Jesus Creed begins "Christian Political Witness" series

Last updated on: May 1, 2014 at 3:54 pm By Brad Vaughn

Check out Scot McKnight’s blog, Jesus Creed. Today, I began a new series that integrates politics, theology, the gospel, missiology, and the Chinese church. In the first few posts, I introduce the series by reviewing a new book called “Christian Political Witness.” Today’s post considers the question, “Is the Chinese Church Political?” In this series, I’ll examine a number of topics. Many things I bring up are not typically thought of as “political” issues. However, that is precisely a major... Read more

Atonement via Honor and Shame (a summary)

Last updated on: August 14, 2015 at 6:56 am By Brad Vaughn

It’s been one year since Saving God’s Face was first published. As a way of celebrating, I’ll be giving away a free copy of the book. If you tell others about this post (via reposting on your blog, posting a link on FB, Twitter, etc.), then I’ll enter your name in a drawing two weeks after this posts. (*It would help if you let me know that you posted something, since I sometimes don’t receive notifications.*) Recently, someone asked me... Read more

Using Stories in Honor-Shame Cultures

Last updated on: April 24, 2014 at 11:11 am By Brad Vaughn

In honor-shame cultures, using stories is a key element of ministry. I’ll be publishing a few articles on this in the coming months. For now, some people might be interested in what looks to be a good series over at honorshame.com. The series is called “How Stories Change Honor Codes.” (more…) Read more

Can we deny the truth when affirming Christ’s deity?

Last updated on: August 12, 2015 at 7:23 am By Brad Vaughn

In a previous post, I argued that the phrase “son of God” itself does not imply deity. To be clear, I wholeheartedly affirm that Jesus is God incarnate. However, that does not excuse our misusing a key biblical phrase. In my last post, I explained some of the practical reasons why this discussion matters. In this post, I want to emphasize another reason why this conversation matters. This misunderstanding as to the meaning of the phrase “son of God” highlights... Read more

Don’t settle for a god when you can have a king

Last updated on: July 18, 2017 at 7:06 am By Brad Vaughn

Understanding the title "Son of God" has significant implications for the work of missions around the world. We should distinguish between his deity and the title “son of God.” A few examples show why it matters that we not minimize this fact. Read more

EMQ Reviews "Saving God's Face"

Last updated on: April 15, 2014 at 8:30 am By Brad Vaughn

Thanks for EMQ (Evangelical Missions Quarterly) for reviewing Saving God’s Face in its April issue! It was reviewed by Glen Osborn, president, China Outreach Ministries. In his conclusion, he is kind enough to add: “This book helps westerners understand honor/shame and discover new personal depths of God’s great plan of grace and love. We benefit from multiple cultural perspectives of the truth of God’s word and his gospel for the entire world. We are also helped in developing contextualized applications... Read more

Preaching the “Son of God” for Christ’s Sake

Last updated on: August 15, 2015 at 8:20 am By Brad Vaughn

In what sense is Jesus the “son of God”? Previously, I claimed that the phrase “son of God” does not inherently imply deity. This suggestion, however, does not deny his deity. It simply says that deity is not a meaning “built into” the term “son of God.” In this post, I’ll review a collection of verses that all indicate that the title “son of God” refers to Jesus’ identity as Israel’s king. Other synonymous titles include “Christ” and “Messiah.” In... Read more

A Gospel Video from HonorShame.com

Last updated on: April 7, 2014 at 8:40 am By Brad Vaughn

My friend over at HonorShame.com has posted an exceptional gospel video. He captures so many key themes that I talk about on this blog Due to his background, you will notice that he presents honor and shame from more of a Muslim (rather than Chinese) perspective. Nevertheless, the video is still helpful for anyone wanting to understand the biblical story through an honor-shame lens. I highly recommend people check out his blog. He has great posts every week. His post... Read more

Jesus is both God and the “Son of God”

Last updated on: August 12, 2015 at 8:19 am By Brad Vaughn

What does it mean to say that Jesus is the “son of God”? If you are like most people I talk with, you will say it means, “Jesus is God.” This is where we run into a problem. Yes . . . Jesus is God manifested in the world. No . . . the phrase “son of God” itself does not inherently imply deity. Before explaining more of what I mean, I want to first explain why this conversation is... Read more

Richard Bauckham, Monotheism and UPGs

Last updated on: March 27, 2014 at 9:24 am By Brad Vaughn

I want to get your thoughts on monotheism. How does this topic influence your ministry? If you read much theology, you will come across Richard Bauckham, one of the world’s leading biblical scholars. I want to get you thoughts on one of his books, which may have application for missions. It’s called Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity. I have two polar different contexts in mind. One... Read more