In this dynamic episode of The Missions Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Voddie Baucham to explore the intersection of education, mission, and Christian culture-building. Dr. Baucham, a respected figure in pastoral work and theological education, currently shaping minds at the African Christian University in Zambia, brings his unique perspective to the table. The discussionContinue reading “Voddie Baucham on Education, Mission, and Christian Culture-Building”
Tag Archives: culture
Hope for American Evangelicals: A Missionary Perspective on Restoring Our Broken House With Matt Bennett
Is the American evangelical house in order? Or is it in need of a remodel? Orāeven worseāshould we sell the house altogether and look for another home? Matt Bennett answers these timely questions from the missionary perspective of Lesslie Newbigin. Dr. Matthew Bennett joined the faculty at Cedarville University in fall 2017 after serving and living inContinue reading “Hope for American Evangelicals: A Missionary Perspective on Restoring Our Broken House With Matt Bennett”
Pride, Culture, and Mission With Josh Teis
Watch the video version of this episode here. Western culture has made a radical shift. How should Christians respond? What does the gospel have to say about sexuality? How can we approach a culture of pride as bold, humble missionaries? Alex and Scott talk to Josh Teis, pastor of Southern Hills Church in Las Vegas,Continue reading “Pride, Culture, and Mission With Josh Teis”
How to Reach LGBTQ With the Gospel: Jim Childs
Enter our giveaway to attend the Radius Missiology Conference in person or virtually. Details at missionspodcast.com/radius22. Many of us are afraid to directly present Christ to those caught up in the LGBTQ subculture. Should we be afraid? How can we win the person, not just the argument? And what does Scripture say? In this episode, weContinue reading “How to Reach LGBTQ With the Gospel: Jim Childs”
The Transcultural Gospel: E.D. Burns
Honor and shame. Fear and power. Guilt and innocence. Missiologists are increasingly identifying these cultural value systems as the key to communicating the gospel. But have we gotten them wrong? E.D. Burns, author of The Transcultural Gospel, returns to the show to explain how the biblical gospel message transcends cultures and all our imperfect effortsContinue reading “The Transcultural Gospel: E.D. Burns”
āReverse Missionsā and Global Christianity
African Christians are coming to the US as missionariesāor are they? Many are saying that āreverse missionsāāfrom the Majority World to the Westāis on the rise. But the whole picture isnāt that simple, as the world and the Western church still have a lot to learn from each other. Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford exploreContinue reading “āReverse Missionsā and Global Christianity”
Christian Nationalism, Patriotism, and Globalism
Recent political events and rallies have Christians asking: what is nationalism? Is it the same as patriotism? These questions are vitally important to the missionary. Can a missionary truly love his home country that heās leavingāand if so, how? What does Scripture say about love of countryāor countries, for that matter? And what about globalism?Continue reading “Christian Nationalism, Patriotism, and Globalism”
Was Adam a Missionary? Matthew Newkirk on the Creation Mandate and Missions
In Genesis, Adam was told to be fruitful, multiply, and take dominion of creation. He failed. Now, believers in Christ are called to spread the good news of Christ to the world. Are these two separate missions, or is the Great Commission a renewal of the original marching orders from Eden? Matthew Newkirk, author ofContinue reading “Was Adam a Missionary? Matthew Newkirk on the Creation Mandate and Missions”
Know Your Place: How to Identify and Study Your Mission Field
In todayās technology-saturated world, we can ābeā anywhereāexcept where we actually are. Place matters. So how can we identify what our āmission fieldā is around us and know the way it thinks? In this episode, Scott and Alex dive into the book of Acts for answers about worldview, context, and missional living. Remember to share,Continue reading “Know Your Place: How to Identify and Study Your Mission Field”
Throwback: The Greatest Injustice With Chad Vegas
In 2020, itās impossible to escape the topic of privilege. This week, we dive into the archives and bring back our May 2019 interview with Chad Vegas, founding board member of Radius International and lead pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, and our discussion of āgospel privilege.ā Perhaps it has never been more timely. Chad is the founding pastorContinue reading “Throwback: The Greatest Injustice With Chad Vegas”
Evangelize or Civilize? C.J. Moore on William Carey
Sometimes the missionary task is a balance between evangelism and humanitarianism. William Carey believed that the more evangelized a society was, the more civilized it becameāand the more civilized it was, the more open to evangelized it would become. But was he right? C.J. Moore, missions mobilizer, Midwestern Seminary Ph.D. student and fellow, and pastorContinue reading “Evangelize or Civilize? C.J. Moore on William Carey”
Critical Theory, Post-Colonialism, and Missions: Neil Shenvi on Social Justice
Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube. Social justice. Critical theory. Post-colonialism. Intersectionality. These issues have divided believers and unbelievers alike in the church over the last few years, and in 2020 the issue is impossible to escape. Is conservative evangelicalism beginning to compromise biblical teaching on complex social issues? And if so,Continue reading “Critical Theory, Post-Colonialism, and Missions: Neil Shenvi on Social Justice”
Missions History in a āCancel Cultureā Age: Jonathan Arnold Explains
Christians live in an age of iconoclasm. How can we do church history and modern missions history responsiblyāwithout falling into the opposite errors of hero-worship or ācancel cultureā? Jonathan Arnold, Associate Professor of Church History and Historical Theology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, weighs in from his perspective as a church historian. For three years,Continue reading “Missions History in a āCancel Cultureā Age: Jonathan Arnold Explains”
Is All Theology Cultural? Biblical Authority and Contextualization
Biblical authority is under attack. A missionaryās job is partly to make the transcendents truths of Godās word understandable within human language, context, and culture. But is it possible to know Godās objective truth, or are we always āstuckā within our cultureāmaking modern missions inescapably colonialist? In this episode, Scott Dunford and Alex Kocman dialogueContinue reading “Is All Theology Cultural? Biblical Authority and Contextualization”
Special Episode: What Do the Hong Kong Protests Have to Do With Missions?
Between 1-2 million people have been taking to the streets in Hong Kongāeven singing Christian hymnsāin peaceful protest over a new extradition law representing Chinaās continued aim to tighten its fist and squelch political and religious liberties in the semi-autonomous region. What can believers learn from this complex situation? In this special episode, Alex KocmanContinue reading “Special Episode: What Do the Hong Kong Protests Have to Do With Missions?”
Culture: When to Bend, When to BreakāKenneth Nehrbass Explains
Everybody talks about āengaging culture.ā Culture is a slippery concept. When should missionaries break from their host culture, and when should they bend with it? Is missions mainly about creating countless contextualized Christianities across various cultures, or is it also about assimilating believers into one overarching Christian culture? We discussed these issues with Dr. KennethContinue reading “Culture: When to Bend, When to BreakāKenneth Nehrbass Explains”
The Life of the Missionary Mind
Reading well in Scripture, theology, culture, and literature in general is key to preaching and teaching that connectsāespecially for the cross-cultural worker. What should we be reading? Why does it matter? And how can we who are busy working and doing ministry have time to cultivate the life of the mind as we constantly prepareContinue reading “The Life of the Missionary Mind”
Micah Fries: What Christians Should Know About Islam in North America
The presence of Islam in North America is still a lightning-rod issue, even 17 years after 9/11. This week we return to the topic of how Christians can engage their Muslim immigrant and refugee neighborsāand wade through the complicated waters of related political issuesāin a way that is biblical and missional. We consulted a newContinue reading “Micah Fries: What Christians Should Know About Islam in North America”
What Are Worldviews and How Do They Change? John Mark Yeats on Paul Hiebert
We use the word āworldviewā a lot, but what does it actually mean? Does anthropology have anything to teach missionariesāand can it give us a model for how worldviews actually change as people are converted to Christ? To help us make sense of these questions addressed in the late Dr. Paul Hiebertās classic missiological text TransformingContinue reading “What Are Worldviews and How Do They Change? John Mark Yeats on Paul Hiebert”
Mere Hope: Jason Duesing on Missionary Hope in a Cynical Age
We live in an age of perpetual outrage and cynicism, and lost hope takes its greatest toll upon the missionary endeavor. This week we spoke with Dr. Jason Duesing, passionate missions sender andĀ academic Provost and Associate Professor of Historical Theology at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, author of the new bookĀ Mere Hope: Life in An AgeContinue reading “Mere Hope: Jason Duesing on Missionary Hope in a Cynical Age”
How Missionaries Should Think About Economics With Matthew Arbo
Announcement: Itās the showās first birthday! As a way of thanking our loyal listeners, weāre giving away some great, free books and spiffy, new ABWE swag. Click here for details and to enter our drawing. āItās the economy, stupid.ā Economics is complicated enough already, but injecting a Christian perspective adds a new layer. How doContinue reading “How Missionaries Should Think About Economics With Matthew Arbo”
Collin Hansen: Social Justice, Racial Reconciliation, and Missions
What is a biblical definition āsocial justiceā and how does it relate to the gospel? What bearing does the recent conversation about racial reconciliationāand the resulting controversyāhave for missionaries ministering to disparate and people groups and ethnicities? How can the church do a better job of addressing social justice and racial issues without proposing leftistContinue reading “Collin Hansen: Social Justice, Racial Reconciliation, and Missions”
Barnabas Piper on Ministry Kids, Curiosity, and Identity
How do you handle the pressures of growing up hearing ādonāt waste your life,ā and what lessons can missionary kids and pastorsā kids take away? Barnabas Piper joins us this week as we wander to and fro to discuss those topics along with cultivating a curiosity with other cultures, parenting with an eye towards missions, and avoiding ministry cynicism by grounding our identity in Christ.
How the Gospel Transforms Cultures: Vishal Mangalwadi on William Carey
Gandhi’s India couldn’t have existed without William Carey. That’s the argument made by Vishal Mangalwadi, who makes the case that the gospel necessarily transforms cultureāand William Carey is the example.
How Much Contextualization Is Too Much?
Today in missions thereās a lot of talk about contextualization. The āC scaleā developed by John Travis makes a case for so-called insider movementsāprofessing believers in the Islamic world who follow Jesus, yet remain culturally and religiously Muslim. Is that biblical? How can we adapt the gospel to new culturesāand how far is too far?