For those who don't know, "holistic ministry" is Christian ministry work that seeks to form a balance between what might be considered as "spiritual ministry," such as evangelism, discipleship, worship, sacraments, church planting, church growth, and so forth, with "social ministry." Social ministry can be defined many ways but may include meeting physical needs, social …
What is a ‘Rock Hard Faith’? Is There Something Better?
I was looking around in a bookstore and saw a bible there titled, "Rock Hard Faith Study Bible." My first thought was, "Couldn't they have chosen a less weird sounding title?" But not dwelling on that question any longer than necessary I moved to "How does rock and hard relate to ideals for faith?" I …
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Missiological Musings on 1 John 2:19
I was lurking in Substack, a website I only recently began visiting. In it there was a person who was an Evangelical Christian, but has now "deconstructed" his (or her... I forget) faith and is now agnostic or atheistic. There were many responses from various people of various faith allegiances. Many of these were Evangelical …
Where Science and the Bible Can Conflict
I am going to make an argument that is pretty obvious when one thinks about it... but I am doing so for a reason. But for now, let me play "Captain Obvious." It is worthwhile to parse out a statement that people say. Some people like to say that the Bible conflicts with Science. Some …
Philippine Journal of Religious Studies. 2026 Edition
Now that I am in grandpa mode, I have much fewer formal roles. One of the few I still hold is as the chief editor for the Philippine Journal of Religious Studies. Since I assumed this role in 2024, we three editions: Volumes 4, 5, and 6. I am pleased to see the interest that …
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Exploring the “Call to Ministry.” Part 3
My posts in this series are a bit... all over the place. However, I hope it makes sense when I talk about what I call my call to ministry. But before I do, I would like to talk about the third aspect of one's Call to Ministry. SELF To what extent is a call to …
Exploring the “Call to Ministry.” Part 2
I am continuing my discussion on the "Call to Ministry" where I am assuming three aspects--- God, Church, and Self. My last post I talked about the Divine (God) aspect. I will move on here. CHURCH The seminary I teach at speaks of developing Christian leaders from those who are "God Called, Church Affirmed." There …
Exploring the “Call to Ministry.” Part 1
I would like to suggest that there are (potentially) three major components to a Call to Ministry. These three are not independent of each other. Therefore, they are shown like a Venn Diagram. I would like to explore each part separately, with some acknowledgement of the interrelations that may be relevant. GOD Many would argue …
Thoughts on Losing (or Changing) Faith
Many years ago I followed a guy who was a Christian bookstore owner who also sought to go further into ministry, particularly in terms of consulting and writing. I never contacted him directly, but in my mind I wished him well. I knew that was a hard road to travel, but I could relate somewhat …
Is Raising a Child Christian Missions?
This question sounds strange, to me at least, and I think it might for you as well. But let me tell a couple of stories before I flesh this out. Story #1. A friend of our family in the Philippines is a single female missionary. She had adopted an at-risk child in the Philippines and …