Category: Relationships
Personal Reflections on Lausanne 4
In this post I reflect back on my experience of Lausanne 4. While there is much to celebrate about the event, the motives of the Lausanne executives made explicit throughout it left much to be desired. After noting highlights, I examine some of the things that concerned me most.
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Hope for L4: Transcending Differences for the Common Cause of Christ
The fourth Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization is rapidly approaching. This is the first time I am participating. While I have appreciated the resulting documents from the past three, I am aware of the contention around their forming. This is my hope for Lausanne 4.
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Let The World Know
This post highlights the influence of women in the growth of the global Church, taking a cue from the mother of King Lemuel. The post introduces me (Jay) as the new Opinion Editor for Christian Daily International and my commitment to using the position to amplify the voices of the unheard.
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Emissaries of the Way
In the tussle between liberalism and conservatism in Christian witness, there is a midway that holds the tension between the two, but Scripture (assuming its authority) repeated reinforces a non-negotiable in and out criteria for those who dwell in the Kingdom, shalom, New Jerusalem… New Creation.
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Joining The Faith
Can we accept Jesus and not feel the need to adopt the Judeo-Christian religious history contained in the Bible? To conservative Western Christians this seems a no-brainer, but to indigenous followers of Jesus the answer is not so straightforward. In this post I tackle it from a Māori Christian perspective.
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Co-Creating Safety
Psalm 34:4-7 speaks of the Lord’s salvation. To illustrate the real-world meaning I share from the homily I presented at my uncle’s funeral. The subject leads me to call out those among us who threaten safety, especially of the young and vulnerable. We must remain diligent in our protection of one another.
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Yielding To Gravity
How do we maintain “unity of mind, thought, and purpose” as we participate in God’s mission? It can seem to be an impossible ask in contexts of diversity. But harmony starts with our commitment to allow ‘others’ to express their faith in contextual terms, within the gravity and boundaries of being “in-Christ”.
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Damaging Detachment
What does it look like to co-create New Creation? It does not look like clinically undermining a suffering part of the global Church from a detached distance that’s for sure. This post argues that healthy contextualisation and intercultural intelligence is required to co-create New Creation.
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Nil By Force
This post tackles a tendency for some to get aggressive in our evangelism and missions approach. A triumphalist mindset remains prevalent in global missions circles but the posture encouraged in Scripture is that of quiet humility, gentleness, and honouring others’ dignity.
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Whose Side Are You On?
In a world marked by conflicts, it is appropriate to ask “whose side are you on?” as we start a new year. The question arises from Joshua 5 and this post is a prelude to a longer 2023 Leader’s Missions Forecast essay distributed to the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission network.
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Antichrist
Death is associated with separation, so too the antichrist/s. Anger is associated with separation which can lead to death if it is not well processed. It is transformational if it is well processed. Protest can be a legitimate expression of anger, but ultimately our aim should always be to process toward reconciliation.
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Toxic Goodness
In a world being ripped apart before our very eyes we could all use a bit of love, faith, and peace right now. But there’s a reason for the dysfunction we see around us and it is called Sin. That’s not a popular opinion these days, but what if Sin was simply the imposition of good upon others? This post explores that very question.
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