Michael Frost (born 1961) is an Australian Baptist minister, missiologist [1] and theologian [2] who is one of the leading voices in the missional church movement. [3] Frost is the founding Director of the Tinsley Institute, a mission study centre located at Morling College in Sydney, Australia. [4] [5]
Frost is the author or editor of 20 theological books, including The Shaping of Things to Come (2003), [5] Exiles (2006), The Road to Missional (2011) and Surprise the World (2016). These books explore a missional framework for the church in a post-Christendom era. Frost's work has been translated into German, Korean, Chinese, and Spanish. Frost is a popular inspirational speaker at Christian conferences [6] [5] and has spoken at conferences in the United States, the United Kingdom and across Europe. [7]
In 1999, Frost and Alan Hirsch founded the Forge Mission Training Network, a program for training missional leaders. [8] He remains an international director of that movement which is now based in the United States. [9] In 2002, he founded the missional Christian community, smallboatbigsea, based in Manly in Sydney's north. [10] He wrote a weekly religion column for the Manly Daily from 2002 until it was axed in 2014, [11] and helped establish Action Against Poverty, a localised micro-financing agency, linking the cities of Manly and Manado in Indonesia. [12]
In August 2016, Frost was arrested [13] while praying in the Sydney offices of the then-Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, as part of an action organized by the group Love Makes a Way. [14] Then in November 2017, Frost was arrested again alongside other Australian Christian leaders after chaining themselves to the gates of the Prime Minister's Sydney residence in protest of Australia's treatment of refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island. [15] [16] [17]
A 2017 Washington Post essay by Frost about Tim Tebow, Colin Kaepernick, and Christianity was widely reprinted. Tebow had drawn public attention for kneeling in prayer before football games, Kaepernick, for kneeling in protest. In the essay, Frost described Tebow and Kaepernick as representing two different versions of Christianity. Tebow's version is a Christianity of "personal piety, gentleness, respect for cultural mores and an emphasis on moral issues like abortion, homosexuality," while Kaepernick version "values social justice, community development, racial reconciliation and political activism." In Frost's view, this "bifurcation of contemporary Christianity into two distinct branches" with each side unable to value the moral lessons the other side offers, explains why "Christianity remains on its knees in the West." [18] [19] [20] [21]
In his 2018 book, Keep Christianity Weird, Frost calls on pastors to use eccentric and unconventional approaches in their ministry to produce "greater creativity and innovation." [7] [22]
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Christianity Today is an evangelical Christian media magazine founded in 1956 by Billy Graham. It is published by Christianity Today International based in Carol Stream, Illinois. The Washington Post calls Christianity Today "evangelicalism's flagship magazine". The New York Times describes it as a "mainstream evangelical magazine". On August 4, 2022, Russell D. Moore—notable for denouncing and leaving the leadership of the Southern Baptist Convention—was named the incoming Christianity Today Editor-in-Chief.
Lifeway Christian Resources, based in Nashville, Tennessee, is the Christian media publishing and distribution division of the Southern Baptist Convention and provider of church business services.
The Australian College of Theology (ACT) is an Australian higher education provider based in Sydney, New South Wales. The college delivers awards in ministry and theology. It is now one of two major consortia of theological colleges in Australia, alongside the University of Divinity. Over 23,000 people have graduated since the foundation of the college. On 7 October 2022 it was granted university college status by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency.
Sydney Ferries is the public transport ferry network serving the city of Sydney, New South Wales. Services operate on Sydney Harbour and the connecting Parramatta River. The network is controlled by the New South Wales Government's transport authority, Transport for NSW, and is part of the authority's Opal ticketing system. In 2017–18, 15.3 million passenger journeys were made on the network.
Missional living is a Christian practice to adopt the thinking, behaviors, and practices of a missionary in everyday life, in order to engage others with the gospel message.
Ross Richard Clifford AM is an Australian Baptist theologian, political commentator, radio personality and author. A former lawyer who later joined the ministry, Clifford became a campaigner on moral issues while a suburban Sydney pastor in the 1980s. He has served as head of several religious organisations and as an occasional media spokesperson. He unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the New South Wales Legislative Council in 2003 for the Christian Democratic Party. Until mid-2010 he had a radio program on Sydney station 2CH.
Hillsong Church, commonly known as Hillsong, is a charismatic Christian megachurch and a Christian association of churches based in Australia. The original church was established in Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, as Hills Christian Life Centre by Brian Houston and his wife, Bobbie Houston, in 1983. Hillsong was a member of the Australian Christian Churches – the Australian branch of the US-based Assemblies of God – until 2018, when it separated to form a new denomination. The church is known for its contemporary worship music, with groups such as Hillsong Worship, Hillsong United and Hillsong Young & Free with many musical credits and hits and a series of scandals and criticisms.
Muscular Christianity is a religious movement that originated in England in the mid-19th century, characterized by a belief in patriotic duty, discipline, self-sacrifice, masculinity, and the moral and physical beauty of athleticism.
Christianity is, according to the 2021 census, the fifth most practiced religion in Nepal, with 512,313 adherents or 1.8%, up from 2011 when there were 375,699 adherents or 1.4% of the population. Many informed observers have estimated that there are at least 1 million Nepali Christians. According to some Christian groups, there may be as many as 3 million Christians in Nepal, constituting up to 10% of the country's population. A report by Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary identified the Nepali church the fastest growing in the world. The vast majority of Nepali Christians are evangelical Protestants ; there is also a small Catholic population of roughly 10,000.
John Dickson is an Australian author, Anglican cleric and historian of the ancient world, largely focusing on early Christianity and Judaism. Since 2022, he has been a professor at the graduate school of Wheaton College in the United States.
Colin Rand Kaepernick is an American civil rights activist and former professional football quarterback. He played six seasons for the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League (NFL). In 2016, he knelt during the national anthem at the start of NFL games in protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the United States.
Church renewal is a term widely used by church leaders to express hope for revitalization of the Church in light of the decline of Christianity in many western countries. The idea of a post-Christian era has made church renewal a popular topic of study among many commentators.
Timothy Richard Tebow is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons, primarily with the Denver Broncos. Tebow played college football for the Florida Gators, where he became the first underclassman to win the Heisman Trophy and helped lead the team to two BCS National Championship titles in 2006 and 2008. At the conclusion of his collegiate career, he held the Southeastern Conference's records for career passing efficiency and rushing touchdowns. He was selected by the Broncos in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft.
The Bridge Church (Kirribilli) is the Kirribilli location of The Bridge Church, meeting at an Anglican church at 7–9 Broughton Street, Kirribilli, on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. The Bridge Church (Kirribilli) meets in St John the Baptist Church and is part of 'The Bridge Church', which encompasses 3 locations, being Kirribilli, Neutral Bay and Macquarie Park.
Alan Hirsch is an Australian author, serial entrepreneur, thought leader in the missional church movement, key missions strategist for churches around the world, and founder of numerous global organizations.
Beginning in August 2016, some American athletes, most of whom are African Americans, have protested against systemic racism in the United States by kneeling on one knee while the U.S. national anthem is played. Beginning in 2017, many players also protested against President Donald Trump's criticisms of those involved in the protest, and some against Trump's policies during his time in office. Some observers have praised the players' social awareness. The act itself has become widely referred to as "taking the knee" or "taking a knee". Right-wing backlash to Black athletes kneeling often includes heavy criticism of the athletes for being "unpatriotic"; internet backlash against the players has raised questions over their right to freedom of speech.
Rodney Scott Bower is an Australian Anglican priest and social activist. He was formerly the Rector of Gosford, on the New South Wales Central Coast, and Archdeacon for Justice Ministries and Chaplaincy in the Anglican Diocese of Newcastle, and is now their Director of Mission. He is most known for his church signs that advocate progressive causes.
Common Grace is an Australian non-denominational movement of Christians concerned about issues of justice. The organisation started in 2014. As of May 2020, the network has over 45,000 members. The CEO since June 2022 is Gershon Nimbalker.
Graham Joseph Hill OAM is an Australian theologian who is a former associate professor of the University of Divinity. Since 2024, he works as a mission catalyst for the Uniting Church in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory and a research associate with the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon–Conwell Theological Seminary in Hamilton, Massachusetts, US. Hill is the author or editor of 15 theological books. His research focuses on World Christianity but he is also known for his work on biblical egalitarianism and women theologians of global Christianity. He has published in the areas of missiology, applied theology, Christian spirituality and global and ecumenical approaches to missional ecclesiology.
