Many Christians feel that Christianity is declining in Korea. One sign of the decline is that church members there are turning into mere consumers. This is especially true in megachurches. People go to churches that meet their needs. They remain in those churches as long as their needs are met. But if other churches offer better programs, especially for their children, they don't hesitate to move. Because the only reason they join a church is to get something from it, they're unwilling to make sacrifices. I heard about an episode at a megachurch in Korea where the ...

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Malcolm Gladwell's book "Outliers" has stayed on the New York Times bestseller list ever since it was released. Gladwell is a journalist, author, and pop sociologist. His book examines people who excel in their professions and make extraordinary accomplishments. One somewhat surprising conclusion he reached is that people with exceptionally high IQs don't necessarily become high achievers. Most of them live successful but ordinary lives. One critical factor that influences famous pioneers in every field is timing: they are born at just the right time. For example, he ...

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There seems to be a rumor going around that house churches that have not attracted any new members for 3 years will disband. This is not true. House churches are true churches. You don't shut down local churches simply because they don't get new members. You don't disband house churches for the same reason. The rumors likely started because of a recent decision to disband house churches that haven't had new members for three years when their Shepherd resigns or moves instead of appointing a new Shepherd. We made this decision because we felt these house churches have ...

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I have an "Urgent Prayer List" that includes the names of people who are in emergency situations and need immediate, focused prayer. These days, this list is filled with people who recently lost their jobs. When I hear of church members losing their jobs, my heart aches because I understand the sense of shame people feel when they are laid off, and the uncertainty and fear they have until they find a new job. I understand because I was once out of a job myself. My first child Danny was due to be born around the time I was to graduate from my PhD program. I had planned to ...

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I was shocked when I heard that former South Korean President Roh committed suicide. Most Koreans in their 60s have negative opinions of him, but I liked him. I defended him in the past, writing that "he has advanced democracy in South Korea by making national and local elections free of government interference." "His open government policies dramatically reduced government corruption." "His common folk attitude helped reduce authoritarianism among high government officials." "He destroyed instead of building during his tenure, but that was a necessary step for South ...

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Some of our church members who were not able to go on foreign mission trips because of their visa statuses started a Native American mission trip last year. Many young people who didn't have enough time or money for an overseas trip also got involved. On Sunday, this year's mission team gave a special music presentation during the worship services. About 40 young people and some mothers (who are accompanying them to cook for the team) sang on stage. Their presentation moved me to tears. A missionary who has long been involved in Native American missions recently sent me a ...

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