You know the quote... "It it's not broke, don't fix it." Although the equivalent is the contraposive ("If you must fix it, it's broke"), the inverse is important as well. "IF IT'S BROKE, FIX IT!" I believe that there is an aspect of Christianity that is definitely broke, but it is not its essence. The …
Tag: Christianity
(Protestant) Missions by the Century
16th Century Cross-cultural Missions? Almost none Leading Sending Nation: None Primary Concepts? State Protestant Denominations. Theological development. Political/Religious survival 17th Century Cross-cultural Missions? Limited Leading Sending Nation: Netherlands Primary Concepts? Local missions. Migration. Bivocational missions 18th Century Cross-cultural Missions? Yes. Leading Sending Nation? German states Primary Concept? "Tentmaking missions" 19th Century …
The “Toolbox” and “Bigger Hammer” Theories
Suppose you wanted to build a house. You were given all of the raw materials, but (for some reason) you were only able to use one tool. Which tool would you choose? You could choose a saw. It is good to have things cut properly to size. Perhaps you could use the handle like a …
Missions and the Resurrection of Christ Part I
Is the resurrection of Christ important in Christian missions? Is it relevant? Is it a worthy point to study, teach, and support? I believe so. I believe it is foundational to our hope and our message. It Verifies God’s power. If God could raise Jesus, he could raise us. If He could not raise Jesus, …
Continue reading Missions and the Resurrection of Christ Part I
Missions and Government
We have certainly seen the challenges of having too close of a friendship between Church and Civil Government. In the US, it shows itself in strange ways: -Tax-exempt status for religious organizations (including churches) is related to not taking sides in elections. It seems strange that churches think it is acceptable to disconnect themselves from …
Christianity as a Subversive Entity
What role should Christianity have in the world today. Based on the title, obviously, I think the Christianity should, in part, have a strong subversive element. Consider some options. 1. Kingdom on Earth. Christendom. Europe and much of the Americas (obviously some other places as well) have had a history of Christianity being the dominant …
Who is Called for Missions?
We hear the term “Calling” a lot in Evangelical churches. > God’s call to the ministry > God’s call to “full-time professional Christian service” > God’s call to “bi-vocational wholistic mission service” I think it has had a very negative effect on Christian ministry. Here are some problems: A. It is a great excuse NOT …
Critique on Evangelism. Part 3
Read Part 2 First Continuation... final part. 10. Evangelism often is too dependent on proof-texting. Proof-texting is a lazy form of apologetics/argument. Cultic groups love it because almost any strange doctrine can be proof-texted if one rips a verse, sentence, or phrase from its context. I heard a preacher say on numerous occasions that one …
Missionaries or Apostles? (Part 2)
(See Part 1 first) ... A church-based model for missionaries and missions appears to avoid a lot of confusion in other ways as well. If missionaries are those who leave the local church to work outside the local church, then they are simply “apostles”... and “apostle” is simply another term for missionary. This of …
Christ and Government?
Richard Niebuhr is well-known for his 5 possible relationships between Christ and Culture (from the book "Christ and Culture" (1951)). While these may not be a complete set of choices, but they do provide a good list of options. -Christ against Culture -Christ above Culture -Christ transforming Culture -Christ and Culture in Paradox -Christ of …