Here is just one more little contribution to the bigger argument that glory, honor, and shame are major, massive, gigantic….in other words, big ideas in the Bible. However, I find from experience that people are more willing to listen if they hear a “theologian” say it than they are if a social scientist, historian, or a missiologist says it. Ok then. For those who want to hear a bit more from some theologians, I’ve given a little excerpt from a... Read more
This video is a perfect example of contextualization. Contextualization involves interpretation, communication, and application. This video is all about communication (with plenty of interpretive elements thrown in). Imagine how much effort it took for this comedian to learn Shakespearean English. He really had to internalize the expressions and their meanings. Cognitively, if not affectedly, he had to cross historical cultures. Contextualization is more than finding a few conceptual “bridges” or illustrations. It’s about entering into a new kind of... Read more
If we want to find the meaning of a biblical text, what things are not so helpful? For the first post in the series “When You Only Have a Bible,” click here. What Is Not Very Helpful People often learn an inductive approach to interpretation, which consists in three steps: “Observation, Interpretation, Application.” What’s the problem with this? It actually never tells you how to interpret the Bible. There is an “interpretation” step within the methodology itself. People are still... Read more
Christmas celebrates the way God took a global size problem and began solving it with one small child. When we see giant size problems, a lot of us have the same reaction––freeze up, wonder what we should do, and ultimately do very little. Over at Jason Johnson’s blog, he helps us do something about that. He has written a post called “Making Orphan Care Small.” Here is an excerpt–– Do for one child what you wish you could do for... Read more
How do we interpret the Bible when we only have the Bible? This means…no commentaries, theology books, footnotes, knowledge of original language, etc. In many (or most) missions contexts, resources are so limited. All people have is the Bible. In this series, I will lay out a method on interpreting the Bible that anyone can use, even if he or she is a new Christian, is uneducated, or lacks resources. This approach enables lay Christians to both test what they... Read more
I’ve said for a while that the two most critical needs for the Chinese church now are (1) theological education and (2) family ministry (marriage, parenting, etc.).Here’s one more reason I’ll say it again. The WSJ blog recently posted an article “A Chinese Father’s Most Important Job”. Here is an excerpt of it. When it comes to parenting, Chinese fathers say the most important role they play is that of the family chauffeur. In a survey of 500 Chinese fathers... Read more
In the previous post, I asked a question people have been asking, “What does the fox say?” But then we looked at a more important question, “What does the gospel say?” Sadly, people often have the same reactions to both: If it’s not “I don’t know,” then they might just guess. This was a first response I listed in the last post. There is a second frequent response to the question, “What does the gospel say?” 2. A lot of... Read more
Are you one of the 100+ million people who’ve seen this video? I know that for some people, the first time they saw it, they felt just a little dumber. One person left this comment on YouTube, “I’m so embarrassed to live in this generation.” On the other hand, it is a catchy song. When it’s all said and done, you really do start to wonder, “Well, what does the fox say?” Nobody knows what the fox says … so... Read more
Traditional western theology may not be wrong, but it also may not be as helpful as we’d like. Why Western Theology is Not Enough First of all, the phrase “Western theology” should not carry negative connotations. Some books treat Western theology like it’s the theological “boogeyman” Our theologies always reflect the cultural lens through which we read Scripture. People readily talk about “African theology,” “Chinese theology,” “Puritan theology,” and whatever other kind of theology. Yet, when someone says “Western” theology,... Read more
My previous post, examined the story of the rich, younger ruler (Mark 10:17–30). I suggested that Jesus shifts our focus from “what” to “who.” If this is correct, then what does this mean for gospel preaching? “Who” is our hope The reason why people “do works” is not merely because they want to “earn salvation.” Rather, they just want to be accepted. For many, “salvation” (as Christians talk about it) has never entered their mind. Therefore, they settle for social... Read more
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