Missions and the Early Church: Christianity a Religion of Mission
July 2013 marks our “Global Evangelism Month.” In this week’s article, we’re considering missions in the early church. We’ll examine the world in which the early church found itself, and its impressive growth in just a few centuries. We’ll also consider what early church missions can teach us today, and discover that Christianity is fundamentally a religion of mission. Setting the Stage To better appreciate the early church missions...
Clouds of Witnesses: A Review
Historian Mark Noll is typically noted for his work in American religious history. In 2011, however, he broke pattern with Clouds of Witnesses, a book about missions. Co-written with Carolyn Nystrom, they survey seventeen, lesser-known missionaries from Africa, India, Korea, and China. In exploring these missionaries, Noll and Nystrom challenge American readers’ conceptions of what missions looks like and how it’s done. Although this...
‘Read’ This Article
Just eight days prior to this article’s post date, my wife and I celebrated our one-year wedding anniversary. One of our favorite hobbies is reading, privately to ourselves and aloud to one-another. We simply love entering a story and dissecting its characters, plots, themes, and twists and turns. Yet should reading be more than a ‘hobby’? Is it somehow related to our discipleship as Christians? I submit that it is of the utmost...
Dealing with Death
by Matthew and Sarah Bracey Death is not a topic that Christians often discuss. We usually avoid such seemingly awkward and uncomfortable conversations. Yet all must reckon with it eventually, especially as people we know grieve the death of a loved one. The question is, how can we best help those hurting, whether they’re a friend, congregant, or someone else? How can we aid those experiencing the profound sadness that results from...
When Eating Is Spiritual
If there’s any time of the year when we think about food, it’s during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. Turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, rolls, and cheesecake are among the many dishes that grace our tables during these celebrations. Hearty smiles, full tummies, and meaningful memories often result from these gatherings. Yet is this all that table fellowship has to offer, or is...
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