On Mission with Chris Wright

Dr. Hikmat Kashouh is a Langham Scholar and the senior pastor of Resurrection Church Beirut—a vibrant and growing missional church located in Beirut, Lebanon. Under his leadership, the church has pursued God’s radical call to love our enemies and serve our neighbors. Before leading Resurrection Church Beirut he was the academic dean at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary, where he still is a research professor. In his conversation with Chris, they discuss the concept of incarnational mission and how the Church is called to live out a message of hope which points the world to Christ.

Dr. Qaiser Julius is a Pakistani Christian and theological leader trained with Langham support. Qaiser serves as the Director of Open Theological Seminary in Lahore and coordinates Langham's pastor training work in his nation. In his conversation with Chris, they discuss what it's like to boldly live out one's faith under pressure as a religious minority, and how thousands of church leaders are being equipped across the country through a unique distance learning program tailored to the needs of the region.

Santiago Benavides is a songwriter and professional musician from Medellín, Colombia. Santiago’s music has taken him all over the world, and he is currently living and ministering among Latin American immigrant communities in Canada with Latin American Mission. Studying under Langham Scholar Milton Acosta in Colombia, Santiago paired his musical gifts with a theology degree to create music "that can cross religious prejudices, carrying the beauty, truth and goodness of the Gospel.”

In this second half of their conversation, Chris and Santiago continue their discussion on the intersection of art, faith, and mission with a look behind the scenes at some of Santiago’s songwriting, and later discuss how the people of Colombia retain faith, resilience, and hope despite the devastation left behind by 60 grueling years of internal conflict.

Listen to Santiago on Spotify: spoti.fi/3oE9TWc

Listen to Santiago on Apple Music: apple.co/3gG2H7L

Follow Santiago on Instagram: @sanbenavides

Santiago Benavides is a songwriter and professional musician from Medellín, Colombia. Santiago’s music has taken him all over the world, and he is currently living and ministering among Latin American immigrant communities in Canada with Latin American Mission. Studying under Langham Scholar Milton Acosta in Colombia, Santiago paired his musical gifts with a theology degree to create music "that can cross religious prejudices, carrying the beauty, truth and goodness of the Gospel.” In part one of their conversation, Chris and Santiago discuss the intersection of art and theology, and how music is "on mission."

Listen to Santiago on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3oE9TWc

Listen to Santiago on Apple Music: https://apple.co/3gG2H7L

Follow Santiago on Instagram: @sanbenavides

Dr. Lami Bakari is a Langham Scholar from Nigeria, and is a founding leader of both the Christian Women Development Network International and the Pricilla Group. During her nearly forty years of ministry, she has founded two schools, worked as a hospital chaplain, and planted seven churches in partnership with her husband. Lami is passionate about women in ministry and the unique role they play in God’s Kingdom. In her conversation with Chris, Lami shares some unique insights on the concept of “partnership”, and how the partnership in ministry between men and women, and the partnership in mission between the Majority World and the West can contribute to a healthier and more vibrant global church.

For 70 years, Mongolia was closed off to the world under Soviet communist rule. When the country opened up in 1991, Dr. Bayar Garamtseren was 18 years old and began attending the very first church in modern-day Mongolia. Today, he is the first Mongolian to receive a PhD in biblical studies, directs the Mongolian Bible translation project, pastors a local church, coordinates Langham Preaching in Mongolia, and runs a Christian publishing house—all so that the church may be strengthened in maturity as it continues to grow in number. In part two of his conversation with Chris, Bayar discusses how the young and energetic Mongolian church can be a blessing to the global body of Christ, and how he's striving to equip his nation with trained leaders and resources.

For 70 years, Mongolia was closed off to the world under Soviet communist rule. When the country opened up in 1991, Dr. Bayar Garamtseren was 18 years old and began attending the very first church in modern-day Mongolia. Today, he is the first Mongolian to receive a PhD in biblical studies, directs the Mongolian Bible translation project, pastors a local church, coordinates Langham Preaching in Mongolia, and runs a Christian publishing house—all so that the church may be strengthened in maturity as it continues to grow in number.

In Part 1 of their conversation, Chris and Bayar discuss the drastic changes in his country since the end of communism, the rich history of Mongolia and the Mongolian church, and the remarkable growth of Christianity in a country where—only 30 years ago—barely a handful of Christians lived.

Dr. Oleksandr Geychenko is a Langham Scholar and the President of Odessa Theological Seminary in Ukraine – one of the first theological schools in the former Soviet Union. Founded 29 years ago when Ukraine was still under Communist rule, today the school is equipping church leaders to be better instruments of God's mission in Ukraine and throughout Eastern Europe. In Oleksandr's conversation with Chris, they discuss what mission looks like in a post-communist nation, the church's response to the recent tumult in Ukraine and along the border, and how theological education is part of God's mission for His people.

Dr. Hani Hanna is a Langham Scholar from Egypt who received his PhD in theology with support from Langham. Today, he is Vice President, Academic Dean, and Professor of Theology at the Evangelical Theological Seminary of Cairo (ETSC) — where he will soon assume the role of President. In his conversation with Chris, they talk about the history of Christianity in Egypt, some present day realities, and why theological education matters, especially for the Middle East.

Dr. Athena Gorospe, from the Philippines, received her PhD in Old Testament studies with support from Langham at Fuller Theological Seminary. She returned to Manila, where she is a professor at the Asia Theological Seminary and directs the Contextual Theology PhD program. Athena has been referred to as one of 30 Old Testament Bible Scholars you should be reading and following—and it’s not hard to understand why. In her conversation with Chris, she shares powerful insights on how theology is integral to mission, and how the Old Testament speaks hope into present hard times.