Below are the 5 presentations I have done so far on Spiritual Abuse. They are (intentionally) a bit redundant at times. Some things need to be resaid. A much more detailed article is added written by a different person (submitted to Slideshare by "arulmraj" but I am not sure if M.A. Pragasam is the author …
Category: Encounters in Mission
Consideration of four (4) encounters in missions. Truth, Allegiance, Love, and Power.
Getting our Priorities Straight
I've been doing some more research on authoritarian religions, both classic "cults" and Christian groups that utilize "cultic" practices. While there are notable, and welcome, exceptions, so many of the resources available are from people (some as part of organizations and some as not) who have left these authoritarian groups and have decided to reject …
Prophecies and Typhoons and Plagues (in no particular order), Part II
The Sadhu Sundar Selvaraj "prophecy" regarding the Philippines (where he described shocking curses that God would rain down on the Philippines) keeps morphing. Given in April 2013 at the 24th National Prayer Gathering at Cuneta Astrodome, the predictions have become viral as being fulfilled by Typhoon Yolanda (aka Haiyan) and some blogger posts alleging diseases …
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Quote of William James, and the Search for the Divine
"'Love your enemies!' Mark you, not simply those who happen not to be your friends, but your enemies, your positive and active enemies. Either this is a mere Oriental hyperbole, a bit of verbal extravagance meaning only that we should, as far as we can, abate our animosities, or else it is sincere and literal. …
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A Tiny Refuge in a Big Storm
<I expressed in my last blogpost a LOT of skepticism regarding some so called prophecies that are marketed here in the Philippines, especially as it relates to the the recent typhoon here. Just so I don't sound completely like a grumpy cynic, here is a very different tale.> Baliguian Island(After the Typhoon) Last week, our …
Prophecies and Typhoons and Plagues (in no particular order), Part I
<I did a fuller grading of a longer version of the predictions in a follow-up post. Recommend looking at it. Click Here: Fuller Version.> Had an acquaintance of mine asking about the prophecy by some Indian self-described prophet. He had apparently prophecied Typhoon Yolanda's (Haiyan) destruction in Tacloban and Samar. Then I noticed a lot …
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Disaster Response Volunteer Guidelines
<div style="margin-bottom:5px"> <strong> <a href="https://www.slideshare.net/bmunson3/disaster-response-volunteer-guide" title="Disaster Response Volunteer Guide" target="_blank">Disaster Response Volunteer Guide</a> </strong> from <strong><a href="http://www.slideshare.net/bmunson3" target="_blank">Bob Munson</a></strong> </div> Focus on Disaster Response Relilgious Care Volunteers in the Philippines. First version... changes likely. Related articles How can disaster response contribute to long-term development? (cdalisteningproject.wordpress.com) Relief Team Guidance: Ventilation or Retraumatization?? (munsonmissions.org)
Ambivalent Reflections on Miracles in Missions
Previously, I had done a post on "Ambivalent Reflections on Spiritual Warfare." Although I am ambivalent on Spiritual Warfare, I tend to view it negatively as it relates to missions (because of its generally negative tone, and the tendency to be built on a syncretized animism). However, I have a more positive view of the …
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The Power of Weakness: Part 3
In the previous posts I have developed four categories of missions based on relation to violence and power. Of course the categories are dependent on how the terms are defined. For the purpose of the categories, violence has to do with acts that may be violent in a classic sense, but may also include methods …
The Power of Weakness: Part 1
I am teaching a History of Missions class at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary. Again, I have been struck at two streams of missions work. The first might be called "Power Missions." The other might be called "Weakness Missions." Others have written on this (at least one that I know of), but I feel that not …