Our context — whether political, cultural or social — often determines the lens by which we read Scripture, for better or for worse. Engaging with the global church expands our context and encourages us to ask fresh questions of the gospel and of Scripture. Riad Kassis joins Today’s Conversation from Beirut, Lebanon, bringing deep convictions of fidelity to Scripture and its application to lived experience.
Riad Kassis, international director of Langham Partnership, shares how living in the Middle East has shaped his faith and reflects on his recent experiences with the work and witness of the global church.
You’ll also hear NAE President Walter Kim and Riad discuss:
Why theological resources for and by Majority World pastors is vital for the Church;
What biblical truths about persecution can reshape our minds and hearts;
Why justice is a matter of great importance to Christians in conflict areas; and
How we can stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world.
Read a Portion of the Transcript
Walter: When we think about global education in context, you’ve referred to this contextual education on a number of occasions in our conversation. What does that actually look like? I mean, can’t we just teach the Bible? What is it about our context that requires a more specific type of education?
Riad: This is very good question, because theology is contextual. It goes up in a certain context, which is why we cannot study and learn theology and biblical truth just in a vacuum. And this is why we really emphasize the importance of being contextual, and by this I don’t mean that we don’t, you know, stress the importance of the authority of the Bible, but we relate the Bible to our own context. Let me give you maybe one or two examples.
For instance, here in the Middle East region, as you know, we have been in wars and strife environments. I am 63 now, and I have been maybe in four wars in this region. So, Christian theology should be addressing issues of violence, persecution, justice, and of peace, but not any kind of peace. It should be a just peace. So these issues are very contextual. And we as Christians really need to be engaged with these issues. We cannot pretend that these issues are not there. When we preach, when we teach, when we go and evangelize… So this is what I’m mean by being contextual. How can our Christian faith reflect in our attitude, our actions, our preaching and our teaching in the context where we live?
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Riad Kassis resides in Beirut, Lebanon, and serves as the international director of the Langham Partnership, an organization that comes alongside pastors and leaders in growing Christian communities with resources, pastoral training and theological education. He previously served as international director of the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education and regional director for Overseas Council. Kassis is the author or editor of several books, including “Suffering and Persecution: Rethinking Church in the 21st Century,” “Breath and Bone: Living Out the Mission of God in the World,” and “Frustrated with God: A Syrian Theologian’s Reflection on Habakkuk.” Kassis holds several degrees, including a Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham.
Walter Kim became the president of the National Association of Evangelicals in January 2020. He previously served as a pastor at Boston’s historic Park Street Church and at churches in Vancouver, Canada and Charlottesville, Virginia, as well as a campus chaplain at Yale University. He preaches, writes and engages in collaborative leadership to connect the Bible to the intellectual and cultural issues of the day. He regularly teaches in conferences and classrooms; addresses faith concerns with elected officials and public institutions; and provides theological and cultural commentary to leading news outlets. He serves on the boards of Christianity Today and World Relief and consults with a wide range of organizations. Kim received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, his M.Div. from Regent College in Vancouver, and his B.A. from Northwestern University.
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