There is a range of definition of the church. But it is appropriate to mention that church is “the distinctive people of God called by the Missionary God through His mission and set aside for the continuation of His mission. As His mission always takes place to the specific people at the specific time, His church should be contextually formed. As the church is designed by the Missionary God who is Infinite God, it should be without walls. In other words, the church should be beyond the traditional boundary but contextual.
Daily Archives: January 10, 2023
Alcohol Abuse Among Christian Students at Kalay University
This research investigates alcohol use and abuse among Christian students at Kalay University in terms of causes, effects and solutions. When Christian students come to Kalay University, some start drinking alcohol, often to excess, and with significant negative consequences. A mixed method research approach was used, involving both quantitative questionnaires and qualitative in-depth interviews. While the effects of alcohol abuse are well known, the research identified an important theme entitled “freedom” as one of the main causes; that is, Kalay University has few rules and students have considerable freedom regarding how they behave. Regarding solutions, a key result is the proper preparation for young people leaving home and moving to a new and often “free” environment. It is suggested that this preparation requires intentional discipleship from both parents and the church.
Keywords: Alcohol abuse, Christian university students, Myanmar.
Practicing Christian Faith in the Workplace of Myanmar (PCFW): What and Why?
This essay explores what it means by “practicing Christian faith in the Workplace” (PCFW) and why it is important in the context of Myanmar. Tracing Christian views of work from Martin Luther to Timothy Keller and Miroslav Volf, this paper argues that PCFW is theologically rich, and it embraces all theological traditions (Anabaptist, liberation, development model, the reformed approach) which seek a way to relate society. Then this paper proposes that Christians in Myanmar should seek to introduce, promote and develop PCFW in Myanmar in order to be culture-making Christians. Last, this paper also presents challenges and opportunities that Christians may face in practicing Christian faith in the workplace.
Keywords: work, workplace, lay Christians, Christian faith, Buddhism, PCFW, Anabaptist, Reformation, corruption, culture-making, transformation.
Wise Choices
Living constantly involves making choices. The Christian perspective recognizes that God guides through the Holy Spirit and through His Word, which gives guidance for all moral choices. However, many choices are non-moral – such as, what clothes shall I wear today, shall I eat rice or noodles for lunch, or which would be the best Bible College for me to study at. While Christian literature deals extensively with moral choices (ethics), comparatively little guidance is given for the many non-moral decisions Christians make every day. This article focuses on the many important and largely non-moral choices faced by Christians and presents key findings from over forty years of research on decision making. Three main areas addressed are: perception of decision situation, processes and finally practical principles for making wise choices.
Keywords: Decision making, choice, God’s will.
Why Biblical Languages (Hebrew and Greek) Matter for Ministers in Myanmar: Exploring the Treasure of Biblical Languages
This article, first of all, tackles three common objections ministers encounter in Myanmar and provides three reasons for knowing biblical languages. First, this article argues that ministers in Myanmar should invest their time in studying Biblical languages because it helps us acquire a more intimate knowledge of God’s Word for personal spiritual development. It also gives us the ability to critique the accuracy of translations, to dig out the most accurate meaning for ambiguous words, and to analyse theological debates arising from different interpretations of the Scripture. Second, knowing Biblical languages will help ministers to handle the Bible with confidence, explain it with accuracy, and proclaim it with power. Finally, this article mentions how knowing Biblical languages can help ministers to defend the gospel against false doctrine arising from misinterpretation.
Keywords: biblical languages, ministers, translation, misinterpretation, meaning, theology, accuracy, steward.