It ihas been common to assume that worship or praise of God must come through sacred languages. This may for some be Arabic or Sanskrit, or a myriad of other languages deemed sacred. One might think that Christianity would be immune to this. In Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and there before me was …
Continue reading Clericalism and Languages Worthy of Praising God
The Secret is... there is no secret. Many Christians throughout history have doubted this, however. Starting in the first two centuries of the church, the Gnostic sects taught that they had special, secret, knowledge that people needed to have access to God. Irenaeus argued against the Gnostics that God's revelation is found in Holy Scripture, …
The 1960s was an important decade for a number of reasons. Though down the list for many, the transformation of Missions Theology during this time was huge. Sometimes, it seems like a lot of changes happened back in the 1920s and 1930s. During this time there was disillusionment with "Christendom," and Christian missions as a …
Continue reading The 1960s— a Turbulent Time for Missions Theology
Back in the 1800s were two small companies that made buggy whips… Smith Brothers and Jones Brothers. The vision statement of Smith Brothers was “We seek to make the best buggy whips in the world.” Jones Brothers had a vision statement “We provide navigational control solutions for the world.” The first vision statement makes a …
Been doing various presentations/seminars on Kintsukuroi (golden repair) as a metaphor of being beautifully broken. I expanded this to include other images of "holy defect" the idea that God does NOT desire in us some unattainable, and frankly unidentifiable, perfection. Rather, God's glory is demonstrated most, and we are most effective ministerially, with demonstration of …
This last Friday, my wife and I began the 6.5 hour trip from Baguio City (a city built by Americans during their occupation of the Philippines) to Laoag, the "center" of the Ilocano language and culture. On the way, we had a pitstop near Vigan, one of the best preserved Spanish colonial cities. Along the …
I have struggled in my own heart and mind regarding the issue of Power and Powerlessness in the Christian Life and in Ministry. I have heard so many preachers who love to talk about receiving the POWER of God (and Yes, they will emphasize the term completely out of proportion to its value, in my …
I was reading an article reviewing Christopher Wright's book "The Mission of God." The review was from 2012 by Trevin Wax HERE I thought it was a good review, but the section (particularly in the concluding remarks) I found confusing. It seemed to agree and disagree with Wright at the same time. Wright places high …
This is more personal reflection than heavy theology. But where should one place Missions Theology in the Taxonomy of Theologies If one considers different types of theology, one could come up with: Biblical Theology (Theology drawn from the Bible and its context) Historical Theology (Theology as it relates to the history of the church) Philosophical …
Excerpt from "In Search of Humanity: A Theological and Philosophical Approach" by John Macquarrie. Includes portions of pages 21-23 (Crossroads, 1983). There are many examples in history of the flight from freedom. Every dictator of whom we have heard was able to wield his dictatorial power only because his fellow citizens were on their part …