A Movie About Missionaries

It is fascinating to see that a single word—one whose definition denotes little attention—has been demanding so much of it lately.

Silence.

Martin Scorsese’s film adaptation of Shusaku Endo’s novel by the same name has been the focus of much editorial ink of late, from an exploration of Scorsese’s motivation for undertaking such a project to numerous reviews. We’ve added to the chatter here by way of an excellent interview with the executive producer of the film, Tyler Zacharia.

Our friends at The Gospel Coalition also joined in the conversation, producing two articles about the film. One article is a comprehensive review of the film including a lengthy summary (spoiler alert). The other, written by Mako Fujimura about an encounter with Scorsese is an exploration of artists, the church, and their role in culture making—certainly a worthwhile conversation for those crossing cultures with the gospel.

“The Holy Spirit is Stirring”

Another single word that has been creating quite a stir for a while is Aleppo, and rightly so. A sadly consistent trend among Twitter hashtags, Aleppo continues to draw the world’s attention because of the atrocities of war. We’ve addressed the Syrian crisis and the Christian response to such crises here. A particularly exciting article recently ran at Christianity Today, however, that offers hope within the particularly horrific situation. Though there is much work to be done addressing the millions killed or displaced by war, many looking for solace in the midst of turbulence are being moved by the Spirit to join with Christian aid workers in the area to hear the gospel. Pray that such trends will continue and that multitudes would turn in faith to Christ.

Dying to Self at Home and Abroad

Sacrifice is easily apparent for people uprooting their lives and families in order to move among unreached peoples around the world. Such is the call to cross-cultural missions. For American Christians who also want to actively partake in a missional lifestyle here at home, however, things often look a bit—or a whole lot—different. Writing for Ed Stetzer’s blog, Hannah Gronowski penned her ideas on how American Christians who are not leaving the States must “strengthen our muscle of sacrifice and selflessness for the sake of the gospel.” Her suggestions revolve around preparedness for surrender to Christ’s call for sacrifice in the moment and a plan to practice ongoing sacrifice. Each is a helpful reminder for believers as we seek to engage in missions at home or abroad.