by Patrick Johnstone with Dean Merrill Global Mapping International, 2016. —Reviewed by Joshua Gorenflo, MDiv and M.A. theology student at Abilene Christian University.
A few years ago, fifteen to twenty people travelled from the United States to another country to build a village house for a missionary family. Many of the participants had construction experience. The building project lasted several weeks. By the time these Americans left, the village house was almost complete.
The July 15 coup in Turkey has brought the name of Fethullah Gulen and the movement which bears his name to the attention of the international community. On an almost daily basis, we read news reports of Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, blaming Gulen for fomenting the coup and calling for his extradition from the United States. Since the late 1990s Gulen’s hizmet (service) movement has been very active in the U.S., running a network of 146 charter schools1, about 50 local interfaith dialogue groups and numerous cultural centers across the country. (C.A.S.I.L.I.P.S. 2014).
Stanley Hauerwas has suggested that the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13 can be applied to a study of church growth in various cultures (Hauerwas 2015, 129-130). In particular, he suggests that wealth and the fear of persecution are hindrances to church growth. This article explores whether there is any statistical data that either support or refute this suggestion.
A little over ten years ago I was introduced to English as a Second Language (ESL) for the first time. A student at the local seminary who was fluent in Spanish had started an ESL class at a small Hispanic Baptist church in one of the suburbs of New Orleans and needed some help with her growing class.
The International Church is a kairos call to a profound need and compelling opportunity. God is sovereignly and supernaturally planting and building international churches in unparalleled numbers around the globe. The unprecedented diaspora scattering has created cutting-edge potential for the International Church to reach every tribe, tongue, and nation.
by William A. Dyrness IVP Books, 2016 —Reviewed by Robert Covolo, Center for Reformed and Evangelical Theology, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
by Charles H. Kraft William Carey Library, 2016 —Reviewed by Cameron D. Armstrong, International Mission Board, Bucharest, Romania; PhD Intercultural Education student, Biola University
In Christian ministry circles the terms professional and professionalism have a long history of producing contrary emotions. While everyone celebrates those who do their job like a ‘pro,’ few get excited about people in ministry who go about their duties with professional detachment. The coin of the realm is passionate commitment, not detached objectivity that observes and reports but doesn’t engage deeply and sacrificially.
by Evelyne A. Reisacher Baker Academic, 2016 —Reviewed by Don Little, Pioneers Missiologist, Director of the Lilias Trotter Center; author of Effective Discipling in Muslim Communities (IVP Academic, 2015)
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