Since its initial publication in 1981, the missions anthology Perspectives on the World Christian Movement has been read (or skimmed) by countless seminary and college students, missionaries, and interested lay people. In my case, I got to read it in both undergrad and graduate classes (with detailed quizzes to ensure I hadn't skimmed!). As my wife and I pursue God's call on us to missions, I wanted to share some of the best of this huge volume with her. So essentially, which essays would one find most vital from this huge series (I have the 3rd edition in case anyone wonders)? If you … [Read more...] about “Perspectives on the World Christian Movement”
Book Review: “Radical” by David Platt
Book Review- “Radical” by David Platt Following blogs and the general “word” on the ‘Net around the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting, I kept hearing one surprising piece of information that didn’t involve convention motions or politics. The general buzz concerned a sermon at the Pastor’s Conference by a pastor from Alabama named David Platt. After opening his sermon with quotations from the Psalms calling for praise, Platt challenged those present (and who would later listen or watch electronically) that we as churches and as a convention had the choice to “die in our … [Read more...] about Book Review: “Radical” by David Platt
Megachurch Missionaries and “Unnecessary Duplication”
This post is more of a question than a rant. Actually, it's not even close to a rant, so if you were wanting something like that, disappointment awaits you. I know that one of the major aims of the GCR movement is to eliminate what many feel are unnecessary duplications and everyone's favorite pinata, "bureaucracy." I would hope that any of us would see that requiring multiple layers of oversight by different entities can create a confusing and ineffective system, even when we might disagree on how to fix those issues. So, here's my question: I know of several larger churches that while … [Read more...] about Megachurch Missionaries and “Unnecessary Duplication”
The “Spiritual” vs. “Structural” Red Herring
I’m looking forward to the final Great Commission Resurgence Task Force (GCRTF) report coming in a few days. If the widespread and differing reactions to their initial progress report were any indication, we Southern Baptists will have a lot to discuss in the next month or two! But I would like to consider a potential red herring in our discussions that I have seen pop up a time or two in the different reactions I have read to the initial report, and that undoubtedly will reappear once the final report comes out. This “red herring” that appears is the response of some that “Well, the … [Read more...] about The “Spiritual” vs. “Structural” Red Herring