February 10, 2022
By Mike Kuhn The missionary odyssey of Marcus and Narcissa Whitman has aroused much historical interest. The couple was commissioned in the 1830’s by the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) to evangelize native tribes of the American Pacific Northwest—the Cayuse, Nez Perce and Umatilla tribes. In many […]
September 2, 2021
by Mike Kuhn No need to review recent events in Afghanistan. We all know. The result is agonizing for much of the world, elating, perhaps, for some. No claim to a comprehensive treatment here…there’s far too much to consider—the massive toll in human lives from 20 years of military occupation, […]
June 24, 2021
by Mike Kuhn This is a revised version of a post that was published by IMES in 2016 A commodity—something that is bought and sold. Mission—the loving and joyful response of Christ’s followers to disciple the nations, holding forth Jesus’ life and teaching among all the peoples of the world. […]
March 11, 2021
By Mike Kuhn That strikethrough of the word “mission” in the title is intentional. I imagine that for most readers of this blog the word “mission” evokes positive connotations of self-sacrificial giving and heroic exploits of missionaries of a by-gone era. Early Protestant missionaries to the Middle East established schools, […]
October 7, 2020
by Mike Kuhn Is following Jesus a “politic?” That question is perhaps the latest step in a life-long progression. Early in life I was taught that Jesus saved me from my sin so I could go to heaven when I die. Later came the realization that being a “Christian” meant […]
April 9, 2020
by Mike Kuhn …and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour… (Luke 23:44) I confess. I thought pandemics were medieval. Sure I remember SARS and Ebola. But those didn’t get close. They affected others. I caught H1N1 (Swine Flu) but I recovered eventually and life went […]
January 30, 2020
by Mike Kuhn “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” (Matthew 7:6). One interpretation of these strange words by Jesus understands “pigs” and “dogs” to vaguely reference Gentile (i.e. Roman) political authority. In the […]
November 7, 2019
by Mike Kuhn Media outlets are noticing an unprecedented proliferation of uprisings around the globe—Hong Kong, Chile, Addis Ababa, Baghdad, and of course, our own beloved Beirut. While some debate the legitimacy of Christians’ participation in these demonstrations, there is a more fundamental issue that is at stake as we […]