Mission tourism, plane rides, Addis Ababa, straight roads
- Are short-term mission trips worth it, or are they just mission tourism?
The room debates 'mission tourism,' rethinks short-term trips, and trades travel stories: a terrible 17-hour plane ride, a late-night walk through Addis Ababa, Dan's growing sense of home in Zimbabwe (they gave him the car keys), the 'make paths straight' metaphor learned from terrible roads, and an Ethiopian driver's license ambition.
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