This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on September 17, 2012. Much of my work revolves around the themes of diplomacy and advocacy. I sum these up with the term “ambassadorship.” In this series of posts titled “WANTED: Christian Ambassadors, not Tourists,” I am unpacking what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. If you’re just jumping in, begin by reading part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, and part 5. Tourists often have a country to which they can return. … [Read more...]

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on September 11, 2012. My father who was born on September 11, 1927 died last spring. He lamented the fact that as of 2001 he celebrated his birthday on 9/11. It is now a day of infamy, while for him it had always been a day for family. My dad was a simple, religious man, not the fanatical kind that leads Christian extremists to burn mosques or Muslim extremists to crash planes into towers. Rather, he was the kind who opened his heart to … [Read more...]

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on September 10, 2012. What did Jesus look like? What was his personality type and personal style? How many 'likes' did he have on his Facebook page? The Bible does not offer us a biography of Jesus. While there are biographical elements, the Bible focuses on Jesus’ character and what he accomplished on our behalf. Here is what Isaiah 53 has to say about the Suffering Servant, whom hosts of Christians throughout the ages believe refers … [Read more...]

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on September 3, 2012. The “Gospel” is often understood by Christians to mean “good news”. Now if the Gospel of Jesus Christ is taken to mean good news (See Mark 1:1), what’s so good about it? While one could offer many responses to this question, I will focus in this entry on just one. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is good news because it is his good news. It is bound up with Jesus’ identity and his mission. It is not the … [Read more...]

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on August 26, 2012. What is the relation of the church and individual believers to Christ, and how does this relation bear upon ministry? Many Christians speak of this relation in incarnational terms. Professor J. Todd Billings has provided an important critique of problematic uses of the phraseology 'incarnational ministry' titled "The Problem with 'Incarnational Ministry'". While he acknowledges that not all approaches to incarnational … [Read more...]

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on August 13, 2012. Much of my work revolves around the themes of diplomacy and advocacy. I sum these up with the term “ambassadorship.” In this series of posts titled “WANTED: Christian Ambassadors, not Tourists,” I am unpacking what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. If you’re just jumping in, begin by reading part 1, part 2, part 3, and part 4. I have spoken of various contrasting dynamics between tourists and … [Read more...]

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on August 9, 2012. Much of my work revolves around the themes of diplomacy and advocacy. I sum these up with the term “ambassadorship.” In this series of posts titled “WANTED: Christian Ambassadors, not Tourists,” I am unpacking what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. If you’re just jumping in, begin by reading part 1, part 2, and part 3. So far in these posts, I have spoken of how tourists are often viewed as loud … [Read more...]

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on August 7, 2012. Much of my work revolves around the themes of diplomacy and advocacy. I sum these up with the term “ambassadorship.” In this series of posts titled “WANTED: Christian Ambassadors, not Tourists,” I am unpacking what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. If you’re just jumping in, begin by reading part 1 and part 2. In the first post on this subject, I started out by saying, “As missional witnesses, … [Read more...]

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on August 2, 2012. Much of my work revolves around the themes of diplomacy and advocacy. I sum these up with the term “ambassadorship.” In this series of posts titled “WANTED: Christian Ambassadors, not Tourists,” I am unpacking what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. If you're just jumping in, begin by reading part 1. In the first post on this subject, I started out by saying, “As missional witnesses, we are called … [Read more...]

This piece was originally published at The Christian Post on July 30, 2012. Much of my work revolves around the themes of diplomacy and advocacy. I sum these up with the term “ambassadorship.” In this series of posts titled “WANTED: Christian Ambassadors, not Tourists,” I am unpacking what it means to be an ambassador for Christ. As missional witnesses, we are called to be ambassadors for Christ, not tourists. What do you think of when you think of American tourists? Not good, I … [Read more...]