Multicultural Ministry Matters

Contemporary wealth and technological development have normalised secular self-gratification in the "developed" "Western" world. We expect a life of ease, where the only difficulty is choosing which new pleasure to pursue next. As Matt Fraser says over at The Gospel Coalition Canada , this makes it difficult for us to believe what "many other Christians through the ages" took for granted, and what many "around the world" still experience today: "following Jesus is painful." I think this expectation of ease is a socio-cultural, not a uniquely "religious" or "theological," issue. For most of human history, life has been difficult. Most religions invest religious effort with value - doing good makes you worthy to be "saved" (whatever "salvation" means within that religion - nirvana [Hindu and Buddhist], Jannah [Islam], less time in purgatory [Roman Catholic], etc). It's no surprise that we'...

Everything in the public square seems to be increasingly conflicted. We seem to be operating with less and less shared values. It feels like we're less and less sure of what holds us together as a 'society.' A retreat into 'tribes' both drives this social fragmentation and is a result of it.  Post-modern scepticism towards metanarratives, which has now become culturally normal, significantly contributes to this fragmentation. If we no longer believe that objective truth, independent of our individual or tribal perspectives, exists, we will no longer believe we can appeal to that objective reality as common ground for debate. All we will do is exert power to magnify ourselves and punish those who disagree with us.  Because we believe that our cause is right, we will always think of ourselves as the victim of other people's aggression. Therefore, as Stephen McAlpine says, we will always think we're punching "up." We'll valorise ourselves as the ...

Trevin Wax has written a clear, simple, and charitable introduction to a debate about the nature and boundaries of the kinds of Christian activities that validly should be called "mission." In brief:  Should we use a broad definition, where "mission" encompasses all the various purposes which God calls Christians and the church in general to perform, e.g. being ethical at work; general acts of care and charity; standing against systematic oppression and working towards justice instead? If so, "evangelism" is only one part of the church's mission - a central, necessary, and irreplaceable part, but only one part nonetheless. The latter kinds of activities don't save anyone for eternity, but they do genuine good in this world which please God. And that kind of good makes a real difference in many parts of the world which have not benefited from the kind of Christian moral transformation which the West benefited from - the kind of moral transformation...