This is the first post of a series that introduces a new tool that helps retell the grand biblical story from beginning to end. In developing this model, I had two things in mind: (1) It needs to draw from the entire canon (Genesis-Revelation) in a balanced way. (2) It needs to takes seriously the theme of honor and shame. This model partially grows out of the article I published in the July issue of Global Missiology, titled “Biblical Theology... Read more
There is an entire generation of people who can sing nearly every lyric of Vanilla Ice’s Ice Ice Baby but struggle to memorize Scripture, remember key points of doctrine, or contextualize the gospel. No, I’m not trying to put anyone to shame. It’s just a straightforward observation. Actually, I think Vanilla Ice has a lot to teach us besides dance moves and lyrical poetry. It’s pretty well-known that he borrowed (stole?) from Queen and David Bowie’s Under Pressure. Supposedly, he claims... Read more
When people are not against something but not necessarily “for” it, what do they do? They adopt a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. In theology and specifically contextualization, I think a similar dynamic can sometimes occur. Perhaps we will affirm some truth claim/doctrine, yet we virtually never talk about it. Functionally, we have a “don’t ask, don’t tell policy.” If they don’t ask, we don’t tell. Why be hesitant to talk about themes that we believe in? It is easily... Read more
How do the various biblical metaphors and word pictures relate to one another? Click on the Picture For Slide Presentation (more…) Read more
Check out an excellent post Chinese Church Voices: 10 Observed Trends on Chinese Christian Media. In addition to her own blog, Joann Pittman writes over at ChinaSource. She introduces here article, “In June of 2012, ChinaSource launched a blog called Chinese Church Voices where we have been posting translations of content taken from Mainland Christian online sources – websites, blogs, and micro-blogs. Our goal is to help give outsiders a chance to “listen in on the conversations” that Chinese Christians... Read more
I had a student in class who questioned how I could say that the gospel was the same throughout the Bible. He said the gospel seems very different in the Old Testament, Jesus’ preaching, and in Paul’s letters. At that moment, I came up with an analogy. Tell me what you think. Different periods of gospel preaching could be compared to a woman’s pregnancy. 1. Birth Announcement (Promise) In the Old Testament, the gospel preached beforehand (cf. Gal 3:8; Isa... Read more
Is there a difference between feeling naked and actually being naked? Over at the Gospel Coalition, Gavin Ortlund has written a post about shame called “Naked and Unashamed.” He focuses his attention on the subjective, psychological aspect of shame. This is the typical way evangelicals look at the topic of shame. In this respect, he does a good job. “Our first parents were said to be “naked and without shame,” but when sin entered the world, they sought covering (Gen.... Read more
Being half right also means being half wrong. Few people are eager to live in a half-way home or be half-dead. So, why would we be OK with telling half the story when it comes to gospel truth? I’ve been discussing ten troubling tendencies in Chinese evangelism. Here are my comments on the last three I listed. Chinese emphatically and dramatically lay stress on the death of Christ at the expense of the resurrection. If the resurrection is mentioned, it... Read more
It’s a lot easier to memorize a gospel presentation than to understand it. That seems to be a common thread in following list of troubling trends in Chinese evangelism. Previously, I discussed #1–3 (though these are not in any sort of rank). One of the major thrusts of my dissertation was to address this particular point. China is an honor-shame society, which means that issues of face and group identity are more of a concern than laws. Laws are unevenly... Read more
Chinese evangelism can often struggle to put first things first. When this happens, even if we are right in what we proclaim, we may still distort the truth simply by getting the order of things wrong. I previously listed ten troubling tendencies in Chinese evangelism. I want to offer a little bit of elaboration. We begin with the first three I listed (again, not in any particular order). If you listen to a Chinese believer explain the message of salvation,... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In