Every head bowed, every eye closed. Good. Now, do you feel a stirring deep in your soul when I talk about missions? If so, stand up. If you’ve spent any time in evangelicalism, you know all too well this familiar scene, when the trajectory of one’s life boils down to a single, mystical moment as … Continue reading Learn How to ‘Adult’ Before You ‘Missionary’
Are Some Cultures ‘Better’ Than Others?
“When I went to war, I marked my enemies like a sniper. And when I got to them, I chopped their heads off with a knife.” These are the translated words of Wangloi Wangshu, one of the few surviving members of the Naga headhunting tribe in northern India, documented in 2015 by National Geographic. “If … Continue reading Are Some Cultures ‘Better’ Than Others?
Is Platform-Building a Sin? (With 11 Diagnostic Questions)
If humility is a Christian virtue, false humility is an evangelical vice. Such describes the state of the Christian blogosphere, which itself is marked both by its fair share of platform-building efforts and humble hot takes repudiating the practice itself. Scripture is clear in stating that a haughty spirit precedes destruction (Proverbs 16:18). Exaltation in … Continue reading Is Platform-Building a Sin? (With 11 Diagnostic Questions)
The Government of What?
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with … Continue reading The Government of What?
The Great Commission Isn’t a Farewell Address
Can you identify the sources of these famous last words? “Money can’t buy life.” “I’m so thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.” “Last words are for fools who haven’t said enough.” The answers are Bob Marley, J. Gresham Machen, and Karl Marx, in that order. A person’s deathbed words are … Continue reading The Great Commission Isn’t a Farewell Address
The Fruit of Faithful Presence: Reflecting on Pastor Wang Yi
In recent weeks, over 100 members of Early Rain Covenant Church in Chengdu, China, have been imprisoned. Among them is Pastor Wang Yi, one of China’s foremost Protestant pastors and Christian leaders. Foreseeing this possibility, Pastor Yi drafted a letter, “My Declaration of Faithful Disobedience,” leaving it in the keeping of his church to be … Continue reading The Fruit of Faithful Presence: Reflecting on Pastor Wang Yi
3 Identities of the Christian Man
Author’s note: this article is cross-posted on Founders.org. What is a Christian? In spite of the New Testament’s clarity, if you were to ask a dozen self-identified evangelicals about their Christian identity, you’d get a dozen, mystifying, disparate answers. Some would reject the label “Christian” in favor of a deconstructed term like “Jesus-follower” with presumably … Continue reading 3 Identities of the Christian Man
John Chau: Missions, Methodology, and Marytrdom
In 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
The Time Mothering Saved the World
Conventional wisdom says that everybody loves their mother. It’s a man’s one thing—apart from one’s beard—that his fellow man isn’t to insult. Even Mussolini, nature dictates, had a soft spot for his mammina. But somehow, even though everyone has a mother, a segment of society has managed to declare war on motherhood. This war has … Continue reading The Time Mothering Saved the World
The Cost of ‘Kingdom’ Talk
Author’s note: this article is cross-posted on Founders.org. Everybody wants the rights to the term “kingdom.” The word, as an adjective in Christian parlance, roughly translates, “Any vaguely spiritual activity or notion.” Clocking a few hours at a soup kitchen isn’t just volunteerism, it’s “kingdom work.” My menial life can be transcended and replaced with … Continue reading The Cost of ‘Kingdom’ Talk
