The Missions Show

How can missionaries use the prevailing cultural narratives and longings of the heart to awaken others to the gospel without sacrificing the truth?

In this episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott continue their conversation with Dr. E.D. Burns, focusing on cultural apologetics and its application in missionary work. E.D. shares insights into different approaches to apologetics, including cultural, presuppositional, classical, and evidential apologetics. He emphasizes the importance of appealing to the imagination and “longings of the soul” to awaken a deeper interest in Christianity. Finally, E.D. details how the Celtic Sun Cross is a great historical perspective of cultural apologetics.

Key Points:

When was the last time your church did a missions conference, and how did it go? ABWE wants to help your church do a missions conference that will challenge your congregation to send. It's called Send Sunday. Click here to download your free resources including: sermon notes, small group discussion questions, song selections, children's activity pages, and more! Join with ABWE and other churches on Pentacost Sunday to pray and ask God to send someone from your church.

With over 3 billion people in the world who have never heard of Jesus, the global need is tremendous for workers to go into the harvest fields (Matthew 9:37-38). Is God calling you to missions? We'd love to have a conversation with you on how you can use your gifts and talents to advance the Great Commission at home and abroad. Visit abwe.org/SendMe for more information and to take your next step in missions.

Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.

Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].

How can missionaries and apologists connect the gospel to the longings of the human heart—without watering it down?

In this episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex Kocman and Scott Dunford sit down with Dr. E.D. Burns—missionary, author, and professor—to unpack the concept of cultural apologetics. Drawing from the legacy of C.S. Lewis, Dr. Burns explains how cultural apologetics appeals not merely to logic but to the imagination and desires of the soul.

He contrasts this approach with evidential, presuppositional, and classical apologetics, emphasizing how cultural apologetics helps us engage the heart without compromising biblical truth. Sharing stories from his years on the field in Thailand, Dr. Burns shows how this method resonates in honor-shame contexts and how missionaries can faithfully and compellingly contextualize the gospel message.

This conversation explores the importance of storytelling, the beauty of the gospel in every culture, and the role of imagination in helping others see the glory of Christ.

Key topics:

God has already called many people to the mission field, but they need your support to get there. Help someone in Prefield get to where God is calling them by prayerfully supporting their ministry at abwe.org/Prefield.

What doctrinal disagreements are driving wedges into your ministry? In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott sit down with Dr. Joshua Howard to discuss how to handle theological conflict among Christians. They hit on topics of theological triage, hierarchies of theological concepts, and how the theology of the end times (eschatology), can both unify believers and divide them.

Josh Howard is Pastor at New Covenant Presbyterian Church in Monroeville, PA. He's the host of Eschatology Matters podcast and author of "A Primer for Conflict: Drawing a Line in the Sand". Get a free digital copy of the book at missionsshow.com/conflict .

What more of the conversation? Join our Premium Podcast Subscribers and get access to the Overtime episode as Alex, Scott, and Joshua discuss how we live in light of eschatological disagreements. Sign up at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

With over 3 billion people in the world who have never heard of Jesus, the global need is tremendous for workers to go into the harvest fields (Matthew 9:37-38). Is God calling you to missions? We'd love to have a conversation with you on how you can use your gifts and talents to advance the Great Commission at home and abroad. Visit abwe.org/SendMe for more information and to take your next step in missions.

Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.

Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].

What is going on in the Asian church? In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott sit down with an ABWE missionary to East Asia. He details the translation work he did during his time on the field as well as the current needs and struggles of the Chinese church.

This ABWE missionary has helped develop the Bible Study Toolbox, a website of theological resources translated into Chinese to equip national pastors. Visit yanjingbooks.com to view that resource.

With over 3 billion people in the world who have never heard of Jesus, the global need is tremendous for workers to go into the harvest fields (Matthew 9:37-38). Is God calling you to missions? We'd love to have a conversation with you on how you can use your gifts and talents to advance the Great Commission at home and abroad. Visit abwe.org/SendMe for more information and to take your next step in missions.

Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.

Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].

What does missionary life look like in a hard place like East Asia? In this week's episode, Alex and Scott sit down with two ABWE missionaries to East Asia. Together they talk about what ministry looked like during their time in Asia, the benefits and struggles of living on the field with kids, and how family is used in holistic ministry.

Want more of the conversation? Become a Missions Podcast Premium Subscriber to get early access to an additional conversation with this ABWE missionary about specifics of his ministry in Asia and the struggles of Chinese pastors. Get access to that episode and more at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

God has already called many people to the mission field, but they need your support to get there. Help someone in Prefield get to where God is calling them by prayerfully supporting their ministry at abwe.org/Prefield.

Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.

Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].

Big News for Apple Podcasts Listeners!

We’ve been talking about it for months—and it’s finally here. You can now support The Missions Podcast and access the Overtime bonus show directly in Apple Podcasts with a $9.99/month premium subscription. No extra logins. No separate websites. Just more missions content, right in your feed.

Prefer the full experience—including group chats, live streams, and a free gift? That’s still available at missionsshow.com.

Thanks for being part of our global listening community. Let’s go make disciples.

Are our strategies of evangelism getting in the way of God's strategy to advance the gospel? In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott talk with returning guest Caleb Morrell, Assistant Pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington D.C. Together they talk about the history of Capitol Hill and the balance of local and global engagement.

Caleb Morell is an Assistant Pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church. He is a doctoral student at Midwestern Theological Seminary and he also oversees the internship program at Capitol Hill to train pastors. Caleb wrote a new book "A Light on the Hill: The Surprising Story of How a Local Church in the Nation's Capital Influenced Evangelicalism" available through Crossway.

This week's Overtime episode dives into how to create a long-term vision for your local church. Get access to that conversation at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

Family worship is a crucial part of building faith within our families. Reformation Heritage Books has a resource to help guide you in creating an uplifting and Biblically strong worship time with their new Family Worship Bible Guide. Go to heritagebooks.org/familyworship and pick up your copy. Use promo code: MISSIONSPOD for a 10% discount on any order.

When was the last time your church did a missions conference, and how did it go? ABWE wants to help your church do a missions conference that will challenge your congregation to send. It's called Send Sunday. Go to missionsshow.com/SendSunday to download your free resources including sermon notes, small group discussion questions, song selections, children's activity pages, and more! Join with ABWE and other churches on Pentacost Sunday to pray and ask God to send someone from your church.

Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.

Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].

Who gets to call themselves a missionary, and why does it matter? In today's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott sit down with Matthew Ellison and Denny Spitters to revisit the question, "who is a missionary?" There is still great confusion in the church about what the Great Commission is and the need to go to the lost and unreached. Does missions require crossing cultures? What is the biblical definition of missions? What’s the big deal if we say that every Christian is a missionary?

Matthew Ellison is president of 1615, an organization that helps churches clarify their global mission, develop mission strategies, and take steps toward that strategy. Denny Spitters is a Coach with 1615. Together, they are releasing the second edition of their book, "When Everything is Missions". They also host their own podcast, When Everything is Missions.

In this week's Overtime episode, the group discusses the results from a recently commissioned Barna study on what are pastors are currently saying about missions. Get access at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

Family worship is a crucial part of building faith within our families. Reformation Heritage Books has a resource to help guide you in creating an uplifting and Biblically strong worship time with their new Family Worship Bible Guide. Go to heritagebooks.org/familyworship and pick up your copy. Use promo code: MISSIONSPOD for a 10% discount on any order.

When was the last time your church did a missions conference, and how did it go? ABWE wants to help your church do a missions conference that will challenge your congregation to send. It's called Send Sunday. Click here to download your free resources including sermon notes, small group discussion questions, song selections, children's activity pages, and more! Join with ABWE and other churches on Pentacost Sunday to pray and ask God to send someone from your church.

Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.

Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].

Have you ever read Philippians through a missional lens? In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott dive into Alex's new book, Striving For The Faith: A Journey through Philippians for Life on Mission, and how Paul's letter to the Philippian church is so much richer when thinking about the missional context that Paul and the church itself was in.

Join us for the Overtime episode where Alex and Scott talk about how you can start writing your first book. Get access at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

Family worship is a crucial part of building faith within our families. Reformation Heritage Books has a resource to help guide you in creating an uplifting and Biblically strong worship time with their new Family Worship Bible Guide. Go to heritagebooks.org/familyworship and pick up your copy. Use promo code: MISSIONSPOD for a 10% discount on any order.

When was the last time your church did a missions conference, and how did it go? ABWE wants to help your church do a missions conference that will challenge your congregation to send. It's called Send Sunday. Click here to download your free resources including sermon notes, small group discussion questions, song selections, children's activity pages, and more! Join with ABWE and other churches on Pentacost Sunday to pray and ask God to send someone from your church.

Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.

Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].

Do you know your theology of the church? In this week's episode of The Missions Podcast, Alex and Scott talk with AW, missionary with Reaching and Teaching, who lives in North Africa. Together, they discuss the Biblical theology of the church, the differences and similarities of the North African church and the North American church, and the importance of having a robust understanding of the church.

Family worship is a crucial part of building faith within our families. Reformation Heritage Books has a resource to help guide you in creating an uplifting and Biblically strong worship time with their new Family Worship Bible Guide. Go to heritagebooks.org/familyworship and pick up your copy. Use promo code: MISSIONSPOD for a 10% discount on any order.

When was the last time your church did a missions conference, and how did it go? ABWE wants to help your church do a missions conference that will challenge your congregation to send. It's called Send Sunday. Click here to download your free resources including: sermon notes, small group discussion questions, song selections, children's activity pages, and more! Join with ABWE and other churches on Pentacost Sunday to pray and ask God to send someone from your church.

Want more of The Missions Show? Our premium content now lives on Patreon.

Join at patreon.com/TheMissionsShow.

The Missions Show is powered by ABWE. Learn more and take your next step in the Great Commission at abwe.org.

Want to ask a question or suggest a topic? Email [email protected].