OCC blog: the gift boxes cost the receivers
- When we pack Operation Christmas Child boxes, what actually happens to them in-country, and are they genuinely helpful?
A host reads from a March 2017 Bush Baby Colvin blog post about Operation Christmas Child in Zambia: the $7-per-box shipping only reaches the central warehouse in Ndola, and churches in Mansa had to raise 8 kwacha (about $4) per box for 5,000 boxes to receive their shipment - with 'those who do not pay will not receive.' The hosts discuss OCC's stated rationale of avoiding unhealthy dependency and how the mandatory in-country fee effectively turns free gift boxes into sold goods.
More on Missions
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The persecuted church and Western comfort
- What does biblical faith (pistis) mean: belief without proof, or belief because you saw?
The hosts work through a 2021 list of the 50 countries where it is most dangerous to follow Jesus, noting that 13 Christians are killed for their faith every day, with North Korea…
From No. 422 · Jesus, Technology and Persecution
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Reaching 'unsaved Christians': the Bible Belt article
- What are good starting points for a spiritual conversation with a cultural Christian?
The hosts work through the Christianity Today article 'to reach unsaved Christians, first help them get lost': a pastor's parking-lot epiphany that the Bible Belt — where people…
From No. 364 · Golden Calf Purity Rings
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Do we misunderstand 'unreached people'?
- Is redefining 'unreached people' to include our neighbors hampering international missions?
The hosts discuss a Christian Post article reporting that mission alliances worry Christians now define 'unreached' as their unbelieving neighbor, which — the article claims — is hampering funding for truly unreached people groups (tribes in Sudan, Malawi, the pygmies).
From No. 338 · Following the News
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What's happening: Ebola missionaries - how far is too far?
- How far is too far for a Christ-follower to go in helping people who are infectious, when it could endanger their family or country?
Dan (addressed by name) presents the news: missionaries infected with Ebola in Liberia are back in the US in quarantine, and some fear an outbreak.
From No. 201 · As We Are