June 17, 2026

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Category: Book Reviews

Coronavirus and Christ: a review
Book Reviews, Hardship

Coronavirus and Christ: a review

The coronavirus has captured everyone’s attention in the last few months. As of today (April 11, 2020), there are 1,699,632 confirmed cases worldwide and 102,734 deaths. Just a few days ago, on April 8, 2020, Crossway Books released a 112-page book by John Piper titled Coronavirus and Christ. The book can be downloaded for free as an ebook, PDF or audiobook at the Desiring God website at this link. The book is divided into two parts: Part 1: The God Who Reigns over Coronavirus and Part 2: What is God Doing through the Coronavirus?… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Disciple-making, Mission Leadership, Spiritual Formation, Training, Book Reviews

Book Review: Discipling in a Multicultural World

Ajith Fernando is the kind of person I want to listen to concerning Discipling in a Multicultural World. He is a thoughtful practitioner. The back cover describes the book: Rooted in over four decades of multicultural discipleship experience, Ajith Fernando offers biblical principles for discipling and presents examples showing how they apply to daily life and ministry. He addresses key cultural challenges, such as the value of honor and shame, honoring family commitments, and dealing with persecution, and helps us think realistically about the cost and commitment required for productive cross-cultural ministry. This practical guide to discipleship will help us help others grow into mature and godly followers of Christ.… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Book Review: Against the Darkness
Book Reviews, Theology

Book Review: Against the Darkness

How long has it been since you read a theology book? I lament that reading theology does not appear to be a priority among missionaries. In Mere Christianity, C.S. Lewis comments on the importance of theology and doctrine:  . . . if you have once accepted Christianity, then some of its main doctrines shall be deliberately held before your mind for some time every day. That is why daily prayer and religious reading and churchgoing are necessary parts of the Christian life. We have to be continually reminded of what we believe. Neither this belief nor any other will automatically remain alive in the mind. It must be fed. And as a matter of fact, if you examined a hundred people who have lost their faith in Christianity, I wonder how many of them would turn out to have been reasoned out of it by honest argument? Do not most… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Book Reviews, Evangelism

Book Review: Evangelism as Exiles

In March 2019 The Gospel Coalition published Evangelism as Exiles: Life on Mission as Strangers in Our Own Land by Elliot Clark. The Gospel Coalition does not publish a lot of monographs, so this one caught my attention. I had also been thinking a lot about Paul’s instruction to Timothy to “do the work of an evangelist” (see earlier post). Clark has served a number of years in a central Asian country where Christianity is a very small minority, so he has lived as a stranger. The book is focused on the church in North America in light of its diminished standing in the public square. Often reflecting on his experience in central Asia, Clark encourages us to see ourselves as exiles and strangers in our own land. The book draws principles from the book if 1 Peter.… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
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