March 1 has been designated an International Day of Prayer for the people and ministries of WorldVenture. As we consider the opportunities and challenges facing the Church worldwide, we urge you to join us in lifting our voices to God. Pray for redemptive relationships, that those who are hearing the gospel and seeing it demonstrated before them in acts of mercy will be sensitive to the Spirit's call. Pray that national leaders will be courageous, bold in the Spirit, and that they would grow in love and knowledge. Pray that many more Christians in the States and around the world will develop a deeper commitment to missions, sharing the passion of Christ himself "to seek and to save that which is lost." Pray that the work of God would not suffer for lack of generosity on the part of his people. Pray for powerful ministry partnerships and for the transformed lives that result, as God continues to lead us together. - Hans Finzel, WorldVenture President

LATIN AMERICA - BLESSING THE WORLD
Nearly 25 years ago Latin America formally joined the world missions force; today there are 400 mission agencies sending out 9,000 Latinos. (Another 3,000 are thought to have gone out without a sending structure.) Of the 9,000 missionaries, only 2,000 are serving outside of Latin America. This is partly because many must serve cross-culturally in Latin America before they are considered for Asia or Africa. It is estimated that:

780 serve among Muslims
246 serve in India
128 serve among Buddhists
1,440 serve in the 10/40 Window

American missionary Don McCurry is currently training Latinos to be more effective in missions to the Muslim world. He has conducted programs in every nation in Latin America. Others are training Latinos for ministry in Hindu and Buddhist nations.

Latino churches are blessing the world by the design and power of the Holy Spirit. With more than 85 million evangelicals in Latin America, Latinos have a major role to play in missions. May the huge Church growth in Latin America spill over and overflow into the rest of the world. Let us rejoice for the Latin flavor entering world missions today. The whole Church taking the whole gospel to the whole world is becoming a reality.

Source: article by Chacko Thomas for Lausanne World Pulse | Read more

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“Can morality be legislated? If so, on what level of government—state or federal? Is the separation of church and state eroding? How will the White House repay the religious right? How did the religious right become the stewards and definers of "moral values"? Should the Democrats try to compromise? If they do, will their efforts be seen as authentic and sincere, or merely political? Why is George Bush more convincing as a believer than John Kerry? Is it natural that politics and religion should mix? Should evangelical churches be seen as political organizations, and consequently undergo a change in tax status?”

These are the questions addressed in a NPR dialogue with special guests David Domke (Adjunct Faculty, Department of Political Science, University of Washington) and Christian Halliburton (Assistant Professor of Law, Seattle University). As I (Dave) listened to this dialogue, I thought that as pastors, you too might be interested in hearing a political science and law professor interact with these issues, especially as we enter a new election season. My daughter is currently taking a “Religion and Law” class from Dr. Halliburton, so I did not stumble on this conversation accidentally. I mention this to you not as an endorsement of any particular position or point of view, but with the knowledge that this is an important issue for the church today. The web page where the dialogue may be found is: http://www.kuow.org/defaultProgram.asp?ID=8031

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Banker to the Poor: Micro-lending and the Battle Against World Poverty
by Muhhamad Yunus (1999, 2003 Public Affairs)
Reviewed by David Korb

If you have any interest in micro-financing, or want to learn more about a bottom-up approach to combating world poverty, this is an important book for you to read. In 2006, Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh received the Nobel Peace Prize for “their efforts to create economic and social development from below.” What began in the mid-70s with a simple $27 loan to a group of impoverished women later became the Grameen Bank, whose microcredit model has now spread to over 100 institutions in over 50 countries worldwide. Most of the Grameen Bank’s loans are to women, and since it was officially formed in 1983, there has been an astonishing repayment rate of over 98 percent.

When reading this book it is interesting to track Yunus’ formulation of policies as he felt his way forward by visiting with families, talking with those within his target group—the poorest of the poor—and making decisions based on his experiences. “The idea behind the Grameen Bank is ingeniously simple: extend credit to poor people and they will help themselves. This concept strikes at the root of poverty by specifically targeting the poorest of the poor, providing small loans to those unable to obtain credit from traditional banks” (from the Amazon.com review). It may surprise you to read that he does not require training or collateral before a loan may be secured. All the bank requires is that a person be desperately poor and have a reasonable business plan.

This is a fascinating book that is well-written and engaging. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in micro-finance.

Paradigms in Conflict: Ten Key Questions in Christian Missions Today
by David Hasselgrave (2006 Kregel Publications)
Reviewed by David Korb

Another great book! I’d consider Paradigms in Conflict a must read for those who want to grapple with the hard questions. Hesselgrave’s target is how the hard questions—and their answers—impact the way we go and the way we send others into global cross-cultural settings. The questions posed also impact the way we organize our own theological lives at home.

In this book, Hesselgrave wrestles with questions like, Where does God’s sovereignty and man’s free will begin and end? Are we free to say “No” to God? Did God limit His sovereignty by delegating certain authority to the moral beings He created? Is sickness the will of Satan and not the will of God? And what about Open Theism? Where does that fall in this mix? And the bottom line for missions: If God knows and has determined who will be saved, why go?

One topic Hesselgrave examines is “Restrictivism and Inclusivism.” Simply put, “If a man is stranded alone on an island from infancy until death and never hears the gospel of Jesus Christ, where will he spend eternity?”

And what about finding “common ground” with the lost person with whom we are seeking to share the gospel? Can “common ground” be found? Other discussions include “Incarnationalism and Representationalism” and “Power Encounter and Truth Encounter.”

If you pick up this book, be prepared to think. You will be challenged to add clarity to some of the positions you may not have thought through or have not revisited for a while. In recent years the church has been accused—and rightfully so—of “dumbing down” our faith and avoiding asking and answering the hard questions in a kind of “anti-intellectualism.” This book is a step in the right direction.

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