In case you missed it: Nik Ripken, “Trauma and Tragedy on the Mission Field” NikRipken.com (September 19, 2023).

“In this deeply personal episode, Nik Ripken reflects on his journey through trauma, health crises, and confronting deeply ingrained racism in his life and ministry. From growing up in a broken home to battling malaria on the mission field and dismantling racial prejudice, Nik shares how God has redeemed his struggles, transforming them into opportunities for reconciliation, humility, and Kingdom work.”

Dhimas Anugrah, “Schadenfreude: A Misplaced Joy” Our Daily Bread Ministries.

Dhimas Anugrah, “Freudenfreude: Finding Joy Even When the Good News Isn’t Mine” Our Daily Bread Ministries.

“Should We Bring AI into the Church?: Interview by Bonnie Kristian” ChristianityToday.com (May 28. 2025).

The tagline for this interview is: “A church-tech skeptic talks values with technologists from faith-aligned AI company Gloo.”

Craig Keener, “Video course on Acts” CraigKeener.com (July 9, 2025).

Dr. Craig Keener writes: “Although I have 23 hours of free lectures on Acts on my YouTube channel, a newer, more official course with Seminary Now is launching with much better video graphics, based on my 4-volume Acts commentary.”

Andrew Gabriel, “Tales of my First Visit to a Church of God (Cleveland) Pentecostal Church” AndrewKGabriel.com (March 17, 2025).

“Archbishop Benjamin Kwashi on genocide against Christians in northern Nigeria” CraigKeener.com (July 30, 2025).

“Craig interviews retired Anglican Archbishop Ben Kwashi on his experience and on the massacres of Christians in northern Nigeria. Archbishop Kwashi has long worked for peace, reconciliation, justice, truth and is always centered in the gospel of Christ. He and his wife Gloria have adopted more than seventy children, many of them orphans because of the massacres in the north. Archbishop Kwashi also is current on both the events in the north of Nigeria and their wider global context.”

“Cultural Intelligence vs. Personality: What’s the Difference” Cultural Intelligence Center.

A white paper from the Cultural Intelligence Center. How is personality different from cultural intelligence? CQ is a skillset.

Image: Anastasia Zolotukhina

“Interview with the Author—Michelle Van Loon” Eerdword (August 4, 2025).

Eerdmans Publishing interviews the author of Downsizing: Letting Go of Evangelicalism’s Nonessentials.

In case you missed it: Keith Simon, “When My Sermon Riled Our City: Preaching on sex and gender led to local uproar and national headlines. Here are seven things I learned” Christianity Today (June 25, 2024).

“The Forgotten Etowah Revival” Cup & Cross Ministries (August 20, 2025).

PR

Perhaps because I’ve recently been spending of lot of time in Frank Viola’s magisterial The Untold Story of the New Testament Church, but I’ve been thinking about the Roman Empire. The Romans believed they had conquered the known world because their gods were stronger, better. When in reality, the one true God and Master of the Worlds was using an immoral and cruel Empire to allow for the rapid spread of the Good News on great roads across much of the world in languages that were well-known to multitudes of people.

When I think of the revolutions in communications that have come and are coming (because of the relative time of peace the world has known since the end of the Great World War) with the global internet, cell phones, social media, and Artificial Intelligence: Are we here at the crest of the wave because God wants his people to be proclaiming in a fresh way the love, power, and forgiveness found only in Jesus?

Image: Matt Jones