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
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 the ideal of “kingdom living.” And, if my … Continue reading The Cost of ‘Kingdom’ Talk
The ‘Critical’ Threat to Mission
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
#Fauxcahontas, Race, and the One Blood
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.
Whatever Happened to Mercy Ministry?
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?
My Take on the Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel
Prolegomena Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; … Continue reading My Take on the Statement on Social Justice and the Gospel
Two Ways to Live in a ‘Post-Truth’ World
Well, it’s Wednesday, and the radical left, the Christian right, and every political permutation in the middle can finally all agree about something. Unfortunately, it’s the germane observation that no one can agree about anything. “Post-truth politics” now has its own Wikipedia entry. Some blame the way we’ve taught history for the breakdown—others blame the … Continue reading Two Ways to Live in a ‘Post-Truth’ World
Race, Biblical Justice, and Lessons From an Execution
Once, there was a national leader who, though the country had sworn to protect a population of natives, had in nationalistic, ethnocentric zeal instead sought to exterminate them. Years after his death, his actions brought misery upon all the people in the country, causing the new administration to investigate the source of their cultural ailments. … Continue reading Race, Biblical Justice, and Lessons From an Execution
Giants in the Land, Yeah-Buts in the Camp
Jesus is Lord. So, the collective vocation of the church for the last 2,000 years has been, essentially, victoriously waging a war against any idea that would attempt to usurp Christ’s throne (2 Cor. 10:5). We do this not with swords or AR-15s, but with the subversive leaven of a gospel that asserts Christ—not Caesar … Continue reading Giants in the Land, Yeah-Buts in the Camp
