At the bottom of this article is a link on Online Debating. It points out that it is better to seek clarification (understanding) than persuasion. I like to think about 4 major types of conversation: The article points out that debate (or I listed as "apologetics/argument") has problems. Positively, it is likely to be better …
Category: Missions Research
A Burst of Light and a Gentle Fading Away
I have been teaching Missions History this term in Seminary. Since I live and teach in Asia, I like to focus on missions history in Asia. Frankly, there is a lot more missions history in the East than the West anyway. In the first millennium, the churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, and Edessa spread the faith …
Dissertations and the Quest for Boredom
I don't really know why dissertations are so soo sooo boring. It seems to me that most dissertations (I have read enough to have an opinion... but not enough to be an expert) fit into one of two categories: A. Take an interesting topic and make it boring. B. Take a boring topic and make …
The Joy of Being Understood
I have been teaching a two-week course on Missionary Member Care. That is a broad topic and can focus on logistics, or life cycle, or fund-raising, or whatever. However, in part since I am an administrator of a Counseling Center, I have focused on the psycho-emotio-spiritual aspects or struggles in missions. One assignment I gave …