By: Chip Stapleton on June 14, 2018
As a history major in undergrad, I am acutely aware of the fact that nothing happens in a vacuum. History – at least the good, important, interesting and useful kind is only partially about what happened. It is also and maybe especially about why something happened: what societal and/or systemic factors contributed to the outcome;…
By: Lynda Gittens on June 14, 2018
The early years of China although challenging and prosperous, politically it had its challenges. Its decision to return to the Communism was a surprise. “The Hong Kong identity that emerged was based on a shared outlook and a common popular culture which blended traditional Chinese culture with that imported from overseas, with…
By: Katy Drage Lines on June 14, 2018
When we moved to Kenya, we spent our first twelve months learning the language and culture of the people we were living among. There were no language schools, and very few books about Turkana, but we read what we could find. We hired a language helper to guide us in learner-directed language acquisition. During that…
By: Jim Sabella on June 14, 2018
Most of my recent in-depth reading within the context of world history has been focused on Europe, particularly on former Eastern Europe and it’s communist history. This is my first more in-depth look further east toward the eastern Asia region and at Hong Kong in particular. What little I do know about Hong Kong and its…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on June 13, 2018
When I was a history teacher, the development of Hong Kong was fascinating to teach from a historical perspective. In my opinion, Hong Kong could be described as an accidental, real-life social and economic experiment comparing capitalism to communism. Although it was originally Chinese territory, it became a British colony, came under Western influence, developed…
By: Mary Walker on June 13, 2018
Steve Tsang, professor of Contemporary Chinese Studies & Director of the China Policy Institute, wrote A Modern History of Hong Kong, detailing how Hong Kong developed from “a barren island with hardly a house upon it” to one of the world’s most spectacular cosmopolitan metropoles. (1) Tsang covers the period of British rule in Hong Kong…
By: Kristin Hamilton on June 12, 2018
I know I sound like a jerk when I say I have never been particularly fascinated with Asian countries other than Vietnam, Japan, and South Korea, but it’s sadly true. I know people who have moved here from these countries and most of my international students came from them. I did become more interested in…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on June 9, 2018
As a part of my doctoral research, I have been studying the theology of Koinonia- fellowship, participation and community. Fellowship and community sit at the core of the Christian Faith. Fellowship and community are a part of the human condition. Within the creation narrative it is evident that communion with God and others was foundational…
By: Stu Cocanougher on June 7, 2018
I had an interesting conversation last week. Last Sunday I talked with a Ph.D. student from Southwestern Seminary about theology and worldview. I was interested in her thoughts about some issues because she is a Korean woman. She attends a conservative seminary that strongly holds to a complementarian view of men and women. She asked…
By: Kristin Hamilton on June 7, 2018
I grew up in a Catholic parish with quite a few Japanese neighbors. That means my neighborhood looked a little bit like this: I loved it, but really all I learned about the statues and shrines is that they were ‘wrong’ because they meant the people inside ‘worshipped’ someone other than Jesus. I wish I…
By: Mary Walker on June 7, 2018
An Asian theology is about the Christian faith in Asia. Simon Chan In his book, Grassroots Asian Theology: Thinking the Faith from the Ground Up, Simon Chan contends that most of what the West believes about Asian theology consists of what the “elitist’ Asian theologians have written. The elitist theologians do not take…
By: Chip Stapleton on June 7, 2018
I ran out of room for what has become my customary blog title procedure, where I give part of the title and then add, ‘or . . . .’ The first part of the title was just too long this week. That doesn’t mean, however, that I don’t have an ‘or’, because I most definitely…
By: Lynda Gittens on June 7, 2018
“Miriam-Prophetess and Sisters” http://www.asianchristianart.org/art_d’souza.html Author Chan explored the views, culture, philosophy, tradition, and theology of faith and beliefs in the Christian community. His discussions focused on how Asian Theology should be developed. He also included the views of other religions including the Muslim, Catholics, and Jewish. He stated that the Church and tradition need…
By: Jim Sabella on June 7, 2018
The Global Church is a fascinating topic. It is incredible how many expressions of Christian faith there are around the world. One would think that with all of the expressions of Christian faith that it would somehow weaken the faith. However, that is not the case. As we look at the world today and the…
By: Jennifer Dean-Hill on June 6, 2018
Author, Simon Chan of Grassroots Asian Theology gave the best question we can be asking ourselves when evangelizing Christianity to the Asian culture: “what spiritual and intellectual resources of the Christian faith can we bring to bear on the Asian context such that an authentic Christian faith can be effectively communicated and received?”[1]Chan gives…
By: Katy Drage Lines on June 6, 2018
Focus on the (true) Family I have distinct memories growing up of my home being a Focus on the Family home. That is, my parents read James Dobson’s books on parenting, we went through Preparing for Adolescence together, listened to cassette tapes of Adventures in Odyssey, and newsletters from Dobson regularly arrived in our mail.…
By: Chip Stapleton on June 4, 2018
https://prezi.com/view/ga2aa7snybFybgDFftli/
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on June 3, 2018
This week we read the book Chasing the Dragon by Jackie Pullinger. I am amazed at her grit, commitment and dedication the her calling as she ministered in the Walled City in Hong Kong. In reading chapter 10 “Try Jesus” I was captivated by her determination to reach the hardest and dangerous Chainwan drug lords.…
By: Kristin Hamilton on June 2, 2018
https://prezi.com/view/ubEHJ46KOtZNd5CafcPY/
By: Chip Stapleton on June 1, 2018
Jackie Pullinger’s book, Chasing the Dragon: One Woman’s Struggle Against the Darkness of Hong Kong’s Drug Dens is an engaging read that is at once heartening and disturbing as it manages to capture both the depth of human weakness and depravity as well as the incredible power of God’s love for us demonstrated first in and through Jesus…
