Multiethnic Ministry

Book Review: A Theology as Big as the City – Ray Bakke

November 4, 2012 By Daniel Im

The following is an analytical book review of Ray Bakke’s A Theology as Big as the City.

Ray Bakke is the Chancellor, Distinguished Professor of Global Urban Ministry and Urban/Global Leadership, and a member of the Board of Regents at Bakke Graduate University. He is an author and also the founder of International Urban Associates, which is a network of urban-based church and mission leaders from many of the world’s largest cities.

With the increase in urbanization and urbanism, and with the increasing trend of the world moving into cities, a lot of new challenges are arising. Despite the demographic, missiological, ecclesiastical, and financial challenges that are accompanying this increase, the primary challenge is theological.

Thus, the thesis of this book is that God is not just interested in our personal needs and problems, but he is also interested in the city, and the engagement that Christians have with our “external-world reality” (Location 73).

A Missional Christian Approach: Perspectives on Death – Part 6/6

July 23, 2012 By Daniel Im

This is my last post of this series and summarizes a missional Christian response to death and tragedy.

As I was searching for articles on tragic death, I discovered that there was not a short supply. However, what overwhelmed me was the fact that tragic deaths take place every moment of the day and all over the world, but not every tragic death gets recorded in a news medium. This is a personally painful topic for my family and I, but it is also as painful for millions of others who are dealing through a tragic death.

Christians are notorious for offering “packaged” and over simplistic phrases of comfort to others grieving through a loss – many reflect on the trite phrases that Job’s friends offered to him, in the Book of Job, as he grieved the loss of his family. Since death is something that shakes our entire reality, what ought the Christian response to death be? After all, regardless of one’s faith journey, we are all seeking to find meaning, comfort, and healing in light of these senseless tragic deaths.

So what ought the church’s missional response be to tragic deaths? For it’s congregants and the wider community?

Atheist: Perspectives on Death – Part 5/6

July 1, 2012 By Daniel Im

This fifth post of my series summarizes the atheist’s view on death and tragedy.

For an atheist, death is final, so when Rebecca Hensler’s infant son died, remarks such as, “He is in a better place,” “God has a plan,” or “Now he’s an angel,” did not make sense for her. “Grief Without God is a Challenge for Atheists” is an article that describes how atheists are finding comfort with one another as they look for a way “to process grief and sorrow without the trappings – or support – of religious ritual and belief.”

Book Review: The Missional Leader

May 28, 2012 By Daniel Im

The following is an analytical book review of The Missional Leader.

Roxburgh is one of the foremost leading thinkers in everything missional, yet he is a pastor at heart with over thirty years of experience in church leadership, consulting, and seminary education. He is also leads The Missional Network, which is an organization that is committed to resourcing missional leaders. On the other hand, Romanuk is an experienced psychologist with years of organizational consulting experience. He brings expertise in assessing and developing the potential of people in leadership roles.

The thesis of this book is that every church needs to move from a consumeristic model to a missional model, since the very nature of the church is to be God’s missionary people. Roxburgh and Romanuk explain how leaders need to make this transition first personally before being able to lead his/her church through this transition.

Eerie: Perspectives on Death – Part 4/6

March 11, 2012 By Daniel Im

This fourth post of my series highlights a story that went viral because of it’s unorthodox ways and eeriness.

The fourth perspective on death that I am going to be exploring is the remorseful response that can be sometimes eerie when grieving a tragic death.

After Chadil’s girlfriend of ten years died in a car accident, he decided to marry his dead girlfriend, out of guilt, in a funeral/wedding ceremony in Thailand. In Pravattiyagul’s article, he comments that “the “wedding” was his attempt to right a wrong, however belated the gesture might have been.” Consequently, Chadil’s self-admission that he married her out of guilt reveals that he is journeying through the various stages of grief.

This story was not only viral in Thailand, but over 100,000 Facebook users shared it at the time Pravattiyagul wrote his article. When a story like this goes viral, individuals on the various social networking sites feel like they have the privilege to say things that they would never say to an individual grieving the death of a loved one. For example, one individual said,“Well at least he didn’t try to marry a guy,” while another said “OH NOWWW he wants to marry her…really???? That’s just gross and freaky. Wish she could just live again long enough to sit up and slap him for not marrying her after 10 years of going together.”

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