By: Mark Petersen on May 31, 2018
Simon Chan’s insightful book Grassroots Asian Theology upends Western theological presuppositions and invites one to consider the gift of indigenous theologies birthed and nurtured at the margins. While his observations are frequently surprising for the Western reader, in no way is Chan attempting to be heretical. Indeed, because he speaks from the fringes, his voice…
By: Jay Forseth on May 31, 2018
I am not a Greek scholar, but I immediately noticed the word “ekklesia” in this week’s reading of Simon Chan’s, Grassroots Asian Theology: Thinking the Faith from the Ground Up.[1] While studying for the ministry, I was taught ekklesia was the Greek word most often used for “church” in the New Testament. However, ekklesia (sometimes spelled…
By: Stu Cocanougher on May 31, 2018
Kowloon Walled City Inseparable from the history of Hong Kong was a former Chinese military fort turned densely populated settlement known as Kowloon Walled City. Britain was given possession of Hong Kong Island in 1842 in the aftermath of First Opium War. In 1898, after the Second Opium War, Hong Kong signed a 99-year lease…
By: Katy Drage Lines on May 31, 2018
Living among people in a non-Western setting, I learned early on that I couldn’t (or at least shouldn’t) put God in a box. That is, as we mature in our faith, we understand more about God and the way God works, but when we begin to pattern our expectations in order to “make” God work…
By: Dave Watermulder on May 31, 2018
There’s an old saying about how to eat an elephant: you have to do it, “one bite at a time.” A similar conundrum faces anyone who seeks to understand or explain Christianity in Asia in a comprehensive or all-encompassing way. The region is a behemoth that is home to 4.4 billion people, which makes it…
By: Jean Ollis on May 31, 2018
As much as Jackie Pullinger was chasing the “dragon” (heroin, gangs, sex trafficking) in her text, Chasing the Dragons, Simon Chan appears to be chasing the Holy Spirit in his text, Grassroots Asian Theology: Thinking the Faith from the Ground Up. Chan’s work is an important and relevant read for any and all intercultural studies…
By: Jim Sabella on May 31, 2018
Jackie Pullinger is one of those rare individuals who has done something more than just pray. Jackie has put her faith into action by following the voice of God that she sensed was leading her to Hong Kong, the Walled City. There she was faced with the most significant needs of this earth, humans who…
By: Jake Dean-Hill on May 30, 2018
Simon Chan’s book, Grassroots Asian Theology: Thinking the Faith from the Ground Up, was an interesting read. I not only learned about Asian theology, but also about all the nuances of how theology is derived in various cultures around the world. Chan said it best when he stated, “Contextual theologies emerge as the church lives…
By: Lynda Gittens on May 30, 2018
Walled City, an area in Hong Kong, infested with gangs, drugs, prostitution, crime, and more. Author Ryan Graudin wrote a book on The Walled City. She told the story of individuals experiences in Walled City. The first story under Jin Lin, she stated that “there were three rules…
By: Mike on May 30, 2018
Simon Chan’s Grassroots Asian Theology is not the typical East meets West dialog where the West dominates the doctrinal outcome. Instead, Chan’s Ecumenical focus promotes a Biblical theology for the development of an “amazed recognition” by Christians and theologians.[1] My goal is to examine Chan’s work for ideas, themes, and links to further my study…
By: Mary Walker on May 30, 2018
And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the leastof them, you did it to Me. (Matthew 25:40) We have spent nearly two years in our Leadership and…
By: Katy Drage Lines on May 29, 2018
Click here: PLDP Habits and Practices for Refreshing & Sustained Leadership
By: Kyle Chalko on May 27, 2018
Upon reading Chasing the Dragon, I said the same thought that I had when reading The Cross and The Switchbalde. “What am I even doing with my life?” Jackie’s testimony is proof of what God can do through sheer obedience of a human heart. Her stories of simply going out and doing the…
By: Christal Jenkins Tanks on May 26, 2018
The other day I was doing work around the house and watching Hulu. I stumbled upon an episode of the new Rosanne show. Now I am aware of the controversial nature of her individual political beliefs and support our current president. That aside, the show is being used as a vehicle to shed light on…
By: Kristin Hamilton on May 25, 2018
In his book, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion, Jonathan Haidt recounts his seemingly sudden rush of patriotism that overcame him directly after 9/11. According to Haidt, a self-described liberal professor at UVA, this was incredibly foreign to him, and felt like a bit of a betrayal to his…
By: Trisha Welstad on May 25, 2018
Jackie Pullinger is a missionary to Hong Kong and you could relate her to a Mother Theresa figure. She works tirelessly and has a vision she and the community of St. Stephen’s are persistent to enact: “Preach the Good News, reach the poor and see people set free through faith in Jesus.”[1] Her book, Chasing…
By: Chip Stapleton on May 25, 2018
I was the kind of strange kid that, while I was never a fan of homework, particularly concerned with grades or a ‘teacher’s pet’, I might actually pay attention when my 9th grade English teacher talked in serious tones about how important Ayn Rand is and how essential Atlas Shrugged and especially The Fountainhead were to understanding, not…
By: Katy Drage Lines on May 24, 2018
While some of my friends are packing their favorite YA novel into a beach bag, I spent this week being sucked into Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind, and devouring the entire book. Not necessarily the best idea, if one wants to reflect critically and comparatively. But entering this book, I realized I didn’t want to…
By: Lynda Gittens on May 24, 2018
Author Haidt’s statement, ” We’re born to be righteous, but we have to learn what, exactly, people like us should be righteous about” (13) took me to the Christian view on ‘Righteous’. David said in Psalms 51:5, “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.” The Book of…
By: Jay Forseth on May 24, 2018
In our “Tribe” called the Western Conference of the Evangelical Church (30 Churches, 2 Camps and a Bible College in a four state region–North Dakota, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana) we have an average of 8700 worshippers on a week-end, and 107 “Pastors” of various callings–Lead Pastor, Worship Leader, Associate Pastor, Youth or Children’s Pastor, Missionary,…
