Collapse is a terrifying word, is it not? Economic collapse. Political collapse. Ecological collapse. A collapse is sudden, violent, destructive. It makes headlines. The conceptual collapse has never been breaking news. But these collapses are at least as destructive as the former, and far more common. This is an inevitable consequence of two inescapable truths.…… Continue reading The (Almost) Inevitable Collapse
The Origins of Management and Measurement in Missiology
The origins of management and measurement in missiology are shrouded in the veils of history and my own ignorance. It starts very early when people (especially evangelists) begin to correlate certain methods with certain results (either bad or good). We can already see an obvious focus on using right methods to get right results in…… Continue reading The Origins of Management and Measurement in Missiology
The Heart of Integral Mission is … the Heart
Christian development has a long history, and a checkered one, if we are honest. One of the latest developments from a historical perspective is the professionalization of the field in the 80s and 90s, ably described by Bryant Myers, in his book Walking with the Poor. Prior to that time, development workers were “talented amateurs”…… Continue reading The Heart of Integral Mission is … the Heart
Retiring from the Shouting Match
Have you ever thought about how God has chosen to communicate with his people? It’s a fascinating question that we have explored here and here over the last two months. I’d like to take a final step this month, which is where we have been heading all along. In the last century, and particularly in…… Continue reading Retiring from the Shouting Match
The Non-Universal Communication of God
Last month, we examined the idea that God’s Word is not merely content. It is intentionally communicated content. God is a communicator. If you missed it, you can find it here. This month, we will examine a characteristic of the communication of God as a case study. The non-universality of divine communication is both counter-intuitive…… Continue reading The Non-Universal Communication of God
God, the Great Communicator
God exists, and He makes Himself known. These are two basic tenets of the Christian faith. God is not only a Creator, God is a communicator. Have you ever wondered why God communicates the way He does? It’s a fascinating question. The problem that parents face when trying to communicate with their small children fades…… Continue reading God, the Great Communicator
Evangelism Metrics
Google returns approximately 471,000 results for “the unfinished task”. Nine of the top ten results are links to content about the Great Commission, the unfinished task of the Christian faith. Tasks are part of a conceptual realm primarily associated with work. Management, scheduling, resource allocation, efficiency, strategic planning, and metrics all exist in the same…… Continue reading Evangelism Metrics
Baptizing Methods
This post is not about the various methods of baptizing a new believer. It’s about something much more important, the Western church’s penchant to baptize certain methodologies because they have produced spiritual success. This is exactly the action that a social scientist or anthropologist would predict for any person (Christian or not) coming from a…… Continue reading Baptizing Methods
Integral Mission and Donors
Quick Definition of Integral Mission Integral mission is a simple concept with complex implications. One way to define integral mission is the belief that a human life is a seamlessly integrated whole. There are physical, spiritual, emotional, social, political, economic, religious aspects of every human’s existence and they are all inter-related. Who we are as…… Continue reading Integral Mission and Donors
An Embodied Gospel for an Embodied People
Genesis 2:7 (NIV) – Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being The inseparability of the human body and the human spirit is a foundation of integral mission. The a’dam became alive when his…… Continue reading An Embodied Gospel for an Embodied People