bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Towards Redefining Our Mission — with Respect to the Jewish People
Authors: Jaeger David-Maria A.
Published: March 2013

Researcher Jaeger posits that understanding the Trinity as a dialogical-love relationship is imperative to anyone involved in mission — which is really a reflection of this divine dialogue. This extrapolates to a missionary obligation towards the Jews which cannot be ignored.
The Weak Foundations of Missionary Evangelization in Precolonial Africa: The Case of the Igbo of Southeastern Nigeria 1857–1900
Authors: Okwu Augustine S.O.
Published: March 2013

Professor Okwu questions early missionary methods in precolonial Africa.
Anyone for Economics?
Authors: Corwin Charles
Published: March 2013

The significant role of mundane economics in carrying out the task of evangelization is often overlooked by missiologists. Here Dr. Corwin stresses that economics is a factor that cannot be ignored by mission strategists.
The Gregorian Missionary Methods
Authors: Torrey Archer
Published: March 2013

Professor Torrey presents the very successful missionary methods of St. Augustine and the Gregorian missionaries to sixth century England as historical models which have important lessons for modern missiologists.
Gustav Warneck: His Life and Labor
Authors: Kasdorf Hans
Published: March 2013

This biographical overview of Gustav Warneck, called the originator of Protestant missiology, gives insight into the formation and work of one of Germany's great missiologists.
The Whole World for the Whole Gospel
Authors: Costas Orlando E.
Published: March 2013

Professor Costas challenges those who would train candidates for the ministry to keep the overview of the global mission so that seminarians are enabled to communicate and incarnate a wholistic gospel within the complexities of today's world.
Villagers as Missionaries: Wurtemberg Pietism as a 19th Century Missionary Movement
Authors: Jenkins Paul
Published: March 2013

By examining the social origins and traditional, rural life-style of the Basel Mission candidates from Wurtemberg who went to Africa, Paul Jenkins helps explain the pietistic conversion and minority ethic of these pioneer missionaries and their 19th century practical idealism.
Developing a Missionary Spirituality
Authors: Reilly Michael Collins
Published: March 2013

The current interest in spirituality brings Professor Reilly to examine the special components which make up missionary spirituality, giving us helpful insights and models for those who work at the frontiers of faith.
Music Evangelism — Bach as Missions Outreach
Authors: Hustad Donald
Published: March 2013

American choir tours — do they accomplish any good? Airports, airlines, hotels and auditoria have never seen such a plethora of enthusiastic clusters of young people going here and there, gaping, gawking, singing and “testifying”. Some deplore this type of “mission” packaging. But Don Hustad is a believer. He feels they have a role to fill, especially in Europe. And maybe he's right!
Missionary Activity as Perceived by the Kikuyu of Kenya
Authors: Bottignole Silvana
Published: March 2013

Radical-reflexive sociology gives us an important tool since it allows us to examine how we are perceived by a recipient culture. Dr. Bottignole here uses these techniques to explore the way the Kikuyu of Kenya reacted to the missionary activity which began around the turn of this century in what now constitutes the Nyeri diocese.
Nishga Initiative and Missionary Response: Robert Doolan at Quinwoch, B.C.
Authors: Patterson E. Palmer
Published: March 2013

In this historical study of the work of pioneer missionary Robert Doolan, Professor Patterson points out the initiative shown by the Nishga people of the northwest coast of British Columbia and how this interest helped build the church there.
The Relationship between Christian Communities and Chung Hee Park's Government in Korea
Authors: Kang Wi Jo
Published: March 2013

No missiological theme is of greater importance than the relation between church and state. Because situations vary greatly from country to country, church leaders need exposure to representative contemporary case studies such as Professor Kang's essay provides. Indeed, his descriptive analysis of the growing tension between the Korean government and the Christian community is an excellent contribution to our understanding of the demands God is making of his people in our day.
Evangelism and Liberation Theology
Authors: Thomas Norman E.
Published: March 2013

Although Liberation Theology is often accused of being disinterested in evangelism, here Professor Thomas posits that the dynamic movement in Latin American Christianity is towards an integral concept of liberation and evangelization and then goes on to describe how evangelism and justice are related.
Refocusing Theological Education to Mission: The Old Testament and Contextualization
Authors: Lind Millard C.
Published: March 2013

From this valuable insight into Old Testament covenantal principles and God's dealing with Israel as a revelatory event to all nations of the world, Professor Lind posits that today's contextualizing process must include ethical insights into what God has been trying to say to all people — from Baal worshippers in the 5th century BC to property worshipers in the 20th century AD.
The Polygamy Debate: A Progress Report
Authors: Hillman Eugene
Published: March 2013

Professor Hillman focuses here upon the state of the question, rather than the arguments entailed in the debate, whether or to what extent the monogamy rule of the Christian churches should be modified with respect to the immemorial customs of plural marriage among most of the peoples in Africa south of the Sahara. As a central figure in this historical discussion, his presentation is partly autobiographical and it reflects particularly the Roman Catholic encounter with the question. But this debate involves principles and perspectives of great interest to anyone engaged in cross-cultural ministry anywhere in the world.
Catholic Mission Theory and Practice: Lessons from the Work of the Paris Foreign Mission Society and Maryknoll in Guangdong and Guangxi Provinces
Authors: Wiest Jean-Paul
Published: March 2013

In this survey of the Maryknoll experience in China, Professor Weist scrutinizes the triumphs and the difficulties of the mission records to help us develop a more refined understanding of what our missiological task should be today, as well as to learn our lessons from history.
Reader's Response
Authors: Cracknell Kenneth
Published: March 2013

Sharing David Bosch's concerns expressed in his paper in Missiology, January 1982, Kenneth Cracknell writes of the pluralist context of contemporary Britain, and of the tradition of British theological education as it has been passed on to churches throughout the world and especially the dimensions of theological disciplines that relate to people of other faiths.
Indian Realities and the Wholeness of Christ
Authors: Samartha S. J.
Published: March 2013

Indian theologian S. J. Samartha presented this paper to the IAMS conference in which he relates the context of his country to the mission of the church. Samartha finds the longing for salvation to be the most persistent theme of the people of that continent and this fact must inform the church and its missiological pursuits.
Explosion, Motivation, and Consolidation: The Historical Anatomy of the Pentecostal Missionary Movement
Authors: McClung Grant
Published: March 2013

In 1986 America's oldest Pentecostal denomination will celebrate its centennial, and the events at Azusa Street in 1906 will be recalled in an eighty-year celebration. It is significant, then, that this article recalls some of the early dynamics of the beginnings of the modern Pentecostal movement. The article demonstrates how the Pentecostal movement was decidedly missionary from its birth and asserts that the history of Pentecostalism cannot be rightly appreciated and understood apart from its missionary vision. Some of the theological motivations which produced the missionary fervor of early Pentecostals are integrated with a synopsis of how the movement eventually was consolidated into more organized missions structures.
Scottish Reformers and the Establishment of Reformed Christianity in Spain, 1868–72
Authors: Class Bradley M.
Published: March 2013

The establishment of the Spanish Reformed churches from 1868–72 was characterized by the desire of Scottish missionaries to create Reformed congregations as an alternative to the Roman Church. Largely imbued with the postmillennial view of our Lord's return, Scottish missionaries labored to impart the theology of the Puritans and the Westminster Confession and to convert the Jews, hoping that their endeavors would usher in the return of Christ. Their activities resulted in the first General assembly in 1869, the establishment of the Spanish Christian Church (ICE) in 1871, and the adoption of a common Confession of Faith and Psalter in 1872.
Cultural Dissolution: “I Lost Africa”
Authors: Stevenson-Moessner Jeanne
Published: March 2013

Cultural consolidation, introduced in the works of Erik Erikson, is difficult for the missionary child who has often been exposed to two or three cultures, unlike the children of uni-cultural experience upon which the Eriksonian developmental theory has been built. This article introduces the concept of cultural dissolution, the fragmentation of cultural identity into its distinct cultural components. The distinctness and impact of the various cultures to which the individual has been exposed may prevent the consolidation upon which a cultural identity depends, leaving a kind of cultural confusion, a lack of consolidation. The cultural equilibrium is most often upset for multicultured missionary children in their adolescent years upon returning to their “first culture.” Not only is the phenomenon of “rootlessness” or ambiguity toward “home” explored in the article, but the implications of a theological rootlessness as well.
Church Growth at Fuller
Authors: Glasser Arthur F.
Published: March 2013

Conceding that the “church growth” concept and methodology have come under fire, the author shares an insider's reflections on how the movement has fared since Donald McGavran originated it three decades ago. The history of the movement and the relation between the Institute for Church Growth and the School of World Missions at Fuller Theological Seminary are traced. Dialogue and controversy with the WCC in the sixties, and growing influence within the Lausanne movement in the seventies, are sketched. The impact and consequences of church growth for world missions and for church life in the USA are noted. Finally, in a series of “random thoughts,” Glasser appraises both the strengths and weaknesses of the church growth concept, affirms that it is being corrected and enlarged, and claims for it an enduring place in the church's evolving missionary strategy of the eighties.
Doing Mission: The Catholic Experience
Authors: Casey John J.
Published: March 2013

Concentrating on the “lived experience” of Maryknoll missioners, the author points to distinct changes in the perception of how mission is done. From 1911 until shortly after World War II, evangelization of non-Christians and developing an indigenous Catholic church were the traditional priorities. Mission was seen as a priestly function, and carried out from the top down, under the international oversight of the Propaganda Fide. Changes precipitating a dramatically new orientation, especially after the sixties, were: redeployment of missioners from China and Japan, the crucial experience of Latin America, mission decrees of Vatican II, and the new prominence given to local theology and ministry at the grass-roots. Today's missioners, Casey believes, are being profoundly transformed by the cultural, religious, and political contexts in which they work.
The Role of Affluence in the Christian Missionary Enterprise from the West1
Authors: Bonk Jon
Published: March 2013

In this article Bonk demonstrates that the very affluence which has been a part and parcel of Western missionary endeavor for 200 years has been by no means an unmixed blessing. The primary benefits associated with affluence have always had to do with the survival of the missionary and the longevity of the missionary's service. The less beneficial side effects of affluence which must be weighed against its benefits include considerations relating to the sociology and psychology of disparity. Human experience shows that economic disparity and its accompanying social distance breed envy and suspicion. People tend to establish friendships with their “own kind” economically and socially. Accordingly, included in the cost of affluence are factors affecting the credibility of the missionary and the comprehensibility of the missionary's message. It is important for both theological and practical reasons to get back to the incarnation as a model for missionary strategy.
Getting Ready for Mission in the 1990s: What Should We Be Doing to Prepare?
Authors: Barrett David
Published: March 2013

By using secular information we can leant much about the “signs of the times.” It is more important for Christians to interpret this future from God's viewpoint, preparing always for the unpredictable. The Bible predicts the second advent and the millennium, and the way in which the church views its future in light of these is significant. Planning, coordination of activity, learning from past failures, preparing for persecution, and establishing priorities are identified as crucial in getting ready for mission in the 1990s.
Shifting Christian Mission into the Future Tense
Authors: Sine Tom
Published: March 2013

As the advent of the twenty-first century draws near, missiologists are increasingly concerned with the shape of the future. The future may be viewed from three perspectives: as anticipation, as advent, and as creativity. Only as all of these three dimensions are planned for specifically will Christian mission rise to the new demands of the future.
The Coming and Going of Protestant Christianity in China Today
Authors: Lee Peter K. H.
Published: March 2013

The article starts by reviewing how Protestantism in the People's Republic of China has come to be the way it is, taking into account the historical and political forces. In fact, the leadership of Protestant Christianity has had to learn to come to terms with political realities. In part due to forces of circumstances but at the same time by conscious choice, the church there has achieved her selfhood and is working out patterns of unity in remarkable ways. In the meantime the Spirit is at work promoting the church's growth and making for theological ferment. In spite of handicaps, including a shortage of pastors, the church in China is going someplace.
The Seamy Side of Charity Revisited: American Catholic Contributions to Renewal in the Latin-American Church
Authors: Judd Stephen
Published: March 2013

The article attempts to examine the contemporary Catholic missionary movement in Latin America in light of a new reading of Ivan Illich's controversial article, “The Seamy Side of Charity,” written in 1967. Contributions by the American missioner to the renewal of the Latin-American church and the raising of missionary consciousness are highlighted. These contributions stem from particular commitments to the poor in the peripheral areas of Latin America, and reveal aspects of the American national character in overseas cross-cultural mission.
Missionaries and Revolutionaries: Moravian Perceptions of United States Foreign Policy in Nicaragua, 1926–1933
Authors: Adams Anna
Published: March 2013

German Moravian missionaries came to Nicaragua's east coast in 1849. They built churches, schools, and hospitals for the native Miskitu, Sumu, and Rama Indians. Their teachings stressed a Christian communal life, frugality, and the importance of work. In 1917 the headquarters of the mission moved to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Today most Miskitu Indians are Moravian.

Some scholars have blamed the present conflict between Nicaragua's Sandinista government and the east coast Indians on traditional Moravian pro-American political bias. Yet documents in the Moravian Church Archives clearly show that during the period when Sandino was active fighting the U.S. presence in Nicaragua (1926–1933) the American missionaries in Nicaragua were hardly sympathetic with U.S. political goals which often conflicted with the mission's evangelical work.
Notes for a South-North Dialogue in Mission from a Latin-American Perspective
Authors: Maduro Otto
Published: March 2013

A new way of doing mission—good news for the oppressed—is demanded by the changed context of our current situation. Some of the characteristics needed by missioners in Latin America, as well as in other areas, are a humble spirit, an attitude of open inquiry, a sense of history, vulnerability, the quality of a “double difference,” a more liberating leadership style, a capacity for joyful celebration, a focus upon the church, and an identification with the oppressed in their community life and structures.
Jesus, Shalom, and Rites of Passage: A Journey toward Global Mission and Spirituality
Authors: Barbour Claude Marie
Published: March 2013

The ministry of Jesus is the model for global evangelization that has been adopted by Shalom Ministries, a Chicago-based mission that trains its members to identify with, and become part of, other cultures in order to transmit more effectively the Christian faith. As Jesus went through certain “rites of passage” to prepare for his ultimate mission of dying on the cross, so must his followers go through rites of passage as they prepare for mission in other cultures. Members of Shalom Ministries live a simple lifestyle among the poor and oppressed in society. They enter a new area only by invitation and learn through the people their culture and lifestyle, and how best to serve (mission-in-reverse).
Missiology as a Discipline and What it Includes
Authors: Scherer James A.
Published: March 2013

This presentation given at the 1987 A PM Annual Meeting seeks to answer the question of “what missiology is” and “what it includes.” It reflects on the various ways and interdisciplinary perspectives from which missiology can be taught, and supports the notion that missiology in America today must be integrative and complementary, while at the same time defining its own essential norms. The study is not able to come up with a fully agreed definition of what missiology is, due to flux and pluralism.
African Response to Christianity: A Case Study of the Agikuyu of Central Kenya
Authors: Ethe Kamuyu-Wa-Kang
Published: March 2013

This article explores the religious, cultural, and political dynamics of the Agikuyu response to Christianity from 1900–1950. The article is divided into five sections.

In the first section the author briefly traces the theological ideas which prevailed in Europe in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and how these ideas led to the rise of the Evangelical Missionary Movement. The second section deals with the initial contact made by Europeans and missionaries with the Agikuyu. The third section explores the nature of the Agikuyu religion and culture and the missionary response to that religion and culture. The fourth section discusses the Agikuyu response to missionary reaction to their beliefs and practices with particular reference to the Agikuyu initiation rite which was central to their belief system. The Agikuyu response led to the development of independent churches and schools. These churches and schools were later utilized to politicize the African masses on the evils of missionary Christianity and colonialism.

In the fifth section the author briefly analyzes the three groups which emerged out of this Christian response. He concludes that the Karing'a group can be considered as a good case study of how churches in Africa can develop a new theology which encompasses African ontological understanding of God, man, and the universe.
Transformation of Christian Ritual in the Pacific: Samoan White Sunday
Authors: Roach Elizabeth M.
Published: March 2013

Nineteenth-century LMS agents brought to Samoa, along with other elements of Christianity, the festival of Pentecost. In its new home, however, the celebration of this festival was changed from May or June each year to October. More important, in Samoa it is also a ritual of status reversal. This article gives a detailed description of Pentecost, referred to in Samoa as White Sunday or as Children's Sunday, in a Western Samoan village and shows how a Christian festival has been reinterpreted in terms of traditional values and meanings.
Our Stories as Fifth Gospels
Authors: Healey Joseph G.
Published: March 2013

The author proposes that the term “a Fifth Gospel” is a valid metaphor in theology today. “Gospel” and “good news” can be applied to the way that God is revealing himself through our human experience and daily lives. In light of the insights of the Theology of Story (Narrative Theology), our stories of faith are examples of Fifth Gospels. This article examines the history and deeper meaning of the metaphor of a Fifth Gospel, looks at these metaphors from the perspectives of the theology of revelation and Christology, and narrates three concrete stories (examples) of Africa's Fifth Gospel.
Poverty, Conversion, and Worldview in the Philippines
Authors: Stravers David
Published: March 2013

The worldviews of the poor in the Philippines, as well as in other parts of the world, partly account for the resistance of the hard-core poor to successful development ministries. At the same time, the correlation between worldview and physical poverty presents an explanation for the frequent observation that Christian conversion often benefits the convert economically. This article examines the importance of worldview and suggests a strategy for Christian change agents who minister in the context of severe poverty.
The Specific Missionary Vocation in the Post Vatican II Period
Authors: Lang Joseph R.
Published: March 2013

Vatican II has created a new context in which the specific missionary vocation has been redefined. The content of this vocation continues to be sending messengers to bring the gospel to those who have not heard it and to plant the church where it has not previously existed. Now, however, in contrast to the past the church itself is missionary, and this missionary focus is central to the church's presence and service in the world.
The Movement of the Spirit in the Churches of China Today
Authors: Woo Jean
Published: March 2013

God's Spirit has worked in China to promote a resurrection of Christian churches. This miracle of God's grace is cause for praise and prayer. Chinas Christians continue to have many needs: more trained leaders, particularly for rural congregations, freedom from control by leftist elements, and wisdom for new directions in the future.
The Movement of the Holy Spirit in a New China
Authors: Woo Franklin J.
Published: March 2013

God's Spirit is working in China, as in all of the world, in a much more comprehensive way than we usually think. The Spirit is working in the Chinese modernizing process, particularly as this takes place within the matrix of China's cultural tradition. As Christians we are called upon to work with others in helping to produce a better, more just and sustainable earth for all of God's creation.
Decisions or Disciples? A Study in Evangelism Effectiveness in Taiwan
Authors: Swanson Allen J.
Published: March 2013

Much cross-cultural evangelism is marked by aggressive zeal with limited results not commensurate with the energy expended. Evangelism is too often a one-way monologue that seeks decisions rather than disciples. This approach is based on a faulty biblical understanding of evangelism that also violates basic cross-cultural communication principles. This Taiwan study, based on extensive field interviews with recent “converts,” shows that lasting conversions are more likely when evangelism is viewed as a process rather than as a specific action. The more thorough this process, the more permanent the results.
On Being a Missionary: Models of Self-Understanding
Authors: Vaage Leif E.
Published: March 2013

Four models of what it means to be a missionary are proposed, namely, the missionary as (1) means of exchange; (2) student and researcher; (3) reporter; and (4) moment of solidarity. The models are self-consciously not biblical or theological, but rather, try to account in common terms for the day-to-day reality and purpose of a missionary's presence in another culture. They are intended to have practical value and could serve as an aid to orientation for new personnel. Certain abiding theoretical questions are briefly discussed in conclusion.
Mission Study at the University-related Seminary: The Boston University School of Theology as a Case Study
Authors: Robert Dana
Published: March 2013

This article, a paper presented last year before the Association of Professors of Mission, marks the rise and decline of mission study at Boston University. The situation at the Boston University School of Theology parallels that of other mainline, ecumenically-oriented and university-related seminaries. The author questions whether “globalization” is the new paradigm for mission education at such schools.
Doing Mission Out of Affluence: Reflections on Recruiting
Authors: Bonk Jonathan J.
Published: March 2013

Western missionaries are increasingly rich by the standards of the majority of the world's peoples. The paucity and relative sterility of efforts by Western missionaries to bring the good news to the poorest of the poor derives from their relative personal affluence. The statuses and the strategies upon which Western missionary endeavors rely are at serious odds with New Testament teaching on the incarnation, the cross, and weakness as models for missionary life. Failure to return to the “end of the procession” model of missions outlined in 1 Corinthians 4 will spell the doom of Western missions as a vital Christian force.
The Churches and Third World Poverty
Authors: Amstutz Mark R.
Published: March 2013

How should churches respond to absolute poverty in the Third World? The author applauds the concern for the poor found in church documents on economic life, but questions the adequacy of the proposed public policies. The major limitation of the proposed policy prescriptions lies in the emphasis on redistribution and increased governmental action. What is needed in the Third World is a strategy of economic expansion based on job creation. Churches and Western governments can contribute to this mission by providing aid to those in need and by modeling values and patterns of life conducive to increased productivity.
Mission into the Third Millennium
Authors: Schreiter Robert J.
Published: March 2013

No one can predict entirely just what direction the future of mission will take. But there are a number of fundamental shifts that have already begun—both in the context and in the conduct of mission—that suggest some significant changes we can anticipate in the coming decades. This article investigates three areas where these fundamental shifts are occurring: (1) who the missionaries will be and from where they will come; (2) the economic and sociopolitical environments in which mission will be carried out; (3) factors arising from the aforementioned changes that will alter missionaries' self-understanding.
Demons and Ghosts in Indian Folklore
Authors: Mcclintock Wayne
Published: March 2013

Among the rural peasantry of South Asia there is a tendency to attribute the misfortunes of life to the attacks of demons and ghosts. Serious attempts to incarnate the gospel message in this context must, therefore, seek to understand this cosmos of malignant spirits and its relevance to the everyday life of the villager. Within Indian folklore, the term bhut represents a large amorphous category of spirit beings with common distinctive characteristics. Twenty-nine demon/ghosts are identified in the nomenclature presented here. Other beliefs and practices associated with bhut are also examined, and several recent field studies indicating the persistence of traditional beliefs concerning these beings are briefly summarized.
San Antonio and Manila 1989: “…Like Ships in the Night”?
Authors: Neely Alan , Scherer James A.
Published: March 2013

In this article the two authors who participated in both the World Council of Churches Commission on World Mission and Evangelism conference in San Antonio, Texas, and the Lausanne II Congress in Manila report on similarities and differences in the two missiological events. They note the stronger evangelism focus at San Antonio where witness in deed and word are emphasized, and the greater concern at Manila with issues of social justice, the plight of the poor and oppressed, and women in the church. Despite differences in rhetoric and theological emphasis, there is much common ground around the themes “Your Will Be Done: Mission in Christ's Way” (San Antonio) and “Calling the Whole Church to Take the Whole Gospel to the Whole World” (Manila). The authors urge the leaders of both movements not to stumble over differences, but to plan and work together more closely in the future.
Christianity Rediscovered: A Reflection on Vincent Donovan's Contribution to Missiology
Authors: Presler Titus
Published: March 2013

Vincent Donovan's reflection on his evangelism among the Masai highlights a culturally unencumbered gospel, stresses Christianity's universality, and challenges Western preoccupations with development. The role of culture needs more reflection, however, for no evangelism can be free of cultural expression. Moreover, Western missiology needs to move beyond the guilt complex and realize that all human cultures are able not only to distort the gospel, but to amplify it as well. The creative flowering of African Christianity helps us see that ultimately the gospel, not missionary strategy, is decisive for the life of the church.
Which Language: Trade or Minority?
Authors: Mckinney Carol V.
Published: March 2013

If pastors, church leaders, or missionaries promote use of the trade language in Christian contexts in an area where a minority language is the language best understood by church members, the result may be a linguistically neglected segment of people within the Christian church. This assertion is supported by data from two case studies in northern Nigeria. Responses to an interview schedule administered in one ethnic group indicated that 21 percent of those who claimed to be Christians lacked knowledge of Jesus. Suggestions are made for expanded use of local languages in Christian contexts.
Jesus Christ and Mission: The Cruciality of Christology
Authors: Schreiter Robert J.
Published: March 2013

Questions today about the relationship between the salvation given in Jesus Christ and the salvific value of non-Christian religions looms larger than ever before. The author suggests in this article that, even though the Christian churches are divided in their responses to this challenge, there may be some areas where they can work together to meet this issue in the twenty-first century. He proposes three areas for such common exploration: what measure of salvation might be found in non-Christian religions; the meaning of the Trinity for understanding non-Christian religions; and the importance of preaching the whole Christ.
Opportunities and Obstacles to Joint Missionary Witness
Authors: Wilson Samuel
Published: March 2013

A practical, evangelical assessment of the possibilities of joint witness must contemplate the historical realities of separatism and the current opportunities and convergences on witnessing to the gospel. The end of the millenium, cross-fertilization of the traditions in the eighties, and clamorous human need all open opportunities that need to be exploited. The discipline of scriptural discipleship is at the heart of building joint witness. Witness needs to be defined based on the uniqueness of Christ, and this requires dealing with the themes of universalism and dialogue. Third World mission sending and restricted access beg for joint witnessing solutions. The complexity and poverty of urban settings, the youth of the world's populations, and the multiplicity of organizational forms are both advantageous and disadvantageous.
Ecumenical Burial Societies in South Africa: Mutual Caring and Support that Transcends Ecclesiastical and Religious Differences
Authors: Oosthuizen Gerhardus C.
Published: March 2013

Burial societies play a significant role in the African community in South Africa. Even in the most deprived circumstances, Africans concern themselves with burials of dear ones worthy of the person and the occasion. The sense of mutual support which has always been foremost in the African community comes to expression within the context of the burial societies. Each burial society is a mutual aid organization. Each member contributes towards this communal assistance. In no other organization associated with the churches are denominational and ecclesiastical barriers of so little concern as in the context of these burial societies. Here many non-Christians receive for the first time the Christian message. A few thousand such burial clubs or societies exist in South Africa, with several million members from South Africa's black community.
Cultural Mandate, Evangelistic Mandate, Prophetic Mandate: Of These Three the Greatest Is…?
Authors: Aigbe Sunday
Published: March 2013

Mission programs, like mission theologies, tend to fall into two broad categories: cultural and evangelistic mandates. Current debates have raised the question of which of the two should be assigned priority. In this article the author contends that, from a biblical perspective, all mission(s) is God's mission(s). Hence, priority should depend on the context of ministry. The prophetic mandate is therefore proposed both as a way out of the prioritization dilemma and as a third dimension of mission that bridges the two mandates into a dynamic, holistic missiology. The thrust, strategy, and relevance of a prophetic ministry are discussed.
The Lifelong Learning Link: Twelve Reasons for Continuous Education for Missionaries
Authors: Brewer Monroe
Published: March 2013

By planning for growth on all levels—personal, cultural, and organizational—missionaries can help correct errors of the past; can learn better; can more creatively interact with life situations; can be more flexible, relevant, and stimulating in their ministries; can have lives more fully integrated and balanced; can potentially have fewer and less serious problems and not stagnate in their missionary ruts; and can be a blessing to everyone else and God too.

This article presents the case for a commitment to “continuous education” by proposing four philosophical and eight practical reasons for missionaries to expand their ministries through lifelong learning.
The Earliest Christian Communities in Southeast and Northeast Asia: An Outline of the Evidence Available in Seven Countries before A.D. 1500
Authors: England John C.
Published: March 2013

The history of Eastern Christianity in central, south, and east Asia prior to A.D. 1500 is rich and extensive, yet has been largely ignored. Material evidence now available from southeast and northeast Asia shows that Christian communities were present in seven countries for different periods between the sixth and fifteenth centuries.

Often termed “Nestorian,” or “Jacobite,” these communities have left a diversity of remains—epigraphical, architectural, sculptural, documentary—which testify to their presence, as far northeast as Japan and southeast as far as Indonesia. The glimpses of Christian churches in medieval Asia afforded by the evidence from these and other regions of Asia offer alternatives to Westernized patterns of mission, and question many assumptions concerning the history and character of Christian presence in the region.
Beyond Anti-Colonialism to Globalism
Authors: Hiebert Paul G.
Published: March 2013

Missions has always had to deal with cultural and religious pluralism. In the past its response has often been colonial. In recent years there has been a strong reaction that has sought to eradicate the ethnocentrism and arrogance of the previous era. This reaction is an important corrective, but in itself leads us into pragmatism, relativism, and a superficial acceptance of the other. We need to go beyond anti-colonialism to find a solid base for affirming the truth of the gospel, and for guiding us in missions, and in our relationship to people of other religions.1
The Hero-Martyr Myth in United States Catholic Foreign Mission Literature, 1893–1925
Authors: Dries Angelyn
Published: March 2013

A contextual analysis of the mission literature of several United States Catholic groups engaged in mission outreach to other countries shows extensive use of a hero-martyr motif. Four elements of this motif are examined for their significance for the missionaries themselves and for the advantage this motif carried to persuade United States Catholics to support efforts toward missions abroad at a time when the country was considered, at least by Roman authorities, to be “mission territory.”
Popular Religiosity: A Protestant Perspective
Authors: Paredes Tito
Published: March 2013

This paper explores the theme of popular religiosity within the context of Andean Latin America from an evangelical perspective. After defining the concept of popular religiosity, the article explores its historical context; it also discusses some of the current interpretations of Andean popular religiosity, including a Protestant perspective. After discussing the positive and negative aspects of the phenomenon, the article delineates some of the challenges of popular religiosity for evangelicals in the light of 500 years of Spanish presence in the New World.
Mission in Latin America: An Evangelical Perspective
Authors: Escobar Samuel
Published: March 2013

Some forms of evangelical and pentecostal Protestantism that could be described as “popular” have grown significantly in Latin America during the most recent decades. Social scientists and church leaders have been studying and interpreting the phenomenon, sometimes making use of conspiracy theories. Missiologists seem to have more adequate keys to understand it. This article provides a brief historical background from an evangelical perspective, and considers the missiological lessons that can be learned from this dynamic movement, using especially the insights of three Catholic missiologists who work as missionaries in Latin America.
Pastoral Education of Hispanic Adults
Authors: Urrabazo Rosendo
Published: March 2013

Hispanic adult education for ministry calls for a sensitivity to language, customs, and ways of learning. Modern pedagogy affirms the need for participative styles of learning that value the life experience of students. Programs offered at the Mexican American Cultural Center (MACC) are examples of culturally sensitive, participative learning in pastoral education. Recruitment and financial assistance must be part of parish planning in adult education.
Evangelism with Power: Divine Healing in the Growth of the Tzotzil Church
Authors: Sterk Vernon J.
Published: March 2013

In areas of the world where animistic cultures are resistant to the gospel, a ministry of healing that demonstrates God's power is indispensable to the effective communication of the gospel and the growth of the church. Such a ministry touches the core of the indigenous worldview and is therefore an essential form of evangelism. Through four case studies, the author shows how evangelism coupled with divine healing has played a major role in the growth of the Tzotzil church in Chiapas, Mexico.
Transcending Tribalism: De-parochialization in Missionary Orientation
Authors: Larson Donald N.
Published: March 2013

We all grow up in groups which exert increasing influence on us, and as we grow up, we become more and more “tribal” without realizing it. The tribalism which often develops is all too often a millstone around missionary necks, alienating them from the very people they hope to influence, and making it difficult to first learn from those they hope to teach.

Learning to identify, describe, and evaluate one's tribal experience, an exercise in de-parochialization, should become a central organizing principle in exit (pre-field) orientation. A five-stage program for transcending tribalism is developed.
Among the Emerging Poor in the Times of Cholera
Authors: Escobar Samuel
Published: March 2013

By way of an evangelical reponse to Stephen Judd, Escobar insists on the need to recover the memory of what has been the shape and outcome of North American missionary action in Latin America. Catholics and evangelicals need to compare notes in order to understand better their respective stories and to formulate a valid and relevant missionary strategy for the future. The deteriorated social conditions as well as the collapse of real socialism after the fall of the Berlin Wall demand new paradigms for understanding mission and shaping missionary action. Popular churches are part of the emergence of the poor in Latin America, and missionary action can take place only in authentic partnership with them.
Culture, Abstraction, and Ethnocentrism
Authors: Hargrave Susanne
Published: March 2013

What appears to be a positive appreciation of non-Western cultures, both in secular society and in the church, may be but ethnocentrism in disguise. Within Western theology, abstract thinking has been used to purge Christianity of “undesirable” concreteness; the same method is used within missiology to render the religious and philosophical contents of other cultures morally and intellectually acceptable and to make them compatible with Christianity.
The Conversion of the Messenger
Authors: Dollar Harold
Published: March 2013

In his two-volume story of early Christianity, Luke gives some indication of the cultural change that takes place as Christianity moves from particularism to universalism. His paradigmatic account occurs in Acts 10. While it is normal to accent the conversion of the Gentiles, there is some evidence that Luke is actually recounting a double conversion in this chapter. The conversion of the Jewish missionaries was somewhat more painful, sociologically and theologically, than was the conversion of the Gentiles. This article argues that the conversion of the missionary is a normal part of cross-cultural ministry1.
Cultural Conceptions of Power in Biblical Perspective
Authors: Van Rheenen Gailyn
Published: March 2013

Biblical interpretation always occurs within the ebb and flow of cultural currents. In no area is this more apparent than in the area of principalities and powers. Western missionaries, being children of the Enlightenment, find no place for what they consider “mythical” powers. Bultmann demythologizes them. Carr exorcises the demonic from Scripture. Berkhof believes that the powers exist only in the structures of society. The Kipsigis of Kenya, on the other hand, believe that principalities and powers are ancestral spirits and have no understanding of how powers infiltrate government, social, and bureaucratic structures. This article compares and contrasts these cultural conceptions to Paul's perception of principalities and powers in the book of Ephesians.
Missionaries in the Twenty-First Century: Their Nature, Their Nurture, Their Mission
Authors: McKinney Lois
Published: March 2013

This article combines elements from the emerging mission paradigm suggested by David J. Bosch in his seminal work, Transforming Mission (1991), with insights into the education of twenty-first century missionaries. The conceptual model developed here sees praxis and poiesis, theological contextualization and spiritual formation, being brought together in listening and responding movements of missions. It is suggested that missionaries will be best prepared for missions in a new century through emphases upon (1) nurture for praxis as they learn to exegete the Word, exegete the world, and bring these together in local theologies, and (2) nurture for poiesis as their worship and witness become expressive craftsmanship and spiritual service within Christian communities.
The Demise of the Church in North Africa and Nubia and Its Survival in Egypt and Ethiopia: A Question of Contextualization?
Authors: Shenk Calvin E.
Published: March 2013

The demise of the church in North Africa and Nubia and its survival in Egypt and Ethiopia has long fascinated church historians and missiologists. All four churches had sustained encounters with Arab nationalism and Muslim religious expansion. Two churches lost their soul, and two were preserved. To what extent were demise or survival conditioned by external factors or internal factors? The author suggests that the degree of contextualization was a very significant factor. Churches that were rooted in local culture withstood the threat of Islam, but where faith was too dependent upon outside sources or colonial elites from within, it was not adequately owned and, therefore, succumbed to Islamic pressure.
Christian Approaches to Religious Pluralism: Diverging Models and Patterns
Authors: Klootwijk Eeuwout
Published: March 2013

After giving a brief overview of different patterns in the Christian attitudes toward other religions, the author focuses upon three main responses to religious plurality: exclusivism, inclusivism, and pluralism. Some tentative lines for a trinitarian-oriented theology of religions are developed. This approach opens up the possibility of a pluriform and contextual response without compromising the Christian faith. Such a theology has different points of entry: there is the Christ-centered approach and a pneumatological perspective on religious pluralism. Both are related in a theocentric framework. Though distinct, these three perspectives on religious plurality should not be detached from each other.
Missiological Lessons—From Events New and Old
Authors: Drummond Richard Henry
Published: March 2013

The quincentennial celebrations of Columbus' arrival in the Americas have occasioned incisive reflections on the effects of that event. Peoples in Asia are also reflecting freshly on their experiences with European explorers. This article focuses on Japan's encounter. Different from other peoples in Asia or the Americas, the Japanese were not a people that could be conquered by military force from outside. They were quite comparable to the Portuguese and Spanish in cultural sophistication. Yet the Roman Catholic missionary work initiated by Francis Xavier in 1549 manifested remarkable numerical success, then ended in the following century with startling reversals. This is an account of heroic dedication, creative innovations, and tragic mistakes, with important lessons for the present and future of the Christian world mission.
Doing Theology in Japan: The Alternative Way of Reading the Scriptures as the Book of Sacred Drama in Dialogue with Minjung Theology
Authors: Ishida Manabu
Published: March 2013

Even though Korean Minjung theology is rooted in the cultural and historical context of Korea, it has direct theological relevance to Japan because it identifies the Korean “minjung” with the biblical Israelites and by doing so, the Japanese with the biblical Egyptians. This alternative way of reading the Scriptures as the book of sacred drama is the necessary ground for Japanese Christians to have honest dialogue with Minjung theology. It leads us to seek new ways not to remain as the “oppressive Egyptians.” Minjung theology as one of the liberation theologies requests both the oppressed and the oppressor to participate in the sacred drama.