NEWS END OF AUGUST 2017
Dear Friends,
In preparation for my anticipated trip to the USA (September 13th to November 23rd 2017), I have been intensifying my efforts in some scholarly pursuits! Here are some of the projects I have been working on:
1. Cognitive science undermines many enlightenment-based attacks that have in the last few hundred years been levelled onto Christians and onto theology. Many Christians and theologians have not realised this. Itself a field less than 40 years old, cognitive science is worthy of a careful look. (If you take only a quick look, you will think that all cognitive scientists are attacking ‘religion’.) I have written three articles specifically in this area, one accepted for publication, two still being reviewed.
2. Efforts at countering racism in the West, are contributing to ongoing poverty here in Africa. Few people seem to be making this vital link! When races aren’t supposed to be different, so that Westerners don’t have to take the trouble to try and understand them, it becomes difficult here in Africa to respond to people as they are. All over, is a tendency to treat African people as if they are Westerners. This is especially frustrating when differences between the West and Africa arise from centuries of Christian influence. Then countering racism conceals the work of the Gospel. I have written four major articles here, of which two are published.
3. World religions are an invention. I was brought up to think that there are many competing world religions. This was greatly troubling to me as a young man. It seemed that faith in Christ was only one of many options. I have since found that the other ‘world-religions’ are inventions made to look like Christianity. There is only one religion, that of worshipping only one God. I am trying to get this word out. I have two articles published on this theme, and two still under review.
4. Use of indigenous languages is essential for effective theological education. This theme is more closely related to vulnerable mission, the umbrella to much of the work that I am doing. The importance of using indigenous languages in theological education becomes more and more apparent to me. I have written a lot in this area. Two vital articles are currently under review. I am to present one of these HERE.
Mission work in Africa is made difficult when people sending missionaries are working on the wrong assumptions. The above are trying to bring correction. Please pray that I use my ‘privileged position’ wisely. There are few, if any, other Westerners with anything like the grass-roots understanding of African life that the Lord has privileged me to acquire. This gives me an enormous responsibility to share honestly and wisely. I am these days getting an incredible number and variety of openings to do so.
For your copy of my latest book: The Godless Delusion.
We have our annual church convention in Kisumu this weekend (24th to 27th August). I hope to share from the life of Gideon. Your prayers valued! Give thanks that one and a half hour’s cycling each way yesterday . . . I think was justified by good opportunity to share from the Scriptures in a well-attended indigenous church gathering! Please continue to pray for my USA trip, to begin 13th September 2017.
September 15th - Dallas, TX, Evangelical Missiological Society annual conference.
September 18th - Vancouver, BC, with friends, visiting seminaries / universities (?).
September 23rd - Portland, OR, with friends, visiting seminaries / universities.
September 30th - Los Angeles, CA, with friends and family, visiting seminaries / universities.
October 9th - Edmond, OK, visiting Christian University.
October 11th - Abilene/Dallas,TX, visiting Christian University.
October 16th - Dallas,TX, Bible Translation conference.
October 18th - Dallas,TX, Global Institute for Applied Linguistics.
October 21st - Dallas,TX, visiting family.
October 23rd - Chicago, IL, Moody Bible Institute.
October 27th - Washington, DC, visiting family.
October 30th - Philadelphia, PA, Eastern University.
November 3rd - Visiting family.
November 7th - Ambridge, PA, Anglican Seminary, Vulnerable Mission Conference.
November 12th - Pennsylvania – visiting friends.
November 15th - Anderson, IN, Anderson University.
November 21st - Travel back to Kenya.
Jim