Posted on June 11th, 2008 by Mr. Mark Naylor
Other Categories: Cultural Issues • Culture • Evangelism • Missiology
Tags: Culture • Missions
NOTE: A companion workshop to these articles is available to multi-ethnic churches that provides information, exercises and interaction to encourage the implementation of those disciplines that promote healthy intercultural relationships. Please contact Mark at mark.naylor@twu.ca
Whose rules rule?
In the innovative cultural simulation game, Barnga, created by Sivasailam Thiagarajan, groups of people play a simple card game [...]
Posted on April 10th, 2008 by Mr. Mark Naylor
Other Categories: Cultural Issues • Culture • Leadership • Missiology
Tags: Bible • Church • Cross • Culture • Jesus • Leaders • Leadership • Prayer • Seminary
The Power Distance Contrast
In Pakistan there is a strong tradition of "holy men" who are called Pirs. One day I had a visit from a young man who informed me that he was the Pir of his village. I was puzzled by this because he was dressed in modern clothes and did not have the [...]
Posted on April 4th, 2008 by Mr. Mark Naylor
Other Categories: Church • Culture
Tags: Church • Cross • Culture • God • Seminary
In the book UnChristian (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2007), which deals with research from the Barna group, David Kinnaman refers to a survey which asked the participants to agree or disagree with the statement, “Christian churches accept and love people unconditionally, regardless of how people look or what they do” (p. 185). 20% of [...]
Posted on February 18th, 2008 by Dr. Brian Rapske
Other Categories: Bible Study • Christian Life • Culture
Tags: God • Jesus
You can’t get away from it. Everyone’s talking about profits and losses.
The global economy is moving into a deep recession–perhaps even a depression–some say. Others are just as convinced that the markets are moving through a period of "turbulent correction" trying to find "a bottom" from which they will eventually "power upward" again to new [...]
Posted on December 13th, 2007 by Mr. Mark Naylor
Other Categories: Cultural Issues • Culture • Evangelism • Hermeneutics • Missiology
Tags: Church • Culture • Gospel • Seminary • Theology
Everyday Theology: How to Read Cultural Texts and Interpret Trends
Edited by Kevin J. Vanhoozer, Charles A. Anderson, Michael J. Sleasman. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007. 285 pages, $29.99, paperback.
Most of our churches in the Fellowship are not missional, but communal in orientation. That is, their primary orientation towards the community in which they are placed [...]
Posted on November 14th, 2007 by Mr. Mark Naylor
Other Categories: Bible • Cultural Issues • Culture • Hermeneutics • Missiology
Tags: Bible • Cross • Culture • God • Jesus • Seminary
Three ways to understand the Bible
My wife, Karen, heard a message by a young woman with no theological training on Jer 29:11, “I know the plans I have for you….” The young woman spoke of the verse as if it was addressed to us today and talked about the plans God has for us. Although [...]
Posted on November 9th, 2007 by Dr. Brian Rapske
Other Categories: Culture • Issues of the Day
Tags: Church
The news in our city about gang wars and violence is deeply disturbing.
Over the past several weeks news articles and reports have been featured regarding a particularly gruesome targeted gang hit on six individuals at a high rise apartment complex. Four of the individuals were young men deeply involved in the drug trade and well [...]
Posted on November 5th, 2007 by Mr. Mark Naylor
Other Categories: Cultural Issues • Culture • Missiology • Seminary • Translation Issues
Tags: Bible • Culture • God • Gospel • Missions • New Testament • Old Testament • Translation
I am slow. I have come to the realization – at least a full decade after more perceptive and observant thinkers – that we are no longer in the information age; we are in the networking age. Facebook is not about information, but about connecting. Due to the ease of access and overwhelming quantity of [...]
Posted on October 31st, 2007 by Dr. Brian Rapske
Other Categories: Culture • Hell
Tags: Cross • Culture
Tonight is Halloween.
The weather reports in our area give a 60% chance for rain this evening. Visibility will be worse than usual. I expect that we’ll all need to drive home especially carefully in the darkness tonight. Children, normally safe at home after dark, will be costumed and out tonight; more mindful of the prospects [...]
Posted on October 18th, 2007 by Dr. Larry Perkins
Other Categories: Christian Life • ChurchTalk • Culture • Evangelism
Tags: Church • Culture • God • Jesus • Marriage
In a recent issue of Mcleans a lead article raised the alarm that our Canadian commitment to multiculturalism may be eroding. The key question that Canadians are debating is this: what reasonable accommodations should Canadians make to cultural and religious minorities? Where should the limits be drawn? The writer claimed that many in Canada are [...]
Posted on October 17th, 2007 by Mr. Loren Warkentin
Other Categories: Bible • Bible Study • Christian Life • Culture
Tags: Bible • Church • Culture • God • Gospel • Leaders • New Testament • Prayer • Scripture • Translation
There is, today, a proliferation of articles, books and speakers discussing the topic of “hearing God”. Several well known evangelical preachers and leaders have weighed in with their contributions. I did a web search on the words “hearing God” and was fascinated by what came up. Page after page listing web sites, books, articles and other [...]
Posted on October 10th, 2007 by Dr. Kenton Anderson
Other Categories: Cultural Issues • Culture • Marriage
Tags: Seminary
Our NBS board recently received a copy of demographic information based on the 2006 Canadian Census. The results are no less interesting for the fact that they are predictable. Some key areas of interest…
-over 5.8 million Canadian taxfilers donated a record $7.9 billion to charities that provide offical tax receipts – almost 1% more donors, [...]
Posted on September 27th, 2007 by Mr. Loren Warkentin
Other Categories: Christian Life • Culture • Godliness
Tags: Bible • Culture • God • Gospel • Jesus
On my way to work this morning the radio station to which I was listening had an announcement regarding some of the up-coming fall TV shows. I found myself reacting to the announcer’s casual monologue. What he was describing was entertainment comprised of watching godless and adulterous relationships, of watching actors and actresses portraying a society whose [...]