Connecting with Muslims: A Guide to Communicating Effectively
by Fouad Masri InterVarsity Press —Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Fred Farrokh, Muslim-background Christian; ordained missionary, Elim Fellowship Do you believe in Jesus? Do you believe in God? Do you believe in the Day of Judgment?” When Christians ask Muslims these questions, they may be surprised to hear their Muslim friends respond wholeheartedly in the affirmative! […]
Apostles of Reason: The Crises of Authority in American Evangelicalism
by Molly Worthen Oxford University Press —Reviewed by Lee Beach, assistant professor, Christian ministry, McMaster Divinity College If evangelicals were to subject themselves to the psychologist’s couch, then they might be unnerved by the diagnosis that they are schizophrenic. One aspect of their personality believes passionately in the authority of the Bible and their need to submit […]
Orality Is Just Good Missiology
Of the estimated seven thousand extant languages in the world, less than one percent have well-developed written traditions.
Mission Networks: Connecting the Global Church
In our interconnected and globalized world, mission networks are playing an increasingly important role in shaping Great Commission strategies.
Seven Pillars for a Missional Culture
I want to pull back the curtain to show The Church at Brook Hills’ culture of disciple-making and share some of the foundational matters that support this culture and our field activities. This is not my attempt to say you should replicate what we are doing. We do not claim to have it all together.
The Missional Function of Architecture: New Considerations for a New Era
It was one of those moments that you look back on in life with great pride. Early morning rain had forced our Saturday family time indoors. As the hours ticked by, we had progressed through our usual downtime activities—dance party, horse rides, wrestling, craft time, and book reading.
Preparing Majority World Pastors to Teach the Whole Counsel of God
The cry heard most often from the Church in the Majority World is for pastors who can preach/teach the word of God in a way that is understandable and applicable to their congregations. While the orality movement has spoken significantly to this need, there are aspects of the preaching/teaching process which beg further attention.
Using Scripture in Multilingual Churches
Communication is more than content. It is also media, or the channels and ways in which content is communicated. This fact is crucial for church leaders and other Christians in our increasingly diverse and pluralistic society. The challenge is how to present a church unified around the truth of God’s word, yet diverse in its expressions of worship, and in its affirmation of each personality.
Think Big, Think Small: Partnerships as a Revolution in Global Missions
We think small about the gospel. Over the past fifty years, Christians have usually defined the gospel like this: “We sinned, Jesus died, trust Jesus, go to heaven instead of hell, the end.” This is a very small understanding of the gospel. It’s true, but it’s not the whole truth. That kind of gospel doesn’t actually change our world. But that’s the kind of gospel we usually preach and teach. We imagine and live a small gospel.
Third Culture Kids in the Church: Finding Where You Belong
When returning to our passport country as Third Culture Kids (TCKs) or passing through another country getting educated, many of us feel that we don’t fit into the culture. Unfortunately, we can also feel like we don’t fit into churches, as well.