I teach Cultural Anthropology, Inter-religious Dialogue, and Contemporary Issues in Missions. Note that none of these are standard theology courses. So you would be right to think that I am not the most meticulous and studied Christian theologian out there. That being said, those three courses keep bringing up certain questions... and these questions are …
Category: Mission Theology
Should “Missionary Wife” Be a Thing?
The above question may sound strange and can be open to a few interpretations. One Interpretation (Minor Question): Historically, it might sound like the question, "Should missionaries be married... or single?" Paul made it clear that many of the apostles not only had wives, but they traveled with their husband's in their missionary ventures. Paul …
How Might Missiology Speak to Pastoral Counseling and Chaplaincy?
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 …
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What Four Characteristics of Missions Would I Want to Share If People Actually Read What I Write?
The title above is not some sort of passive-aggressive complaint about the number of "clicks" on my website. Actually, it is very much the opposite. Although my views here are teeny compared to what so many get on Youtube, X, Tiktok, or whatever, I have been pretty excited by my dozens of views per day …
Jesus Christ as Internationalizer of the Faith (Part 1)
I recently wrote an article, Muddy Footprints, where I suggest that Jesus was not so much a contextualizer of the faith, but an internationalizer of the faith. You are welcome, even encouraged to read that article, but I want to explore this a bit further. Contextualization as a term has been around since the 1970s …
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Article on Localization of Theology
I wrote an article on the localization of theology for the Philippine Journal of Religious Studies (2024 edition). 07 Muddy FootprintsDownload
What is the Ultimate Goal of the Church?
Recently, a friend of mine shared his question about the statement that the ultimate goal of the church is worship... and that missions exists because worship doesn't. He expressed reasons for his struggles on the statement. Truthfully, I don't remember his reasons, but I do remember my response. It was, "Perhaps the reason for your …
Christian Faith as Fulfilment
Two common understandings regarding salvation are Exclusivism and Pluralism. Christian Exclusivism can be pictured as "One path alone takes us to God. All others take is elsewhere." Pluralism can be pictured as "Many, and perhaps even all, paths potentially take us to God." These are not all of the options, but they are the most …
Voting to Disempower— and Ministerial Powerlessness
As an American, I am sometimes asked what politicians do I like, what party to support, or who will I vote for. My response is, "What do I care, I live in the Philippines!" Sometimes, I am asked what politicians, or politics I support in the Philippines. My response is, "What do I care, I …
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In Missions, a Bad Idea is a Good Idea Taken Too Far
Yes, the above statement is not always true. There are bad ideas that are simply bad. But consider some good ideas in Christian missions: It is good to evangelize It is good to church plant It is good to disciple It is good to meet felt needs of the people It is good to address …
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