We all live in the same world but we often see it very differently. The whole world experienced the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 but that does not mean our outlook on 2021 or the way we talk about it is the same and sometimes that is for cultural reasons. Apart […]
Those of us who live in a culture other than our own often talk about ‘cross-cultural tensions’ and it looms large for us as the stuff and stress of everyday life. However, I suspect it sounds kind of vague and wishy-washy to your average Joe. So I thought I’d give […]
We’ve observed in Tanzanian students talk of ‘losing the Holy Spirit’ and before each exam period, we have been included in massive prayer days where students go from church service to church service, receiving a special blessing at each. We were concerned that this was an issue of assurance. Did […]
I wrote on Facebook: I called it an ‘evangelistic conversation’ but I really don’t like the term. ‘Evangelism’ can have negative connotations of conquest and for 200 years Africa has been the plaything of European imperial ambition (let alone the colonisation that came before that). This conversation highlighted that poignantly. […]
Thank God he uses us in our ignorance. I’ve been thinking about worldview and I now consider my former approach to betray a cultural arrogance.
You can tie yourself up in knots when it comes to risk. On one hand, we want to use the resources God has given us. On the other hand, such ‘wisdom’ is often a cover for wanting to be in control. Back on the first hand again, we know that […]
We’ve already looked at Jesus as Creator (and therefore conqueror) but the question remains: if Jesus is so powerful, why doesn’t the name of Jesus ‘work’ or ‘win’ every time? Why do Tanzanians so often experience the spirits as more powerful than Jesus? The typical evangelical answer is that we […]
