to charges from Roman Catholics that the Lutheran Church was invalid. The person questioning the validity apparently was Erhard, Truchsess of …
Continue reading Responding Poorly to Criticism— Historical Missions Example
Welcoming the Outside and Inside Critic
I do admit that I rarely criticize a group that I am not part of. As a missionary associated with the Southern Baptists, an Evangelical Protestant Christian Denomination, I feel pretty comfortable critiquing or complaining about missionaries, Southern Baptists, Baptists, Evangelicals, Protestants, and Christians. At least I am more comfortable with critiquing these groups than …
In Missions, Awesome Stats Can Be a Big Problem
Many years ago, my wife and I were involved in medical mission events in the Philippines. At these events, we would also evangelize. I would track the responses. Commonly, around half of the people who come would "say the Sinner's Prayer," which in Evangelical circles is often equated with converting from unsaved to saved. Should …
Continue reading In Missions, Awesome Stats Can Be a Big Problem
Reconciliation and Gehazi. Pastoral Care Reflections, Part 2
Gehazi was a servant of the prophet Elisha. This role gave him a unique ability to serve as a mediator for the prophet. Also in that role he potentially has the ability to serve as a mediator for God in some sense. Three chapters later, Gehazi served as the storyteller for Elisha to the King …
Continue reading Reconciliation and Gehazi. Pastoral Care Reflections, Part 2
Reconciliation and Gehazi. Pastoral Care Reflections. Part 1
While this is listed as Part 1, it could be thought of as a continuation of a previous post. I use the story of Naaman the Leper from II Kings 5 to illustrate three of the four pastoral care functions as described by Clebsch and Jaekle. These three (which were orignially identified by Steward Hiltner) …
Continue reading Reconciliation and Gehazi. Pastoral Care Reflections. Part 1