78 - Reimagining Missions from the Inside Out (feat. Ryan Kuja)

Content warning: suicide loss.

In the intro, Robert & Holly talk about the recent suicide deaths of pastor Jarrid Wilson & Gregory Eells. In the interview, we’re joined by Ryan Kuja to talk about the ways we should prepare better for missions. Ryan talks about thinking critically regarding our cultural lenses, our psychological needs, and our own stories. Ryan is the author of From the Inside Out: Reimagining Mission, Recreating the World.

Things we mention in this episode/other resources:
- news article: Suicides of two mental health advocates in a week serve as a grim reminder (featuring Dr. Stacey Freedenthal)
- episode 44 - The Very Worst Missionary (feat. Jamie Wright)
- When Helping Hurts: How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor . . . and Yourself by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert
- The Soul of Shame: Retelling the Stories We Believe About Ourselves by Curt Thompson

Connect with Ryan on his website, Facebook, Twitter, or buy From the Inside Out on Amazon.

Quotes:
- “Good intentions are a starting place, but not an invitation to get on a plane.” (tweet)
- “We have mission and colonialism growing up side-by-side, and a lot of that has persisted.” (tweet)
- “The focus in terms of cross-cultural ministry and culture is always only the other culture.” (tweet)
- “There needs to be more of a focus on how we’re shaped culturally, both psychologically and neurobiologically.” (tweet)
- “If we don’t understand shame, it’s hard to understand the cycle of poverty.” (tweet)
- “It’s important to reassign blame to systems that have created poverty rather than just putting it on people.” (tweet)
- “The gospel is always a fresh word about who people are and who we can be.” (tweet)

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Intro/Outro music for this episode is ‘Fall Down’ by Rivers & Robots.