The words “Christian” and “Church”
Some folks advocate a “soft sell” when it comes to outreach to Muslims. Part of this is avoiding the words “Christian” and “Church.” Here is Ted’s take on this:
Archive | Missions Inc.
How to Think about Missiology
A few years ago, a friend gave me a little article he wrote (not published, so I can't send it to you) that he entitled, "How to Think about Leadership." It was an overview, a set of categories actually, of the various ways that people have written about leadership. I've long since lost it, but [...]
Too Much Emphasis on Islam
Here is a question I have been pondering lately. Is there too much emphasis on Islam in missiology? Let me state up front that I am NOT talking about too much of a focus on Islam in the church, particularly the North American church. I can only hope and pray that churches would be [...]
Pioneers Statement on Contextualization
Pioneers recently adopted a “Statement on Contextualization” which provides insight into how the international leadership of the organization views contextualization. This statement will be heralded in some circles and maligned in others. Overall, though, I think it does a pretty good job of combining freedom with responsibility. I would love to get your feedback on [...]
No Global South?
I recently finished reading Robert Wuthnow’s 2009 book, Boundless Faith. He does a superb job of analyzing the current paradigm of mission (a paradigm I myself have adopted and written about on this website). Chapter 2 of this book makes a challenging argument regarding the Global South. Popularized by Walls, Jenkins, and others, the new [...]
Egypt in Turmoil
As I type this, people are dying on the streets of Cairo. My heart breaks for this great nation. Please take a moment to pray for this unfolding crisis. I just spent a week with Christian leaders from several North Africa / Middle East (NAME) countries, including people from Egypt. It was one of those [...]
Bible Storying
In the past few years there has been a strong movement embracing the use of oral methods of teaching from the Bible. This approach recognizes that oral cultures may be taught the Bible without waiting for a formal, written translation to be completed. I saw this methodology in use on my recent trip to Africa [...]
Non-Religious on the Run?
If one listens to the media it is easy to get the impression is that atheism (and its little brother agnosticism) are taking over the world. Evidently, rumors of religion's demise are… well, rumors. The latest International Bulletin of Missiological Research analyzes the number of people who claim to be non-religious. The data goes back [...]
Africa Wanderings – Summary
I want to pass on a few observations I made on my recent sojourn through West Africa. I had the privilege of seeing God at work in some pretty amazing circumstances in multiple countries. I was really hoping to post throughout the trip, but the connections were just not there! The most important observation I [...]
