People today are more aware of shame's presence and power. Unfortunately, we still struggle to respond to it. Here are two wrong ways of avoiding shame. Read more
People today are more aware of shame's presence and power. Unfortunately, we still struggle to respond to it. Here are two wrong ways of avoiding shame. Read more
I ask students whether they’d like the secret to being a great pastor. No one wants to be wrong on that. “It’s very simple,” I hint. Read more
Syncretism is easy to see in others. It’s nearly impossible to see in ourselves. So, we think everyone else is consumeristic, but not us. Read more
How should we define “culture”? In this post, I highlight the most common attempts at defining culture. Then, I’ll suggest my own. Read more
Throughout February, there will be much talk about justice. Much of it will be unhelpful yet again. Perhaps, these observations will help. Read more
John 9-10 offers a case study into how biblical writers creatively undermine common notions about honor and shame, insiders and outsiders Read more
Today I have taken down a pair of my recent posts (a two-part review of the book A Just Mission by Mekdes Haddis) and revised a third one. Here’s why. I was not sufficiently sensitive to the ways people might read my review. As one friend helpfully remarked, I need to look at this situation through the lens of contextualization. So true. This is not the same country I left over two decades ago. I needed to be more aware... Read more
What’s the difference between fame and honor? Are they the same thing? The story of Uzziah in 2 Chronicles 26 offers helpful insight. Read more
If you’ve read much of my work, then you’ve come across this idea: We compromise the gospel when we settle for truth. The basic idea is simple enough. We tend to be content with true ideas or doctrines, and that leads us to overlook, minimize, or even deny other aspects of biblical truth. Generations of missionaries have presented the Bible’s message accurately and passionately. Yet, for many who heard them, that message lacked meaning. It made no sense. While they... Read more
“My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” People often assume Jesus’ words have a plain or obvious meaning. Unfortunately, their meaning is anything but obvious. Read more
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