In June of 1910 – precisely one hundred years ago – an historic gathering took place in Edinburgh, Scotland. Church leaders and mission agencies from around the world met to evaluate the progress of world evangelization, estimate the evangelistic task … (read more)
I have recently learned a new word. For all of the years that I have written, read, and spoken the English language, I had not heard this common word before. Earworm. (Do you know it?) An “earworm” (borrowed from the … (read more)
Not long ago I stumbled upon an interesting report describing the amount of information “consumed” by the average American household. The analysis was produced by the University of California in San Diego and reported in the New York Times. The … (read more)
There are many adequate reasons for following Christ into the world, in lives of commissioned service. I have found through the years, however, that they are not equally compelling. The sheer need of the world that surrounds us ought to … (read more)
In recent months we have described a handful of elements at the heart of our missionary community. We are a community at work – Kingdom work, whatever our trade or profession (November 2009). Our work is our witness – the … (read more)
Theologians will sometimes describe a “formal” and a “material” principle that beat at the heart of the Protestant Reformation. The “material” principle is, in a sense, the content of the Reformation: its basic teachings and program – and in particular … (read more)
Our western church, as we mentioned last month, is absolutely awash in old-fashioned philosophical dualism. At a deep, mostly unconscious level, we have come to picture the world in terms of “sacred” and “secular,” “spiritual” and “material” – two vast, … (read more)
I remember the scene quite clearly. Nathan, my son, was approximately eight years old – now more than twenty years ago. He and I were participating in some gathering of his young friends. It was a group of Cub Scouts, … (read more)
Like so very many of our human family, Lutherans can get lost in the woods. We saw evidence of the frailty a few weeks ago here in Minneapolis. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America gathered in our city in August … (read more)
Paul’s Letter to the Romans is a mighty missionary tract. Over the course of the summer, we have outlined its powerful themes. For the Apostle Paul, as we said in June, Spain matters. The Letter to the Romans makes clear … (read more)