God is at work across the nations, and I see many positive signs that he is at work here in the West too. Here’s a little of what I see going on currently (in no particular order of priority): People understand the importance of listening to God and doing what he says. The prayer movement… Read More
One thing I’ve observed over recent years is that the Lord is blurring the distinctives between groups of Christians. Photo credit: Several seconds (Creative Commons) It used to be that charismatics and non-charismatics were divided by theology. They looked down on each other–the non-charismatics thought that charismatics were flaky, all froth and no substance. The… Read More
Photo credit: phill.d (Creative Commons) The way this country is trending, unless the Lord intervenes, it may not be long before the USA is a post-Christian nation. Only 4% of adults currently have a Biblical worldview as the basis of their decision-making. We are potentially only a generation away from being like many countries in… Read More
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7 shifts towards organic
Many churches are looking to become increasingly relevant to the society around them by shifting to a more organic form of church. Photo credit: Michael | Ruiz (Creative Commons) Here are some of the shifts toward organic: We’re moving from being building and event focused to lifestyle and family focused. Church is no longer an… Read More
The church landscape in this country is changing. Ecclesiology lies along a continuum. At one end churches are traditional, structured and liturgical; at the other end they are simple, organic, and missional. Most lie somewhere in between. But a shift is occurring. Many churches are taking steps towards the organic, missional end of the spectrum.… Read More
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What is an insider movement?
In some countries, changing religion to Christianity is tantamount to a death sentence. In many other countries, new disciples face huge social consequences; they may lose their jobs or their housing. In villages in India, for example, believers may not be allowed to use the village well or buy rice at the local store. There's an… Read More
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If I were a missionary…
Photo Credit: rogiro (Creative Commons) Some people might say that Tony and I are already missionaries. Firstly, we have crossed cultures from the UK to the USA. (I sometimes wonder why here to the affluent West which is already so heavily Christianized when we would have willingly gone to any country in the world.) And… Read More
Photo credit: yewenyi (Creative Commons) In many Third World countries, there is a high level of illiteracy. For example, according to Human Development Report for 2009, the literacy rate in Bangladesh is 56%, Sudan 27% etc. This does not mean that people are not intelligent. They are often highly intelligent. It just means that they have never been… Read More
Photo credit: SadieMaeGlutz (Creative Commons) We have friends in India who are seeing large numbers of both high-caste Hindus and people from other religions become followers of Jesus. They use the sacred books of those religions to point to Christ. When they have clearly demonstrated Christ within those books, they can then point them to… Read More
There are many pitfalls for the unwary in a cross-cultural context. Here are some bloopers I, or those with me, have made: India: placing my Bible on the floor. Mozambique: beckoning someone to come with my palm facing up, rather than down. Muslim nation: offering (as a woman) to shake hands with a man when… Read More