On Mission with Chris Wright

Dr. Martin Accad is a world renowned theological leader in Lebanon who received his PhD training with support from Langham. He’s taught at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut, where he founded and directs the Institute of Middle East Studies. Martin is a sought after speaker, thinker, and writer on Islam, Middle Eastern Christianity and Christian-Muslim relations. In part two of his conversation with Chris, Martin shares about his work which focuses on building peace, trust, and understanding across the Christian and Muslim faiths. Martin shares some wise words for those who may be hesitant about any kind of partnership between Christians and Muslims, and they discuss the groundbreaking Bible commentary project for Muslim-background believers he is leading.

Dr. Martin Accad is a world renowned theological leader in Lebanon who received his PhD training with support from Langham. He’s taught at Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Beirut, where he founded and directs the Institute of Middle East Studies. Martin is a sought after speaker, thinker, and writer on Islam, Middle Eastern Christianity and Christian-Muslim relations. In his conversation with Chris, he gives us a fascinating look into the Lebanese context – a place of beauty and diversity, where, today, they face some incredible challenges.

Today — April 27, 2021 — marks the 100th anniversary of John Stott’s birth. John Stott was a respected preacher, best-selling author of more than 50 books (including seminal classics such as Basic Christianity and The Cross of Christ), servant of the global church, and the founder of Langham Partnership — a global ministry that trains and resources biblical leaders in 130+ countries. This special episode commemorates John Stott's impact on three global Christian leaders whose lives and ministries he personally impacted (Ajith Fernando of Sri Lanka, Matius Ho of Indonesia, and Rosalee Ewell of Brazil). You'll also hear from Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Southern California, who shares special reflections and remembrances on his friendship with John Stott.

Ajith Fernando is teaching director (and former national director) of Youth for Christ, Sri Lanka—a ministry he led for 35 years. In addition to teaching and preaching, he spends his time mentoring and counseling younger Christian leaders and pastors. Ajith is passionate about discipleship and working among the urban poor. He’s a sought after speaker, frequenting stages at Urbana and Lausanne gatherings, as well as pulpits of churches around the world. As dear friends and respected theologians, Ajith and Chris discuss lessons gleaned from decades of ministry, how the church in Sri Lanka has grown despite a decades-long civil war, and what lessons Christians in the west might learn from their Sri Lankan sisters and brothers.

Dr. Seble Daniel, a Langham Scholar, is the first female to receive a PhD in Bible and theology in her denomination—the largest in Ethiopia. With the platform of her PhD, she trains even more biblical leaders at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa, the capital city. And, at the invitation of the government, she is involved in helping educate communities about ending female genital mutilation. Seble is joined by Tigist, one of her students who is taking what Seble taught her and using it to disciple Ethiopia’s next generation. Their conversation with Chris covers a lot of ground—from the history of Christianity in Ethiopia, to the issues facing the church today—and what is needed for the church to impact the surrounding culture.

Matius Ho is the Co-founder and Executive Director of the Leimena Institute, a non-profit organization focused on helping Indonesia’s Christians engage productively and biblically in social, political and economic issues. Matius also helped launch Langham’s pastor training movement in his country—a movement which has an incredible impact on the local church. In his conversation with Chris, they discuss the religious, political, and cultural landscape of Indonesia—a nation of 17,000 islands that are home to 1,300 ethnicities, more than 600 languages, and the largest population of Muslims in the world—and the role Leimena is playing in equipping the church to engage and impact society for Christ.

Dr. Elizabeth Mburu, of Kenya, is an associate professor of New Testament and Greek at Pan-Africa Christian University in Nairobi. In addition to speaking and lecturing across Africa and internationally, she serves as Regional Coordinator for Langham Literature in Africa, where she’s helping lead a project to update the groundbreaking Africa Bible Commentary. In part two of her conversation with Chris, they continue their conversation about the Africa Bible Commentary, the early church in Africa, and how God is using His people in Africa to bless the global body of Christ.

Dr. Elizabeth Mburu, of Kenya, is an associate professor of New Testament and Greek at Pan-Africa Christian University in Nairobi. In addition to speaking and lecturing across Africa and internationally, she serves as Regional Coordinator for Langham Literature in Africa, where she’s helping lead a project to update the groundbreaking Africa Bible Commentary. In part one of her conversation with Chris, she touches on the ways Africa is defining global Christianity for the future, some of the unique gifts the African church can offer the global church, and much more.

Dr. Conrad Mbewe is an internationally recognized theologian, sought-after speaker and Bible teacher, and author of several books, including Pastoral Preaching: Building a People for God. He is pastor of Kabwata Baptist Church and founding chancellor of African Christian University in Lusaka, Zambia. In his conversation with Chris, they touch on the legacy of missions in Zambia, the state of the church there today, and a bit about Ubuntu culture — and what we can learn from the Christian aspect of fellowship that it fosters.

Dr. Daniel Santos teaches pastors and post-graduate students as an Old Testament professor and Academic Dean at the Andrew Jumper Graduate Center at McKenzie Presbyterian University in São Paulo, Brazil. As a Langham Scholar, Daniel has a pastor’s heart that has been combined with a deep understanding of the Old Testament through his PhD. He desires to see more young Christians in Brazil grasp the meaning of God’s Word. Two of his novel approaches to doing this are through his blog, "Listening and Sowing Good Seeds," and through 90-second videos he posts on YouTube, all focused on opening conversations with his students for a deeper understanding of Scripture. In his conversation with Chris, we’ll learn about life in Sao Paulo, some of the challenges the church faces there, and how a conversation with John Stott inspired Daniel to focus on reaching the next generation for Christ.