Witnessing Cross-Culturally to a Chinese and Multi-Asian Population May 2025

The editorial committee of Lutheran Mission Matters (LMM), formerly Missio Apostolica, invites you to submit an article for the May 2025 issue on the chosen theme: Witnessing cross-culturally to a Chinese and multi-Asian population.
China is a global hegemon, and “China” literally means “middle kingdom,” the center of the world. Chinese language, culture, and thought continue to thrive and in our interconnected and secular age. From dim sum to feng shui, Chinese influence and immigration are long-standing and significant aspects of everyday North American society and culture.
Papers are invited on approaches and strategies for reaching Chinese and multi-Asian populations particularly in North America, and in urban and suburban areas, as well in university contexts and campus ministries. Articles are also welcome that consider missiology in Asia and for multi-Asian populations, mission and ministry in southeast Asia, the Philippines, and the far east, and missiology and best practices for witnessing and ministering to the global Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, and greater Southeast Asian diaspora.
Witnessing cross-culturally to a Chinese population and in Chinese and multi-Asian contexts includes theological and missional reflection and praxis on the religions and cosmologies of China and East Asia: Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, and animist-folk religions, as well as modern secular-materialist worldviews. Comparisons and connections are welcome between Christ and Buddha, Lutheran paradoxes and traditional yin-yang dialectics, wu-wei and possible connections to Lutheran conceptions of active and passive righteousness, Biblical kenosis, and emptiness and fullness.

Other topics to consider include:
• Multigenerational mission, American born Chinese and China and Taiwanese born Chinese;
• Challenges of sustaining culture, and fears over losing culture in diverse North America;
• Best practices on witnessing to Chinese and multi-Asian populations in North America;
• Constructive examples of Lutheran Chinese mission especially in campus ministry;
• Interviews with first, second, and third generation Chinese Lutherans and Christians;
• Historical theological overviews of the importance of China and Chinese worldviews;
• Chinese missionaries and ministries based in China active throughout the world;
• Christian and Lutheran mission in the Philippines and to Filipinos in North America;
• Hmong mission and ministry globally and in North America;
• Christian and Lutheran mission in Korea and Koreans in North America;
• Christian and Lutheran mission in Japan and to Japanese in North America;
• Lutheran mission with Chinese characteristics.

Papers are welcome in both English and Chinese or other primary languages.
LMM articles are generally up to 3,000 words in length, although longer articles will be considered. The deadline of February 2025 is negotiable.
Send your articles, mission observers and book reviews concerning the theme ‘Witnessing cross-culturally to a Chinese and multi-Asian population’ to the editor of the journal, Dr. Victor Raj (rajv@csl.edu) with copies to the issue editor Dr. Joshua Hollmann (hollmann@csp.edu) and the Editorial Assistant at LSFMdesk@gmail.com

 

《路德傳教事工》(LMM）前身為《使徒使命》(Missio Apostolica) 編輯委員會邀請您為 2025 年 5 月號提交一篇文章，主題為：向華人和多完亞裔人口進行跨文化見證。

 

中國是全球霸主，“中國”字面意思是“中央王國”，即世界的中心。中國的語言、文化和思想在我們這個相互聯繫的世俗時代繼續蓬勃發展。從點心到風水，中國的影響和移民是北美日常社會和文化長期且重要的方面。

 

誠摯邀請就接觸華人和多完亞裔族群（特別是在北美、城市和郊區以及大學環境和校園事工）的方法和策略發表論文。也歡迎考慮亞洲和多完亞裔人口的宣教學、東南亞、菲律賓和遠東的宣教和事工，以及向全球華人、菲律賓人、苗族和東南亞僑民宣教和事奉的宣教學和最佳實踐的文章。

 

在中國和多完亞洲背景下向華人進行跨文化見證，包括對中國和東亞的宗教和宇宙觀的神學和宣教反思和實踐：儒教、佛教、道教、萬物有靈的民間宗教以及現代宗教。世界觀。歡迎對基督與佛佗、路德悖論與傳統陰陽辯證法、無為以及與路德教主動與被動正義、聖經虛己、空與滿等概念的可能聯繫進行比較和聯繫。

 

其他需要考慮的主題包括：

 

多代傳教，美國出生的華人和中國及台灣出生的華人；

維持文化的挑戰，以及對在多元化的北美失去文化的擔憂；

向北美華人和多亞裔人群作見證的最佳做法；

路德會華人宣教的建設性例子，特別是在校園事工方面；

對第一代、第二代、第三代中國路德會和基督徒的訪談；

中國和中國世界觀的重要性的歷史神學概述；

駐紮在中國的中國傳教士和活躍在世界各地的事工；

基督教和路德教在菲律賓和北美菲律賓人的宣教；

苗族在全球和北美的宣教和事工；

韓國的基督教和路德教傳教團以及北美洲的韓國人；

基督教和路德會在日本的傳教以及在北美洲的日本人傳教；

具有中國特色的路德會使命。

 

歡迎英文、中文或其他主要語言的論文。

 

請透過電子郵件將意見和疑問發送給賀嘉錫主任牧師博士:hollmann@csp.edu

Submission Guidelines are included in each journal issue, and available on the web.
Lutheran Mission Matters is a peer-reviewed journal published twice a year by the Lutheran Society For Missiology (LSFM). LSFM was founded thirty-three years ago with the purpose of providing a Lutheran perspective in the theological and practical working out of Christ’s mission to and in the world. Our publication is indexed in the ATLA Religion Database on the EBSCO platform, along with the full text of the articles. LMM articles are also available under the “Publications” tab on the Society’s web page at www.lsfm.global.

Send your ideas and questions to the editor of the journal, Dr. Victor Raj (rajv@csl.edu), with a copy to the editorial assistant at LSFMdesk@gmail.com  If you wish to submit a manuscript, please consult our submission guideline found at the back of the journal or on this page.

Please let us know soon of your willingness to be part of this publishing effort.

In Christ’s mission to the world, and on behalf of the Editorial Committee,

Rev. Dr. Victor Raj

Editor of Lutheran Mission Matters.

 

Emerging Technologies and the Missio Dei Today November 2025

The digital revolution has transformed the world at an unprecedented pace. Nearly every aspect of our lives is now shaped by digital devices and technologies such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops. Emerging technologies like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), the Internet of Things (IoT), robotics and autonomous systems, biotechnology and gene editing, and brain-computer interfaces (BCI) promise to push us even further into a digital, technosocial future. These emerging technologies elicit theological reflection as they create new opportunities for mission and witness and because they have the potential to redefine for many what it means to live in the world, interact with others, and even what it means to be human. As the church navigates this rapidly evolving technological landscape, this special issue of Lutheran Mission Matters invites theologians, practitioners, ethicists, and technologists to submit papers examining the theological, ethical, and practical dimensions of these emerging technologies for the life and witness of the church today.

The following themes and topics are suggested for submission:

• Emerging Technologies and Theological Reflection: How do emerging technologies impact theological concepts and understandings? What are the implications for doctrines like creation, providence, and human agency in a world increasingly shaped by machine learning and algorithms? As the boundary between physical reality/virtual reality and human/robot becomes increasingly obscured, what does this mean for questions of theological anthropology and ecclesiology?
• Emerging Technologies and Mission Strategy: How can AI, VR, and other digital technologies be used to advance mission objectives? What are the opportunities and risks associated with using these technologies for evangelism, church planting, and global outreach, and how might they reshape traditional mission strategies?
• Emerging Technologies and Ethical Considerations: How can emerging technologies like AI be used well and faithfully in ministry contexts? How might churches and pastors balance AI’s efficiency and insights with the need for human wisdom and discernment?
• Emerging Technologies and Christian Education: How might AI and immersive technologies like VR and AR influence Christian education and formation? What might faith formation look like in this context? How can emerging technologies support or hinder spiritual formation and discipleship?
• Transhumanism (Humanity+), Post Humanism, and Christian Theology: How should Christian theology respond to technological visions like transhumanism (Humanity+) that seek to overcome human limitations through technology? 

Submission Guidelines:

1. Manuscript Length: Articles, including endnotes, should be between 3,000 and 5,000 words. Book reviews should be 650 words.
2. Submission Process: Send your articles, mission observers, and book reviews concerning the theme “Emerging Technologies and the Missio Dei Today” to the editor of the journal, Dr. Victor Raj (rajv@csl.edu), with copies to the issue editor, Rev. William Fredstrom (fredstromw@csl.edu), and the Editorial Assistant at LSFMdesk@gmail.com. Please send book reviews to Dr. Joel P. Okamoto (okamotoj@csl.edu).
3. Peer Review: All submissions will undergo a double-blind peer review process.
4. Important Dates: Please submit final articles and book reviews by August 1, 2025.

In Christ’s mission to the world, and on behalf of the editorial committee,

Rev. Dr. Victor Raj

Editor of Lutheran Mission Matters