Missionary Minds

One of the central roles to which God calls men is to protect women. Husbands and fathers should protect their families spiritually. God told “the man” not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gn. 3:17) but he failed to protect his wife from the serpent who induced her to sin (Gn. 3:6). This is why the Adam was ultimately responsible for Eve’s sin (Rm. 5:20). Husbands and fathers should their families physically and emotionally. Men should be willing to die for their wives, not the other way around. Christ laid down his life for his bride (Eph. 5:25), similar to how husbands should give up themselves for their wives. Here are seven ways that husbands are to protect their wives.

The way different cultures approach the bride price varies, however the concept across the board is generally the same. The intent is to pay the prospective-in-laws a token of appreciation for raising their daughter well and to basically pay for your bride. The charges in the Shona culture can range from $2,000 - $ 10,000 (United States Dollars), some even exceeding those exorbitant ranges, which turns Lobola from a token act into a ‘get-rich-or-die-trying’ scheme.

“My body, my choice” is a feminist slogan used to defend a woman’s right to autonomy over her choices. Women often employ this phrase to defend their right to an abortion. How should one respond to this? Does a woman have complete autonomy over her body, including the right to abort her child? Here are six reasons why the argument “My body, my choice” fails.

For those living in Africa, crime is an unrelenting reality that significantly impacts life through the constant threat of violence. Despite the promises of politicians, criminals are exploiting ineffective governance in many African countries to target the weak and vulnerable. Against the hope of the victims and the longings of Christians who understand God’s standards of righteousness and justice, Africa seems to be plunging into greater depths of criminality. For believers, this raises two important questions—what is the Christian’s responsibility during elections, and what is the Christian’s hope during elections?

While Northern Africa is predominantly Muslim, Sub-Saharan Africa is quick to claim Christianity. But has Africa really been Christianized? What if we used a different metric to determine a nation’s religious moorings? What if the metric became the nation’s Christian character rather than the nation’s Christian confession? Perhaps the numbers would look much different.

Enjoy the conversation between boti Paul and pastor Malamulo in Malawi as they discuss aspects of ministry and the Christian life.

Having 'The Talk' with your son can prove to be quite challenging for most men. Sadly, this results in many fathers abdicating the responsibility. In this episode Boti Paul seeks to give fathers some tips for talking about the birds and the bees with their sons.

Whether we like it or not, technology is moving us to a more cashless society. The Payments Association of South Africa is currently implementing strategies to make South Africa cashless by 2030. It remains to be seen if such an ambitious goal is reached in such a short time. The justification for this move toward a cashless culture is that it is much safer for all concerned and it is less expensive for businesses if they do not handle cash. The banking sector certainly agrees with this. But while there is a great deal of truth in such rationale, there are numerous pitfalls to a cashless society. Here are but a few challenges in this rush to a cashless destination.

Despite the influence of Christianity and Islam on the continent, Africans still attach tremendous honour to their ancestors. Ancestor worship is deeply engrained into the African belief system, its influence reaching the heights of political power. Remembering ancestors and requesting from ancestors are very different. Scripture allows the first but not the second. Here are five reasons why.

We thank those that prayed for us during our latest missionary survey trip. It was successful in every way, all of this due to God’s grace and the prayers of his saints. Here are six brief lessons I learned.