Simul justus et blogger.
About the authorIn the wake of the death of John Chau on the Indian island of North Sentinel, lots of questions have been raised about colonialism, conversionary missions, and a theology of sacrifice and martyrdom. Scott Dunford and I addressed these critical topics today in a special episode of The Missions Podcast. We humbly submit this interview … Continue reading John Chau: Missions, Methodology, and Marytrdom
“Evangelical” is a dirty word these days. Not just because of the politicization of the term; that’s a given. Rather, it’s becoming taboo even within theologically conservative, Bible-believing Christian circles (heretofore known as evangelicalism). W. Robert Godfrey, in lecture 72 of his church history series, notes that “evangelical” is not strictly synonymous with conservative Protestantism … Continue reading The Right Kind of Reductionism
Life in ministry is teeming with transitions. Whether it’s moving your family to answer a pastoral calling, sending off a missionary from your church, bringing onboard a new pastor, or passing through parted waters of seminary on dry ground—a life lived in service of the kingdom is always in flux, never fixed in one easy, … Continue reading Transition, Trust, and Tablescapes
You want a trim figure but don’t want to count calories. You want the six-figure income but don’t take initiative at the office. You want to regain marital intimacy but won’t budget for a date. These scenarios expose a truth about our nature: we all covet the product but cringe at the process. Either we … Continue reading Don’t Be a Fruit Lobbyist
The math of missions doesn’t add up. If about 7,000 people groups are unreached, and there are as many as 350,000 evangelical churches in the U.S. alone, that if each church sent just one missionary, every people group could be engaged. True, statistics never tell the complete story. As a missions mobilizer for ABWE, I … Continue reading Why We Don’t Send More Missionaries
One of the hardest lessons of adulthood for a young, theologically-minded Christian is recognizing that it is possible both to be right about an issue in the wrong way or to be wrong about an issue in a right-seeming fashion. We can be like Saul of Tarsus, catechized thoroughly in the seminary of Gamaliel, yet … Continue reading Is Galatians 2 About Race?
Author’s note: This article is cross-posted on Founders.org. There is a real, positive trend in evangelical churches (as unlikely as that statement seems as an opening for an article). “Missions” is no longer seen, by and large, as “from the West to the rest.” Christians are thinking beyond simply crossing arbitrary geopolitical borders and are reflecting upon … Continue reading The ‘Critical’ Threat to Mission
Every now and then, much like a bad Disney animated sequel planning committee, the Left overplays its hand pushes a narrative so hard and far that it breaks under its own weight.
Author’s note: This article is cross-posted on Founders.org. The so-called culture war is largely a battle over the dictionary. Control the language, control the conversation. Bible-believing Christians know that words have meanings. We are shaped in our spiritual lives, after all, by a Book—by texts. Given this reality, it is alarming how quickly buzzwords fall … Continue reading Whatever Happened to Mercy Ministry?
Last Friday, after two and a half years as foster parents, my wife and I finally adopted our five-year-old son. Surrounded in the courtroom by loved ones, fellow church members, and case workers, we felt the weight of paperwork and legalities dissolve away, replaced by peace in our veins and tears in our eyes as … Continue reading Three Ways Our Adoption Enriched Our Understanding of the Gospel
