"Tribalism" is a great word that has become bandied about in recent days. There are different definitions: a very strong feeling of loyalty to a political or social group, so that you support them whatever they do (Cambridge Dictionary) loyalties that people feel towards particular social groups and to the way these loyalties affect their …
Category: Christian Ethics
Bigamy and Missions
I have fallen out of the habit of getting involved in discussion boards. I guess part of the reason is that over the decades they attract trolls. But even when they don't they often draw people in based on their ability to type rather than their ability to discuss or think. Recently, I saw a …
Ministerial Recovery
We all fail sometimes. Sometimes the failure is minor... sometimes it can be spectacular. Sometimes one has control over the situation of the failure, and sometimes not. Failure is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, failures are great opportunities to grow. But not all failures are equal to each other. Consider three forms of …
The Patriotically Incorrect Missionary
When I was in college (30+ years ago) many of us were struck at the excesses of a movement that showed itself in the term “Political Correctness” or PC for short. It sought to avoid language that appeared to demean or sound judgmental. At its best, it reminded us to be careful with our language... …
What Not to Say to Someone Who’s Been Hurt by the Church • ChurchLeaders.com
<An Excellent List in an excellent article. I have heard most all of them said in one way or another.> Whenever you meet someone who's been hurt by the church, tread carefully. Here's what not to say. Source: What Not to Say to Someone Who's Been Hurt by the Church • ChurchLeaders.com
Ministers, Boundaries, and Sex
A statistical research by FASICLD (Francis A. Schaeffer Institute of Church Leadership Development) in 1998 interviewed 1050 pastors It showed that about 30% of the pastors surveyed had (or are having) a sexually inappropriate encounter or relationship with a parishioner. Other studies are commonly lower like around 10%, and one done in 2016 showed it …
Pastoral Recovery- Knowing What’s Good For You…
I deal with a lot of missionaries and pastors who are suffering with burnout, with traumatization, with moral failure, with relationship break-down. There can be many reasons for this. Within classic 'Biblical Counseling' the answers tend to be along the line of: "You need to 'get right' with God" "You need to confess and repent" …
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Christian Schadenfreude
Schadenfreude, German word that comes from two words that literally mean "harm-joy," is that certain pleasure one feels at the misfortune of others. Do Christians feel this? Take a little look at FB or nearly any other social media outlet and it is there. Just the other day, I saw Christians reveling that an earthquake …
Prophetic Politics?
I was looking at my FB stream a few days ago, and saw a post that was being shared by a friend. It showed two pictures-- one was apparently evangelical pastors in prayer, while the other a catholic priest... pontificating, I suppose. The overlayed captions referred to these two groups' relationships to the new Philippine …