Were missionaries an integral part of the colonial enterprise? Were they simply swept up in it? Or were they on-the-ground critics? Those are the themes that engage most books on the topic, often from academic presses, these days. Those works…
When we consider the modern missionary movement, we usually think of places like Africa, Asia and Latin America, where its impact has been dramatic. They are now the centre of world Christianity, while the faith has weakened to varying degrees…
Mission Fest has weathered some storms and has carried on – earlier this year and again next February – in Chilliwack. It’s well worth the drive for those of us who live in Metro Vancouver. But for those who can’t,…
As I have pointed out earlier in this series, missions and missionaries have not received the amount of attention they warrant. The good news, though, is that many new books are considering the missionary enterprise. Some authors are still writing…
Psalm 126; Isaiah 43:8-15; Philippians 2:25-3:1 Day 27 | Friday, April 4 I posted an overview of Union Gospel Mission’s Lent Devotional March 6 and am posting four excerpts during March and early April. This week’s entry is by Xavier Law, Cantonese…
This article is part of a series called ‘Christianity: a missionary religion.’ As I said in the introduction to the series, mostly, I’ll look at recently published books. It is encouraging to see that, while most churches and Christian bookstores have largely…
I’ve had a few interactions recently that strongly suggest to me that church tradition trumps Scripture when it comes to a definition of mission. Many Christians from a Protestant background would define mission as crossing from one culture to another…
This article is part of a series called ‘Christianity: a missionary religion.’ As I said in the introduction to the series: Mostly, I’ll look at recently published books. It is encouraging to see that, while most churches and Christian bookstores…
I posted seven articles earlier this year in a series called ‘Christianity: a missionary religion.’ At the time, I said the seventh one was the last – but I’ve changed my mind, having discovered that many good books on missions…
When missionaries are mentioned these days, the comments are often critical, even hostile. A hundred years ago, the general tone throughout society was much more positive – though that was often not the case up and down the coast of…