Multicultural Ministry Matters

Human beings flourish in an environment where we’re confident that those who have authority over us care about us, and use their authority for our good. We’ve all been in situations where someone who had authority over us – a parent, a teacher, a boss – didn’t really care about us. They were distant, withdrawn: “Just get the job done.” “Do your homework. Don’t bother me – I’m watching TV.” Perhaps they even used their power to oppress us – like the boss takes the credit for all the businesses successes, and shifts the blame for all the mistakes. How demoralising is that…? Then there are situations where the people in authority over us used their power to care for us, and advance us. Like the teacher who deeply knows the content of what they’re teaching, and also deeply wants the class to know it. Their enthusiasm is infectious. John 1:1-5: 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were ...

To be human is to be embodied, to be a physical, biological creature. Christians view all of physical existence, from the grandeur of the cosmos to the particularity of the human body, as the good creation of a benevolent God. Physical existence is not divine, but it is good by creational intent, and human existence as embodied is an aspect of this good physicality. The goodness of embodiment is also supported by and grounded in two additional key theological themes of traditional Christianity, the doctrines of the incarnation and of the resurrection of the body. Clearly, bodily existence must not be intrinsically evil or incompatible with the perfect good if God can become fully human. Clearly, the teaching that the final state of redeemed humanity will be as persons of resurrected and perfected bodies, and that we will, in that state, enjoy God forever, must deepen our appreciation of embodiment. We are more than bodies - there is a trans-materialistic, spiritual or soulish, aspect o...

[W]ords - and not visible objects - supply us with the horizons between which we actually live. Stop and think, just for a moment, how often you have hungered for some word from some human being. In that and other senses, you and I really are "verbivores" - word-eaters. If we don't get enough words, then we not only fail to achieve a distinctively human orientation on life, but we also lose our very taste for living. Mark R. Talbot, "Learning from the Ruined Image", in Lints, Horton & Talbot (eds), Personal Identity in Theological Perspective , page 172.

Just got a piece published in AFES WebSalt: Where is God in natural disasters ? It's a reflection on how our rejection of God affects the whole created order. Hope it's useful.