Does contextualization mean “changing” the gospel? That is exactly what one missions leader seemed to suggest in a recent meeting. This leader was speaking about ministry in East Asia. When someone in the audience asked him how honor and shame should influence our gospel presentations, he struggled to answer the question. Not really knowing what to say, his clearest idea was simply this: “We never want to change the gospel!” At one level, it’s apparent that this man never answers... Read more
Chinese people have a hard time understanding what is meant by the word “sin.” How Does Romans Define Sin? This observation is what first inspired me to do my theological research. So, this many years later, what do I have to say about it? Well, for a fuller explanation, read Saving God’s Face. For now, I’ll review an observation I’ve mentioned before. In China, the word for sin (zuì, 罪) literally means “crime.” This obviously creates confusion for these millions... Read more
A lot people think they know how to contextualize. Sometimes, however, they do a better job at offering examples of what is not contextualization. Either way, they certainly intend well. We can at least be be thankful that God accepts our joyful noises. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdWnps5FypU Related articles The Gospel with Chinese Characteristics (www.patheos.com/blogs/jacksonwu) Train Short-term Workers to Do Contextualization (Orientation Packet) (www.patheos.com/blogs/jacksonwu) When Short-Term Workers Don’t Contextualize (www.patheos.com/blogs/jacksonwu) Contextualization Gone Wrong — TIMS Smoothies (www.patheos.com/blogs/jacksonwu) Read more
In a few words, I want to offer some final thoughts about biblical interpretation. A few simple ideas can help us to maintain a right perspective and avoid the common mistakes I’ve mentioned in previous posts. All Christians have the same Holy Spirit. Therefore, everyone has something to contribute when it comes to interpreting the Bible. The whole church is like a body. By ourselves, we have limited perspectives, skills, sin, and biases. We need each other if we are... Read more
Want some help talking about creation and Genesis 1 to your Chinese friends? This is one of the most important books I know on the subject. Right now (through Feb 24), the Kindle version is on sale for only $2.99. The Lost World of Genesis One, by John Walton, is a different sort of book on the subject. I’m not a big fan of the conversation about creationism, evolution, etc. because it tends to be a bigger distraction than a... Read more
Here is one of the most powerful posts I’ve read in a while. Brian Zahnd’s comments are probably relevant to almost every person who reads this blog.His post is called “My Problem with the Bible.” Here is how he begins…. “I have a problem with the Bible. Here’s my problem… I’m an ancient Egyptian. I’m a comfortable Babylonian. I’m a Roman in his villa. That’s my problem. See, I’m trying to read the Bible for all it’s worth, but I’m... Read more
In a previous post, I list three ways not to interpret the Bible. Today, I’ll mention the final two in my list. People commonly use these problematic methods of interpreting Scripture. 4. Dogmatic This is extremely common. This so-called way of interpretation is anything but genuine exegesis (i.e. discerning the meaning from the text). In short, readers assert, “This is what the Bible means.” Then, they proceed to find passages that confirm and correspond with their assumed interpretation. One of... Read more
In order to interpret the Bible well, we need to know both what we should do as well as what we should not do. I suggest that biblical interpretation may be the single most important yet neglected skill in the church, certainly in missions. There are a number of reasons for this. One is that we have either very limited or even mistaken views of interpretation. I will highlight five ways that we should not teach biblical interpretation. In this... Read more
Logos is giving away a helpful little book all about biblical theology! I have found many people are unfamiliar with biblical theology (as distinct from systematic theology). This is a helpful place to start. Michael Lawrence, who previously served at Capital Hill Baptist Church, does a good job introducing the relevant topics and spurring the reader to consider the relevance of biblical theology for the local church. It’s apart of the 9Marks series, published by Crossway. Here is the... Read more
Darren Carlson offers a good reminder to us all. In my opinion, he describes a problem that affects both missionaries as well as those who still live in their home countries (e.g. America, England, etc.). Darren leads a great organization called Training Leaders International. In his post “Don’t Glamorize Christians ‘Over There’” “The grass is always greener on the other side. Or so we think. How many times have you heard the purity of the global church (especially the persecuted... Read more
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