
Why an Accurate Cultural Perspective Helps with Contextualization of the Message and the Church
The more time church planters spend understanding the culture, the more effective they are in their ministry cultural context.

Book Review: Discovering Church Planting: An Introduction to the Whats, Whys, and Hows of Global Church Planting by J. D. Payne
North American church planters need to rely more on the Holy Spirit and less on models and strategies.

Education Determines the Rise and the Fall of Nations Morally
Nations with higher priority investments in education make individuals into effective workers and executives who contribute towards building their nations by contributing to their organizations. However, when knowledge is suppressed, and education is controlled through oppressive educational philosophies, education can tear down its citizens resulting in chaotic, dictatorial, societies which sooner or later will implode.

Fasting in the Bible: How Should We Prepare Our Hearts for Lent?
One of the first things Christians ask when you mention the word “Lent” is, “what is it?”

Book Review: Elders and Leaders: God’s Plan for Leading the Church by Gene A. Getz
The top three priorities for church leaders should be modeling Christlike behavior, living in the Spirit of prayer (that he is devoted to prayer), and studying the Word of God rigorously and teaching it to others in meekness.

What Is the Difference Between Mission and Missions?
Unless Christians are able to understand the difference between mission and missions, they will never understand that we all are involved in mission–the mission of God.

Consumerism In the Church Hinders the Great Commission
Current church cultures and practices are inward efforts to reach the masses who may come inside the church week after week and even fall prey to their own self-righteous routine and good works, but these people will never be able to go out and make disciples.

Alternative Proposals to John’s Authorship of the Johannine Letters
I would like to look at three alternative proposals to John’s authorship of the Johannine letters. My hope is to answer a few very critical questions about John’s authorship of the Johannine letters by summarizing the internal and external evidence in favor of John’s authorship.

Book Review: The Master Plan of Evangelism by Robert E. Coleman
Today, when churches in the USA are looking for specific models or strategies that can help them to grow faster with less time commitment, Coleman argues for following Jesus’ model of spending most of His time with a few individuals. The issue with such a recommendation is that the church in the USA neither has the patience nor the time for such a slow paced strategy.

Erdogan’s Fury over the Arab-Israel Relationship
The normalization between the Arabs and Israelis diminishes Turkey’s role as the chief mediator between Israel and the Muslim world, so Erdogan’s anguish probably comes from fear of an “Arab option.”
About
I launched this resource site in 2010 with a vision to challenge views and change hearts through comprehensive, thought-provoking writing, interviews, and discussions.
I share articles and posts on current world issues related to religion, theology, and politics. I seek to articulate the public meaning of faith, bringing the resources of religious tradition to bear on such topics as poverty, human rights, economic justice, international relations, national priorities, popular culture, and yes, even politics, as long as it is related to faith.
I occasionally publish posts by other authors to include a variety of voices. f you would like to write an article for this site, please contact me. I am interested in pieces that examine or critique the theology and ethos of individual religious communities, and I welcome articles that find fresh meaning in old traditions and that adapt or apply religious traditions to new circumstances. Please allow four to six weeks for a response.