Categories
Observations

Syncretism?

The Western evangelical church, in contrast to its counterpart in the global South, has had a fatal attraction to contemporary consumer culture and made a fateful alliance with it. The attractions is not unlike the one the people and kings of ancient Israel had with the Asherahs and the Balls. Like ancient Israel’s subtle entanglement […]

Categories
Reviews

1,000 Years of Annoying the French

I’m not sure what to make of this book. It is well written and laugh-out-loud funny in parts, but it is also far too long. Basically, it has one running joke, which is that many of the things which are viewed as quintessentially French are not quite as Gallic as we might think; for example […]

Categories
Bible & Mission

Western Dominance in World Mission: Time for a Change?

From the Global Connections Website: The forum held on the 25 May 2011 at CMF as part of the Thinking Mission series was intended to look at the issues of   continued Western dominance in mission – was this the case and if so what could be done about it? The genesis of the question had […]

Categories
Bible & Mission

It Isn’t About Going: The Great Commission 9

Everyone knows that the Great Commission says ‘Go into all the world’ or words to that effect. Actually, it doesn’t. When we read the Gospels, we have to remember that we are reading an account, written in Greek, of a discourse given in Aramaic, with the whole lot translated into English. While the central thrust […]

Categories
Mission

Authority: The Great Commission 8

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And […]

Categories
Do Not Use

Bible and Mission Links 5

Bible Translation The Wycliffe UK blog has some fascinating insights into a new and revolutionary translation of the Bible.While the Mennonite Weekly Review has some terrific insights about Bible translation from a Ghanaian and an Indian theologian. Philip Hewer looks at some of the problems of translating Hebrew poetry in a fun little post entitled […]

Categories
Do Not Use

Travel in Madagascar

A short (20 seconds or so) montage of Sue’s travels in (and over)  Madagascar in May 2011.  

Categories
Observations

Get Your Wallet Out!

As you might know, I’m in training for the High Wycombe half-marathon which takes place in about five weeks’ time. I’m hoping that kind people (that means you) will be willing to sponsor me and to raise money for a translation and literacy project in Ghana. I’ll be posting more details later, but in the […]

Categories
Bible & Mission

Worship: The Great Commission 7

This series on the “Great Commission” now turns to look at the things which Matthew mentions but which are omitted by Luke in his account. Let’s start off by looking at what might be seen as the prologue to the commission: Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told […]

Categories
Bible & Mission Computing/Internet

Bible and Mission Links 4

Sue is currently in Madagascar doing some translation checking; this is a good excuse to start this week’s offering with a blog post by Wayne Leman at Better Bible’s Blog on that very subject. Wayne starts off with a fascinating story. Early in my work with the Cheyennes, one of the church elders told me […]