Our 6th issue of Conversation (Volume 2 Issue 1) engages the recent debate in Kenya regarding the Religious Societies regulation. The issue that was claimed to have made the increased regulation necessary – “rogue preachers” – is a tricky one as it often connects with a whole theological-cultural-aspirational system. As a wise older pastor commented, even … Continue reading
In Issue 5 of CM Scott Postma shares 10 worrying signs of decay in some areas of contemporary church leadership. I’m concerned about the pastor who is better at managing church programs than he is at making disciples of Jesus. Thom Rainer & Eric Geiger addressed this topic somewhat in the book Simple Church, but I’m not … Continue reading
3 years ago ACTS published a slim but very important volume called Gaining the World, Losing the Soul: How the Prosperity Gospel Distorts the Good News. It contained chapters from brothers Michael Maura and Ken Mbugua together with some material from John Piper. We reviewed it on this blog and it is available from the ACTS … Continue reading
“Some people regard attending conferences as a bonus expense, as something to do if some extra money is in the budget, but not worth prioritizing otherwise. I couldn’t disagree more. The value that comes from making connections, having time to think, being exposed to great new ideas, and refining your ideas is invaluable. If you … Continue reading
Sammy Maina writes for Conversation Magazine: It’s a Sunday morning and my good friend Mais is not looking forward to church. Well, to some this may sound awkward, to some shocking and to others it’s not a big deal. In fact to some it doesn’t matter whether one goes to church or not. As a … Continue reading
Great article from David Robertson, very much on the theme of the current Conversation Magazine… TheWeeFlea.com God TV has announced that Rory Alec has left his wife, Wendy, for another woman and has therefore stepped down as CEO and presenter. God TV are in damage control mood, ‘calm down and carry on’ is their new … Continue reading
There are at least two dangers in extreme prosperity preaching: It leads thousands away from the Christ of the Bible to false hopes, shipwrecking faith and destroying families. It makes ‘moderate’ prosperity preaching seem fine by comparison. It defines a new low. It lowers the bar. It plays the rest of us onside.”We don’t do that … Continue reading
The new issue of Conversation is all about faithful Bible preaching (and the lack of it). This is Lydia Maingi’s passionate editorial: A close look at the kind of preaching going on on national TV and one is left wondering what is happening to the church of Christ. What Bible do these ‘preachers’ subscribe to? … Continue reading
It is not uncommon for us to hear something like this: “I take power and authority over the spirit of infirmity and decree that Jesus sets you free and the healing is permanent.” This raises a few questions. First, who is in charge? It looks worryingly like I am ‘the commander while God is the … Continue reading
Maura, Mbugua & Piper, Gaining the World, Losing the Soul: How the Prosperity Gospel Distorts the Good News, ACTS: Nairobi, 2012. Reviewer: Susie Harker This book seeks to challenge the widespread false teaching that is leading many away from the Lord Jesus and the gospel of the Bible. Two Kenyan pastors, Michael Otieno Maura and … Continue reading
Conversation Magazine 