By: Jennifer Williamson on January 30, 2019
“Not right. Not wrong. Just different.”[1] It was the mantra of our pre-field trainer, who was doing her best to prepare a bunch of new missionaries for life overseas. Pre-field training was great, but it was a little like trying to learn to swim while standing on dry ground. The principals were clear and well…
By: Wallace Kamau on January 28, 2019
Heraclitus is quoted as saying that the only thing that is constant is change[1]. John F Kennedy is also quoted as saying, “Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future”[2]. While it is hard to keep up with every change, it…
By: John Muhanji on January 27, 2019
Polanyi has brought many issues of life’s concern which we are still facing today even after he addressed them in the mid-1900s. It disturbs me to find out that as far asthe 1780, when the significance of poverty was realized, the stage was set for the 19th century[1] to address this issue. I am confused…
By: Kyle Chalko on January 26, 2019
Donald Lewis’ book Global Evangelicalism: Theology History and Cultural in Regional Perspective advances the conversation about evangelicalism. Both the definition of evangelicalism and the global perspective of this ideology are a significant contribution to this topic beyond what Bebbington brings up in his 2015 Evangelicalism in Modern Britain. One of the most important aspects for…
By: Nancy VanderRoest on January 26, 2019
When my journey started into market place ministry (a Christian outreach into the secular world), I wanted to help the non-believers know more about Christ and his love. I believe that market place ministry is God’s strategic plan to reach our world for Jesus! What I found is that I needed to reach this world…
By: Tammy Dunahoo on January 25, 2019
There is an old arcade game, Pinball, in which the player stands at the machine and shoots a ball into the playing field which is filled with barriers, obstacle forces, and point giving opportunities. The idea is to keep the ball in play as long as possible while scoring the highest points achievable. This crude…
By: Mary Mims on January 25, 2019
One of the biggest stories of this week’s news was the story of the Covington Catholic High school MAGA wearing students and the Native American drummer. As a disclaimer, this blog is not about who is right and who is wrong or how the all the issues unfolded that created a media firestorm, but this…
By: Jason Turbeville on January 25, 2019
In some circles the descriptor Evangelical is a derogatory term. With churches like westboro baptist church (left in lowercase on purpose) calling themselves evangelicals and the rise of the alt right in defiance of the alt left and calling themselves evangelicals it is easy to see why. Global Evangelicalism: Theology, History and Culture in Regional Perspective…
By: Trisha Welstad on January 25, 2019
If you are looking for a fairly comprehensive perspective of the history of evangelicalism and how it has taken over much of the world, a great place to start is with Global Evangelicalism. Beginning with David Bebbington’s classic definition of an evangelical, including a focus on conversion, the Bible, activism, and the cross, Global Evangelicalism…
By: Shawn Hart on January 25, 2019
All Chevys may be automobiles, but that does not make all automobiles a Chevy. I remember a math teacher that once used this same reasoning for an equation; it was a frustrating day in Math when I learned that. Well, I must admit, this is probably the “Global Evangelism” book I have been waiting to…
By: Karen Rouggly on January 24, 2019
In 1982, John M. Perkins wrote With Justice for All: A Strategy for Community Development. In this seminal work which paved the way for Christian community development, Perkins reminds us that poverty is much more than just a lack of money but it is indeed a lack of options.[1] Perkins also reminded us that we…
By: Harry Fritzenschaft on January 24, 2019
To summarize the text, Polanyi writes this alleged classic about the industrialization of Europe leading to the collapse of civilization in the 19th century. The balance of powers failed to prevent a war between the great powers, the gold standard failed to maintain the world economies, the markets failed to self-regulate, and liberal states became…
By: Digby Wilkinson on January 24, 2019
“If all the economists were laid end to end, they’d never reach a conclusion.” George Bernard Shaw Until a few years ago, economics had as much interest to me as trainspotting; I knew such things happened and the people involved were interesting in their own way. Economists had a certain Harry Potteresque feel to them;…
By: Sean Dean on January 24, 2019
My brother-in-law is a very conservative guy – politically speaking. A while back several of us were having a discussion about the spike in homelessness that Tacoma is currently seeing. My brother-in-law interjected that homelessness was a result of laziness and a lack of creativity on the part of the homeless. There was a stunned…
By: Chris Pritchett on January 24, 2019
Global Evangelicalism is a survey of the emergence and spread of the evangelical movement throughout the world. In the Introduction, Mark Noll admits to the elusive nature of the task this book sets out to accomplish. The reason this is elusive is that the evangelical movement has never been an organization in itself, but has overlapped…
By: Jean Ollis on January 24, 2019
To be honest, I struggled to connect with our reading this week – Global Evangelicalism by Douglas Lewis. The disconnect wasn’t a result of Lewis’ writing style or his chosen topic. It had more to do with a heavy heart…the government shutdown is on day 34 and there is no end in sight. Federal workers are…
By: Jenn Burnett on January 24, 2019
There is a moment in scripture that has been the cause of much ruminating for me; particularly when looking at issues of social or biblical justice. Jesus said “The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.”[1] Given the context of this verse, there is certainly a hint of…
By: Colleen Batchelder on January 24, 2019
For years, North American Evangelicalism has been tied to conservatism, separatism, and capitalism; however, this is simply one variant in the midst of countless definitions. However, due to America’s temptation towards nationalism, this definition has colored all forms of evangelical interaction and tied one’s faith to one’s favorite news network. A few years ago, I…
By: Mike on January 24, 2019
Donald Lewis and Richard Pierard’s Global Evangelicalism (GE) is a collection of scholarly essays that examines the impact of globalization and the southern shift of Evangelicalism. They begin with a straightforward definition of Evangelicals who believe in the person of Jesus Christ, the Trinity, the authoritative guidance of the Bible, water Baptism, Lord’s supper-communion, fulfilling…
By: Harry Edwards on January 24, 2019
Karl Polanyi’s seminal work, The Great Transformation: Political and Economic Origins of Our Time is to be commended for pointing out the dire consequences of leaving market economies unchecked. During his time the role economy played in people’s everyday lives was taken for granted. The idea was simple then. How does one make a lot…
