Author: Stacey Hare

by Stacey Many have read the news reports that describe the horror that is sweeping Nigeria (and parts of Cameroon) at the hands of the Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram. For instance, in February 2013 this group kidnapped a French family of 7 from Cameroon and then in November 2013 kidnapped a French priest, who was also living in Cameroon. Both groups were later released. Militants are said to have attacked various churches in June 2013, leaving 50 people dead. Then, two months later, they are also reported of attacking a Mosque in Borno state in Nigeria killing at least…

by Stacey We have spent the last two blog posts describing the theological basis for the Prosperity Gospel along with its fundamental flaws. In this post we will discuss how to react to what we have learned. In light of the Prosperity Gospel, we should: Actually Help the Poor In serving the poor, the church can offer a real alternative to the deception of the Prosperity Gospel that is sweeping through impoverished nations. Yes, God is a God who does heal even today and is One who has a concern for the poor. But the way in which this is…

by Stacey As mentioned in our last post, we are looking at the theological foundation of what has been coined the “Prosperity Gospel.” We previously described the claims of this system and now we will evaluate, what we are persuaded, to be its main flaws. Prosperity Gospel: Where is the “Not Yet”? Did Jesus die to heal of us of our diseases, give us bodies that function perfectly, and ensure our wealth? Well, kind of. The argument of the New Testament authors is that Jesus died for our sins and in addition to forgiveness and a right relationship with God, believers…

by Stacey Many of us have seen the Piper video  where he expresses his disdain for the “Prosperity Gospel.” But perhaps many are like myself, who do not know the precise theological foundation of this despised message that is sweeping through many developing nations. Since we are going to be ministering in one such nation, I have decided to read the book La Théologie de la prospérité to better understand the underlying beliefs that fuel the Prosperity Gospel (and as an exercise in reading French of course). Thus, we will seek to understand the claims of this gospel in our first blog…

by Stacey “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” – Matthew 9:36-38   To be faithful to Christ’s command in Matthew 9, I have always thought that Christians were supposed to “pray people to the field.” After, myself, going through the process of becoming a missionary, I completely understand why Jesus told us that the “goers” need a lot…

by Dave and Stacey We wanted to let you all get a glimpse of what exam week looks like here in France so we snuck a hidden camera into the classroom. And when you are done watching pray that God works a miracle and that our whole class passed. We get our most recent exam results tomorrow! This is tongue in cheek. We REALLY love our school and professors. But the tests are REALLY hard. And I am pretty sure they know that they are really hard too.

by Stacey After several months of neglecting my morning jog due to cold weather, this past week I decided to put on my running shoes once again. The first morning out, it was cold and the streets were empty except for a few men in berets coming to buy their morning baguettes. I was panting and struggling due to the fact that I have gotten a bit of out of shape during the winter months. I was just trying to put one foot in front of the other. Suddenly I looked up and saw a rather large French woman, still…