Rural-to-urban migrants: Possibilities for new churches in China’s cities

Over the last 30 years, the world has watched as China has developed into an urban nation. Early scholarship on the missiological importance of urban centers framed cities as “the new frontier.” Over time, missiological inquiry continued ranging from new strategies for urban work to developing a theology of urban missions. The continued growth of cities around the world has kept the increasingly diverse environments of the city at the fore of missiological conversations. China’s aggressive urbanization development has meant large populations of rural-to-urban migrants have flooded into the cities in this period. There lacks, however, a robust discussion about the need for more rural-to-urban migrant churches in China. In this article I explore the possibilities for migrant churches in cities. To understand China’s urban context, I begin with a brief overview of rapid urbanization development. I then discuss the growth of the Christian population in China’s cities which is due, in part, to rural-to-urban migration. Following, I discuss some barriers of belonging that many rural-to-urban migrants experience, including barriers in urban churches. I end the article by suggesting possibilities of an establishment of migrant churches in China’s urban center

Hilltop: How a Vision, a Wildfire, and a Series of Miracles Led to a Place of Rest for God’s People

Stories of God’s great faithfulness are all around us—amazing accounts of his untold wonders hiding in plain sight, waiting to be uncovered. In these pages waits just such a story. Nestled quietly among the dynamic cliffs and whistling pines of the Southern California mountains, a humble retreat center stands as a testament to God’s overwhelming goodness and unmatchable strength. Now, for the first time, this incredible true story is told in its entirety. In their book, Hilltop, Gene and Judy TenElshof masterfully share the story of Hilltop Renewal Center and how God used a vision, wildfire, and series of miracles to establish an enduring place of rest for His people. Join in their journey of perseverance, hope, and growth as they pursue God’s calling and discover His incredible faithfulness.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1606/thumbnail.jp

Pro-life from Womb to Tomb

Recent years have brought a deluge of “deconstruction” stories in which people like Berghoef purport to dismantle the narrow-minded confines of conservative Christianity. Common threads run through these deconstruction stories, including a desire to breathe fresh air beyond the stifling judgmentalism, the aversion to nuance, presuming the worst of others’ motives, conflating one’s view with the only conceivably true view, and so on. Let us attempt an exercise in deconstructing such deconstructions of faith

All the Different Pieces of Me Being Integrated : Religion/Spirituality and Identity in Working Christian Mothers

The current qualitative study explored experiences of religion/spirituality and their impact on women’s identities among Christian working mothers in academia. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted and the data analyzed using the grounded theory method. The resultant themes reflected the roles and functions of religion/spirituality in women’s lives and in their identities, primarily by establishing a core sense of self that unified all of their roles and “selves.” Religion/spirituality also served as meaning-making frameworks that provided purpose both to the self and to each of the women’s roles, while religion/spirituality also pervaded every aspect of the self, coloring women’s experience and driving their decisions. Further, women discussed religion/spirituality providing a sense of purpose by which they could pursue actualization and transcendence through generative means in each of their roles. The results indicate that spiritual identity may be a broader and more fundamental element of identity than previously considered. Implications of the current data and suggestions for future research are discussed

J.I. Packer and Our Search for the Stationmaster

In chapter 10 of the modern theological classic Knowing God, J. I. Packer invites us to stand at the end of the York station platform to watch trains with him. When we first watch them come and go, it’s hard to discern a set pattern in their movements. “[We] will only be able to form a very rough and general idea of the overall plan,” says Packer. Nevertheless, the plan is there. There is a “magnificent electrical signal box that lies athwart platforms 7 and 8 . . . with little glow-worm lights moving or stationary on different tracks to show the signalmen at a glance exactly where every engine and train is.” In Packer’s analogy, God has that sweeping York-signal-box view of the universe. We do not. We’re down on the platform where life comes at us in unpredictable, often head-spinning succession. And yet people assess the meaning of life in various ways. Packer’s analogy helps us consider three

Losing Faith in Leftism

Firsthand accounts of notable celebrities from Christian culture either abandoning their faith or revising it beyond recognition have become all the rage. But we rarely hear about the many reverse deconstruction stories. Consider three

Mental Health, Substance Use, and the Importance of Religion during the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 impacted multiple facets of life, with implications on physical, mental, and societal health. Specifically, long COVID and related losses have exacerbated complex and prolonged grief responses and mental disorders including depression and anxiety. These mental health concerns are in turn associated with increased detrimental coping strategies including substance use disorders (SUD). The social and interpersonal implications of SUD are varied. Secondary data analyses from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) collected during the COVID-19 pandemic revealed an increase in substance use behaviors and mental health problems. Self-reported religious activities had a positive meditating effect on reducing substance use behaviors. Accordingly, we explored the importance of one\u27s religion and faith in coping with stress, grief, and mental health challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the impact of religion and faith in bringing hope and purpose during periods of loss, grief, mental health challenges, and SUD

Cómo leer los Proverbios: Caminos hacia la sabiduria

Un libro práctico para guiarnos en el camino de la vida y hacia la sabiduría de Dios. En su libro de Proverbios, Dominick S. Hernández invita a las personas a crecer en sabiduría —sabiduría bíblica— para transitar por el camino correcto. El libro de los Proverbios es un libro escrito para personas como nosotros: padres, hijos, amigos y compañeros de trabajo. Es una colección de dichos y sabiduría bíblica que pretende ayudarnos en asuntos prácticos de nuestra vida. En su interior encontramos a los sabios y a los insensatos, e instrucciones para el viaje para encontrar la sabiduría que solo proviene de Dios. Cómo leer los Proverbios analiza el contexto, el lenguaje y la interpretación del libro de los Proverbios. Cada capítulo abarca versículos bien conocidos y examina los temas predominantes a lo largo del libro. Desde el temor del Señor hasta la mujer de valor (en Proverbios 31), Hernández explora una serie de versículos y revela detalles literarios e históricos que proporcionan una profunda visión de pasajes conocidos. El libro se divide en estas secciones de enfoque práctico: Introducción La lectura de los proverbios con sabiduría La presentación de los caminos Caminos prácticos y personales La sabiduría en la práctica: Proverbios 31 Epílogo: ¿Y si los proverbios no funcionan? How to Read Proverbs A practical book to guide us on the path of life and toward the wisdom of God. Dominick S. Hernandez in his book of Proverbs invites people to grow in wisdom—biblical wisdom—to walk the right path. The book of Proverbs is a book written for people like us: parents, children, friends, and coworker. It is a collection of sayings and biblical wisdom intended to help us with the practical matters of our lives. Inside we find the wise and the foolish, and instructions for the journey to find the wisdom that only comes from God. How to Read Proverbs explores the context, language, and interpretation of the book of Proverbs. Each chapter covers well-known verses and examines the predominant themes throughout the book. From the fear of the Lord to the woman of valor in Proverbs 31, Hernandez explores a range of verses and reveals literary and historical details that provide deep insight into well-known passages. The book is divided into the following sections with a practical approach: Introduction Reading the Proverbs Wisely Presenting the Pathways Practical and Personal Pathways Wisdom in Practice: Proverbs 31 Afterword: What If the Proverbs Don’t Work?https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1639/thumbnail.jp

Nietzsche vs. Dylan: Fight for the 21st-Century Soul

I was a mostly clueless 17-year-old, a senior in high school, when I had one of my first genuine philosophical insights. Dr. Chris, my humanities teacher, had finished a unit on the thought of Fredrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche despised “cows”—those who mindlessly follow the herd rather than charting their own course. The heroic supermen of Nietzsche’s universe (Übermenschen) were those who brazenly defy moral expectations, who possess the courage to do their own thing, consequences be damned. It hit me like a lightning bolt. If I were to commit myself to Nietzsche’s call to radical self-expression, wouldn’t I be abiding by this dead German’s dogmas, following his demands on my existence like a good little cow? I had no idea at the time that this catch-22 in Nietzsche’s thought would explain our culture’s most pressing contradictions today

Exposing the Roots of Constructivism: Nominalism and the Ontology of Knowledge

Constructivism dominates over other theories of knowledge in much of western academia, especially the humanities and social sciences. In Exposing the Roots of Constructivism: Nominalism and the Ontology of Knowledge, R. Scott Smith argues that constructivism is linked to the embrace of nominalism, the theory that everything is particular and located in space and time. Indeed, nominalism is sufficient for a view to be constructivist. However, the natural sciences still enjoy great prestige from the “fact-value split.” They are often perceived as giving us knowledge of the facts of reality, and not merely our constructs. In contrast, ethics and religion, which also have been greatly influenced by nominalism, usually are perceived as giving us just our constructs and opinions. Yet, even the natural sciences have embraced nominalism, and Smith shows that this will undermine knowledge in those disciplines as well. Indeed, the author demonstrates that, at best, nominalism leaves us with only interpretations, but at worst, it undermines all knowledge whatsoever. However, there are many clear examples of knowledge we do have in the many different disciplines, and therefore those must be due to a different ontology of properties. Thus, nominalism should be rejected. In its place, the author defends a kind of Platonic realism about properties.https://digitalcommons.biola.edu/faculty-books/1642/thumbnail.jp