Month: June 2018
BOOK: Inside the World’s Greatest Revival
Source: Asia Harvest
Most of us have heard about the phenomenal growth of the Church in China over the last century, and we may know that this growth came in the furnace of intense persecution. But how did it all happen?
The China Chronicles series is an ambitious project to document the advance of Christianity in each province of China, decade by decade, from the time the gospel was introduced there to the present day.
Author and friend of the Chinese church Paul Hattaway has spent hundreds of hours interviewing Chinese believers so their stories can be shared and remembered.
Volume One takes us to Shandong Province, home to almost 100 million people. It includes narratives about foreign missionaries (e.g., Lottie Moon) and Chinese movements (the Evangelistic Bands, the Jesus Family), as well as never-before-published testimonies from Chinese church leaders. So inspiring; I loved reading this book.
» Read an excerpt from Shandong: The Revival Province. Purchase from Asia Harvest, Amazon, or elsewhere. The Kindle edition is US$7.19. Also see an interview with Paul Hattaway (Christian Today).
BOOK: Unpack Your Cross-cultural Experience
Source: InterVarsity Press
“Cross-cultural encounters leave us with vivid memories, writing seemingly unforgettable stories on our brain with permanant ink.
“But as time progresses, memories and good intentions fade when they aren’t an active part of our life…
“So how do we move the memories from our head to our heart and finally to our feet and hands?”
Cory Trenda’s short book—just 128 pages—packs a punch. As the author admits, research suggests that mission trips, on their own, have virtually no measurable long-term effects on the lives of participants (despite our hopes and promises). What you do after, though, can make a difference.
I particularly liked chapter 6. It explores concrete ways you can learn from the disappointments and discoveries of your trip in order to make your next trip the best one yet.
» Learn more or purchase After the Trip for US$14.00 from Amazon (or elsewhere). Looks like it will be available as an ebook as well. The foreword is by Tim Dearborn, whose classic Short-Term Missions Workbook is scheduled to be revised and republished later this year.
VIDEOS: Primer on Worldviews, Caught in a Terror Cell
Source: Global Frontiers Missions, Middle East Women’s Leadership Network
Worldview varies from one culture to the next and is one of the biggest obstacles in the presentation and understanding of the gospel. By increasing our understanding of each worldview, we will learn the most effective ways to share the gospel with people from different cultures.
» Watch the seven-minute video, 3D Gospel. It’s based on The 3D Gospel: Ministry in Guilt, Shame, and Fear Cultures by Jayson Georges. Could you use honor-shame resources or GFM 101 videos and teaching to mobilize or train others in your ministry context?
Here’s another video to help us see the world through different eyes. This one’s a drama. Caught in the middle of a terrorist plot in Los Angeles, a young Arab woman grapples with God’s will when she makes a surprising discovery.
» Watch the 10-minute film, Cellular, or its one-minute trailer. For more information or to screen it for a group, contact Middle East Women’s Leadership Network. See their website for more films or to learn about this interesting network.
BOOKS: Serving God in Today’s Cities … or in a Migrant Crisis
Source: InterVarsity Press
From Operation World creator Patrick Johnstone and collaborator Dean Merrill come two new books on topics that demand our attention: the shifting dynamics of today’s global cities and the rise of the migrant crisis.
First published in 2015 and 2016, and now republished by InterVarsity Press, Serving God in Today’s Cities and Serving God in a Migrant Crisis are short, punchy books offering biblical perspective and practical advice. If I had to pick just one, I’d recommend the cities book. Use the preview feature on Amazon to get a taste.
» Visit the publisher’s website to learn more about both books and related titles. Looks like a long-awaited revised edition of the kid-friendly Operation World resource Window on the World is also in the works.
EVENTS: What’s Coming up in July and August
Source: Missions Catalyst Events Calendar
July 2 to November 4, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (online). Additional classes start August 6 and August 13.
July 8-27, Manarah (Detroit, MI, USA). Training for ministry to Muslims, from Christar.
July 9-13, Cubs to Lions (Boulder, CO, USA). Discipleship for Christians with a Muslim background.
July 10-15, ABIDE (Joplin, MO, USA). Debriefing and reentry help for returning missionaries.
July 20-27, New Wilmington Mission Conference (Western Pennsylvania, USA). Annual, week-long multi-generational mission conference; a tradition for more than 100 years.
July 23-25, Crisis Management Seminar (Auburn, AL, USA). Provided by Crisis Consulting International. Followed by one-day Security Orientation Workshop, July 26.
July 23 to August 3, Engaging Islam Institute (Boulder, CO, USA). Training program from Horizons International.
August 4-11, ReBoot Re-entry Program (Calgary, AB, Canada). For returning missionary kids, ages 17-20, transitioning to life in Canada.
August 5-10, Check-IT-Out Summer Conference (Charlotte, NC, USA). For IT and software professionals and students on using technology in missions, particularly Bible translation.
August 6-7, Support Raising Bootcamp (Plano, TX, USA). Provided by Support Raising Solutions.
August 13-17, Cubs to Lions (Edmonton, AB, Canada). Discipleship for Christians with a Muslim background.
August 23-24, Support Raising Bootcamp (Edinburg, TX, USA). In Spanish.
» View the complete calendar. Please let us know about mistakes or omissions. For more details, contact the event organizers.
When Asylum-Seekers Convert | World News Briefs
- EUROPE: Assessment of Religious Conversions as Genuine or Asylum-motivated Dismissed as Naïve
- ISRAEL: From Tears of Grief to Tears of Joy
- ERITREA: Pastor Released From Prison After 11 Years
- ALGERIA: Woman’s Healing Brings Village to Christ
In northeast England, Rev. Mark Miller has had up to 100 Persian asylum-seekers in his congregation. See related story below. Photo: Jim Wright.
EUROPE: Assessment of Religious Conversions as Genuine or Asylum-motivated Dismissed as Naïve
Source: World Watch Monitor, June 8, 2018
Attempts by Western politicians and media to judge whether Iranian migrants and asylum-seekers who ask to be baptized are either genuine or are doing so to boost their chances of being granted asylum are “naïve,” according to an academic who has carried out extensive research among Iranians who profess to have become Christians.
Dr. Sara Afshari, who has been helping the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark to devise a strategy for integrating Farsi-speaking migrants and refugees from Iran, Afghanistan, and Kurdistan into society and the Church, told World Watch Monitor: “I don’t like this naïve understanding of conversion by the politicians or the media saying they become Christian because their case will be strengthened. That might be one of the reasons for some—not for all.”
Her comments come as European governments look for ways to assess whether claims of conversions made by Iranians seeking asylum in their country are genuine. There are thought to be thousands of Iranians who have requested baptism in the UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and the Netherlands.
» Full story explores the range of meanings conversion may have in a Middle Eastern context and also looks at of the role of dreams.
» Whether you’re a dream skeptic or a dream enthusiast, you may find food for thought in When Muslims Dream of Jesus (The Gospel Coalition).
ISRAEL: From Tears of Grief to Tears of Joy
Source: Jews for Jesus, June 13, 2018
Gena Gelman reports, “As part of our outreach, we visited elderly Jewish Israelis, including a 94-year-old woman named Jael. ‘May I speak with you for a few minutes?’ I asked her. Jael was as grateful for the company as she was for the food I’d just shared with her. She was wrestling with some physical ailments, so I asked if she could hear and understand me well enough. With some difficulty, she nodded yes. Then she pointed to her left leg, her left hand and her tongue. ‘A stroke?’ I asked. She nodded again. Despite her limitations, we were able to communicate through brief words and simple gestures.
“After a few minutes, I began to tell Jael about God’s love, our sin and the forgiveness and reconciliation that He has made possible through the death and resurrection of the Messiah, Yeshua. Then I asked her a question: ‘Tell me, Jael, would you say you’re guilty of sin?’ Jael made a sign with her hand as if to say, ‘Well, maybe yes, maybe no.’ ‘Let me read you something,’ I offered.
“I opened to the Ten Commandments and started to read as I’d often done with people who either do not think they are sinners or are unsure. As soon as I came to the commandment, ‘Do not kill,’ Jael stiffened. I ventured a guess and gently said, ‘Many women have had abortions.’ Suddenly, tears filled her eyes. Through her gestures, I understood that long ago she’d ended three pregnancies. I did not judge or speak to her of the details. It was clear that she was filled with remorse all on her own.
» Read full story and a related story, Salvation in Jerusalem.
ERITREA: Pastor Released from Prison after 11 Years
Source: Mission Network News, June 15, 2018
Pastor Oqbamichel Haiminot was wrongfully imprisoned in Eritrea for over a decade. Christians around the world prayed fervently for Pastor Oqbamichel’s release, but it seemed the Eritrean government would not budge.
Today, however, we rejoice to hear that Pastor Oqbamichel has been finally freed from prison, according to The Voice of the Martyrs Australia. He is currently in need of medical care.
Todd Nettleton with The Voice of the Martyrs USA says, “Many pastors [in Eritrea] have been arrested. Many Christians have been arrested. Typically, however, they’re not held as long as Pastor Oqbamichel was… We don’t know exactly why he was released at this time. Why not a year ago? Why not a year from now? We don’t know what the logic behind that is—or if there is any logic behind it.”
“Eritrea is a country that has gone through a real crackdown against the Church since 2002. The government actually closed all of the Evangelical churches in Eritrea. [They] basically called in the church leaders and said, ‘Your churches can’t meet anymore.’ Every Christian activity after that became illegal.”
» Read full story and from the same source, an encouraging report that Jeff Woodke, a US missionary kidnapped in Niger in 2016, is still alive.