EMQ articles
Evangelical Missions Quarterly, from 1964 to the current issue. Page 5 of 160 · 3,835 in all.
Collaborative Contextual Theology: Lessons from Thailand
By Steve Taylor | Contextualizing theology is challenging, and discernment is needed to know the difference between biblical truths and cultural beliefs. Local and outsider perspectives can benefit these discussions. A three-step framework used by the Thai Christian Thinkers group offers helpful guidance on how to do…
The Arts in Conversation with First Nations Peoples
By Jhonny A. Nieto Ossa | Finding and encouraging Indigenous cultural expressions that harmonize with Christian faith rather than bringing in and teaching established Western cultural expressions has proven to be a far more effective means to spread the gospel. As Indigenous arts are encouraged, they are reshaping…
Insights on Arts and Mission in Oral Cultures
By Rocelyn A. Madinger | After personally experiencing the power of the arts in my own life, I’ve discovered how the arts can be helpful and transformative tools for workers to bring the good news to oral cultures. The arts reflect the values of and dynamics in a community, bridge generations, and aid in…
Are Local Arts the Key to Reaching the Basque People?
By Juan Arvelo Montero | After repeatedly failing to communicate the gospel to the Basque people, God showed me that the arts offer a key to open hearts. The arts are a crucial form of gospel communication that move people’s emotions in a way that only sharing information does not. This makes it a powerful…
Redeeming Local Arts for Worship
By Bronwen Cleaver | The Altai people of southern Siberia have a rich artistic history. A local Bible translation team studied local art forms to see which ones could be used to convey passages of Scripture from the Psalms and Judges. The result was a worshipful rendition of biblical passages performed using local…
Indigenous Composers Bridge Traditions
By Elsen Portugal | About 50 years after evangelical missions started among the Xerente people of Brazil, singers and other musicians started composing their own songs. These compositions blended traditional Indigenous elements with aspects of popular music typical of the region. This fusion is a result of the…
Sparking New Arts for Mission: Practical Steps and Conversations
By Laura Roberts | Engaging with local arts opens doors to encourage cultures to use their own resources in the world of the church and mission. The Creating Local Arts Together (CLAT) approach offers a practical method for anyone to engage with the arts in their own culture or across cultures.
Training in the Arts and Christian Mission
By Roch Ntankeh | Is the future of mission work painted in the colors of cultural diversity? The arts are gaining recognition as a powerful tool for Christian mission worldwide, but training in the arts remains scarce. Yet if training in the arts and mission can be developed to be flexible to varying contexts, the…
Beyond Telling: Embodied Gospel Communication
By Lydia Hreniuc and Robin Harris | Studies in neuroscience and adult learning affirm the value of cultural, relational, and emotional means of knowing that extend beyond rational cognition. The arts are therefore a potent form of communication that allow all of us – not only those with special training as artists…
Toward a Theology of Arts and Mission
By James R. Krabill | Artistic expressions are reshaping Christian mission and worship globally. As global churches increasingly contextualize their faith, the arts emerge as a powerful tool that increases spiritual depth and provides a more holistic understanding of the Christian experience.
Local Arts in Polycentric Missions
By Héber Negrão | The landscape of global Christianity is shifting, and this is impacting global mission. The arts have always been critical to mission, but how we use them has changed from a bring it – teach it to a find it – encourage it approach. As engagement with local arts are embraced, Christianity is becoming…
The Good News of Re-Inheritance and Disability
By Chris Masiscoming* | As a Christian working in disability ministry, I’ve discovered profound connections between Psalm 82, Jesus’s mission, and our call to justice. This psalm reveals how God is reclaiming his inheritance – including people with disabilities – from rebellious spiritual authorities.
Disability Outreach Breaks Karma’s Chains in Thailand
By Joseph Tell | As a missionary in Thailand, I’ve witnessed the transformative power of disability ministry. In a context where Christianity’s message often falls flat, disability outreach can revitalize churches, change community perceptions, and communicate the gospel in ways that overcome cultural barriers.
Contextualization Can Be Messy
By John Devalve | My wife and I lived in a remote predominantly Muslim region of West Africa with few believers for more than a decade. Not long after we arrived, I faced a new challenge: contextualizing a rite of passage ceremony for a new community of Christ followers.
Grafted Together to Fulfill God’s Mission
By Christi Trimbur | Kinship unity develops when diverse members graft together to form one entity. When those groups choose to humbly reach out to each other in acceptance, true partnership or koinonia naturally follows.
Beyond Barriers: Embracing Disability in the Church
By Erna Möller and Muna Abu Ghazaleh | Evangelism, discipleship, and church planting among persons with disabilities worldwide is hampered by challenges. Our research and experiences in South Africa and the MENA region offer insights and solutions to overcome these barriers and reach this community searching for a…
Repurposed Wheelchairs Renew Lives
By Mitch Tani and Mary Esther Penner | A vision for recycling wheelchairs gave birth to a ministry in Japan that provides wheelchairs to people in several countries who desperately need them. The ministry has brought God’s transforming hope not only to wheelchair recipients, but also to volunteers working to…
From Cursed to Co-Laborers: Reframing Disability in African Churches
By Jackie Nyamutumbu Kimani | The theology of the prosperity gospel in African churches often mirrors animistic beliefs especially as it relates to people with disabilities. It undermines God’s sovereignty and excludes disabled individuals from ministry.
The Kingdom’s Embrace of People with Disabilities
By “Amos” Ming Raj Gurung | Every person, with or without a disability, matters in the kingdom of God. God has a special focus on those who are weak and disabled. This was demonstrated in Jesus’s ministry as he served people with disabilities and brought them honor when society had rejected them.
Training the Deaf to Take the Gospel to the Deaf
By Matthijs Terpstra and Andrew Miller | Deaf people in developing nations around the world face formidable challenges. Deaf Ministries International (DMI) has found that education, training, and the love of Christ can help Deaf people overcome barriers, live productive and meaningful lives, and give back to their…
Image Bearers of God’s Love Unite!
By Jenna Sanderson with Chantelle Sanderson | People with disabilities comprise the largest unreached people group in the world, today. We are also often missed as participants in God’s global mission. As a 22-year-old with Cerebral Palsy, I want people to see me for who I truly am: a daughter of God, who is loved…
Disability in the Church’s First Mission
By Dave Deuel | After the birth of the church, the first mission begins in Jerusalem with the healing of a man with a disability at the temple gates. This should not be surprising because people with disabilities appear throughout the Scripture narrative and especially in Jesus’s earthly ministry.
Gospel Workers as Vulnerable Vessels
By Andrew K. Opie | What happens when disability comes into the picture? It often results in some being left out of gospel work due to not measuring up as sufficient.
The Inclusive Missio Dei
By Kim Kargbo | At least 16% of the world’s population has a disability, and only 5–10% of them have heard the gospel. This makes people with disabilities the world’s largest unreached people group.