Missionary Minds
Paul Schlehlein
From the rural village of Mbhokota in Limpopo, South Africa, hear from the mind of a real-world missionary of almost 20 years. Paul Schlehlein–or "boti Paul / mfundisi" (brother Paul / teacher) as he is addressed in the podcast–hails from Wisconsin, America but has left to cross the world, a culture, and a language group to go and minister to the Tsonga people of northern South Africa. With his knowledge of the scriptures, a passion for church history, and lessons from the field he seeks to speak on issues of the faith, the family, and the fog of worldview confusion that plagues our day.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Apr 23, 2024 • 7min
TARIF 88: Should We Stop Having Kids?
When a society ignores God's directive to be fruitful and multiply, its death rate will surpass its fertility rate and that nation will begin to die. For example, researchers estimate that the population of Japan–currently at 125 million–will more than halve to 53 million by the end of the century. Russia, Ukraine, and Italy face a similar problem. These nations thought they were smarter than God and now they are reaping the consequences.
Apr 22, 2024 • 32min
MM 85: How Do You Balance Ministry and Family?
History a filled with many who never went far enough, never tried hard enough, and never continued long enough. Despite these, there are those who can be faulted for going too far and sacrificing too much.
How does a man balance ministry and family life?
Apr 18, 2024 • 7min
TARIF 87: Kicking the Can Down the Road and Diving Deeper into Debt
Hezekiah received a prophecy that because of his disobedience, a future Babylonian invasion would result in the capture and captivity of his sons. Hezekiah was relieved that he and his generation wouldn’t suffer the Babylonian invasion. As we would say, he kicked the can down the road and left his sons and their generation to deal with the consequences of his folly.This seems to be the attitude of many governments around the world, especially in Africa, as they recklessly spend on government projects that leave future generations to deal with the consequences.
Apr 16, 2024 • 8min
TARIF 86: Can Education Be Neutral?
Satan has always tried to wrest the role of education from parents and place it into the hands of the State. In a 1933 speech, Adolph Hitler said: “When an opponent declares, ‘I will not come over to your side,’ I calmly say, ‘Your child belongs to us already.’”When it comes to Africa’s educational problems, the solution is not more government intervention but less, and not less Christian influence but more.
Apr 15, 2024 • 30min
MM 84: Can Pastors Appoint Themselves?
We live in a time of self-appointed 'men of God'. Is it ever right for a pastor to appoint themselves? How should the ordination process go? Where should a church that wants to ordain a pastor begin?
All this and more on this week's installation of Missions Monday.
Apr 11, 2024 • 8min
TARIF 85: A Christian View on Plagiarism and ChatGPT
Plagiarism is the practice of taking someone else’s ideas or work and passing them off as one’s own. For centuries this has been a worldwide problem and today’s Africa is no exception. One may be tempted to believe that ChatGPT is the source of plagiarism today, but in reality, man’s sinful heart is the cause. ChatGPT has only made plagiarism easier, akin to the way smartphones have made it less difficult to obtain pornography.
How can institutions, educators, and students overcome the problem of plagiarism with the rapid growth of AI? Here are a few brief considerations.
Apr 9, 2024 • 6min
TARIF 84: Will Your Vote “Fix the Country”?
The determining factors in voting can easily be cast into three categories; liberation, services, and morality. Though not completely mutually exclusive, the recognition of these three categories helps us evaluate our expectations of Government. Liberation, services, and morality—even in the plethora of political parties that undergird South African elections, it would appear that not even one party promises immediate hope in all three of those categories.
How then shall we vote?
Apr 5, 2024 • 29min
MM 83: Can You Predict a Good Spouse Before Marriage?
Every Christian man wants to wed a virtuous woman, but how can he know? Is it possible for a man to predict who will be a godly wife?
When a young man pursues a godly wife, he must consider the following three items, moving from most to least important...
Apr 5, 2024 • 21min
MM 82: Childless, Yet Content - A Story of God's Faithfulness_ft. Joel Wegner
What should we do when God does not answer our prayers? Another conversation with Joel Wegner in which he tells of God's faithfulness through the trial of childlessness.
Apr 4, 2024 • 7min
TARIF 83: Illegal Immigration: Is it ever right to do wrong?
The issue of illegal immigration is a persistent problem affecting many nations around the world at the present moment. South Africa has long been impacted by an unknown number of illegal aliens from neighbouring countries. Most of these are understandably seeking a better life. The estimates on the number of illegal immigrants in South Africa range from 5 to 10 million people.
The question before every blood-bought believer in Christ is how should Christians biblically view illegal immigration and immigrants.
