The initial articles in this series are important parts of the discussion, yet also slightly abstract, answering the philosophical whys and whats of missionary support raising: Part 1: Deputation and the Bible Part 2: Inviting and Partnering with Missionaries Part 3: The Challenges and Benefits of Deputation Thankfully, the remaining articles are all rubber-meets-the-road practical, answering the whens…

According to a recent study by the Barna Research Team, most U.S. Christians think that they are losing influence in America and sense tension between their beliefs and the mainstream culture. Two-thirds of those surveyed indicated conflict between their worldviews and mainstream America’s. This study reveals the need to obtain a biblical view of culture…

Perhaps you have heard of the six degrees of separation social theory.  This is the idea that each individual in the world is six or fewer social connections away from everyone else.  Sometimes it is surprising to learn that somebody with whom you are acquainted is only a couple of degrees removed from someone who…

There is a compelling exegetical case for congregational church government.  That case is so compelling that structuring a local congregation in any other way seems to be disobedient to the pattern of polity laid out in the New Testament.  While there are many other passages, these key passages indicate not only how the early church…

We are discussing the January/February edition of FrontLine, “AI: Developing a Christian Perspective.” Our guest this time is Mike Riley, who wrote the article, “In Our Image and Likeness.” What follows is an AI generated introduction! The rise of artificial intelligence has brought with it not just technological challenges, but profound ethical and theological questions…

I love looking at leaders in the Bible and seeing how they are examples for us today. Epaphras is one of those guys. A little digging in Colossians uncovers some details about Epaphras, an otherwise “minor character” in the New Testament, but a major character in Colossae and an exemplary leader for us today. Two…

Jesus’ tomb was empty. But why? How? Who? So many questions filled the mind of Cleopas and his friend as they slowly walked the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus. In the aftermath of their Savior’s crucifixion, they could not fathom the inevitability of the resurrection. Encounter with a Stranger Just that morning, a normally…

Editor’s note: This “interview” is excerpted from a chat session with Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and some observations about the process follow the excerpts. The session was initiated by the following prompt and Claude’s response: Prompt: “Assume the role of the famous 19th-century English pastor Charles Haddon Spurgeon. I would like to interview you. Are…

I’ve designed this series of articles to help churches gain a new perspective on missionary support. Previous articles have discussed: 1) deputation and the Bible and 2) the church’s decision to invite and support missionaries. In this article, I focus on the challenges and benefits of deputation. Why Is It So Difficult to Raise Support? Does it…

The Times of Israel just ran a post (which was linked at Realclearreligion.org) entitled “Dismantling USAID is a moral and strategic tragedy” claiming the effectiveness of and call for the preservation of USAID. The following is the essence of this story. Make no mistake about it: USAID was and is indispensable, no matter its faults.…