Finding Israel in the Middle Kingdom

Last updated on: May 31, 2013 at 8:05 am By Brad Vaughn

What does Beijing have to do with Jerusalem? Well, imagine you live in the following setting. Your two primary concerns have always been family and nation. Your most basic identity was decided at birth. Your ethnic identity and sense of belonging are inextricably tied together. Even at the governmental level, other countries would say you are very “nationalistic.” Your countrymen seem to divide the world in two––insiders and foreigners. History is not a thing of the past. Rather, everything centers... Read more

"Theology" versus "Chinese Theology"?

Last updated on: August 13, 2015 at 2:56 am By Brad Vaughn

What’s the difference between “theology” & “Chinese theology”? This video makes me think of contextualizing theology (as pretty much everything does). Have you ever noticed that when people talk about theology from around the world, they tend to say things like “African theology,” “Chinese theology,” “Indian theology,” or something like that. However, Westerners don’t tend to add adjectives like “Western” or “American” in front of their own “theology.” Many people will simply say they want to be “biblical.” According to... Read more

Preaching the Gospel to the Tiger Mom (Part 2)

Last updated on: August 13, 2015 at 2:51 am By Brad Vaughn

Would you use a tradition presentation to preach the gospel to a “Tiger Mom“? In the last point, I suggested that traditional formulations and methods may not address Eastern questions and problems. For example, in my first point, I noted that the Tiger mom’s rigorous and self disciplined zeal for perfection is not like that of Luther, who worried how God would accept him as an imperfect sinner. As with other Chinese people, Chua is not thinking about God at... Read more

Preaching the Gospel to the Tiger Mom

Last updated on: May 27, 2013 at 8:15 pm By Brad Vaughn

How would you preach the gospel to someone like a “Tiger Mom”? Amy Chua, who wrote Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, characterizes a contrast between Chinese and Western parents. Chinese parents believe that their kids owe them everything. . . . [T]he understanding is that Chinese children must spend their lives repaying their parents by obeying them and making them proud. By contrast, I don’t think most Westerners have the same view of children being permanently indebted to their... Read more

Book Giveaway (Week 2): China

Last updated on: May 27, 2013 at 8:25 am By Brad Vaughn

This is week 2 of a 4 week series introducing my book Saving God’s Face, where I’m giving my book away along with other books related to the week’s topic. This week’s theme is China. Since I know some people may not have an interest in China exactly, I’m offering the choice of two packages of free books. Someone will get my book and one of the following two book packages: #1) China Saving Face in China: A First-Hand Guide... Read more

How Do Evangelicals Define "Contextualization"?

Last updated on: May 24, 2013 at 8:15 am By Brad Vaughn

How do we define contextualization? Judging from the books and articles I’ve read on the subject, it might be easier to explain the Trinity than contextualization. One person’s “contextualization” is another person’s “compromise.” How can we do contextualization if we can’t explain what it is? In this post, I want to suggest a way of organizing the most common evangelical views on contextualization. By clarifying our categories, I think the following taxonomy can help us to stop talking past each... Read more

Interpreting Contextualization

Last updated on: January 12, 2022 at 4:24 am By Brad Vaughn

What is “contextualization”? It is one of the most popular buzzwords in evangelicalism today. When a person hears a word enough times, it’s easy to assume that one understands its meaning. However, what happens when we assume this? For some, prejudices are reinforced without good reason. For others, the concept is oversimplified. Thus, people give little effort towards solving the challenging problems surrounding contextualization. In Saving God’s Face, I suggest that evangelicals have largely assumed a particular view of “contextualization”... Read more

Does Biblical Infallibility Allow Us to Assume the Gospel?

Last updated on: August 13, 2015 at 2:55 am By Brad Vaughn

How do fallible people contextualize God’s infallible word? To put it more sharply, does it matter that the Bible is infallible if fallen sinners are interpreting and applying it? Yes. It does. (This is week 1 of the book giveway. I’m giving away free Kindle books every week. Click here to enter the giveway. For the next 4 weeks, I’m writing about the topics covered in the four major sections of my book, Saving God’s Face: A Chinese Contextualization of... Read more

Week 1 of Book Giveaway

Last updated on: August 13, 2015 at 4:13 am By Brad Vaughn

This is week 1 of the book giveaway. Each of the next four weeks, I’ll discuss a different theme that follows the major sections of my new book Saving God’s Face: A Chinese Contextualization of Salvation through Honor and Shame. This week, someone will get 3 kindle books. Contextualization in the New Testament Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes A Theological Analysis of Insider Movements Living at the Crossroads: An Introduction to a Christian Worldview Transforming Worldviews At the end of... Read more

Who Should Read "Saving God's Face"?

Last updated on: May 16, 2013 at 8:22 am By Brad Vaughn

Is “Saving God’s Face” a book that only “scholars” will understand? No. That doesn’t mean everyone will understand every argument being made. What it does mean is that there is a substantial amount of material that I think anyone could benefit from. Although the book was originally defended as a dissertation, there are definite reasons it is not merely for “scholars.” I’ll mention two. (By the way, next week, I begin a four-week series that includes my giving away a... Read more