I often hear congregations say that: “our school is our mission.” Many times that is spoken in a context meant to explain why they don't financially support mission work done through their district or synod. “The school is our mission” means “that's where our mission dollars go.” If your congregation thinks this way, I would challenge that thinking. Did Jesus call the disciples to begin parochial schools?

Who's in the Scriptural driver's seat with regard to ABLAZE? One criticism of ABLAZE is that it replaces the “strong” missiology of Matthew 28, prescribing preaching, teaching, and baptizing, with a “weak” Acts 1:8 program of simply witnessing.

Books I've been reading lately suggest that if one wishes to know what's going on in the culture, the arts are a fruitful place to begin. I kept that thought in mind recently while sitting in a darkened movie theater watching “The Dark Knight.” Although comic book fans thank Marvel Comics for injecting serious reflective issues into characters not accustomed to being taken seriously, the writers assigned to beef up the Batman film franchise have certainly not ignored the trend. This Batman is filled with good intentions that go wrong. He is a vigilante run amok, according to his detractors. Even his defenders and cohorts notice how his desire to right wrongs and clean up injustices creates unintentional moral dilemmas and bad consequences not only for himself but for those whom he tries to protect. His development of a universal eavesdropping mechanism designed to impede the Joker's plans earns him a scolding from an associate who rebels at justifying the end with this means. Batman himself is plagued by questions of self-identity and purpose.