Good (hopefully) mission quotes
Referring to the focus of studying missionaries in mission history-- An added bonus was the lively cast of characters. I have often wondered as I have studied missions history if there is any other field of endeavor that has been peopled by such a "crazy" lot. Many of them were, it seems to me, more …
Continue reading Crazy Missionaries?— Quote from Ruth Tucker
“Any mission that does not measure up to the Kingdom of God is not a true mission. Mission is solely for the Kingdom of God. Mission comes from the Kingdom of God, and is executed for his reign.Therefore, as Jesus did his mission from a position of weakness on the cross for the Kingdom of …
The following quote is in response to charges made by Celsus, a pagan philosopher, against Christianity. (By the way, Celsus's work is actually a very interesting read... strong recommendation.) This is part of the response from Origen of Alexandrai (185-253AD, more or less): But since he is manifestly guilty of falsehood in the statements which …
I have been reading a book--- Jerome: His Life, Writings and Controversies, by J.N.D. Kelly. Jerome is... complex. He has done some great things, such as recognize and support the importance, especially in the Western Church, of taking Biblical languages (1st Century Greek, and ancient Hebrew) seriously in both translation and interpretation. However, in his …
I was raised up near the Cattaraugus Reservation of the Seneca Nation of Indians--- a prominent Iroquois tribe. Recently, I was reading "Kinzua: From Cornplanter to the Corps" by William N. Hoover. In it, he shares a quote from another book that speaks questions that Seneca students had for white missionary teachers serving among them. …
Continue reading Seneca Tribe Missions— Good Questions from the 19th Century
A story is: “an account of characters and events in a plot moving over time and space through conflict toward resolution.” The Bible obviously has characters and events, which takes place over time and space. It moves through conflict to resolution. To me, the bigger question is whether there is a plot. A plot to …
I am going to be facilitating a seminar on the Missional Church. This is not an area of expertise for me (one of a plethora of topics that is not an area of expertise for me). But I do know some of the edges of what it is not. I know that the Missional Church …
Before I get into my topic more fully, I would like to share a quote from Martin Buber. Genuine conversation, and therefore, every actual fulfillment and relationship between men, means acceptance of otherness... Everything depends, as far as human life is concerned, on whether each thinks of the other as the one he is, whether …
Karl Barth in his book "The Humanity of God" wrote, One day in early August I 914 stands out in my personal memory as a black day. Ninety-three German intellectuals impressed public opinion by their proclamation in support of the war policy of Wtlhelm II and his counselors. Among these intellectuals I discovered to my …
Stephen Larsen tells a story of the Umke, "In the late fifties and early sixties a strange little man used to stand with his podium and flag on the corner of 116th Street and Broadway in Manhattan, across the street from Columbia University. He would preach loudly and emphatically to whoever would listen, and even …
Continue reading Getting One’s Message Heard, Lessons from the “4th Umke”