Viral Video: The Lausanne Movement and its History

As an avid supporter of the Lausanne Movement, I am thrilled that they have established a YouTube channel to post videos on their movement and modern missions work. However, I realize that many people are not very familiar with one of evangelicalism's most important global efforts. To do my small part, I am turning over today's Viral Video post to a series of videos explaining the Lausanne Movement and its history. Enjoy!

Viral Video: The International Adventist Challenge

Paul Carden, the Executive Director of the Centers for Apologetics Research (our parent ministry), spoke at the annual Former Adventist Fellowship Weekend earlier this month. His message was a timely one: "The Apostolic Imperative and the International Adventist Challenge." Thankfully, his message has been made available online. Please watch as Paul explains the serious challenge that Seventh-day Adventism presents globally.

Viral Video: The Doomsday Cult - Uganda

For this month's viral video, I want to direct you to an important documentary on the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God and the resulting Kanungu Massacre. If you want to see the severe challenge of cults in East Africa firsthand, then be sure to watch this twenty minute video.

While I would normally include the video in my post, for some reason the distributor has disabled the embedding feature (why would anyone not allow this option?). Regardless, you can follow the link below to view the documentary.

Viral Video: The Challenge of the Cults in East Africa

We humbly offer this new film in the hope that it will stir the Body of Christ to action.

Pray with us that God will use this tool to help more Christians in the West to realize the enormous challenge facing our brothers and sisters in Christ in East Africa—and the potential we have, by God’s grace, to change the equation by raising up a generation of believers who are fully equipped for discernment, the defense of the faith, and cult evangelism.

Please send a link to your friends so they can catch the vision for ACFAR’s uniquely strategic ministry. We also plan to distribute the film on DVD; to request a free copy, please e-mail me.

Viral Video: My Testimony--From Mormonism to Eternal Life in Christ

[Video - The Testimony of John Divito: From Mormonism to Eternal Life in Christ]
You can also read my testimony at the Mormonism Research Ministry web site.

Viral Video: Aggrey Mugisha on Cults in East Africa

[Video - Professor Aggrey Mugisha on the Challenge of Cults in East Africa]

Viral Video: Julius Twongyeirwe on Cults in East Africa

[Video - Professor Julius Twongyeirwe on the Danger of Cults in East Africa]

Visiting Missionaries in Uganda

[Video - Missionary Doug Wicks on Cults and Challenges in Uganda]
What must my family do to move half way around the world to start the Africa Center for Apologetics Research? And how should we prepare to make this transition? One of the main priorities on our trip to Uganda last month was to explore what it will take to live and serve our Lord in East Africa. To work through the details, my wife and I visited four very different American missionary families with young children who have transitioned to serving in Uganda. Not only did we have a wonderful time of Christian fellowship, but we learned a great deal from these families as well.

Doug Wicks is a missionary with Wycliffe Bible Translators in Uganda, and his family graciously invited us over for dinner. During our time in their home, we asked them a lot of questions about ministry expenses and living in Uganda. Doug was also very helpful in telling us more about local life in rural areas and villages. The Wicks family has an incredible zeal to bring God's Word to Ugandans in their own languages.

We also met with the Kelly family, who was both friendly and flexible. Pastor Brian Kelly leads Calvary Chapel Kampala, where I was able to speak on biblical discernment during their Wednesday evening service. After the church meeting, he took us out to eat at a nice Indian restaurant. He told us a lot about ministry in Uganda, especially church life. Later in the week, we met in the Kelly's home to talk about living expenses and gained some great practical advice for when we move over. After spending time with them, I can see why God has richly blessed their work.

Additionally, we spent a couple of evenings with the Schimke family. Kurt Schimke is a Presbyterian who serves at African Bible University. He stays busy, teaching church history, ethics, several New Testament courses, and direct evangelism outreach. Interestingly, our families are very similar, with children in the same order and almost the same age (well, at least before our youngest came along)! The Schimkes were an invaluable resource in understanding family expenses, reassessing our budget and financial goals, as well as what to expect when living in Kampala. They understand the need to develop African church leaders and are working toward fostering biblical knowledge and spiritual growth among students. I thank God that He has brought the Schimke family to Uganda.

At the same time, the Shelton family stood out in their hospitality and encouragement. The Sheltons are Southern Baptist missionaries with the International Missionary Board. They allowed us to stay in their home throughout our time in Uganda. They helped to coordinate our trip, keeping everything as productive as possible. They always kept themselves available if we needed them for anything. What else can I say? We would not have accomplished half of what we did without the Shelton family (and their two cute daughters made sure that we did not miss home too much!).

These missionary families truly made our recent trip to Uganda memorable. They also allowed us to more fully understand the specifics of what it will take to move our family to East Africa. As a result, we now have concrete plans and are able to move ahead to the final stages of preparation. While we have had to make some changes since returning (the weak value of the dollar globally and rising costs have forced us to modify our budget), we are much better equipped to begin serving Christ in Uganda. Lord willing, we will start soon!

(Previous posts on our recent mission trip: Advancing Biblical Discernment in Uganda, The Challenge of Islam in Uganda, Developing the Center in Uganda, Cults Targeting College Students in Uganda)

Cults Targeting College Students in Uganda

[Video - Campus Ministry Leader Vincent Langariti on Cults Targeting College Students in Uganda]
I love campus ministry. It was through a campus ministry that I heard the gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time. It was through a campus ministry that I committed my life to Christ. It was through a campus ministry that I was discipled and began serving the Lord.

Unfortunately, Christian ministries are not the only religious organizations on college campuses seeking to draw students. Around the world, many cults and false spiritualities focus on colleges and universities. This is certainly true in Uganda.

Why? In many ways, it makes a lot of practical sense. College is often the first extended period of time when the students are away from their parents, figuring out the world for themselves. Additionally, if you want to impact a culture, then you target its students. Those who are well educated will most likely become the future political and business leaders of society. If you want to grow as a religious movement, then having those in power as members can help tremendously.

As a result, campus ministries are regularly at the forefront of defending Christianity against error. While I was in Uganda last month, I tried to get in touch with as many campus leaders as I could. One of the most encouraging and supportive men I met with was Vincent Langariti, the General Secretary of InterVarsity Fellowship (known as FOCUS Uganda).

Vincent was very generous with his time, helping us understand the challenge of cults and false teaching on campuses throughout Uganda. He was also excited to hear about our apologetics ministry, wanting to work with us to reach out to college students. Because of our common vision, we are already looking at how we can come together to foster biblical discernment among students.

After spending an afternoon with Vincent, I was amazed at how richly God is blessing ACFAR in Uganda. And my family is not even there yet! I have come back more committed than ever to serve our Lord in East Africa. I look forward to seeing what Christ will continue to accomplish for His glory. I also pray that many people will support our efforts and join with us as we seek to defend God's truth.

(Previous posts on our recent mission trip: Advancing Biblical Discernment in Uganda, The Challenge of Islam in Uganda, Developing the Center in Uganda)

Developing the Center in Uganda

[Video - Dr. Solomon Nkesiga from KEST on Cults in Uganda]
False teaching and cults are rampant across East Africa. The need for a wide-ranging, biblical response is obvious, but what is the best approach to such an enormous challenge? Since my first trip to Uganda, God has made it clear that equipping African Christians for discernment and defending the faith requires strong partnerships with nationals who are committed to the same vision.

By returning to Uganda last month, the Lord enabled us to take major steps toward building a strong ministry partnership between ACFAR and the Kampala Evangelical School of Theology (KEST).

There are at least five strong reasons why working with KEST is strategic:

• It’s indigenous—a seminary by Africans and for Africans.
• It’s nondenominational—its students include Anglicans, Baptists, Pentecostals, and others.
• It’s highly respected—KEST has had a twenty-year association with John Stott’s Langham Partnership, and the national leaders and missionaries we’ve met have consistently spoken well of KEST.
• It’s strategically located right in the heart of Uganda’s capital city, close to Makerere University, one of Africa’s oldest and most prestigious institutions of higher learning.
• It’s committed to combating error.

KEST is led by Dr. Solomon Nkesiga, a pastor and educator with extensive experience in East and Southern Africa. We’ve spent much time with Solomon, gaining valuable insights on the spiritual situation in Uganda and mapping strategies for making ACFAR a reality. Not only has our time together been encouraging and productive, but I’ve come to deeply respect him as a man of God.

As our partnership with KEST begins, ACFAR will develop:

1) A quarterly research bulletin for pastors, featuring practical articles on discernment and the defense of the faith
2) An extensive web site devoted to news, research, and analysis of new and controversial religious groups in East Africa
3) Training seminars and conferences for pastors, seminary and Bible students, Christian workers, and lay believers
4) Resources for mass distribution in English and local languages, including tracts, pamphlets, books, and audio and video material

African Christian leaders are clamoring for us to begin, but one last step remains: raising our remaining support. Will you pray with us as we seek to begin this unique ministry as soon as our Lord provides?

(Previous posts on our recent mission trip: Advancing Biblical Discernment in Uganda, The Challenge of Islam in Uganda)

The Challenge of Islam in Uganda

[Video - The Gaddafi National Mosque in Uganda]
How great a force is Islam in Uganda?

In April we toured the newly dedicated Gaddafi National Mosque. Financed by Libyan leader Muammar Al-Gaddafi and built atop one of Kampala’s highest hills, it’s by far the largest mosque in sub-Saharan Africa, visible from nearly every point in the city. (While in Uganda for the March 19 dedication ceremony, Gadaffi also created a scandal by declaring the Bible a fraud.)

The mosque is simply immense. My house could nearly fit inside its main dome. I couldn’t take a good picture of the interior—it was far too large. And it’s obvious that Gaddafi spared no expense. Our guide described various construction materials imported from Egypt, Morocco, and other countries.

My heart was saddened as I gazed across the vast carpet of the main hall. Ornately decorated, it directs all who enter to kneel and pray to Allah while facing Mecca. There were thousands upon thousands of places to pray, and I imagined the mosque filling with people prostrating themselves to a god who cannot save them.

Perhaps what grieved me most was looking up to see a poster announcing that "Islam the destiny of humanity ... the religion of humanity." The Gaddafi mosque is a powerful symbol of Islam in Uganda. Islam is gaining ground, and the latest statistics indicate that Muslims now make up almost 20% of the population. Especially challenging is the financial factor; it’s well known in Uganda that a university student who converts to Islam can virtually count on having his or her tuition paid. In a country where poverty and unemployment are widespread and young women often look to "sugar daddies" to underwrite their education, Islam offers an alternative means to pursuing a more prosperous future.

With this in mind, consider the long-term challenge that Islam poses for Christians in Uganda. Churches in East Africa need help in confronting the spread of Islam with compassion and courage. Lord willing, the Africa Center for Apologetics Research will enable pastors and lay believers to understand, answer, and effectively evangelize the Muslims around them.

Join us as we work to defend God’s truth in Africa. Thankfully, we’re not left to ourselves to tackle this problem; our Lord will be with us!

(Previous posts on our recent mission trip: Advancing Biblical Discernment in Uganda)