“Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself. As part of your equipment have something to dig with, and when you relieve yourself, dig a hole and cover up your excrement.” Deuteronomy 23:10-13 (NIV) While the above passage is not likely to be highlighted or often referenced, it reveals to…
Africa’s Tension Belt: The Changing Face of Mission
Exploring a mission call in the early 1990s, I developed a romantic notion of what it meant to be a missionary — rural, rugged, sacrificial, cross-cultural, frontline. But also in my mind it was mostly the West to the rest of the world. Adding to the image was my own heritage — more than a century ago…
Iran: Behind the Headlines
Nuclear threat. Political and religious oppression. Human rights violations. Economic sanctions. Rogue state. What does the media’s fiendish portrayal of Iran’s power structures say, if anything, about its citizenry? David Yeghnazar, Executive Director of Elam Ministries, reminds us in the following interview to be careful not to conflate the two. First Fruit: What is the Iranian story behind the headlines? David:…
Fighting Ebola: A Call to Sacrifice
Amidst worldwide apprehension about the rampant spread of Ebola, a 120-year-old Christian mission, SIM USA, has become an unlikely focal point in the fight against the epidemic in West Africa. We caught up with Bruce Johnson, President of SIM USA, to get an update from the frontlines. First Fruit: Some of your staff have been infected…
She’s My Sister (Part 2)
Camille and Esther Ntoto, founders of Un Jour Nouveau, continue their riveting challenge to the Church as they describe what it is like for girls and women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This is the second of a 2-part interview. First Fruit: Why is the Church sometimes complicit in the problem of gender inequality? Camille: First…
She’s My Sister
In helping to launch the United Nations campaign called HeForShe, actress Emma Watson states: “Sadly I can say that there is no one country in the world where all women can expect to receive [the same rights as men]. No country in the world can yet say they have achieved gender equality.” Christians are the…
Middle East: An Existential Threat
The Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community in Syria and Lebanon has described the catastrophic actions of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS) as an “existential threat facing the future of Middle Eastern minorities” and a potential “annihilation of Christian presence” in the region. Unfortunately, those words are not hyperbole. In a statement to fellow Evangelicals and Protestants…
A Learning Organization
Before becoming an organization that in 20 years helped make God’s Word available to 1.3 billion in their heart language, the Seed Company (TSC) was merely an idea. Faced with the enormous task of giving access to the Bible in the heart languages of a billion more people, TSC’s culture of innovation continues to accelerate the process of bible translation,…
Ukraine Crisis: Faith in a Multipolar World
The crisis in Ukraine continues to escalate and there is no clear path to ending it. We asked two prominent Ukrainian evangelicals to help the international community make sense of the crisis and offer thoughts on what the global church can do. Pavel Unguryan served as a member of Parliament from 2008-2012 and currently is…
Brian Fikkert Joins the First Fruit Board
FOR PUBLIC RELEASE First Fruit, Inc. is pleased to announce the addition of our newest Board member, Dr. Brian Fikkert. Dr. Fikkert is the Founder and President of the Chalmers Center for Economic Development at Covenant College, where he is also Professor of Economics and Community Development. Dr. Fikkert earned a Ph.D. in economics from…