Reflections and resources for lifelong learning for missionaries
You may have heard comments about "bounded sets" and "centered sets" in missions conversations. Since introduced by Paul Hiebert in 1978, these terms have been part of many missiological discussions. Frequently, in a somewhat reductionistic way, "bounded sets" are seen as Western and traditional and "centered sets" are seen as more progressive. Let's review what …
Continue reading How do we decide whether someone is a Christian?
What label do we use to identify our religious commitment? What label should a convert adopt? These are common questions in Muslim ministry contexts. Many other ministry contexts also grapple with this issue. An internet search for '"Christian" or "Jesus-follower" as a label produced over 2,400,000 results (no, I didn't read them all!). Should we …
Can followers of Jesus from a Muslim background continue to call themselves Muslims? This post will explore whether one's Muslim identity as a Christ follower is an ongoing permanent identity or is simply a transitional phase as the believer matures. Many Insider Movement advocates see the retention of one's socio-religious identity as permanent (see Rebecca …
Continue reading Can Jesus followers still call themselves Muslim?
In my colleague's review of the book, Dialogical Apologetics, in this blog, Gary Ridley noted that dialogue with adherents of other religions has often been seen as mutually incompatible with evangelism. Dialogue has been used to describe inter-religious discussions in which evangelism is not seen as necessary or even a desirable goal. The book Gary …
I have a couple of shelves full of books on apologetics in my library. Some are very philosophical and technical - the kind you need a dictionary handy in order to understand. Some are like cookbooks that give recipes for every question you might encounter in defending Christian faith. A good friend recommended David K. …
Insider movement advocates discuss the appropriateness of converts saying the Shahada which identifies Muhammad as God's prophet. There is not a consensus on this point. Yet saying the Shahada is part of Muslim identity. Is there any way that we can refer to Muhammad as God's prophet without compromising the authority of the Bible? In …
Mission agencies, including the one in which I serve, are increasingly drawn to work in partnership with other mission organizations and churches. As Missio Nexus' tagline says, "The Great Commission is too big for anyone to accomplish alone and too important not to try to do together." So we do not often hear calls to …
