Borders, Boundaries, and Blessing: Mission as Converting Hypocrites into Sinners

Abstract :  Rather than seeing inequity on different sides of borders as the result of God having blessed some people more than others, it must be considered the consequence of sinful and unjust systems and structures to which we all contribute. According to Jesus' teaching and practice, only as we see ourselves as sinners in need of help and healing can we fulfill the mission of serving as God's instruments to promote justice and equity on all sides of the borders and boundaries that exist in our world.     

Samoa and the Christian state ideal

This article explores the notion of a Christian state in the context of the South Pacific island nation of Samoa. Samoa is not a Christian state in the constitutional de jure sense. There is no formal entrenchment of establishment of Christianity as the official religion. But it is a de facto Christian state in that the substance of its laws reflects Christian beliefs. The article also considers whether it is a Christian nation. In many cultural and sociological senses it is. In terms of Christian practice however, an affirmative verdict is highly doubtful. Finally, the article suggests that asking the Christian nation question might be misplaced, for no nation can be a ‘chosen’, covenantal nation, à la Israel, in the New Testament era.     

学习考察德国紧急救援应急管理体系

德国的紧急救援应急体系结构合理,网络密集,分工明确,责任清晰,法制健全,管理先进,技术精良。特别是他们以人为本,尊重生命,未雨绸缪,防患于未然的理念;全民参与,平战结合,组织志愿者,从娃娃抓起的组织机构;合理分工,严谨、科学的态度更值得我们称道。为我们做好灾难应急救援工作提供了可以学习的经验和模式。     

Search/ing for missing people: Families living with ambiguous absence

Families of missing people are often understood as inhabiting a particular space of ambiguity, captured in the phrase ‘living in limbo’ (Holmes, 2008). To explore this uncertain ground, we interviewed 25 family members to consider how human absence is acted upon and not just felt within this space ‘in between’ grief and loss (Wayland, 2007). In the paper, we represent families as active agents in spatial stories of ‘living in limbo’, and we provide insights into the diverse strategies of search/ing (technical, physical and emotional) in which they engage to locate either their missing member or news of them. Responses to absence are shown to be intimately bound up with unstable spatial knowledges of the missing person and emotional actions that are subject to change over time. We suggest that practices of search are not just locative actions, but act as transformative processes providing insights into how families inhabit emotional dynamism and transition in response to the on-going ‘missing situation’ and ambiguous loss (Boss, 1999, 2013).     

The Ministry of the Church to People with Disability

Jesus’ ministry on earth is meant to be a model of the ministry of the church. It affected all types of people regardless of their socio‐economic and religious status. Jesus regarded all to be made in the image of God and did everything possible to minister to everyone. He particularly went out of his way to reach those whom society marginalized, neglected, rejected, and deemed worthless. This study aims at generally critically evaluating the ministry of the church today. It specifically attempts to examine the ministry of the church to people with disabilities. While the study largely depends on existing literature, it also refers to observation of the status of people with disabilities in the church today, which on its own may not provide adequate information for solid, conclusive findings. In the church’s ministry to people with disabilities, dealing with barriers to their inclusion is core. The article not only examines the challenges faced by the church in addressing issues of inclusion, but identifies specific areas of improvement in the status of people with disabilities.     

青少年药物滥用的防治

随着社会转型所带来的生活方式多元化,青少年药物滥用现象,在威胁着青少年身心健康的同时,也破坏了社会的和谐与发展。一般来说,其形成原因包括自身、家庭、学校和社会等多种因素,因而,预防和解决青少年药物滥用问题,就需要建立一套涉及多个层面的防治体系。     

家庭及社会支持对城乡老年人心理健康影响的研究——以河北省城乡老年人调查为例

探究家庭及社会支持对老年人心理健康的影响,选取河北省6 173名60岁及以上城乡老年人,采用社会支持和心理健康症状自评量表进行问卷调查。城乡老年人心理健康评测结果显示,有心理症状者占22.9%;社会支持以低中度水平为主,占77.4%;家庭功能以一般及以下为主,占86.3%;经常与子女交流者占53.7%;得到社区帮助者占84.7%;社会支持、家庭功能、与子女交流情况、得到基层社区卫生服务情况均与城乡老年人的心理健康显著相关。统计结果揭示,我国应加大家庭及社会对老年人的支持力度,改善其心理健康状况。