Meet Cultural Intelligence Ambassador, Wilbur Sargunaraj - @wilburworldwide

Today, I want to ensure that all of my readers have been properly introduced to my new friend, Mr. Wilbur Sargunaraj.  Wilbur is known around the world as "India's First YouTube Star" and has several million views on his YouTube channel to prove it.  He's gained his "Simple Superstar" status first through great comedy and music, but I am discovering that this is only the tip of the iceberg for Mr. Wilbur!

What I love most about Wilbur is his role as a global ambassador for "Cultural Intelligence" (CQ).  CQ is a concept that comes from David Livermore, who's book Serving with Eyes Wide Open is something I've recommended for years.  In his passion to bring equality and unity in the context of an increasingly globalized and diverse world, Wilbur is traveling the world on a mission to raise up "First Class" world citizens who know how to engage cross-culturally and treasure people from all backgrounds.

As I've been getting to know Mr. Wilbur recently, I have been delighted to find a man of deep humility who is passionately seeking to use his gifts to make the world a better place.  I find the Lord giving me a deep appreciation and respect for the work he is doing and know that you will also.

Here's a quick introduction "Wilburwood" --

Wilbur's most popular music video: Love Marriage:


A couple very popular CQ videos on how to use Indian, European and Japanese toilets (worlds apart):


The trailer for Wilbur's upcoming feature film, Simple Superstar:


And, most importantly, get a taste of Wilbur's heart for critical global issues by watching "Why Poverty":


I would also encourage you to check out Mr. Wilbur on Facebook and Twitter.

The World is Our Neighborhood

I've recently come across a very cool blog that I immediately subscribed to.  It is called "The World is Our Neighborhood" and is a very diaspora missions-focused blog written by Nathan and Rachel Harper who live and serve in the global mega city of Atlanta.  Anyway, I love what I'm seeing at the Harpers' blog and would especially direct your attention to some of the most recent posts.

1. Winter Links -- Here are 25 links to get you through the rest of the cold winter, grouped together by topic:  Diaspora Missions & Global Cities [1-8]; Books (reading list for GFM's disciple-making apprentices) [9-15];Family Discipleship Resources [16-18]; Missionary Blogs [19-21]; Recent Posts (from this blog) [22-25]; plus a few bonus links (sorry, can't help myself).

2. Bullet Points: Buddhism -- this is a great, short summary on Buddhism with missiological applications

Needless to say, I am very excited to see future posts by the Harpers.  I hope you will check out their blog today and become a subscriber.  By the way, I have included them in the "Diaspora Mission Twitter List" which you should also subscribe to.


Tweets from @codytibm/diaspora-mission

"Dullness become God" - Sinclair Lewis, Contextualization, Diaspora, & American Churchianity

Okay, it's not really what Sinclair was writing about in his 1920 masterpiece, Main Street, but, I can't help but draw the parallels.  Of course, you'd have to read all the preceding chapters to really appreciate it, but chapter 22 of his novel is a work of genius. I have included an excerpt below that I believe could just as easily describe the dominant American Evangelical Church culture of today as it described the American prairie town of a century ago.  And read on to the excerpt describing first generation Scandinavians and you will see something so hauntingly similar to what I see occurring in the diaspora churches today. Sadly, it is also what is happening as people from various cultural backgrounds come to Christ and learn, within a generation or so, to forsake and forget all the beauty, uniqueness, and richness of their own cultures in favor of some kind of safe, monotone, legalistic, American Churchianity.  In Lewis's words, it is "dullness become God".

It is an unimaginatively standardized background, a sluggishness of speech and manners, a rigid ruling of the spirit by the desire to appear respectable. It is contentment… the contentment of the quiet dead, who are scornful of the living for their restless walking. It is negation canonized as the one positive virtue. It is the prohibition of happiness. It is slavery self-sought and self-defended. It is dullness made God.

A savorless people, gulping tasteless food, and sitting afterward, coatless and thoughtless, in rocking-chairs prickly with inane decorations, listening to mechanical music, saying mechanical things about the excellence of Ford automobiles, and viewing themselves as the greatest race in the world.

She had inquired as to the effect of this dominating dullness upon foreigners. She remembered the feeble exotic quality to be found in the first-generation Scandinavians; she recalled the Norwegian Fair at the Lutheran Church, to which Bea had taken her. There, in the bondestue, the replica of a Norse farm kitchen, pale women in scarlet jackets embroidered with gold thread and colored beads, in black skirts with a line of blue, green-striped aprons, and ridged caps very pretty to set off a fresh face, had served rommegrod og lefse—sweet cakes and sour milk pudding spiced with cinnamon. For the first time in Gopher Prairie Carol had found novelty. She had reveled in the mild foreignness of it.

But she saw these Scandinavian women zealously exchanging their spiced puddings and red jackets for fried pork chops and congealed white blouses, trading the ancient Christmas hymns of the fjords for “She’s My Jazzland Cutie,” being Americanized into uniformity, and in less than a generation losing in the grayness whatever pleasant new customs they might have added to the life of the town. Their sons finished the process. In ready-made clothes and ready-made high-school phrases they sank into propriety, and the sound American customs had absorbed without one trace of pollution another alien invasion.

And along with these foreigners, she felt herself being ironed into glossy mediocrity, and she rebelled, in fear.

Flatland, Lineland, Spaceland and Cross-cultural Mission

Recently, I completed an old classic novel by Edwin Abbot entitled Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions.  I mention it here because (and maybe I see missiology where it is not) I found some interesting insights of missiological significance.  In short, the book is written as a memoir of a "square" that lives in "Flatland" - the world of 2-dimensions.  Most of the book is spent describing this world to those of us in "Spaceland" who exist in three (or four really . . . we'll talk later) dimensions.  This, itself is fascinating -- yes, even to someone like myself who tends to recoil at the mere mention of the word mathematics.  The Square's descriptions of life and society in Flatland bring to mind innumerable issues related to social justice, class and caste, gender roles, government, and much more.

But it was the last chapters of the book that really made me love Flatland.  I will avoid any spoilers here, but suffice it to say that the chapter describing communication between the Square in Flatland with the king of "Lineland" is simply full of terrific cross-cultural insights.  This chapter is then followed by concluding chapters which are much more explicitly missiological as the "gospel of three-dimensions" is proclaimed by a sphere entering the home of the Square in Flatland.  But, I'll leave it there.

I would heartily commend to you Abbot's classic regardless of your interest in mission (unless you prefer a moving story which require little reflection).  However, if you are into missiology, I would put Flatland right next to Alice in Wonderland on my list of great, unexpected missiological texts.  Check it out!

[HERE IS A FREE PDF WITH ILLUSTRATIONS OF FLATLAND]

A Place of Healing by Joni Eareckson Tada

I just finished Joni Eareckson Tada's latest book A Place of Healing.  Friends, if you have never read or listened to anything by Joni, please do.  I don't know how else to describe this woman except as a global treasure for the body of Christ.  The path marked out for her by the Lord has been so unique and her ministry and message so profound that it is simply impossible to estimate what value she has brought to the Church over the years.  I still remember the life-changing impact her book Heaven: Your Real Home had on me years ago as a young youth minister in Oklahoma.  Now, having tasted the tears of nearly 15 years of ministry, sitting to learn at Joni's feet again is a very refreshing and humbling experience.  I was sad that she wasn't able to come to Cape Town for Lausanne III back in 2010.  I still hope I get a chance to meet her this side of eternity.  So, go and read (or listen to, it is available in audio) Joni's book and also check out the ministry she leads at Joni and Friends.

The Spiritual Life by Evelyn Underhill

For the second time, I have now prayed through Evelyn Underhill's The Spiritual Life.  Underhill was known as an "Anglo-Catholic" writer and thinker in the early part of the 20th century who wrote chiefly on spirituality and mysticism.  I haven't read anything else by her, but I have really enjoyed this particular book--twice.

This second time through, I feel that I picked up on areas in which I would probably disagree with her if we were to discuss the topic further.  However, Underhill writes with such profundity and insight that it is simply very difficult to point out places where she is wrong.  Besides, it isn't really a theological treatise that Underhill is presenting to us here (though the book is certainly very theological).  It is much more of a meditation, a devotional of sorts.  The book begs to be read in the presence of the Lord and in conversation with Him.  And that conversation isn't supposed to be about Evelyn at all, about whether you and God agree with her doctrinal positions.  It is to be a conversation about your communion with God.  And I think Underhill does a pretty good job of keeping us from wriggling away from that.

So, I recommend The Spiritual Life for mature Christians who just need to sit at the feet of an old saint like Evelyn Underhill and listen to the wisdom she's gotten from the Lord.  Enjoy!

You can purchase the book from Amazon.com by following the link above.  Or, the full text is available online for free here.

Best Practices for Reaching People Groups

Truth be told, I spent most of my time in meetings today rather than enjoying the official proceedings of the North Central States Rally here in Indianapolis.  However, I did get to enjoy participating in a little panel discussion entitled "Best Practices for Reaching People Groups."  Though brief, we had a good discussion with a number of church leaders about discovering and reaching out to various people groups in their contexts.  And, well, since I have nothing of much pith nor wit to share tonight, let me share some of the resources from that session.


1. You can go to this page if you'd like to download a copy of the powerpoint presentation that Dr. Van Kicklighter prepared for the session.  


2. I shared a few web-based tools designed to help you discover people groups in your context.  Here they are:

• http://www.islamicfinder.org (to help you find Muslims around you)
• http://www.anywho.com/whitepages or http://www.whitepages.com (to search for other people groups by looking up last names and plotting resulting addresses on http://maps.google.com)
• http://www.rudhratek.com/ (to find Hindu temples in your area)

3. Beyond this, I was asked if I had written other things that might be available.  I will direct you to my Lausanne Conversation page for a bunch of stuff.  Also, you can check out the following:

• Lorance, Cody C. (2011). The Third Lausanne Congress: Assessing Cape Town 2010’s Contribution to the Cause of Christ.  In A. Scott Moreau & B. Snodderly (Eds.), Evangelical and Frontier Mission: Perspectives on the Global Progress of the Gospel.  Oxford: Regnum.
• Lorance, Cody C. (Ed.). (2008). Ethnographic Chicago: Considering College Students and Ethiopian & Tamilian Immigrants Missiologically. Chicago, IL: Chicago Metropolitan Baptist Association.
• Lorance, Cody C. (2006). Contextualization in church-planting missions: What is it?, Chicago-Style Church Planting 2(1), 1.
• Lorance, Cody C. (2006). Holistic spiritual conflict in a folk Hindu context, Dharma Deepika 10(2), 55-67.
• Lorance, Cody C. (2006). The Holy Spirit and the pace of mission, Evangelical Missions Quarterly 42(3), 326-332.
• Lorance, Cody C. (2005). Cultural relevance and doctrinal soundness: The mission of Roberto de Nobili, Missiology: an International Review 33(4), 415-424.
• Lorance, Cody. (2002). Islam: The missing peace, Midwest Christian Outreach Journal 8(2), 12-15

Finally, don't forget that you can invite me to speak/teach at your church or conference.  Just keep in mind that I only fly first class and prefer my grapes peeled.  

That was a joke.

Best of the Web: Bhutanese-Nepali Refugees (Lots of Good Stuff!)

Today, I'd like to just provide an annotated list of some intriguing articles related to Bhutanese-Nepali refugees (in some cases more generally about refugees).  I spend time regularly scouring the web for news and information relevant to these people and try to pass on those things I find most interesting.  Here goes:

Regional Snap Shots [The following are shared because I find they serve as missiological case studies from which can be drawn insights which may prove relevant to many other diaspora contexts.]

New Hampshire's City of Manchester Debates a Moratorium on Refugee Resettlement
This is a truly fascinating look and how some people respond to the influx of refugees.  In the mid-sized and prosperous (only 4.5% unemployment) city of Manchester, NH some government officials a claiming to be overwhelmed by cities refugee population. How many refugees you ask?  A mere 2,000 over the past decade!

The Refugee Scene in Durham, NC
Interesting snap shot on one of the smaller refugee resettlement hubs. Interesting tidbits here.

Violence and Ethnic Tensions in Areas of Columbus, OH where Refugees Live
This presents more information on the very troubled areas of Columbus where many refugees and other immigrants have resettled.  Many of the tensions appear to arise from conflict and mistrust between immigrant populations and long-time residents of these impoverished urban areas.  There is much to learn here about diaspora dynamics and poverty.  What is happening in Columbus is happening in many other places as well.

Teeming Diversity in Fargo, ND Public Schools
Here is a feature that provides a nice picture at the ELL (English Language Learner) programs in public schools in Fargo, ND.  What is described here is very similar to what is going on in many other cities as well.

Bhutanese Refugees in the Suburbs of Baltimore
This is a sweeping story about the Bhutanese-Nepali refugee experience and gives a pretty good sense of what is going on in Maryland.  It also features about 20 beautiful photos.

Burlington, VT Considers Giving Refugees the Right-to-Vote Prior to Gaining Citizenship
Fascinating idea.

Blogs to Follow [I follow these blogs for the information they provide related to Bhutanese-Nepalis.]

BhutanPDX -- "Building Cultural Bridges: Bhutan - Nepal - Oregon"
This blog is dedicated to the production of a documentary film highlighting the "coming to America" experience for Bhutanese-Nepalis.  The film is posted there now.

Bhutan News Service
This ends up being my primary source of news relevant to Bhutanese refugees.  The bulk of the stories relate to happenings back in the camps and occasionally the news is more Bhutan-focused.  However, I have found many stories to be quite helpful.

Refugees Voice
The blog says that it shares news pertaining to all refugees, but it is really pretty exclusively focused on the Bhutanese.

Refugee Watch
This blog has a more general, refugee focus.

Special Topics [The following articles provide specialized information that you may not have found elsewhere pertaining to the Bhutanese-Nepalis]


Medical Treatment Issues
This is an article written for healthcare providers designed to give a brief introduction to Bhutanese-Nepalis for the sake of improving the quality of healthcare they receive.

B-12 Deficiency
This may seem like a small issue.  However, I am pretty well persuaded that B-12 deficiency is responsible for quite a lot of health and psychological problems suffered by the Bhutanese.  I have seen how they eat.  Heck, I have spent quite a lot of time eating how they eat.  This is a real thing.

Secondary Resettlement
If you want to understand refugees, you must understand the issue of "secondary resettlement". Here's an excellent picture slideshow and article that presents one story.

Mental Health
I have posted this before, but while we are on special topics, it deserved another mention.

J.D. Payne's Leading Your Church in Church Planting

I am a church planter, a trainer and supervisor of church planters, and one who regularly teaches about church planting. However, I read very, very little about church planting. It isn't that I don't read. I do. However, for the most part, when I see books about church planting on the shelf of a book store (or even in my own library), my reflex is either to yawn or sneer. For that matter, though I am an avid writer, I rarely feel tempted to write about church planting. I'm not entirely sure why. Nor am I entirely sure where I'm going with this train of thought.

What I will say is that if you offer me a free book by a noted missiologist on church planting that I can read in about an hour, you will get my attention. Well, J.D. Payne's Leading Your Church in Church Planting is exactly that. I had downloaded it a while back and decided to try reading on my phone. This I accomplished while waiting for a lunch appointment today. J.D.'s book is a simple and stripped down introduction for churches that find themselves interested in church planting. I can definitely see myself recommending the work for potential church planters or potential sponsor churches. In fact, that's kind of what I'm doing right now, isn't it.

I encourage you to download J.D.'s free e-book now and pass it around to any Christian leader who might be considering getting involved in church planting at some level. That is precisely what I plan to do myself.

Missiologically Thinking » Free E-Book: Leading Your Church in Church Planting: "Few churches in North America are involved in church planting. I want to be involved in changing this unfortunate reality. This 62-page work is designed to encourage and provide some guidance for pastors considering such missionary work. While some elements of this book will be of value to pastors who are already leading their churches in church planting, this resource was not written with them in mind. The content is very basic. It is written for those approaching the starting line–not those already in the race."

SALE: Evangelical and Frontier Mission from the William Carey Library

Just wanted to give another "shout out" for the recent Regnum book to which I contributed a chapter. I've just noticed that Evangelical and Frontier Mission is available in the William Carey Library for just $25. That's quite a discount from what you can find on Amazon! I encourage you to buy the book. In addition to my chapter focused on Cape Town 2010, you will find great contributions from Scott Moreau, Rene Padilla, Enoch Wan, Ralph Winter and others. Some accolades for the book include:

"This extraordinary compendium documents and illustrates the movement from what Edinburgh 1910 designated as 'unoccupied fields' to what R. Winter strategically designated as 'unreached people groups' thus repioneering frontier missiology focused on 'finishing the task.'"
-- Peter Kuzmic


"This important volume demonstrates that, 100 years after the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh, Evangelicalism has become truly global. Twenty-first-century Evangelicalism continues to focus on frontier mission, but significantly, and in the spirit of Edinburgh 1910, it also has re-engaged social action. Pentecostalism exhibits a similar direction, and these characteristics (global reach, frontier focus, social engagement) point to a vibrant future for both movements. At the same time, however, the essays in this volume present a cautionary tale of overstating goals and plans as they relate to proclamation and development."
-- Todd Johnson, Associate Professor of Global Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

You can also read a bit of a review and recommendation by American missiologist, J.D. Payne at http://www.jdpayne.org/2011/12/21/evangelical-and-frontier-mission/.

Evangelical and Frontier Mission :: Snodderly, Beth :: Authors and Editors :: William Carey Library: "The centennial celebrations of the Edinburgh 1910 conference offered Christians of all stripes multiple opportunities to reflect on the past century of mission. Over the course of the twentieth century one of the stories of the church that has moved towards center stage is the growth of evangelicalism around the world. While certainly until the late 1980s this went largely unnoticed among the academic elite of the world, even so by then the vast majority of the missionaries serving to and from every corner of the globe were be framed in some way by this evangelical surge. As we reflect on the past century, then, the stories of the evangelical world church deserve to be heard. This volume is part of the Regnum Edinburgh 2010 Centenary Series."

A Mad, Missiological Tea Party

Of late, I've been trying to consume more classic literature.  I'm working through several pieces now and hope that as I complete them, I will be able to offer at least a little reflection -- hopefully a missiological one, to share with you.  I feel I need to make myself do that for the sake of my own self-discipline.  Plus, it makes me look smart.  Right?

Well, my first test comes as I have just reached the end of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.   The Disney film version had done a pretty good job of keeping me away from the Carroll's original work for most of my life.  It was learning how easily I could read it on my phone (thanks Google Books) that motivated me to dig in.  Overall, I found the book to be silly, funny, and very clever.  But no one needs me to vouch for Carroll's classic in that regard.  The key question of this blog for Wonderland is whether or not we might draw up from the rabbit hole any missiological insights.

In my experience in reading through the book, it was somewhere towards the end of chapter seven, "A Mad Tea Party", that I actually did begin to think about Carroll's work missiologically.  At the end of Alice's rather ridiculous encounter with the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, she marches off in disgust at what she has interpreted as unbearable rudeness.  Looking back over her shoulder, hoping they would call her to come back and rejoin the tea party, she catches a final glimpse of them, now trying to cram their friend, the Dormouse into a teapot.  The picture provided in Carroll's original work is quite hilarious.  At this, Alice promises herself:

"At any rate I'll never go there again!  It's the stupidest tea-party I ever was at in all my life."


Now, I don't think for a minute that Carroll was trying to say anything much about cultural anthropology, but that scene of Alice storming away from a frustrating and confusing tea party with people she deemed to be crazy, stupid and uncivilized is just about one of the best illustrations I've seen of what happens when we cross cultures.  More often than not, we go in with a certain set of unexamined expectations, definitions, presumptions and rarely ever consider that those to whom we go have their own ideas which may be very different. We may think that we are communicating one thing, but it is received as something entirely different.  Let's take a quick look at Alice's introduction to the Hatter, March Hare, and Dormouse:

There was a table set out under a tree in front of the house, and the March Hare and the Hatter were having tea at it; a Dormouse was sitting between them, fast asleep, and the other two were using it as a cushion, resting their elbows on it, and talking over its head. "Very uncomfortable for the Dormouse," thought Alice; "only as it's asleep, I suppose it doesn't mind."


Immediately upon entering the cross-cultural environment, Alice begins sizing up the scene and interpreting what she sees according to her own worldview.  For example, she sees the Dormouse being used as a cushion and assumes that this is an act of unkindness on the part of the Hatter and Hare.  This process of interpretation, of course, can hardly be avoided.  However, the reflective cross-cultural practioner must be aware that it is happening.  Alice shows signs of this, checking her judgement a bit and granting that since the Dormouse is asleep, he may indeed be plenty comfortable.

The table was a large one, but the three were all crowded together at one corner of it. "No room! No room!" They cried out when they saw Alice coming.  "There's plenty of room!" said Alice indignantly, and she sat down in a large arm-chair at one end of the table.


"Have some wine," the March Hare said in an encouraging tone.


Alice looked all around the table, but there was nothing on it but tea. "I don't see any wine," she remarked.


"There isn't any," said the March Hare.


"Then it wasn't very civil of you to offer it," said Alice angrily.


"It wasn't very civil of you to sit down without being invited," said the March Hare.


I see here a great illustration of cross-cultural conflict.  Alice, by disregarding the cries of "no room", commits a cultural blunder that is interpreted by the hosts as rude and, as we would discover later in the chapter, actually creates a hardship for them.  Alice, completely unaware of her mistake focuses instead on pointing out what they have done wrong.  She gets angry and is the first to openly criticize.  When confronted with her mistake, she dismisses it and essentially blames them for causing the problem:

"I didn't know it was your table," said Alice: "it's laid for a great many more than three".

In Alice's mind, whatever mistake she may have made was the result of the actions of the hosts.  Her actions were only reasonable.  Anyone else would have done the same thing.

Well, it goes on like that for several pages.  Some points of the tea party are very rich indeed from a cross-cultural perspective.  Again, that final, funny scene of the Hatter and Hare stuffing the Dormouse into a teapot says it all.  Alice, the outsider, storming away in a huff. Convinced of her rightness.  Frustrated with the hosts' foreignness.  Looking at their seemingly inexplicable actions with contempt.  "The stupidest tea party!"

I'd encourage any of you that are engaged in training cross-cultural workers to take a look at Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and especially the chapter about the "Mad Tea Party".  And, if you do end up using it in any training exercises or if you have any insights from the chapter you'd like to share, please comment below.

Building Bridges: Perspectives on Baptist Unity (Reviewed)

WARNING: If you are not a Southern Baptist, you might find the following very uninteresting.

Here from the seclusion of my secret personal retreat getaway, I was able to polish off the little book by David Dockery and Timothy George on Southern Baptist unity.  The book is entitled Building Bridges: Perspectives on Baptist Unity [link is to free e-book version!] and weighs in at a mere 64 pages.  In short, let me say that I found the book to be powerful, insightful, and the kind of thing that I hope and pray is embraced broadly throughout my denomination.

Why did I read this book?

Baptist Faith & Message

Ordinarily, many of you know that I spend my energies writing about missiology, contextualization, Hinduism, diaspora and the like.  So, you may be surprised to find me reading a book about Southern Baptist identity.  However, these days I find myself with more and more of a voice among my denominational brothers and sisters.  I train and supervise new SBC church planters; I help to lead one of the largest local Baptist associations in the country; and I pastor two Southern Baptist churches.  Very recently, I've also been invited to serve as a part of a new Southern Baptist North American Mission Board project called "Send Chicago".  Send Chicago consists of a coalition of about 18 missionaries, pastors, and other leaders who are tasked with seeking to develop strategies for church planting in Chicagoland.  I've been to a couple meetings thus far.  Actually, it was the most recent one that stirred in me a desire to read Building Bridges.

What does it mean to be Southern Baptist in Chicagoland?

During our most recent coalition gathering -- the first official one -- the question was asked, "What does it mean to be a Southern Baptist church in Chicago?"  After a bit of discussion, there was a followup question, "What makes Southern Baptists different from other Evangelicals in Chicago?"  This second question was immediately met with an answer from a member of the group that just about made me fall out of my chair, "We preach the word of God!" Astonished, I wondered if as a group we were actually suggesting that only Southern Baptists were preaching the word of God.

My contribution to the ensuing conversation was a challenge that we not make "planting Southern Baptist churches" the end for which we labor in mission.  Rather that we make our focus extending God's Kingdom, reaching people who don't know Christ -- you know, that which Christ actually calls his people to do.  We will plant SBC churches as a means to that end.  I shared with the group that it wasn't the building of our denomination that got me out of bed in the morning, but the building of Christ's Kingdom.

Well, I certainly didn't have the last word and the rest of the conversation around the room on the topic was anything but decisive.  We have much work to do -- that we must do.  Theological, missiological, racial, economic, political, historic, traditional, and ideological elephants abound, stomping around the room, begging to be talked about.  And the question that rang out in all of the discussion that day, that spontaneously emerged from the rather chaotic proceedings and then sort of lingered there was this, "Why are you Southern Baptist?"

For me, the answer comes very quickly from my heart.  It is a family thing.  Not that my biological family was Southern Baptist.  No, but I came to know Christ in the Southern Baptist context in Oklahoma.  Michelle, Jon, Becky, Boyd, Dan, Jim and many others who established, brought me up and mentored me in the faith were all Southern Baptists.  I was baptized, licensed, and ordained and sent out as a missionary by Southern Baptists. And, I should say, I love standing in the tradition of Lottie Moon.  So, it is my heritage and my family.  We live in a culture of leavers and I have been encouraged to jump ship many times over the years. But in spite of the many, many problems I see in our huge denominational family, I just don't believe that leaving is right, helpful, or godly.  I believe we must "test all things" and "hold on to what is good" (1 Thess. 5:21) and try our darnedest to fix the rest!

But, still, what does it mean that I am a Southern Baptist?  Are there reasons besides loyalty to a family and heritage that keep me Baptist?  The answer is yes, but I don't want to spend any real time on that today.  Instead, I want to point especially my Baptist readers to the book Building Bridges.  I commend it to you and believe that God would have the SBC embrace the message therein.  The call that Dockery and George have made is to renewal rooted in a "retrieval" of our historic roots as Baptists, as Protestants, and as Christians.  They call for a renewed Baptist unity (in-house) as well as a "candid ecumenism" of conviction in the service of unity in the universal Church for the sake of world evangelization.  Two quick quotes are due here.  First, regarding Baptist unity:

"We must recognize that Southern Baptists have historically reflected considerable diversity.  While we do not hold out doctrinal uniformity as a goal, we do call for renewed commitments to the inspiration, truthfulness, and authority of Scripture with an accompanying commitment to a hermeneutic of acceptance over against a hermeneutic of suspicion, as well as a re-establishment and reaffirmation of the Gospel center" (p. 33).


Regarding ecumenism:

"A model of dynamic orthodoxy must be reclaimed.  The orthodox tradition must be recovered in conversation with Nicea, Chalcedon, Augustine, Bernard, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, the Pietists, and the revivalists. In sum, our Southern Baptist identity must be rooted in the consensus fidei of the Christian Church . . . . We must take seriously the biblical call to unity in accord with the Nicene affirmation of the oneness and universality of the Church" (p. 33).


If you are a Baptist with an identity crisis, read this book.  It will help you.  If you are being bugged by Baptist elements that think you just aren't Baptist enough, read this and memorize some of its pithier quotes.  I think it is just right on at so many points.  For the record, there is good mention of issues related to the "Conservative Resurgence" and Calvinist v. Arminian disputes.  When you finish the book, you should feel that the conversation has just begun however.  Much more needs to be discussed.  The issue of race was barely touched.  Gender isn't really mentioned.  Sticky subjects like alcohol use, church polity, and "speaking in tongues" were not specifically referenced.  Again, we have much more work to do, but I am thrilled that Dockery and George have boldly and insightfully gotten the ball rolling.

[P.S. - Actually, I noticed that this book came out in 2007.  However, free copies of it were distributed at the most recent associational meeting of Chicago Metro Baptist Association.  That was the first time I saw it.  I'm happy to do what I can to give the worthy title a little more attention.]

The Process of Raising Up and Appointing Spiritual Leaders

Spending time today thinking through the subject of raising up leaders. In particular, I'm taking notes and formulating ideas for a process of licensing and ordaining pastors/elders. Below are some links that I've found helpful and high-quality today. If you have your own thoughts, please do share in the comment section.

My own experience left a little something to be desired. When my first church licensed me to the ministry (on my 18th birthday), it was pretty simple. I was asked to preach my first sermon. Did that. Got a license. While I am certainly grateful for my old church's confidence in me, I'm still looking for something a bit more substantive.

1. Here a simple blog article by Kevin DeYoung that briefly describes some "Requisite Skills" for pastors.  I like this and, having done this now for nearly 15 years, agree with his points.

2. J. Hampton Keathley has written a more expansive article on the qualifications of elders and deacons at Bible.org.  Also good stuff here and pretty thorough.

Evangelical and Frontier Mission Book Now Available!!!

Hey everyone! I've been on a bit of a hiatus from blogging.  Well, today I wanted to break my silence by letting you know that you can now purchase the book Evangelical and Frontier Mission: Perspectives on Global Progress of the Gospel (for which I am a contributing author) from the Regnum website.  I haven't actually received my own copy yet, so I can't speak for the rest of the book.  However, I will say that I had a great time writing a big chapter on Cape Town 2010 in which I assess the impact and anticipate the legacy of that 3rd Lausanne Congress.  I truly wish that every Christian leader would read that chapter and be moved to embrace a much larger vision of God's Church.

Now, what else can you expect from this book?  Well, I know that my chapter is sandwiched between chapters by Enoch Wan and the late Ralph Winter.  Not bad company in a missiological text.  There are also chapters by Rene Padilla, Bob Priest, Scott Moreau, and others.  So, besides the fact that I'm one of the authors, this is the kind of book that I would actually want to buy at full price -- and there are precious few of those in existence.  Here are the "tails" --

Evangelical and Frontier Mission

Perspectives on the Global Progress of the Gospel

A. Scott Moreau and Beth Snodderly

Buy online from OCMS. 
Paperback: £28.79. Our Price: £21.27.

BUY FROM REGNUM NOW!!!

The centennial celebrations of the Edinburgh 1910 conference offered Christians of all stripes multiple opportunities to reflect on the past century of mission. Over the course of the twentieth century one of the stories of the church that has moved towards center stage is the growth of evangelicalism around the world. While certainly until the late 1980s this went largely unnoticed among the academic elite of the world, even so by then the vast majority of the missionaries serving to and from every corner of the globe were be framed in some way by this evangelical surge. As we reflect on the past century, then, the stories of the evangelical world church deserve to be heard.

Good News in Nepali (Bhutanese Dialect)

Here's a resource that many of my regular readers may be interested in.  It is a storying presentation of the message of the Bible in the Nepali language -- as spoken by Bhutanese-Nepalis.  Enjoy!

http://globalrecordings.net/en/program/C80350

The Lausanne Global Analysis of Highly Contextualized Missions

Recently, a rich article was posted to the Lausanne Global Conversation entitled "Highly Contextualized Missions: Surveying the Global Converstation".  Since the article was focused on one of my favorite topics I wanted to direct your attention to it.  Mainly, I think you should just read it, but I will make a few comments below.

On page 2 of the article, we find:

Syncretism is a related topic in the global conversation. Some feel that the Lausanne Theology Working Group is unfair in suggesting a tenuous connection between contextualization and syncretism, as if there is a causal relationship between the two.[3] Syncretism is a problem where ever there are new believers, regardless of the degree of contextualization. It is a false dichotomy to imply that less contextualization leads to less syncretism. The Cape Town Commitment also warns of syncretism when addressing contextualization under the heading “love respects diversity of discipleship.” Cody C. Lorance, an active Global Conversation contributor involved in both church planting and insider movements among Hindus, rejects the notion that such a link exists.[4] He and many others desire a scale that indicates movement towards Christlikeness, which is necessary in all new fellowships, rather than unhelpfully contrasting contextualization and/or syncretism. Comments on similar articles by other users, however, indicate that many feel there is a greater danger of syncretism in this kind of ministry.

Well, it's cool to be referenced in the article.  I think this paragraph is a good summary of one of the main issues that I've been trying to call attention to.  The author seems to support the view that I hold on this issue.  Again, I believe that there is no necessary link between the pursuit of contextualization and syncretism.  As for the Cape Town Commitment, I have applauded the fact that it seems to dismiss this supposed link.  I’ve posted two blog articles on this topic.

http://conversation.lausanne.org/en/conversations/detail/11913

http://conversation.lausanne.org/en/conversations/detail/11128

Definitely there are those who believe that contextualization essentially leads to syncretism.  However, I have never come across an article that seeks to prove this in some way other than anecdotally.  I suppose that such articles exist, please do direct me to them if you know of them.

Also on page 2 of the document, we find:

The discussion of church planting versus insider movements begins with the C1-C6 scale that describes the spectrum of Christ-centered communities, developed by John Travis in 1988.

First off, I would take issue with the phrase "church planting versus insider movements".  We must be very careful about painting with too broad a brush on this issue.  So much of the debate and discussion regarding contextualization breaks down because someone assumes all proponents of contexutalization believe and do the same things.  I suppose it is possible that their are advocates of contextualization that would describe themselves as being anti-church planting.  However, I've not met any.  Most of us prefer to use a word other than the English term "church", since we are working among non-English speakers, but that is not the same thing as being against the establishment and extension of God's Church.  Most of us want very much to establish local communities of Christ-followers in our mission fields.  So, the term "versus" seems quite out of place.

Beyond that, I am disappointed that this article reaffirms the idea that the C-scale is of central importance to the discussion of contextualization.  It absolutely is not.  Travis's scale perhaps has served a helpful purpose within the context of Islam and contextualization.  However, it has proven inadequate in many ways.  H.L. Richard's attempt to adapt the scale for mission among Hindus is laudable, but the fundamental flaw remains.  That is, with both scales, the unspoken assumption drawn by nearly all is that eventually one falls off the scale into heresy.  Whether that is at C5, 6, 7, or 15 -- all seem to agree that eventually contextualization leads to syncretism.  In response to this line of reasoning, I always want to ask, "How contextualized was Jesus? How incarnate, human, Jewish, Galilean did he become?"  Isn't the only answer, "Fully"? 

The discussion of contextualization must not BEGIN with Travis's scale.  It must begin with the word of God and a careful consideration of the incarnation of Jesus Christ.  

Moving on now to page 3:

By contrast, C3 and C4 churches are more culturally appropriate and are therefore more inviting to Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists, as well as more likely to become movements. There are two main differences between the two: C3 believers use only neutral cultural forms (such as folk music) and call themselves “Christians;” C4 believers adapt what they believe to be biblically permissible religious forms (such as certain feasts or styles of worship) and call themselves “followers of Jesus” (therefore separating themselves from the term “Christian,” which often has a connotation of Western or foreign influence).[12]

I simply wish to challenge the idea that non-Western cultures make such distinctions such as "neutral" and "religious" in terms of the forms found in their contexts.  This distinction between the sacred and secular is a very Western one and I don't often see it among my Hindu friends.  To them, buying a car can be every bit as much a religious or sacred experience as going to the temple.  Celebrating a festival can be as non-sacred as going to work.  The impulse to sort forms into categories such as "neutral" and "religious" flows out of a failure to do cross-cultural mission incarnationally.  Sadly, Christians from non-Western nations have imbibed this sorting impulse from their Western counterparts.  The result is often so arbitrary as to be utterly ridiculous to the outside observer and even more so to the non-Christian in that context.  We should be reminded of the Scripture which states with clarity, "So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future--all are yours, and you are Christ's, and Christ is God's." (1Co 3:21-23)

All things are ours for the glory of Christ.  The missionary call is a call to a kind of possessio.  

And now a final thought from page 5:

The fact remains that less than 1% of the world's Christians ever share their faith with a Muslim.

What is so personally hurtful to me in all of this is the level of criticism I receive from people who themselves couldn't be bothered to share the hope of Christ with a Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist.  I have literally been accused to my face of heresy by individuals who have lived among Hindus all their lives and have never sought to share Christ with them.  Others have told me in one conversation that they "hate" Hindus and in another that they oppose my efforts to contextualize the gospel.  

In a current situation that I am dealing with here locally, a South Asian pastor has opted to abandon the context in which he lives in favor of trying to form his own church out of members of two other Nepali churches in another city.  Since the pastor came to me requesting financial support from my mission board, I asked him the key question:  "Why aren't you trying to reach out to the Hindus that you live among?  There are so many in your city and there is no witness at all among them?"  He gave a roundabout answer that can be summarized as, "It is too difficult."

This pastor prefers to spend his time accusing our church of heresy and syncretism than to reach out to those who have yet to hear about Christ.  Very sad indeed.  

Reformed Rap

I've recently become aware that there is developing a small group of hip-hop and rap artists who are seeking to write theologically profound songs filled with reformed doctrine.  I've checked out a few of these and am quite impressed with their musical quality and theological depth.  My favorite so far is a song by Shai Linne called "Mission Accomplished."  For those of you that couldn't imagine a rap which clearly expresses the doctrine of particular redemption (a.k.a "limited atonement") and doesn't sound stupid, give this a listen:

Session Transcripts from Orlando 2011

In case you are interested in the goings on of Orlando 2011. Transcripts from the plenary sessions are now online here:

Mission America Coalition - Orlando 2011

Camping Claims He's Right & His Debate with James White

Here's probably my last bit of Camping "end-of-the-world" stuff.  First things first, he kind of issued a statement about his apocoflop.  It was a rather rambling thing that you'll never get through.  But here's part one anyway:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwnCPMxjuD8

You can keep following on to parts 2-6 depending on your stamina.

Also, you may not be aware of the fact that James White actually debated Harold Camping a while back.  You can listen to those debates online now right here:

Part 1; Part 2

I also want to link here to James' "open letter" to Camping, calling him to repent. http://www.aomin.org/aoblog/index.php?itemid=4645

Okay, that's all.

The Cape Town Commitment Dismisses the Supposed Link Between Contextualization & Syncretism

I've been stuck on contextualization all week. Which many of you may be happy about. If not, well, seriously, I'm not the only blog in town.

Today, I want to point you to the full statement on contextualization from the Cape Town Commitment. I mentioned yesterday some of its positive elements in light of its definition of "insider movements". Today, I will point to what I believe is an even stronger reason why the statement is so important. You can see my comments in highlighted italics below:


Love respects diversity of discipleship

So called ‘insider movements’ are to be found within several religions. These are groups of people who are now following Jesus as their God and Saviour. They meet together in small groups for fellowship, teaching, worship and prayer centred around Jesus and the Bible while continuing to live socially and culturally within their birth communities, including some elements of its religious observance. This is a complex phenomenon and there is much disagreement over how to respond to it. Some commend such movements. Others warn of the danger of syncretism. Syncretism, however, is a danger found among Christians everywhere as we express our faith within our own cultures. [Here it is. This is such an important thing to point out. There is no inherent connection between contextualization and syncretism. Syncretism is born not out of contextualization but out of poor discipleship or a deficient commitment to God's Word. It thrives most in settings where individuals are not reflective about their faith -- which is rarely the case where contextualization is intentionally pursued by followers of Jesus seeking to incarnate Him in a particular cultural context. As for those who have willfully abandoned a pure and sincere devotion to Christ, whatever they do beyond that should not properly be deemed as contextualization. Contextualization is about the imitation of Christ's incarnation and crucifixion. It is about mission and manifesting the Christ-life to particular peoples in the clearest and most compelling way possible. Any discussion of "how far do you go" is out-of-place and betrays a failure to grasp this essential point. Ask rather, "How far did Jesus go? How human did He become? How Jewish? How Galilean?"] We should avoid the tendency, when we see God at work in unexpected or unfamiliar ways, either (i) hastily to classify it and promote it as a new mission strategy, or (ii) hastily to condemn it without sensitive contextual listening.

A)    In the spirit of Barnabas who, on arrival in Antioch, ‘saw the evidence of the grace of God’ and ‘was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord,’[72] we would appeal to all those who are concerned with this issue to:

1. Take as their primary guiding principle the apostolic decision and practice: ‘We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.’[73]
2. Exercise humility, patience and graciousness in recognizing the diversity of viewpoints, and conduct conversations without stridency and mutual condemnation.[74]