Cook School of Intercultural Studies

05/03/2024

Today is the day! Spring 2024 Commencement is here and we are looking forwrd to celebrating our students tonight at 7 p.m. PST.

If you are unable to attend in-person, please join us in congratulating our students by tuning in to the live-stream on Biola's YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xsi-LSmkMIM

05/03/2024

We are so proud of our Spring 2024 graduates! We loved getting to celebrate you all at your Hooding Ceremony. We look forward to tomorrow night's Commencement ceremony at 7 p.m.

If you can't celebrate with us in-person, watch the ceremony live-stream at 7 p.m. on Biola's YouTube. Graduates, make sure to attend the mandatory rehearsal at 6 p.m. in Chase Gym. More details: https://www.biola.edu/commencement

05/02/2024

“Obviously, comfort shouldn’t be the deciding factor for whether we evangelize, and Jesus instructed us to carry out the Great Commission. Here are five principles Christians should apply when evangelizing."

Read this Relevant Magazine article to learn the five principles that can help Christians evangelize:

Within a society where people know the gist of what Christianity teaches but words such as “converts,” “evangelism” and “proselytize” are increasingly

04/29/2024

“The rapid evolution of communication plays a role. From letters to texts to social media, the desire for connection remains, but the pathways diverge. This 'digital-analog divide' might leave Gen Z feeling unwelcome in non-digital spaces, potentially pushing them towards communities beyond church walls.”

This recent Christianity Today article addresses a growing trend that young people who are more digitally connected than any other generation, is also disconnecting from their faith.

Read here to learn more:

One million young people are leaving Christianity each year.

04/20/2024

“Pastors and religious liberty advocates worry the government’s effort to manage religion will bring tighter control.”

Learn how “Vietnam’s New Religious Decree Further Burdens Local Churches” in this Christianity Today article.

Read more here:

Pastors and religious liberty advocates worry the government’s effort to manage religion will bring tighter control.

04/18/2024

“The more we automatically assume our neighbors hate us, the more we will start to preemptively hate our neighbors.”

This Christianity Today article reflects on readers preconceived ideas and how they can hinder us from sharing the Gospel, and how to change that.

Read more here:

They might not even know you’re there. When paranoia eclipses our witness, here’s what to remember.

04/15/2024

“Now, not only do people have medical equipment, not only do they have musical instruments, but they have the only thing that doesn’t return void, and that is the word of God,” missionary Jason Woolford says.

Read this Missions Network article here to learn more about Mission Cry's outreach in Liberia.

Read more here:

Liberia (MNN) — They made it! Jason Woolford with Mission Cry shares the good news that a November container has arrived safely with no delays in port.

04/13/2024

“Pastor, you have given me the greatest gift, and this Bible teaches me.”

In Mali, Bibles are scarce and difficult to obtain outside of the capital, especially in minority languages.

Read this Voice of the Martyr’s article here:

In Mali, Bibles are scarce and difficult to obtain outside of the capital, especially in minority languages. Front-line workers have been partnering with VOM for several years to get Bibles of various languages and types, including children's illustrated Bibles and audio Bibles, into the hands of Ch...

04/11/2024

“The paradox of our faith is that in his wounding is our healing, so as important as it is for the church to acknowledge our own wounds, it is even more crucial to look at the one who bears our wounds in his wounding.”

Christ’s crucified body holds the pain experienced by the church body. Learn how in this Christianity Today article.

Read more here:

Christ’s crucified body holds the pain experienced by the church body.

04/02/2024

“As a pastor, I’ve wrestled with the theological implications of my child’s disability.”

Read this recent Christianity Today article called, “My Disabled Son Is the Image of God” by Greg Harris and how all humans are made God's image. Read here to learn more:

As a pastor, I’ve wrestled with the theological implications of my child’s disability.

03/29/2024

“I was almost killed so many times. Anything could have happened to me, but for some reason God prepared my way.”

Manith Sanchez, a Cambodian refugee who fled Pol Pot’s brutal dictatorship in the late 1970s recalled her escape and the evidence of God’s provision in this recent article from the International Mission Board. Read the full article here:

Manith Sanchez, a Cambodian refugee who fled Pol Pot’s brutal dictatorship in the late 1970s, had never heard the name of Jesus. But as she recalled her escape, the evidence of God’s provision for her was unmistakable. “I was almost killed so many times,” Sanchez said. “Anything could have...

03/26/2024

"Saying that we aspire to a missionary calling saves us from the twin dangers of overconfidence and indecision.”

Learn more about God's call to Christians for missions in this recent article from Desiring God called “Am I Called to Missions?" Read here to learn more:

God leads Christians toward missions in a variety of ways, but he has not called us to missions until our church has affirmed, commissioned, and sent us.