Archive for October 2015
A Change of Focus
Jeff Musgrave Many pastors have told me that their church’s soul-winning program is weak or nonexistent. With the overemphasis of easy-believism and evangelism at any cost, it seems that we have thrown the baby out with the bathwater. While a correction in emphasis was warranted, it is time we readjust our focus to a Biblical…
Read MoreEvaluating Incarnational Ministry (4) — Conclusion
Taigen Joos In the past few posts, I have sought to lay out a sketch of what incarnational ministry is and have given some amount of critical evaluation to it. Incarnationalism has a misunderstanding of its key Scriptural texts, often reading into the text, or emphasizing things in the text, without a clear understanding of…
Read MoreMore on Repentance
With Dr. John Mincy Recently we published an article by John Mincy on the topic of repentance. A blogger has since picked up on it with an article demonstrating a poor understanding of Dr. Mincy’s point. We offer here some comments by Dr. Mincy intending to add clarity to the original article and rebut some…
Read MoreEvaluating Incarnational Ministry (3)
Taigen Joos To continue the discussion from the previous two posts, incarnational ministry brings with it some concerns. One of those concerns is a misunderstanding of key biblical texts. In this post, I offer two more critiques. Incarnational Ministry Overemphasizes the Humanity of Jesus In reading the various literature regarding this topic, the emphasis on…
Read MoreThanksgiving for Partnership in the Gospel
Don Johnson In Canada, today is Thanksgiving Day. Our American friends may find it strange that, for us in the True North, Thanksgiving is not the beginning of the shopping season, but aside from that difference, the day is pretty similar and the sentiments it represents and expresses are very much the same on both…
Read MoreThinking About the Lord’s Day
Don Johnson This week and next we are featuring a series of articles by Pastor Taigen Joos1 on the subject of “Incarnational Ministry,” a trendy topic amongst preachers in some circles. I realize that the theme might be of more interest to pastors than the average reader, but as it affects so many churches and…
Read MoreChurch Discipline
Norman Pyle “Havoc may … result from the mishandling of disciplinary matters.” Discipline is a hushed-up word in today’s churches and a neglected practice. The permissive attitude of the world toward sin has even infiltrated Christian homes. The result? Inside and outside the church, men do “that which is right in their own eyes,” or…
Read MoreEvaluating Incarnational Ministry (2)
Taigen Joos Last time, I quickly gave a description of what those who teach an incarnational approach to ministry mean by that terminology. To quote Ben Edwards, who summarizes this position well when he critiques it, saying that the incarnationalist believes that Christians are sent into the world to “imitate Christ by serving the world…
Read MoreWe Can Make Excuses, or We Can Make Disciples
John C. Vaughn Many years ago I had the opportunity to go soul winning on board a merchant ship docked at Hampton Roads near Norfolk, Virginia. The man who invited me on board does this full time. Over thirty years ago he had already seen the wisdom of reaching foreign nationals who come to our…
Read MoreEvaluating Incarnational Ministry (1)
Taigen Joos In recent years, a new trend within broader evangelicalism has emerged. The notion of “incarnational ministry” has garnered much attention and adherence throughout the evangelical world. What does it mean to have an incarnational ministry? Admittedly, it is somewhat difficult to do, due to the variety of authors and perspectives of it.
Read More