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Evangelical

Contextualization

Select a Category Atonement Biblical Theology Book Reviews China Chinese Church Chinese Culture Chinese Language Collectivism Contextualization Culture (General) Ecclesiology Evangelism Gospel Honor & Shame (Face) Interpretation/Exegesis Justification/Righteousness Missiology Mission Methods One Gospel for All Nations Other Practical Contextualization Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes Resources Romans Salvation (General) Saving God's Face Seeking God's Face The Cross in Context Theological Contextualization Theological Education Theology Uncategorized

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October 2023

October 17, 2023

Paul’s Contextualization of Artemis for the Ephesians

Sandra Glahn's Nobody's Mother demonstrates how Paul uses Artemis to contextualize his message for the...

April 2023

April 11, 2023

Presenting the gospel like remade movie trailers

If you've read much of my work, then you've come across this idea: We compromise...

January 2023

January 17, 2023

I’m launching 3 online courses!

I’m excited to announce the creation and launch of three different online courses! Which one...

November 2022

November 01, 2022

Think Broadly on Contextualization and Biblical Theology

We previously considered several studies that highlight the benefits of “broad thinking” on creativity. Scholars...

August 2022

August 09, 2022

What’s the meaning of “blood is thicker than water”?

What's the meaning of the idiom "blood is thicker than water"? We’ve all heard this...

January 2022

January 04, 2022

Is John’s Gospel a Defense of Jesus’ Honor?

Have you ever wondered whether John wrote his Gospel as a way of defending Jesus’...

August 2021

August 17, 2021

Finding Biblical Meaning and Cultural Significance

This post gives an overview of the final two stages of the contextualization process–– finding...

August 10, 2021

The First of Four Stages in Contextualization

In my previous post, I showed how the Bible and culture are inextricably tied together....

August 03, 2021

The Circular Relationship Between Culture and the Bible

Many people only want to say the Bible transcends culture. However, the facts present us...

June 2021

June 08, 2021

My EMS video presentation on contextualization

I recently gave a short presentation titled "Biblically Faithful and Culturally Meaningful Contextualization? Moving Beyond...

April 2021

April 06, 2021

Is biblical womanhood an example of syncretism?

When I first heard about Barr’s The Making of Biblical Womanhood, I wasn’t interested in...

January 2021

January 05, 2021

Six Approaches to Contextualization in China

The following six categories signify six ways that theologians and missiologists talk about and do...

November 2020

November 03, 2020

Reading While Black as an Exercise in Contextualization

Prior to the release of Esau McCaulley’s Reading While Black, I had mixed feelings about...

August 2019

August 14, 2019

The Doctrine of Scripture and Biblical Contextualization

What's the relationship between contextualization and an evangelical doctrine of the Bible? A biblical doctrine...

May 2019

May 15, 2019

Interview with Scott Moreau about Contextualization

When I began reading Scott Moreau's Contextualizing the Faith: A Holistic Approach, I immediately wanted...

April 2019

April 11, 2019

Writing Worship Songs in Chinese (when it’s your second language)

Contextualization involves more than sound theological doctrine or effective ministry strategies. One area of contextualization...

September 2018

September 26, 2018

How Cognitive Biases Produce Theological Syncretism

Two things usually escape our notice: cognitive biases and theological syncretism. This is not surprising....

March 2018

March 21, 2018

Recent ChinaSource Quarterly focuses on contextualization in China

This most recent issue of ChinaSource Quarterly is dedicated to the topic of contextualization. I...

March 01, 2018

Effectiveness does not define contextualization

Over at Radius International, Sam Trumball rightly observes how people incorrectly define contextualization. Trumball begins...

February 2018

February 08, 2018

Why Jen Hatmaker Gets Contextualization Wrong

Sadly, people like Jen Hatmaker give us poor examples of contextualization. She cast aside nearly...

August 2017

August 23, 2017

A Practical Approach to Biblical Contextualization (Session 4 Training Video)

Here is SESSION FOUR of 4 training videos I've released over the summer. This final...

August 02, 2017

How does the Bible explain the gospel? (Session 3 Training Video)

There is one gospel yet many ways to present this message. Accordingly, in addition to...

July 2017

July 11, 2017

How does the Bible contextualize the gospel? (Session 2 Training Video)

Here is SESSION TWO of 4 training videos I will release this summer. Below, you'll find...

June 2017

June 14, 2017

Reinterpreting Contextualization (Session 1 Training Video)

In the coming weeks, I will release 4 full length training videos. The audio comes...

February 2017

February 15, 2017

Contextualize. Don’t Merely Theologize.

I was a math major. But it was my college soccer class that made me...

February 08, 2017

Contextualize. Don’t Merely Evangelize.

As I waited for my plane, I was stumped by what I was looking at....

January 2017

January 17, 2017

Contextualizing Christmas in China

If you are interested in contextualization in China, you might want to check out Ruth...

November 2016

November 09, 2016

Do We Foster Humility and Hutzpah?

Previously, I claimed that good contextualization requires two things: humility and hutzpah. In this post,...

September 2016

September 14, 2016

Humility and Hutzpah: Two Characteristics of Biblical Contextualization

Contextualization requires character more than competence. Too few people talk about this. As a result,...

August 2016

August 23, 2016

The Yin-Yang of Contextualization

The male students in my class agreed, “The Bible says that men are more important...