Culture Reigns

The critical battle between Culture and Values

I recall participating in a seminar set aside by a church where a group of its leaders came together to identify the values of the church. The group, seated around tables, were led through a day where the end product of identifying its key values was achieved. Much has changed in that church since that day and I daresay that there would not be many who would now remember the list of values that were agreed upon that day. Further, It would seem that there was little attempt to communicate those values to the church at large, as life in the church has steadily deteriorated with the passing of time. On reflection, I have jotted down the following insights from that experience...

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It's getting tough out there...

It seems like every day, I’m hearing more reports about persecution happening in the world. I recently left a country that is under significant duress. The week we were there, a crackdown occurred in one of their most famous towns – a town known for having one of their national symbols. The pastors, alumni of Asian Access, had gathered together for a city-wide gathering of churches, only to be harassed by their local community. It seems that everyone is after them: government officials, religious authorities and even the neighbors. It’s sad to see and many lives are often at stake. This type of situation is on the rise in many of the countries we work in. We see this type of harassment happening in more than half the countries we work in and so we could use your prayers. More importantly, they need your prayers!

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