Vol. 10, No.1 nternatlona• January 1986 etln• Evangelicals and Roman Catholics Dialogue on Mission

ccasionally there is an event of such significance in shap­ the number of large cities, the role of Christian martyrs, concern O ing the future course of mission theology and practice about ecclesiastical crime, Christian use of computers, urban mis­ that it becomes a permanent part of the landscape in mission sion, and megaministries. This widely acclaimed annual survey, studies. It may be a conference, a book, a secular development, along with our editors' yearly selection of outstanding books for or a report. In our last issue (October 1985), we discussed the mission studies, provides much grist for the mill of missionary decisive impact that Vatican Council II-a landmark event-has had research in 1986. on mission thought and strategy. In the face of great adversity, there are signs of great vitality In this issue we present the full report of the Evangelical­ in the world Christian mission. With realism and hope we affirm Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission (ERCDOM), another land­ the classic assessment of Adoniram Judson that "the future is mark, in our judgment, that will have lasting influence on our as bright as the promises of God." understanding and action in Christian mission. This report is a product of three international meetings that took place over a period of seven years, from 1977 to 1984, involving participants who are well known in both traditions (their names are listed at the end of the report). On Page The very fact that the dialogue took place is of historic significance-made possible, according to the report, by "a 2 The Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on measure of convergence in our understanding of the nature of Mission, 1977-1984: A Report evangelism." It was "a search for such common ground as might be discovered between Evangelicals and Roman Catholics 22 Annual Statistical Table on Global Mission: 1986 as they each try to be more faithful in their obedience to mission." David B. Barrett: The report "is in no sense an 'agreed statement,' but rather a faithful record of the ideas shared." While "not exhaustive," 24 Book Reviews it gives "a substantial idea of how the dialogue developed," but seeks to avoid "creating misunderstandings or false ex­ 39 Fifteen Outstanding Books of 1985 for Mission pectations." ERCDOM "was only a first step" and "is far Studies from being definitive," but it was an important step and, as the report suggests, "the dialogue needs to be continued and de­ 46 Dissertation Notices veloped," in fidelity to Jesus Christ, "so that the world may believe ..." (In. 17:21). We commend the participants in 48 Book Notes ERCDOM for their initiative in this prophetic endeavor, and we recommend their report for prayerful study and critical discussion. In his "Annual Statistical Table on Global Mission" for 1986, David B. Barrett draws special attention to the increase in of Isslonary• • search The Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission, 1977-1984: A Report

·----Contents------:;

Introduction 4. Our Response in the Holy Spirit to the Gospel 1. The Participants 1. The Work of the Holy Spirit 2. The Background 2. Conversion and Baptism 3. The Experience 3. Church Membership 4. The Report 4. Assurance of Salvation

1. Revelation and Authority 5. The Church and the Gospel 1. Revelation, the Bible, and the Formulation of Truth 1. The Church Is a Part of the Gospel 2. Principles of Biblical Interpretation 2. The Church Is a Fruit of the Gospel 3. The Church's Teaching Authority 3. The Church Is an Embodiment of the Gospel 4. Can the Church Be Reformed? 4. The Church Is an Agent of the Gospel

2. The Nature of Mission 6. The Gospel and Culture 1. The Basis of Mission 1. Culture and the Bible 2. Authority and Initiative in Mission 2. Culture and Evangelization 3. Evangelization and Sociopolitical Responsibility 3. Culture and Conversion 4. God's Work Outside the Christian Community 4. Culture and Church Formation

3. The Gospel of Salvation 7. The Possibilities of Common Witness 1. Human Need 1. Our Unity and Disunity 2. The Person of Jesus Christ 2. Common Witness 3. The Work of Jesus Christ 3. Unworthy Witness 4. The Uniqueness and Universality of Jesus Christ Conclusion 5. The Meaning of Salvation Appendix: The Role of Mary in Salvation Appendix: The Participants Notes

NOTE: All scriptural references are taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV), published by Collins (London) in 1973 as the Common Bible. In the United States, Oxford University, Press in 1973 published The New Oxford Annotated Bible, with the Apocrypha, Revised Standard Version: An Ecumenical Study Bible.

Introduction

h e Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission outside the World Council of Churches), evangelical fellowships (within T (ERCDOM) was a series of three meetings which took place over mainline, comprehensive denominations), and evangelical parachurch a period of seven years. The first was held at Venice in 1977, the second agencies (specializing in tasks like Bible translation, evangelism." cross­ at Cambridge, England, in 1982, and the third at Landevennec, France, cultural mission, and Third World relief and development), which accept in 1984. different degrees of responsibility to the Church." It is not easy to give a brief account of the distinctive beliefs of evan­ gelical Christians, since different churches and groups emphasize different 1. The Participants doctrines. Yet all Evangelicals share a cluster of theological convictions which were recovered and reaffirmed by the 16th-century Reformers. Those who took part in the dialogue were theologians and missiolo­ These include (in addition to the great affirmations of the Nicene Creed) gists from many parts of the world. Their names are given in the Appendix. the inspiration and authority of the Bible, the sufficiency of its teaching Six of us (three from each side) attended all three meetings; others were for salvation, and its supremacy over the traditions of the Church; the able to come to only one or two of them. justification of sinners (i.e., their acceptance by God as righteous in his The Evangelical participants were drawn from a number of churches sight) on the sole ground of the sinbearing-often called "substitution­ and Christian organizations. They were not official representatives of any ary"-death of Jesus Christ, by God's free grace alone, apprehended by international body, however. For the evangelical movement has a broad faith alone, without the addition of any human works; the inward work spectrum, which includes evangelical denominations (both within and of the Holy Spirit to bring about the new birth and to transform the regenerate into the likeness of Christ; the necessity of personal repentance and faith in Christ ("conversion"); the Church as the Body of Christ, which incorporates all true believers, and all of whose members are called This report will also be published as a paperback in the United States by to ministry, some being "evangelists, pastors and teachers"; the "priest­ William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., and in the hood of all believers," who (without any priestly mediation except Christ's) United Kingdom by the Paternoster Press, Ltd., Exeter. It will also be all enjoy equal access to God and all offer him their sacrifice of praise and published in Spanish, French, and German. Copyright © 1986 by Basil worship; the urgency of the great commission to spread the gospel Meeking and John Stott. throughout the world, both verbally in proclamation and visually in good

2 International Bulletin of Missionary Research works of love; and the expectation of the personal, visible, and glorious return of Jesus Christ to save, to reign, and to judge. International Bulletin The Roman Catholic participants, who spoke from the point of view of Missionary Research of the official teaching of their Church, were named by the Vatican Sec­ retariat for Promoting Christian Unity. The existence of the Secretariat is Established 1950 as Occasional Bulletin from the Missionary evidence of the effective renewal of attitude towards other Christians, Research Library. Named Occasional Bulletin of Missionary which has taken place among Roman Catholics as a result of the Second Research 1977. Renamed International Bulletin of Missionary Vatican Council twenty years ago, and which is still having its effects. In Research 1981. that Council it was acknowledged that "Christ summons the Church, as she goes her pilgrim way, to that continual reformation of which she Published quarterly in January, April, July, and October by the always has need, insofar as she is an institution of men here on earth." 3 As a result, Roman Catholics have been able to acknowledge joyfully Overseas Ministries Study Center "the riches of Christ and virtuous works in the lives of others who are 6315 Ocean Avenue, Ventnor, New Jersey 08406, U.S.A. bearing witness to Christ." 4 This same renewal turned the attention of Roman Catholics to the Scriptures in a new way, exhorting the Church Telephone (609) 823-6671 "to move ahead daily towards a deeper understanding of the Sacred Scriptures," which "contain the Word of God and, since they are in­ Editor: Associate Editor: spired, really are that word." 5 And it led to a better expression of the Gerald H. Anderson James M. Phillips relation between Scripture and tradition in communicating God's Word in its full purity. Here indeed are the elements which have enabled Roman Contributing Editors: Catholics to acknowledge common ground with other Christians, and to Catalino G. Arevalo, S.J. Lesslie Newbigin assume their own responsibility for overcoming divisions for the sake of David B. Barrett C. Rene Padilla the mission of God and the fullness of his glory. R. Pierce Beaver Thomas F. Stransky, C.S.P. Norman A. Horner Charles R. Taber 2. The Background Mary Motte, EM.M. Desmond Tutu It is the will of God that "all men be saved and come to the knowl­ Anastasios Yannoulatos edge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for Books for review and correspondence regarding editorial matters all" (1 Tim. 2:4--5); "there is salvation in no one else" (Acts 4:12). Mission should be addressed to the editors. Manuscripts unaccompanied begins in the activity of God himself who sent his Son, and whose Son by a self-addressed, stamped envelope (or international postal sent his Spirit. All who belong to God in Jesus Christ must share in this coupons) will not be returned. mission of God. A dialogue on mission between Evangelicals and Roman Catholics Subscriptions: $14.00 for one year, $26 for two years, and $37 for has been possible for two reasons. First, both constituencies have recently three years, postpaid worldwide. Foreign subscribers should send been concentrating their attention on evangelism. In July 1974 the evan­ gelical International Congress on World Evangelization took place in Switz­ payment by check in local currency equivalent to U.S. dollar erland and issued the Lausanne Covenant. 6 A few months later the Third amount. Individual copies are $5.00; bulk rates upon request. Cor­ General Assembly of the Roman Catholic Synod of Bishops studied the respondence regarding subscriptions and address changes should same topic, and at their request Pope Paul VI issued in December 1975 his be sent to: International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Circu­ apostolic exhortation entitled Evangelii Nuniiandi, or Evangelization in the lation Department, P.O. Box 1308-E, Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024­ Modern World. 7 9958, U.S.A. Secondly, a study of these two documents reveals a measure of con­ vergence in our understanding of the nature of evangelism, as the follow­ Advertising: ing quotations show: "To evangelize is to spread the good news that Ruth E. Taylor Jesus Christ died for our sins and was raised from the dead according to 11 Graffam Road, South Portland, Maine 04106 the Scriptures.... Evangelism itself is the proclamation of the historical, Telephone: (207) 799-4387 biblical Christ as Saviour and Lord. . .." 8 Again, witness must be "made explicit by a clear and unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Articles appearing in this journal are abstracted and indexed in: Jesus.... There is no true evangelization if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the Kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Bibliografia Missionaria Son of God, are not proclaimed." 9 Christian Periodical Index Guide to Social Science and Religion in Periodical Literature 3. The Experience Missionalia Religion Index One: Periodicals In our time there are many possible forms of dialogue. Some are Religious and Theological Abstracts undertaken with an immediate view to working for organic unity between the bodies which the participants represent. Others do not exclude this Opinions expressed in the International Bulletin are those of the purpose, but begin from where they are with a more general purpose. authors and not necessarily of the Overseas Ministries Study Still others begin by stating that they do not envisage organic or structural Center. unity but aim rather at an exchange of theological views in order to increase mutual understanding and to discover what theological ground they hold Copyright © 1986 by Overseas Ministries Study Center. All rights in common. ERCDOM has been a dialogue of the latter kind. It was not reserved. conceived as a step towards Church unity negotiations. Rather it has been a search for such common ground as might be discovered between Evan­ Second-class postage paid at Atlantic City, New Jersey. gelicals and Roman Catholics as they each try to be more faithful in their POSTMASTER: Send address changes to International Bulletin of obedience to mission. It was also undertaken quite consciously in the Missionary Research, P:O. Box 1308:-E, Fort Lee, New Jersey 07024. knowledge that there are still both disagreements and misrepresentations between Evangelicals and Roman Catholics which harm our witness to ISSN 0272-6122 the gospel, contradict our Lord's prayer for the unity of his followers, and need if possible to be overcome.

January 1986 3 During the three meetings friendships were formed, and mutual re­ in particular, was one of the really major points at issue in the 16th century. spect and understanding grew, as the participants learned to listen to one Indeed, the evangelical emphasis on sola Scriptura has always been known another and to grapple with difficult and divisive questions, as well as as the "formal" principle of the Reformation. So Roman Catholics and rejoicing in the discovery of some common understandings. Evangelicals will not come to closer understanding or agreement on any It was a demanding experience as well as a rewarding one. It was topic if they cannot do so on this topic. Indeed, in every branch of the marked by a will to speak the truth, plainly, without equivocation, and in Christian Church the old question "by what authority?" (Mk. 11:28) love. Neither compromise nor the quest for lowest common denominators remains fundamental to ecumenical discussion. Our second reason for had a place; a patient search for truth and a respect for each other's integrity including this subject on our agenda was that it has a greater relevance did. to mission than may at first appear. For there can be no mission without a message, no message without a definition of it, and no definition without 4. The "Report agreement as to how, or on what basis, it shall be defined.

This Report is in no sense an "agreed statement," but rather a 1. Revelation, the Bible, and the Formulation of Truth faithful record of the ideas shared. It is not exhaustive, for more questions were touched on than could be described in this brief compass. Yetenough Roman Catholics and Evangelicals are entirely agreed on the necessity has been included to give a substantial idea of how the dialogue developed of revelation, if human beings are ever to know God. For he is infinite in and to communicate something of it without creating misunderstandings his perfections, while we are both finite creatures and fallen sinners. His or false expectations. thoughts and ways are as much higher than ours as the heavens are higher An effort has been made to convey what went on at all three meetings, than the earth (Is. 55:9). He is beyond us, utterly unknowable unless he bearing in mind that in none was a complete expose given of most issues. should choose to make himself known, and utterly unreachable unless he ERCDOM was only a first step, even if not a negligible one. should put himself within our reach. And this is what together we believe Our Report, as far as"it goes, gives a description of some areas in he has done. He has revealed the glory of his power in the created uni­ which Evangelicals and Roman Catholics hold similar or common views, verse,"? and the glory of his grace in his Son Jesus Christ, and in the which we are able to perceive more clearly as we overcome the stereotypes Scriptures which he said bear witness to him (e.g., In. 5:39). This process of special revelation began in the Old Testament era. "God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets" (Heb. 1:1). He fashioned Israel to be his people and taught them by his law and prophets. IIOur Report is far from Old Testament Scripture records this history and this teaching. Then the being definitive; the Father sent his Son, who claimed to be the fulfillment of prophecy, himself proclaimed the good n~ws of salvation, chose the twelve apostles to be dialogue needs to be his special witnesses, and promised them the inspiration of his Spirit. After Pentecost they went everywhere preaching the gospel. Through their continued and developed." word Christian communities came into being, nourished by the Old Tes­ tament and the gospel. The apostles' teaching was embodied in hymns, confessions of faith, and particularly their letters. In due time the Church came to recognize their writings as possessing unique authority and as and prejudiced ideas which we have of each other. In addition, it sets out handing down the authentic gospel of Jesus Christ. In this way the canon some of the serious matters on which Evangelicals and Roman Catholics of the New Testament was constituted, which with the Old Testament differ, but about which in the last seven years the participants in ERCDOM comprise the Christian Scriptures. have begun to learn to speak and listen to each other. We all recognize that in the Scriptures God has used human words Although all those who participated in the three meetings contributed as the vehicle of his communication. The Spirit's work of inspiration is richly, the responsibility for the final form of the Report rests with those such, however, that what the human authors wrote is what God intended who were at Landevennec. Publication is undertaken on the general en­ should be revealed, and thus that Scripture is without error. Because it is dorsement of the 1984 participants, although it is not the kind of document God's Word, its divine authority and unity must be recognized, and be­ to which each was asked to subscribe formally. Nevertheless it is their cause he spoke through human beings, its original human context must express hope that it may be a means of stimulating local encounters in also be taken into account in the work of interpretation. dialogue between Evangelicals and Roman Catholics. Our Report is far But are human words adequate to describe God fully, even if they are from being definitive; the dialogue needs to be continued and developed. inspired? No. The infinite reality of the living God is a mystery which The participants in ERCDOM offer this Report to other Evangelicals cannot be fully communicated in words or fully comprehended by human and Roman Catholics as a sign of their conviction that fidelity to Jesus minds. No verbal formulation can be co-extensive with the truth as it is Christ today requires that we take his will for his followers with a new in him. Nevertheless, God has condescended to use words as well as seriousness. He prayed for the truth, holiness, mission, and unity of his deeds as appropriate media of his self-disclosure, and we must struggle people. We believe that these dimensions of the Church's renewal belong to understand them. We do so in the confidence, however, that though together. It is with this understanding that we echo his prayer for ourselves they do not reveal God fully, they do reveal him truly. and each other: "Sanctify them in the truth; thy word is truth. As thou Roman Catholics and Evangelicals differ slightly in .their understand­ didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.... I ings of the nature of Scripture, and even more on what the proper process pray ... that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I of interpreting this Word should be. Both groups recognize that God spoke in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe ..." through the human authors, whose words belonged to particular cultures. On. 17:17-21). Roman Catholics speak of this relationship between the divine and the human in Scripture as being analogous to the divine and the human in Christ. As the Second Vatican Council put it, "indeed the words of 1. Revelation and Authority God, expressed in the words of men, are in every way like human lan­ guage, just as the Word of the eternal Father, when he took on himself It may well be asked why participants in a dialogue on mission should the flesh of human weakness, became like man." 11 Thus the written testi­ spend time debating theological questions concerned with divine revela­ mony of the biblical authors is inscribed within the logic of the Incarnation. tion, the Scriptures, the formulation of truth, principles of biblical inter­ Evangelicals also sometimes use this analogy, but they are not"alto­ pretation, and the Church's magisterium or teaching authority. For these gether comfortable with it. Although it has some validity, they do not topics may not appear to be directly related to our Christian mission in believe it is exact, since there is no hypostatic union between the human the world. Yet we judged a discussion of them to be indispensable to our and the divine in Scripture. They usually emphasize instead the model of task, for two main reasons. The first and historical reason is that the issue God's providence, namely that he is able even through fallen human beings of authority in general, and of the relation between Scripture and tradition to accomplish his perfect will. So he has spoken through the human au­

4 International Bulletin of Missionary Research thors of the Bible in such a way that neither did he suppress their per­ even to insist on a single overarching concept. Instead, we discover in sonality no~ did they 'distort his revelation. Scripture a God-given unity, which focuses on the Christ who died and Thus together we affirm that the written Word of God is the work of rose again for us and who offers to all his people his own new life, which both God and human beings. The divine and the human elements form is the same in every age and culture. This centrality of Christ in the Scrip­ a unity which cannot be torn asunder. It excludes all confusion and all tures is a fundamental hermeneutical key. separation between them. With respect to the process of interpretation, Roman Catholics affirm c. Biblical Criticism that Scripture must be seen as having been produced by and within the Since the Bible is God's Word through human words, therefore under Church. It is mediated to us by the inspired witness of the first Christians. the guidance of the Holy Spirit, who is the only one who leads us into The proper process of interpretation is determined by the process of Scrip­ the understanding of Scripture, we must use scientific critical tools for its ture's creation. We cannot understand it in its truth unless we receive it in the living faith of the Church which, assisted by the Holy Spirit, keeps us in obedience to the Word of God. Evangelicals acknowledge the wisdom of listening to the Church and its teachers, past and present, as they seek to understand God's Word, JJWe are agreed that but they insist that each believer must be free to exercise his or her personal since the biblical texts have responsibility before God, in hearing and obeying his Word. While the Church's interpretations are often helpful, they are not finally. necessary been inspired by God, they because Scripture, under the Spirit's illumination, is self-interpreting and perspicuous (clear). remain the ultimate, Thus, contemporaneity has come to mean different things in our two permanent, and normative communities. Each recognizes that the Word of God must be heard for and in our world today. For Roman Catholics God's Word is contemporary reference of the revelation in the sense that it is heard and interpreted within the living Church. For of God." Evangelicals it is contemporary in the sense that its truth has to be applied, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, to the modern world. Despite these differences, we are agreed that since the biblical texts have been inspired by God, they remain the ultimate, permanent, and elucidation, and we appreciate the positive gains of modern biblical schol­ normative reference of the revelation of God. To them the Church must arship. Human criticism and the Spirit of God are not mutually exclusive. continually return, in order to discern more clearly what they mean, and By "criticism" we do not mean that we stand in judgment upon God's so receive fresh insight, challenge, and reformation. They themselves do Word, but rather that we must investigate the historical, cultural and not need to be reformed, although they do need constantly to be inter­ literary background of the biblical books. preted, especially in circumstances in which the Church encounters new We must also try to be aware of the presuppositions we bring to our problems or different cultures. Roman Catholics hold that "the task of study of the text. For none of us lives in a religion- or culture-free vacuum. giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God whether in its written What we must seek to ensure is that our presuppositions are Christian form or in the form of Tradition has been entrusted to the living, teaching rather than secular. Some of the presuppositions of secular philosophy office of the Church alone." 12 This seems to Evangelicals to derogate from which have vitiated the critical study of the Bible are (a) evolutionary (that Scripture as "the ultimate, permanent and normative reference." religion developed from below instead of being revealed from above), (b) Nevertheless, both sides strongly affirm the divine inspiration of Scripture. anti-supernatural (that miracles cannot happen and that therefore the bib­ lical miracles are legendary), and (c) demythologizing (that the thought: 2. Principles of Biblical Interpretation world in which the biblical message was given is entirely incompatible with the modern age and must be discarded). Sociological presuppositions Our understanding of the nature of the Bible determines our inter­ are equally dangerous, as when we read into Scripture the particular eco­ pretation of it. Because it is the Word of God, we shall approach it in one nomic system we favor, whether capitalist or communist, or any other. way; and because it is also the words of men, in another. One test by which our critical methodology may be assessed is whether or not it enables people to hear the biblical message as good news of God Q. Humble Dependence on the Holy Spirit revealing and giving himself in the historic death and resurrection of Because the Bible is the Word of God, we must approach it with Christ. reverence and humility. We cannot understand God's revelation by our­ selves, because it is "spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). Only he who d. The JlLiteral" Sense spoke through the prophets and apostles can interpret to us his own The first task of all critical study is to help us discover the original message. Only the Spirit of truth can open our hearts to understand, to intention of the authors. What is the literary genre in which they wrote? believe, and to obey. This is "wisdom," and the Holy Spirit is the What did they intend to say? What did they intend us to understand? For "Spirit of wisdom and of revelation" in our knowledge of God (Eph. this is the "literal" sense of Scripture, and the search for it is one of 1:17). Moreover, the Spirit operates within the Body of Christ, as we shall the most ancient principles which the Church affirmed. We must never elaborate later. divorce a text from its biblical or cultural context, but rather think ourselves back into the situation in which the word was first spoken and heard. b. The Unity of Scripture e. A Contemporary Message Because the Bible is the Word of God, it has a fundamental unity. This is a unity of origin, since he who has revealed himself does not contradict To concentrate entirely on the ancient text, however, would lead us himself. It is also a unity of message and aim. For our Lord said the into an unpractical antiquarianism. We have to go beyond the original Scriptures "bear witness to me" On. 5:39; cf. Lk. 24:25-27). Similarly, meaning to the contemporary message. Indeed, there is an urgent need we read that "the sacred writings . . . are able to instruct you for for the Church to apply the teaching of Scripture creatively to the complex salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (2 Tim. 3:15). Thus God's purpose questions of today. Yet in seeking for relevance, we must not renounce through Scripture is to bear testimony to Christ as Savior, to persuade all faithfulness. The ancient and the modern, the original and the contem­ men and women to come to him for salvation, to lead them into maturity porary, always belong together. A text still means what its writer meant. in Christ, and to send them into the world with the same good news. In this dialectic between the old and the new, we often become con­ In the midst of great diversity of content, therefore, Scripture has a scious of a clash of cultures, which calls for great spiritual sensitivity. On single meaning, which permeates and illuminates all the partial meanings. the one hand, we must be aware of the ancient cultural terms in which We renounce every attempt to impose on Scripture an artificial ~nity, or God spoke his word, so that we may discern between his eternal truth

January 1986 5 and its transient setting. On the other, we must be aware of the modern olics are troubled by the authoritarian influence which is being exerted by cultures and world Views which condition us, some of whose values can some strong, charismatic leaders and teachers of different backgrounds. make us blind and deaf to what God wants to say to us. The kind of thoughtless submission which is sometimes given to such was firmly discouraged by the apostles. The people of Beroea were commended because they examined the Scriptures to see whether Paul's preaching was 3. The Church's Teaching Authority true (Acts 17:11). Paul urged the Thessalonians to "test everything," and John to "test the spirits," i.e., teachers claiming inspiration (1 It is one thing to have a set of principles for biblical interpretation; it Thess. 5:21; 1 In. 4:1). Moreover, the criterion by which the apostles ex­ is another to know how to use them. How are these principles to be horted the people to evaluate all teachers was the deposit of faith, the applied, and who is responsible for applying them? truths which they had heard "from the beginning" (1 In. 2:24; 2 In. 9). a. The Individual and the Community b. The Regulation of Christian Belief Evangelicals, who since the Reformation have emphasized both "the priesthood of all believers" 'and "the right of private judgment,'.' We all agree that the fact of revelation brings with it the need for insist on the duty and value of.personal Bible study. The Second Vatican interpretation. We also agree that in the interpretative task both the be­ Council also urged that "easy access to sacr~d Scripture should be lieving community and the individual believer must have a share. Our provided for all the Christian faithful." 13 emphasis on these varies, however, for the Evangelical fears lest God's Both Evangelicals and Roman Catholics, however, recognize the dan­ Word be lost in church traditions, while the Roman Catholic fears it will gers which arise from making Scripture available to all Christian people be lost in a multiplicity of idiosyncratic interpretations. This is why Roman Catholics emphasize the necessary role of the magisterium, although Evangelicals believe that in fact it has not delivered the Roman Catholic Church from a diversity of viewpoints, while admit­ "Many of our teachers tedly helping to discern between them. Evangelicals admit that in their case too some congregations, denom­ belong to the past. Both inations, and institutions have a kind of magisterium. For they elevate their Evangelicals and Roman particular creed or confession to this level, since they use it as their official interpretation of Scripture and for the exercise of discipline. Catholics have inherited a Both Roman Catholics and Evangelicals cherish certain creeds and confessions which summarize their beliefs. They also agree that new for­ rich legacy of tradition. We mulations of faith may be written and affirmed for our times. Other doc­ cherish creeds, confessions, trinal statements may be either revised, or replaced by better statements, if this seems to be required by a clearer understanding of Scripture or for and conciliar statements. a clearer proclamation of the good news. All of us accept our responsibility We peruse the writings of to listen ever more attentively to what the Spirit through the Word is saying to the churches, so that we may grow in the knowledge of God, the Fathers of the Church." in the obedience of faith, ahd in a more faithful and relevant witness. What, then, Evangelicals have asked, is the status (and the authority for Roman Catholics) of the various kinds of statement made by those in a ministry of official teaching? In reply, Roman Catholics say that the and from exhorting them to read it. How can they be protected from false function of the magisterium is to regulate the formulations of the faith, so interpretations? What safeguards can be found? Whether we are Evan­ that they remain true to the teaching of Scripture. They also draw a dis­ gelicals or Roman Catholics, our initial answer to these questions is the tinction. On the one hand, there are certain privileged [ormulations-i-e.g., same: the major check to individualistic exegesis is the Holy Spirit who a formal definition in council by the College of Bishops, of which the Pope dwells and works in the Body of Christ, which is the Church. The Scrip­ is the presiding member, or a similar definition by the Pope himself, in tures must be interpreted within the Christian community. It is only special circumstances and subject to particular conditions, to express the "with all the saints" that we can comprehend the full dimensions of faith of the Church. It is conceded that such definitions do not necessarily God's love (Eph. 3:18). succeed in conveying all aspects of the truth they seek to express, and Roman Catholics also say that Scripture is interpreted by the Church. while what they express remains valid, the way it is expressed may not Yet the Church's task, paradoxically speaking, is at one and the same time have the same relevance for all times and situations. Nevertheless, for to submit totally to the witness of Scripture in order to listen to God's Roman Catholics they do give a certainty to faith. Such formulations are Word, and to interpret it with authority, The act of authority in interpreting very few, but very important. On the other hand, statements made by God's Word is an act of obedience to it. those who have a special teaching role inthe Roman Catholic Church have But how in practice does the Christian community help us towards different levels of authority (e.g., papal encyclicals and other pronounce­ truth and restrain us from error? We are agreed that Christ has always ments, decisions of provincial synods or councils, etc.). These require to intended his Church to have gifted and authorized teachers, both scholars be treated with respect, but do not call for assent in the same way as the and pastors. When Philip asked the Ethiopian whether he understood the first category. Old Testament passage he was reading, he replied, "How can I, unless We all believe that God will protect his Church, for he has promised some one guides me?" (Acts 8:31). to do so and has given us both his Scriptures and his Spirit; our dis­ Many of our teachers belong to the past. Both Evangelicals and Roman agreement is on the means and the degree of his protection. Catholics have inherited a rich legacy of tradition. We cherish creeds, Roman Catholics believe that it is the authoritative teaching of the confessions, and conciliar statements. We peruse the writings of the Fa­ Church which has the responsibility for oversight in the interpretation of thers of the Church. We read books and commentaries. Scripture, allowing a wide freedom of understanding, but excluding some Christ also gives his Church teachers in the present (Eph. 4:11), and interpretations as inadmissible because erroneous. it is the duty of Christian people to listen to them respectfully. The regular Evangelicals, on the other hand, believe that God uses the Christian context for this is public worship in which the Word of God is read and community as a whole to guard its members from error and evil. Roman expounded. In addition, we attend Church Synods and Councils, and Catholics also believe in this sensus fidelium. For in the New Testament national, regional, and international conferences at which, after prayer Church members are urged: "let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, and debate, our Christian understanding increases. teach and admonish one another" (Col. 3:16). They are also exhorted to Respectful listening and mutual discussion are healthy; they are quite "see to it" that their brothers and sisters stand firm in truth and right­ different from uncritical acquiescence. Both Evangelicals and Roman Cath­ eousness.>

6 International Bulletin of Missionary Research 4. Can the Church Be Reformed? gelize among all peoples, we together affirm the universality of God's purposes. God's creation of the world and of all humankind means that a. The Need for Reform all should be subject to his Lordship (Ps. 24:1-2; Eph. 3:8-11). The call of Abraham and of Israel had the wider purpose that all nations might see So far in this first section of our Report we have concentrated on the God's glory in his people and come to worship him. In the New Testament Church's responsibility to teach. Can it also learn? Can the Church which Jesus sends his disciples out in proclamatory witness, leading to the gives instruction receive it? More particularly, can Scripture exercise a apostolic mission to all nations. In his Epistle to the Romans Paul teaches reforming role in the Church? Is the Church itself under the Scripture it that, since all without distinction have sinned, so all without distinction expounds? are offered salvation, Gentiles as well as Jews (3:22f.; 10:12). These are questions which the Roman Catholic Church put to itself We are agreed that mission arises from the self-giving life and love of anew during the Second Vatican Council, and has continued to ask itself the triune God himself and from his eternal purpose for the whole creation. since. Evangelicals, however, to whom continuous reformation by the Its goal is the God-centered Kingdom of the Father, exhibited through the Word of God has always been a fundamental concern, wonder whether building of the Body of Christ, and cultivated in the fellowship of the the reform to which the Roman Catholic Church consented at Vatican II Spirit. Because of Christ's first coming and the outpouring of the Holy was radical enough. Has it been more than an aggiornamento of ecclesiastical Spirit, Christian mission has an eschatological dimension: it invites men institutions and liturgical forms? Has it touched the Church's theological and women to enter the Kingdom of God through Christ the Son by the life or central structures? Has there been an inner repentance? work and regeneration of the Spirit. At the same time, Roman Catholics have always asked whether Evan­ We all agree that the arrival of the messianic Kingdom through Jesus gelicals, in the discontinuity of the 16th-century Reformation, have not Christ necessitates the announcement of the good news, the summons to lost something essential to the gospel and the Church. repentance and faith, and the gathering together of the people of God. Yet we all agree that the Church needs to be reformed, and that its Sometimes Jesus clearly used "the Kingdom of God" and "salva­ reformation comes from God. The one truth is in God himself. He is the tion" as synonyms. 15 For to annotince the arrival of the Kingdom of God reformer by the power of his Spirit according to the Scriptures. In order is to proclaim its realization in the coming of Jesus Christ. And the Church to discern what he may be saying, Christian individuals and communities witnesses to the Kingdom when it manifests the salvation it has received. need each other. Individual believers must keep their eyes on the wider At the same time, long-standing tensions exist between Roman Cath­ community of faith, and churches must be listening to the Spirit, who may olics and Evangelicals. While both sides affirm that the pilgrim Church bring them correction or insight through an individual believer. is missionary by its very nature, its missionary activity is differently understood. b. Our Response to God's Word Vatican II defines the Church for Roman Catholics as "the sacra­ We agree on the objectivity of the truth which God has revealed. Yet ment of salvation," the sign and promise of redemption to each and every it has to be subjectively received, indeed "apprehended," if through it person without exception. For them, therefore, "mission" includes not God is to do his reforming work. How then should our response to only evangelization but also the service of human need, and the building revelation be described? up and expression of fellowship in the Church. It is the mission of the We all acknowledge the difficulties we experience in receiving God's Church to anticipate the Kingdom of God as liberation from the slavery Word. For as it comes to us, it finds each of us in our own social context of sin, from slavery to the Law, and from death-by the preaching of the and culture. True, it creates a new community, but this community also gospel, by the forgiveness of sins, and by sharing in the Lord's Supper. 16 has its cultural characteristics derived both from the wider society in which But the Spirit of God is always at work throughout human history to bring it lives and from its own history which has shaped its understanding of about the liberating reign of God. God's revelation. So we have to be on the alert, lest our response to the Evangelization is the proclamation (by word and example) of the good Word of God is distorted by our cultural conditioning. news to the nations. The good news is that God's actions in Jesus Christ One response will be intellectual. For God's revelation is a rational are the climax of a divine revelation and relationship that has been available revelation, and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. $0 the Christian community is always concerned to understand and to formulate the faith, so that it may preserve truth and rebut error. Announcing Response to God's truth can never be purely cognitive, however. Truth in the New Testament is to be "done" as well as "known," and so The American Society of Missiology will hold its 1986 an­ to find its place in the life and experience of individuals and churches. nual meeting at North Park Theological Seminary, Chicago, Paul called this full response "the obedience of faith" (Rom. 1:5; 16:26). June 20-22. The Association of Professors of Mission will It is a commitment of the whole person. meet June 19-20at North Park in conjunction with the ASM. Understanding, faith, and obedience will in their turn lead to procla­ Dr. Charles R. Taber of Emmanuel School of Religion is mation. For revelation by its very nature demands communication. The believing and obeying community must be a witnessing community. And P·resident of the ASM, and Dr. Samuel Moffett of Princeton as it faithfully proclaims what it understands, it will increasingly under­ Theological Seminary is President of the APM for 1985-86. stand what it proclaims. Further information may be obtained from Dr. Wilbert R. Thus reform is a continuous process, a work of the Spirit of God Shenk, Secretary-Treasurer of the ASM, Box 1092, Elkhart, through the agency of the Word of God. IN 46515. 2. The Nature of Mission The very existence of the Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission to everyone from the beginning. Roman Catholics assert that the whole testifies to our common commitment to mission. One of the factors which of humanity is in a collective history which God makes to be a history of led to its inauguration was the publication of the Lausanne Covenant (1974) salvation. The mvsterionof the gospel is the announcement by the Church and of Evangelii Nuntiandi, Pope Paul VI's apostolic exhortation Evange­ to the world of this merging of the history of salvation with the history lization in the Modern World (1975). These two documents supplied some of the world. evidence of a growing convergence in our understanding of mission. Not Evangelicals generally, on the other hand, do not regard the history that Evangelicals or Roman Catholics regard either of these statements as of salvation as coterminous with the history of the world, although some exhaustive, but they consider them valuable summaries and teaching tools. are struggling with this question. The Church is the beginning and antic­ ipation of the new creation, the firstborn among his creatures. Though all in Adam die, not all are automatically in Christ. So life in Christ has to be 1. The Basis 'of Mission received by grace with repentance through faith. With yearning Evangel­ In response to the common criticism that we have no right to evan- icals plead for a response to the atoning work of Christ in his death and

January 1986 7 resurrection. But with sorrow they know that not all who are called are volvement by the Church as a whole, as well as by groups and individuals. chosen. Judgment (both here and hereafter) is the divine reaction of God Among Evangelicals, however, there are differences between the Lu­ to sin and to the rejection of the good news. "Rich young rulers" still theran, Reformed, and Anabaptist traditional understandings of Church walk away from the kingdom of grace. Evangelization is therefore the call and society. All would agree that Christian individuals and groups have to those outside to come as children of the Father into the fullness of social responsibilities; the division concerns what responsibility is assigned eternal life in Christ by the Spirit, and into the joy of a loving community to the Church as a whole. in the fellowship of the Church. 4. God's Work Outside the Christian Community 2. Authority and Initiative in Mission We have written about the Church and the Kingdom. We are agreed Primary Christian obedience, we agree, is due to the Lord Jesus Christ that the concept of the Church implies a limitation, for we talk about and is expressed in both our individual and our common life under his "church members," which implies that there are "nonmembers." authority. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals recognize that the tension But how widely should we understand the Kingdom of God? We all agree between ecclesiastical authority and personal initiative, as also between that God works within the Christian community, for there he rules and the institutional and the charismatic, has appeared throughout biblical and dwells. But does he also work outside, and if so how? Church history. This is a question of major missiological importance. All of us are While for Roman Catholics hierarchical structures of teaching and concerned to avoid an interpretation of the universal saving will of God, pastoral authority are essential, the servant Church, as described by which makes salvation automatic without the free response of the person. Vatican Council II, is called to express herself more fully in the exercise of At least four common convictions have emerged from our discussions. apostolic "collegiality" and "subsidiarity" (the principle that eccle­ They concern the great doctrines of creation, revelation, salvation, and sial decisions are made at the lowest level of responsibility). judgment. Evangelicals have traditionally emphasized the personal right of every 1. Creation. God has created all humankind, and by right of creation believer to enjoy direct access to God and the Scriptures. There is also all humankind belongs to God. God also loves the whole human among them a growing realization of the importance of the Church as the family and gives to them all "life and breath and everything" Body of Christ, which tempers personal initiative through the restraint (Acts 17:25). and direction of the fellowship. 2. Revelation. There are elements of truth in all religions. These truths This issue of authority has a bearing on mission. Are missionaries are the fruit of a revelatory gift of God. Evangelicals often identify sent, or do they volunteer, or is it a case of both? What is the status of their source in terms of general revelation, common grace, or the religious orders, mission boards or missionary societies, and para-church remnant image of God in humankind. Roman Catholics more fre­ organizations? How do they relate to the churches or other ecclesial bodies? quently associate them with the work of the Logos, the true light, How can a preoccupation with jurisdiction (especially geographical) be coming into the world and giving light to every man (]n. 1:9), and reconciled with the needs of subcultures, especially in urban areas, which with the work of his Holy Spirit. are often overlooked? 3. Salvation. There is only one Savior and only one gospel. There is Although our traditions differ in the way we respond to these ques­ no other name but Christ's, through whom anyone may be saved tions, we all wish to find answers which take account both of Church (Acts 4:12). So all who receive salvation are saved by the free ini­ structures and of the liberty of the Spirit outside them. tiative of God through the grace of Christ. 4. Judgment. While the biblical concept of judgment refers to both 3. Evangelization and Socio-political Responsibility reward and punishment, it is clear that those who remain in sin by resisting God's free grace (whether they are inside or outside The controversy over the relationship between evangelization and the visible boundaries of the Church) provoke his judgment, which socio-political responsibility is not confined to Roman Catholics and Evan­ leads to eternal separation from him. The Church itself also stands gelicals; it causes debate between and among all Christians, under the judgment of God whenever it refuses or neglects to We are agreed that "mission" relates to every area of human need, proclaim the gospel of salvation to those who have not heard both spiritual and social. Social responsibility is an integral part of evan­ Christ's name. gelization; and the struggle for justice can be a manifestation of the King­ The sphere for missionary activity is described differently within each dom of God. Jesus both preached and healed, and sent his disciples out tradition. Roman Catholics would expect God's mercy to be exercised to do likewise. His predilection for those without power and without voice effectively in benevolent action of his grace for the majority of humankind, continues God's concern in the Old Testament for the widow, the orphan, unless they specifically reject his offer. Such a position gives them cause the poor, and the defenseless alien. for confidence. Evangelicals consider that this view has no explicit biblical In particular we agree: justification, and that it would tend to diminish the evangelistic zeal of a. that serving the spiritual, social, and material needs of our fellow the Church. Evangelicals are therefore less optimistic about the salvation human beings together constitutes love of neighbor and therefore of those who have no personal relationship to God through Jesus Christ. IImission" ; We all affirm that the missionary enterprise is a participation in the b. that an authentic proclamation of the good news must lead to a call mission of Jesus and the mission of his Church. The urgency to reach all for repentance, and that authentic repentance is a turning away those not yet claimed by his Lordship impels our mission. from social as well as individual sins; Whether or not salvation is possible outside the Christian community, c. that since each Christian community is involved in the reality of what is the motivation for mission work? We agree that the following the world, it should lovingly identify with the struggle for justice strong incentives urgently impel Christians to the task of mission: as a suffering community; a. to further the glory of God; the earth should be a mirror to reflect d. that in this struggle 'against evil in society, the Christian must be his glory; careful to use means which reflect the spirit of the gospel. The b. to proclaim the Lordship of Jesus Christ; all men and women are Church's responsibility in a situation of injustice will include re­ called to submit to his authority; pentance for any complicity in it, as well as intercessory prayer, c. to proclaim that Christ has struggled with Satan and dethroned practical service, and prophetic teaching which sets forth the him; in baptism and conversion we renounce Satan's rule and turn standards of God and his Kingdom. to Christ and righteousness; We recognize that some Roman Catholics and some Evangelicals find d. to proclaim that man does not live by bread alone; the gospel of it difficult to subscribe to any inseparable unity between evangelization salvation is the perfect gift of God's loving grace; and the kind of socio-political involvement which is described above. e. .to hasten the return of the Lord-the eschatological dimension. We There is also some tension concerning the allocation of responsibility for 'look for the day of the Lord when the natural order will be com­ social service and action. Roman Catholics accept the legitimacy of in­ pletely redeemed, the whole earth will be filled with the knowledge

8 International Bulletin of Missionary Research of the Lord, and people from every nation, people, tribe, and to be the Son of God, and exhibited the power and authority of God over tongue will praise the triune God in perfection. nature, human beings, and demonic powers. He also spoke of himself as the Son of man. He fulfilled the perfect obedience of the Servant in going 3. The Gospel of Salvation even to death on the cross. Then God raised him from the dead, confirming that he was from the beginning the Son he claimed to be (Ps. 2:7). Thus Roman Catholics and Evangelicals share a deep concern for the content he was both "descended from David according to the flesh" and "des­ of the good news we proclaim. We are anxious on the one hand to be ignated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his faithful to the living core of the Christian faith, and on the other to com­ resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:3-4). This is why his apostles con­ municate it in contemporary terms. How then shall we define the gospel? fessed him as Lord and Christ, Son of God, Savior of humankind, sent by the Father, agent through whom God created all things, in whom we 1. Human Need have been chosen from before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4), the Word made flesh. Diagnosis must always precede prescription. So, although human The Incarnation of the Son was an objective event in history, in which need is not strictly part of the good news, it is an essential background the divine Word took upon himself our human nature. Within a single to it. If the gospel is good news of salvation, this is because human beings person were joined full divinity and full humanity. Although this under­ are sinners who need to be saved. standing of him was not precisely formulated until the theological debates In our description of the human condition, however, we emphasize of the early centuries, we all agree that the Cha1cedonian Definition faith­ the importance of beginning positively. We affirm that all men and women fully expresses the truths to which the New Testament bears witness. are made by God, for God, and in the image of God, and that sin has The purposes of the Incarnation were to reveal the Father to us, since defaced but not destroyed this purpose and this image (Gen. 9:6; [as. 3:9). otherwise our knowledge of God would have been deficient; to assume Therefore, as the creation of God, human beings have an intrinsic worth our nature in order to die for our sins and so accomplish our salvation, and dignity. Also, because of the light which lightens everybody, we all since he could redeem only what he had assumed; to establish a living have within us an innate desire for God which nothing else can satisfy. communion between God and human beings, since only the Son of God As Christians, we must respect every human being who is seeking God, made human could communicate to human beings the life of God; to even when the search is expressed in ignorance (Acts 17:23). supply the basis of the imitatio, since it is the incarnate Jesus we are to Nevertheless original sin has intervened. We have noted Thomas follow; to reaffirm the value and dignity of humanness, since God was Aquinas' description of original sin, namely "the loss of original justice" not ashamed to take on himself our humanity; to provide in Jesus the (i.e., a right relationship with God) and such "concupiscence" as con­ firstfruits of the new humanity, since he is the "firstborn among many stitutes a fundamental disorder in human nature and relationships; so that brethren" (Rom. 8:29); and to effect the redemption of the cosmos in the all our desires are inclined towards the making of decisions displeasing end. to God. Evangelicals insist that original sin has distorted every part of human nature, so that it is permeated by self-centeredness. Consequently, the Apostle Paul describes all people as "enslaved," "blind," "dead," "Roman Catholics think and "under God's wrath," and therefore totally unable to save them­ Evangelicals overstress the selves.!? Roman Catholics also speak of original sin as an injury and disorder corruption of human which has weakened-though not destroyed-human free will. Human beings by affirming their beings have "lifted themselves up against God and sought to attain their goal apart from him." 18 As a result this has upset the relationship 'total depravity' . . . linking man to God and "has broken the right order that should reign within himself as well as between himself and other men and all crea­ while Evangelicals think tures." 19 Hence human beings find themselves drawn to what is wrong Roman Catholics and of themselves unable to overcome the assaults of evil successfully, "so that everyone feels as though bound by chains." 20 underestimate it and are Clearly there is some divergence between Roman Catholics and Evan­ therefore unwisely gelicals in the way we understand human sin and need, as well as in the language we use to express them. Roman Catholics think Evangelicals optimistic about the overstress the corruption of human beings by affirming their "total depravity" (i.e., that every part of our humanness has been perverted by capacity, ability, and desire the Fall), while Evangelicals think Roman Catholics underestimate it and of human beings to are therefore unwisely optimistic about the capactiy, ability, and desire of human beings to respond to the grace of God. Yet we agree that all are respond to the grace of sinners, and that all stand in need of a radical salvation, which includes God." deliverance from the power of evil, together with reconciliation to God and adoption into his family.

2. The Person of Jesus Christ So then, in fidelity to the gospel and in accordance with the Scriptures, we together confess the person of Jesus Christ as the eternal Son of God, The radical salvation which human beings need has been achieved by who was born of the Virgin Mary and became truly man, in order to be Jesus Christ. Evangelicals and Roman Catholics are agreed about the cen­ the Savior of the world. trality of Christ and of what God has done through him for salvation. In our missionary task we have not only to confess Christ ourselves, "The Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world" (1 In. 4:14). but also to interpret him to others. As we do so, we have to consider, for But who was this Savior Jesus? example, how to reconcile for Jews and Moslems the monotheism of the Jesus of Nazareth was a man, who went about doing good, teaching Bible with the divine sonship of Jesus, how to present to Hindus and with authority, proclaiming the Kingdom of God, and making friends with Buddhists the transcendent personality of God; and how to proclaim to sinners to whom he offered pardon. He made himself known to his apos­ adherents of traditional religion and of the new religious consciousness tles, whom he had chosen, and with whom he lived, as the Messiah the supreme Lordship of Christ. Our Christology must always be both (Christ) promised by the Scriptures. He claimed a unique filial relation to faithful to Scripture and sensitive to each particular context of evangeli­ God whom in prayer he called his Father (Abba). He thus knew himself zation.

January 1986 9 3. The Work of Jesus Christ where he represents us and prays for us. The Resurrection was also the Father's vindication of Jesus, reversing the verdict of those who con­ It was this historic person, Jesus of Nazareth, fully God and fully demned and crucified 'him, visibly demonstrating his sonship, and giving human, through whom the Father acted for the redemption and recon­ us the assurance that his atoning sacrifice had been accepted. It is the ciliation of the world. Indeed, only a person who was both God and human resurrected and exalted Lord who sent his Spirit to his Church and who, could have been the mediator between God and human beings. Because claiming universal authority, now sends us into the world as his witnesses. he was human he could represent us and identify with us in our weakness. The Resurrection was also the beginning of God's new creation, and is his Because he was God he could bear our sin and destroy the power of evil. pledge both of our resurrection and of the final regeneration of the uni­ This work of redemption was accomplished supremely through the verse. death of Jesus Christ, although we acknowledge the unity of his incarnate life, atoning death, and bodily resurrection. For his death completed the 4. The Uniqueness and Universality of Jesus Christ service of his life (Mk. 10:45) and his resurrection confirmed the achieve­ ment of his death (Rom, 4:25). In a world of increasing religious pluralism we affirm together the Christ was without sin, and therefore had no need to die. He died absolute uniqueness of Jesus Christ..He was unique in his person, in his for our eins, and in this sense "in our place." We are agreed about this death, and in his resurrection. Since in no other person has God become basic truth and about other aspects of the Atonement. But in our discussion human, died for the sins of the world, and risen from death, we declare that he is the only way to God an. 14:6), the only Savior (Acts 4:12), and the only Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5). No one else has his qualifications. The uniqueness of Jesus Christ implies his universality. The one and only is meant for all. We therefore proclaim him both "the Savior of the world" an. 4:42) and "Lord of all" (Acts 10:36). "The word I gospel' We have not been able to agree, however, about the implications of has come to have different his universal salvation and Lordship. Together we believe that IJGod . . . desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" meanings in our two (1 Tim. 2:4), that the offer of salvation in Christ is extended to everybody, communities." that the Church has an irreplaceable responsibility to announce the good news of salvation to all peoples, that all who hear the gospel have an obligation to respond to it, and that those who respond to it' are incor­ porated into God's new, worldwide, multiracial, multicultural community, which is the Father's family, the Body of Christ, and the temple of the two different emphases have emerged, which we have summarized by Holy Spirit. These aspects of the universality of Christ we gladly affirm the words "substitution" and "solidarity," although these concepts together. are not altogether exclusive. Roman Catholics go further, however, and consider that, if human Evangelicals lay much stress on the truth that Christ's death was sin is universal, all the more is Christ's salvation universal. If everyone "substitutionary." In his death he did something which he did not do born into the world stands in solidarity with the disobedience of the first during his life. He actually "became sin" for us (2 Cor. 5:21) and Adam, still the human situation as such has been changed by the definitive "became a curse" for us (Gal. 3:13). Thus God himself in Christ pro­ event of salvation, that is, the Incarnation of the Word, his death, his pitiated his own wrath, in order to avert it from us. In consequence, having resurrection, and his gift of the Spirit. All are now part of the humanity taken our sin, he gives us his righteousness. We stand accepted .by God whose new head has overcome sin and death. For all there is a new in Christ, not because Christ offered the Father our obedience, but because possibility of salvation which colors their entire situation, so that 'it is he bore our sin and replaced it with his righteousness. possible to say, "Every person, without exception, has been redeemed Roman Catholics express Christ's death more in terms of "soli­ by Christ, and with each person, without any exception, Christ is in some darity." In their understanding Jesus Christ in his death made a perfect way united, even when that person is not aware of that." 21 To become offering of love and obedience to his Father, which recapitulated his whole beneficiaries of the obedience of the Second Adam, men and women must life. In consequence, we can enter into the sacrifice of Christ and offer turn to God and be born anew with Christ into the fullness of his life. The ourselves to the Father in and with him. For he became one with us in mission of the Church is to be the instrument to awaken this response by order that we might become one with him. proclaiming the gospel, itself the gift of salvation for everyone who receives Thus the word "gospel" has come to have different meanings in it, and to communicate the truth and grace of Christ to all. 22 our two communities. Evangelicals, on the other hand, understand the universality of Christ For Evangelicals, it is the message of deliverance from sin, death, and differently. He is universally present as God (since God is omnipresent) condemnation, and the promise of pardon, renewal, and indwelling by and as potential Savior (since he offers salvation to all), but not as actual Christ's Spirit. These blessings flow from Christ's substitutionary death. Savior (since not all accept his offer). Evangelicals wish to preserve the They are given by God solely through his grace, without respect to our distinction, which they believe to be apostolic, between those who are in merit, and are received solely through faith. When we are accepted by Christ and those who are not (who consequently are in sin and under Christ, we are part of his people, since all his people are "in" him. judgment), and so between the old and new communities. They insist on For Roman Catholics the gospel centers in the person, message, and the reality of the transfer from one community to the other, which can be gracious activity of Christ. His life, death, and resurrection are the foun­ realized only through the new birth; "if anyone is in Christ, he is a dation of the Church, and the Church carries the living gospel to the world. new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17). The Church is a real sacrament of the gospel. The relationship between the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus So the difference between us concerns the relationship between the and the whole human race naturally leads Roman Catholics to ask whether gospel and the Church. In the one case, the gospel reconciles us to God there exists a possibility of salvation for those who belong to non-Christian through Christ and thus makes us a part of his people; in the other, the religions and even for atheists. Vatican II was clear on this point: "Those gospel is found within the life of his people, and thus we find reconciliation also can attain to everlasting salvation who through no fault of their own with God. do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church." On the one hand, there Although pastoral, missionary, and cultural factors may lead us to are those who "sincerely seek God and, moved by his grace, strive by stress one or other model of Christ's saving work, the full biblical range their deeds to do his will." On the other, there are those who "have of words (e.g., victory, redemption, propitiation, justification, reconcilia­ not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God, but who strive to live a tion) must be preserved, and none may be ignored. good life, thanks to his grace." 23 Both groups are prepared by God's grace The Resurrection, we agree, lies at the heart of the gospel and has to receive his salvation either when they hear the gospel or even if they many meanings. It takes the Incarnation to its glorious consummation, for do not. They can be saved by Christ, in a mysterious relation to his Church. it is the human Christ Jesus who reigns glorified at the Father's right hand, Evangelicals insist, however, that according to the New Testament

10 International Bulletin of Missionary Research those outside Christ are "perishing," and that they can receive salvation Appendix: The Role of Mary in Salvation only in and through Christ. They are therefore deeply exercised about the eternal destiny of those who have never heard of Christ. Most Evangelicals Roman Catholics would rather consider the question of Mary in the believe that, because they reject the light they have received, they condemn context of the Church than of salvation. They think of her as a sinless themselves to hell. Many are more reluctant to pronounce on their destiny, woman, since she was both overshadowed by the Spirit at the Incarnation have no wish to limit the sovereignty of God, and prefer to leave this issue (Lk. 1:35) and baptized with the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 1:14f. to him. Others go further in expressing their openness to the possibility and 2:1-4). She thus represents all Christians who have been made alive that God may save some who have not heard of Christ, but immediately by the Spirit, and Roman Catholics speak of her as the "figure" or add that, if he does so, it will not be because of their religion, sincerity, "model" of the Church. or actions (there is no possibility of salvation by good works), but only The reason why we have retained this section on Mary within the because of his own grace freely given on the ground of the atoning death chapter on "The Gospel of Salvation" (albeit as an Appendix) is that it of Christ. All Evangelicals recognize the urgent need to proclaim the gospel is in the context of salvation that Evangelicals have the greatest difficulty of salvation to all humankind. Like Paul in his message to the Gentile with Marian teaching and that we discussed her role at ERCDOM II. audience of Athens, they declare that God "commands all men every­ where to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the The place of Mary in the scheme of salvation has always been a sen­ world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed" (Acts 17:30­ sitive issue between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. We have tried to 31). face it with integrity.

5. The Meaning of Salvation Q. The Interpretation of Scripture

In the Old Testament salvation meant rescue, healing and restoration . It raises in an acute form the prior question how we use and interpret for those already related to God within the covenant. In the New Testament the Bible. We are agreed that biblical exegesis begins with a search for the it is directed to those who have not yet entered into the new covenant in "literal" sense of a text, which is what its author meant. We further Jesus Christ. agree that some texts also have a "spiritual" meaning, which is founded Salvation has to be understood in terms of both salvation history (the on the literal but goes beyond it because it was intended by the Divine­ mighty acts of God through Jesus Christ) and salvation experience (a per­ though not necessarily the human-author (e.g., Is. 7:14). This is often sonal appropriation of what God has done through Christ). Roman Cath­ called the sensus plenior. The difference between Roman Catholics and olics and Evangelicals together strongly emphasize the objectivity of God's Evangelicals lies in the degree to which the spiritual sense may be sepa­ work through Christ, but Evangelicals tend to lay more emphasis than rated from the literal. Both sides agree that, whenever Scripture is not Roman Catholics on the necessity of a personal response to, and experience explicit, there is need for some check on the extravagances of interpreters. of, God's saving grace. To describe this, again the full New Testament We are also agreed that this check is supplied by the context, both the vocabulary is needed (e.g., the forgiveness of sins, reconciliation with God, immediate context and the whole of Scripture, which is a unity. Roman adoption into his family, redemption, the new birth-all of which are gifts Catholics, however, say that Scripture must be read in the light of the brought to us by the Holy Spirit), although Evangelicals still give para­ living, developing tradition of the Church, and that the Church has au­ mount importance to justification by grace through faith. thority to indicate what the true meaning of Scripture is. Thus, in relation We agree that what is offered us through the death and resurrection to Mary, Roman Catholics concede that devotion to Mary was a post­ of Christ is essentially "deliverance," viewed both negatively and pos­ apostolic practice, but add that it was a legitimate development, whereas itively. Negatively, it is a rescue from the power of Satan, sin, and death, Evangelicals believe it has been unwarrantably imported into the Roman from guilt, alienation (estrangement from God), moral corruption, self­ Catholic interpretation of Scripture. centeredness, existential despair and fear of the future, including death. Positively, it is a deliverance into the freedom of Christ. This freedom b. Mary and Salvation brings human fulfillment. It is essentially becoming "sons in the Son" In one of our ERCDOM II sessions, entitled, "The Place of the and therefore brothers to each other. The unity of the disciples of Jesus is Virgin Mary in Salvation and Mission," an Evangelical response was made a sign both that the Father sent the Son and that the Kingdom has arrived. to Pope Paul VI's 1974 apostolic charge Marialis Cultus (liTo Honor Further, the new community expresses itself in eucharistic worship, in serving the needy (especially the poor and disenfranchised), in open fel­ lowship with people of every age, race, and culture, and in conscious continuity with the historic Christ through fidelity to the teaching of his liThe sociopolitical apostles. Is salvation broader than this? Does it include socio-political libera tion? consequences of God's Roman Catholics draw attention to the three dimensions of evange­ saving action through lization which Evangelii Nuntiandi links. They are the anthropological; in which humanity is seen always within a concrete situation; the theological, Christ have been manifest in which the unified plan of God is seen within both creation and re­ throughout history. They demption; and the evangelical, in which the exercise of charity (refusing to ignore human misery) is seen in the light of the story of the Good Sa­ still are." maritan. We all agree that the essential meaning of Christ's salvation is the restoration of the broken relationship between sinful humanity and a sav­ ing God; it cannot therefore be seen as a temporal or material project, Mary"). Evangelical members of the dialogue asked for an explanation of making evangelism unnecessary. two expressions in it which, at least on the surface, appeared to them to This restoration of humanity is a true "liberation" from enslaving ascribe to Mary an active and participatory role in the work of salvation. forces; yet this work has taken on an expanded and particular meaning The first (1.5) describes the Christmas season as a prolonged com­ in Latin America. Certainly God's plan of which Scripture speaks includes memoration of Mary's "divine, virginal and salvific Motherhood." In his reconciliation of human beings to himself and to one another. what sense, Evangelicals asked, could Mary's motherhood be called The sociopolitical consequences of God's saving action through Christ "salvific"? The Roman Catholics replied that the explanation of the have been manifest throughout history. They still are. Specific problems term was to be found in the text itself, namely that she "brought the (e.g., slavery, urbanization, church-state relations, and popular religiosity) Savior into the world" by her obedient response to God's call. have to be seen both in their particular context and in relation to God's The second passage (1.15) refers to lithe singular place" that belongs overall plan as revealed in Scripture and experienced in the believing to Mary in Christian worship, not only as "the holy Mother of God" community through the action of the Spirit. but as lithe worthy Associate of the Redeemer." In what sense, Evan­

January 1986 11 gelicals asked, could Mary properly be described as the Redeemer's In addition, they point out that Roman Catholics' understanding of the "worthy Associate"? It did not mean, the Roman Catholics responded, role of Mary should be determined by the whole of chapter VIII of Lumen that she was personally without need of redemption, for on the contrary Gentium; and other official statements of Roman Catholic belief, rather she was herself saved through her Son's death. In her case, however, than by popular expressions of Marian piety. "salvation" did not signify the forgiveness of sins, but that, because The fears of Evangelicals were to some extent allayed by these Roman of her predestination to be the "Mother of God," she was preserved Catholic explanations and assurances. Yeta certain Evangelical uneasiness from original sin ("immaculate conception") and so from sinning. Pos­ remained. First, the traditional Catholic emphasis on Mary's role in sal­ itively, she could be described as the Redeemer's "Associate" because vation (e.g., as the "New Eve," the life-giving mother) still seemed to of her unique link with him as his mother. The word should not give them incompatible with the much more modest place accorded to her in offense, for we too are "associates of the Redeemer" both as recipients the New Testament. Secondly, the vocabulary used in relation to Mary of his redemption and as agents through whose prayers, example, sacrifice, seemed to them certainly ambiguous and probably misleading. Is it not service, witness, and suffering his redemption is proclaimed to others. vitally important, they asked, especially in the central doctrine of salvation The Evangelicals made a double response to these explanations. First, through Christ alone, to avoid expressions which require elaborate expla­ they still found the language ambiguous, and considered this ambiguity nation (however much hallowed by long tradition) and to confine ourselves particularly unfortunate in the central area of salvation. Secondly, they to language which is plainly and unequivocally Christ-centered? felt the whole Roman Catholic emphasis on Mary's role in salvation ex­ At the same time Roman Catholics are troubled by what seems to aggerated, for when the apostles John and Paul unfold the mystery of the them a notable neglect by Evangelicals of the place given by God to Mary Incarnation, it is to honor Christ the Son, not Mary the mother. At the in salvation history and in the life of the Church. same time, they readily agreed that in Luke's infancy narrative Mary is given the unique privilege of being the Savior's mother, and on that ac­ count is addressed as both "highly favoured" and "blessed among 4. Our Response in the Holy Spirit to the women" (1:28, 42). If Evangelicals are to be true to their stance on sola Gospel Scriptura, they must therefore overcome any inhibitions they may have and faithfully expound such texts. We agree that evangelism is not just a proclamation of Christ's historic Our discussion also focused on the use of the term "cooperation." work and saving offer. Evangelism also includes a call for response which For example, it is stated in LumenGentium, chapter VIII, that Mary is rightly is often called "conversion." seen as "co-operating in the work of human salvation through free faith and obedience" (II, 56), and again that "the unique mediation of the 1. The Work of the Holy Spirit Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise ... to a manifold co­ operation which is but a sharing in this unique source" (III, 62). The This response, however, does not depend on the efforts of the human Evangelicals agreed that the notion of cooperation with God is biblical person, but on the initiative of the Holy Spirit. As is stated in the Scripture, (e.g., "workers together with him" (2 Cor. 6:1)), but pointed out that "for by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your this refers to a divine-human partnership in which our share lies in the own doing, it is the gift of God-not because of works, lest any man should proclaiming, and not in any sense in the procuring, of salvation. The Roman boast" (Eph. 2:&-9).There is therefore a trinitarian dimension to the human Catholics agreed. The "cooperation" between Christ and us, they said, person's response: it is the Father who gives; his supreme gift is his Son, does not mean that we can add anything to Christ or his work, since he Jesus Christ, for the life of the world (In. 6:23); and it is the Holy Spirit is complete in himself, and his work has been achieved. It means rather who opens our minds and hearts so that we can accept and proclaim that that we share in the benefits of what he has done (not in the doing of it) Jesus Christ is Lord (1 Cor. 12:3) and live as his disciples. This means that and that (by his gift alone, as in the case of Mary) we offer ourselves to the Holy Spirit guarantees that the salvation which the Father began in him in gratitude, to spend our lives in his service, and to be used by him Jesus Christ becomes effective in us in a personal way. as instruments of his grace (vid. Gal. 1). The Evangelicals were relieved, When human persons experience conversion, the Holy Spirit illumines but still felt that the use of the word "cooperation" in this sense was their understanding so that Jesus Christ can be confessed as the Truth ina ppropriate. itself revealed by the Father (In. 14:6). The Holy Spirit also renders con­ Another word we considered was "mediatrix," the feminine form verted persons new creatures, who participate in the eternal life of the of "mediator." The Evangelicals reacted with understandable vehem­ Father and the Son (In. 11:25-26). Furthermore, the Holy Spirit, through ence against its application to Mary, as did also some Roman Catholics. the gifts of faith, hope, and love, already enables converted persons to She must not be designated thus, they insisted, since the work of mediation have a foretaste of the Kingdom which will be totally realized when the belongs to Christ alone. In reply, the Roman Catholics were reassuring. Son hands over all things to the Father (1 Cor. 15:28). Although the word (or rather its Greek equivalent) was used of Mary from Thus, the work of the Holy Spirit in Christian conversion has to be the 5th century onwards, and although some bishops were pressing at seen as the actual continuation of his previous creative and redemptive Vatican II for its inclusion in the text, the Council deliberately avoided it. activity throughout history. Indeed, at the beginning the Holy Spirit was It occurs only once, and then only in a list of Mary's traditional titles. present at the act of creation (Gen. 1:2), and he is continually sent forth Moreover, in the same section of Lumen Gentium (III, 60--62) Christ is twice as the divine breath by whom everything is created and by whom the face called "the one Mediator" in accordance with 1 Tim. 2:5-6, and his of the earth is renewed (Ps. 104:29-30). Although all persons are influenced "unique mediation" is also referred to twice, which (it is added) Mary's by the life-giving Spirit of God, it is particularly in the Old Testament, maternal ministry "in no way obscures or diminishes." which he inspired, that the recreative work of the Holy Spirit, after the The Final Document of the Puebla Conference on the Evangelization of fall of humankind, is concretely manifested. In order to ground the divine Latin America (1979), which contains a long section entitled "Mary, plan to recreate humanity, the Holy Spirit first taught the patriarchs to Mother and Model of the Church" (paras. 282-303), was cited by Evan­ fear God and to practice righteousness. And to assemble his people Israel gelical participants. Paragraph 293 declares that Mary "now lives im­ and to bring it back to the observance of the Covenant, the Holy Spirit mersed in the mystery of the Trinity, praising the glory of God and raised up judges, kings, and wise men. Moreover, the prophets, under interceding for human beings." Evangelicals find this a disturbing expres­ the guidance of the Spirit, announced that the Holy Spirit would create a sion, and not all Roman Catholics are happy with it, finding it too am­ new heart and bestow new life by being poured out in a unique way on biguous (if indeed "immersed" is an accurate translation of the Spanish Israel and, through it, on all humanity (Ezek. 36:24-28; Joel 2: 2&-29). original inmersa: there has been some controversy about this). Roman Cath­ The recreative work of the Holy Spirit reached its culminating point olics explain that the notion of Mary's "immersion" in the Trinity means in the Incarnation of Jesus Christ who, as the New Adam, was filled with that she is the daughter of the Father, the mother of the Son, and the the Holy Spirit without measure (In. 3:34). Because Jesus Christ was the temple of the Holy Spirit (all three expressions being used in paragraph privileged bearer of the Holy Spirit, he is the one who gives the Holy 53 of Lumen Gentium). But they strongly insist that, of course, she cannot Spirit for the regeneration of human beings: "He on whom you see the be on a level with the three Persons of the Trinity, let alone a fourth Person. Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit"

12 International Bulletin of Missionary Research On. 1:33). Through his death on behalf of sinful humankind and his rising of entry into the visible church. Both sides agree that the church should up to glory, Jesus Christ communicates the Holy Spirit to all who are be characterized by learning, worship, fellowship, holiness, service, and converted to him, that is, receive him by faith as their personal Lord and evangelism (Acts 2:42-47). Furthermore, life in the Church is characterized Savior. This new life in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit is signified by by hope and love, as a result of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit: "And baptism and by membership in the Body of Christ, the Church. Further­ hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into more, through his indwelling in converted persons, the Holy spirit attests our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us" (Rom. that they are co-heirs with Christ of eternal glory. 5:5). It is the Holy Spirit who arouses and sustains our response to the living Christ. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, the unity of the human 2. Conversion and Baptism family, which was disrupted by sin, is gradually being recreated as the new humanity emerges (Eph. 2:15). We have been agreeably surprised to discover a considerable consen­ The issue of church membership has raised in our dialogue the delicate sus among us that repentance and faith, conversion and baptism, regen­ and difficult question of the conversion of those already baptized. How eration and incorporation into the Christian community all belong are we to think of their baptism? And which church should they join? This together, although we have needed to debate their relative positions in practical question can cause grave problems in the relationship between the scheme of salvation. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. It is particularly acute in places like "Conversion" signifies an initial turning to Jesus Christ in re­ Latin America, where large numbers of baptized Roman Catholics have pentance and faith, with a view to receiving the forgiveness of sins and had a minimal relationship with the Roman Catholic Church since their the gift of the Spirit, and to being incorporated into the Church, all signed baptism. to us in baptism (Acts 2:38-39). The expression "continuous conver­ When such Roman Catholics have a conversion experience, many sion" (if used) must therefore be understood as referring to our daily Evangelical churches welcome them into membership without rebaptizing repentance as Christians, our .response to new divine challenges, and our them. Some Baptist churches, however, and some others, would insist on gradual transformation into the image of Christ by the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:18). baptizing such converts, as indeed they baptize Protestant converts who . Moreover, some who have grown up in a Christian home find themselves have been baptized in infancy. to be regenerate Christians without any memory of a conscious conversion. Then there is the opposite problem of Protestant Christians wishing We agree that baptism must never be isolated, either in theology or to become members of the Roman Catholic Church. Since Vatican II the in practice, from the context of conversion. It belongs essentially to the Roman Catholic Church has recognized other Christians as being in the whole process of repentance, faith, regeneration by the Holy Spirit, and first place "brethren," rather than subjects for conversion. Neverthe­ membership of the covenant community, the Church. A large number of . less, since the Roman Catholic Church believes that the one Church of Evangelicals (perhaps the majority) practice only "believers' baptism." Christ subsists within it in a unique way, it further believes it is legitimate That is, they baptise only those who have personally accepted Jesus Christ to receive other Christians into its membership. Such membership is not as their Savior and Lord, and they regard baptism both as the convert's seen as an initial step towards salvation, however, but as a further step public profession of faith and as the dramatization (by immersion in water) towards Christian growth. Considerable care is taken nowadays to ensure of his or her having died and risen with Christ. The practice of infant baptism (practiced by some Evangelicals, rejected by others) assumes both that the parents believe and will bring their children up in the Christian faith, and that the children will themselves later come to conscious re­ "We have been pentance and faith. We rejoice together that the whole process of salvation is the work of a~reeably surprised to God by the Holy Spirit. And it is in this connection that Roman Catholics discover a considerable understand the expression ex opere operata in relation to baptism. It does not mean that the sacraments have a mechanical or automatic efficacy. Its consensus among us that purpose rather is to emphasize that salvation is a sovereign work of Christ, in distinction to a Pelagian or semi-Pelagian confidence in human ability. repentance and faith, There is a further dimension of the work of the Holy Spirit in our conversion and baptism, response to the gospel to which we have become increasingly sensitive, and which we believe belongs within our understanding of the work of regeneration and the Spirit in mission. incorporation into the In the light of biblical teaching, particularly in the Epistle to the Ephe­ sians.>' and also in view of the insights gained through Christian mis­ Christian community all sionary experience, we believe that, although the revelation of Jesus Christ as the Truth by the Holy Spirit is in itself complete in the Scriptures, belong together, although nevertheless he is wanting to lead the Church into a yet fuller understand­ we have needed to debate ing of this revelation. Hence we rejoice that in the various cultural contexts in which men and women throughout nearly twenty centuries of Christian their relative rositions in history have been enabled by the Holy Spirit to respond to the gospel, we . the scheme 0 salvation." can perceive the many-sidedness of the unique Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior of all humankind. . Accordingly, we hope that the Holy Spirit will make us open to such new and further insights into the meaning of Jesus Christ, as he may wish that such a step is not taken under wrong pressure and for unworthy to communicate by means of various manifestations of Christian life in motives. In other words, there is an avoidance of "proselytism" in the our Christian communities, as well as in human societies where we ear­ wrong sense. Then, provided that there is some proof of valid baptism nestly desire that he will create a response to the gospel in conversion, having taken place, there is no question of rebaptism. baptism, and incorporation into Christ's Body, the Church. Church members need constantly to be strengthened by the grace of 3. Church Membership God. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals understand grace somewhat dif­ ferently, however, Roman Catholics thinking of it more as divine life and Conversion and baptism are the gateway into the new community of Evangelicals as divine favor. Both sides agree that it is by a totally free gift God, although Evangelicals distinguish between the visible and invisible of the Father that we become joined to Christ and enabled to live like aspects of this community. They see conversion as the means of entry into Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit. Both sides also understand the invisible church and baptism as the consequently appropriate means the Eucharist (or Lord's Supper) as a sacrament (or ordinance) of grace.

January 1986 13 Roman Catholics affirm the real presence of the body and blood of Jesus soul may have its dark nights. In summary, Evangelicals appear to Roman Christ and emphasize the mystery of Christ and his salvation becoming Catholics more pessimistic about human nature before conversion, but present and effective by the working of the Holy Spirit under the sacra­ more optimistic about it afterwards, while Evangelicals allege the opposite mental sign,25 whereas Evangelicals (in different ways according to their about Roman Catholics. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals together agree different Church traditions) view the sacrament as the means by which that Christian assurance is more an assurance of faith (Heb. 10:22) than Christ blesses us by drawing us into fellowship with himself, as we re­ of experience, and that perseverance to the end is a gratuitous gift of God. member his death until he comes again (1 Cor. 11:26). Despite the lack of full accord which we have just described, both Evangelicals and Roman Catholics agree that the Eucharist is spiritual food 5. The Church and the Gospel and spiritual drink (1 Cor. 10:3-4, 16), because the unifying Spirit is at work in the sacrament. As a memorial of the New Covenant, the Eucharist Evangelicals, because of their emphasis on the value of the individual, is a privileged sign in which Christ's saving grace is especially signified have traditionally neglected the doctrine of the Church. The topic was not and/or made available to Christians. In the Eucharist the Holy Spirit makes neglected in our dialogue, however. We found ourselves united in certain the words Jesus spoke at the Last Supper effective in the Church and convictions about the Church, and in our commitment to it. We were able to agree on a fourfold relationship between the Church and the gospel. 1. The Church Is a Part of the Gospel "Roman Catholics and The redemptive purpose of God has been from the beginning to call out a people for himself. When he called Abraham, he promised to bless Evangelicals are agreed all nations through his posterity, and has kept his promise. For all those that the only ground for who are united to Christ, Gentiles as well as Jews, are Abraham's spiritual children and share in the promised blessing.> assurance is the objective This wonderful new thing, namely, the abolition of the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles and the creation of a single new humanity, work of Christ; this was at the heart of Paul's gospel (Eph. 2:14-15). He called it "the ground does not lie in any mystery of Christ," which, having been made known to him, he must make known to others (Eph. 3:3-9). way in the believer." Both Evangelicals and Roman Catholics are conscious of past failure in their understanding of the Church. Roman Catholics used to concentrate on the Church as a hierarchial institution, but now (since Vatican II) see it in new perspective by stressing the important biblical images such as assures Christians that through their faith they are intimately united to that of the People of God. Evangelicals have sometimes preached an ex­ Christ and to each other in the breaking of the bread and the sharing of cessively individualistic gospel, "Christ died for me." This is true (Gal. the cup. 2:20), but it is far from the whole truth, which is that Christ gave himself for us "to purify for himself a people ..." (Tit. 2:14). 4. Assurance of Salvation Thus both Roman Catholics and Evangelicals agree that the Church as the Body of Christ is part of the gospel. That is to say, the good news It has always been traditional among Evangelicals to stress not only includes God's purpose to create for himself through Christ a new, re­ salvation as a present gift, but also the assurance of salvation enjoyed by deemed, united, and international people of his own. those who have received it. They like, for example, to quote 1 In. 5:13: "I write this to, you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that 2. The Church Is a Fruit of the Gospel you may know that you have eternal life." Thus, eternal life begins in us now through the Spirit of the risen Christ, because we are "raised with The first clear proclamation of the good news in the power of the him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead" Holy Spirit resulted in the gathered community of God's people-the (Col. 2:12). Yet in daily life we live in the tension between what is already Church (Acts 2:39-42). This was to become the pattern for subsequent given and what is still awaited as a promise, for "your life is hid with apostolic and missionary endeavors with the gospel. The condition for Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you will also membership of the community is repentance (chiefly from the sin of unbelief appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:3-4). and rejection of Christ), and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, witnessed to Roman Catholics and Evangelicals are agreed that the only ground in submission to baptism in his name (Acts 2:38). The benefits of mem­ for assurance is the objective work of Christ; this ground does not lie in bership include the personal enjoyment of the forgiveness of sins, and any way in the believer. participation in the new life of the Spirit (Acts 2:38-39; 1 Cor. 12:13). We speak somewhat differently about the work of Christ, however, From the beginning, the community of God's people was marked by and relate it differently in terms of practical piety. Evangelicals refer to the a devotion to the apostolic teaching, to fellowship (a sharing which ex­ "finished" work of Christ on the cross and rest their confidence wholly tended to practical loving care), to the breaking of bread (the Lord's Sup­ upon it. Roman Catholics also speak of Christ's work as having been done per), and to the prayers or public worship (Acts 2:42). To this believing, "once for all"; they therefore see it as beyond repetition. Nevertheless, worshiping, caring, and witnessing community, "the Lord added to their they understand that through the Eucharist Christ's unique, once-for-all number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47). work is made present, and that by this means they maintain a present Evangelicals on the whole have tended to emphasize personal sal­ relationship to it. The relationship to Christ's finished work which Evan­ vation almost to the point of losing sight of the central place of the Church. gelicals enjoy is maintained by faith, but it is faith in what was done, and The multiplication of evangelistic organizations and agencies which are what was done is never re-presented. not church-based has contributed to this distortion. There is however a Roman Catholics and Evangelicals both claim an authentic religious growing desire to correct it. For wherever the gospel goes, it bears fruit experience, which includes an awareness of the presence of God and a in the spread and growth of the Church. taste for spiritual realities. Yet Evangelicals think Roman Catholics some­ times lack a visible joy in Christ, which their assurance has given them, 3. The Church Is an Embodiment of the Gospel whereas Roman Catholics think Evangelicals are sometimes insufficiently attentive to the New Testament warnings against presumption. Roman The very life of the Church as God's new community becomes itself Catholics also claim to be more realistic than Evangelicals about the va­ a witness to the Gospel. "The life of the community only acquires its garies of religious experience. The actual experience of Evangelicals seldom full meaning when it becomes a witness, when it evokes admiration and leads them to doubt their salvation, but Roman Catholics know that the conversion, and when it becomes the preaching and proclamation of the

14 International Bulletin of Missionary Research Good News."27 Thus the Church is the sign of the power and the presence 6. The Gospel and Culture of Jesus, the light of Christ shining out visibly to bring all men to that light. 28 As a fellowship of communities throughout the world the Church is The influence of culture on evangelism, conversion, and church formation to be "a people brought into unity from the unity of the Father, Son is increasingly recognized as a topic of major missiological importance. and Holy Spirit" (Cyprian). This was why Jesus had come into the world, The Willowbank Report Gospel and Culture (1978) defines culture as "an and why the living communion of believers between themselves and the integrated system of beliefs (about God or reality or ultimate meaning), Lord of life, and between each other, is to be the proclamation that will of values (about what is true, good, beautiful and normative), of customs move people's hearts to belief On. 13:34--35; 17:23). (how to behave, relate to others, talk, pray, dress, work, play, trade, farm, In every place the believing community speaks to the world by "an eat, etc.), and of institutions which express these beliefs, values and cus­ authentically Christian life given over to God in a communion that nothing toms (government, law courts, temples or churches, family, schools, hos­ should destroy and at the same time given to one's neighbour with limitless pitals, factories, shops, unions, clubs, etc.), which binds a society together zeal" (cf. 1 Pet. 2:12). and gives it a sense of identity, dignity, security and continuity." 30 Viewed It is also the community of peace which makes Jew and Gentile one, thus, culture pervades the whole of human life, and it is essential for in which by the power of the broken body of Christ the enmity which Christians to know how to evaluate it. stood like a dividing wall between them has been broken down and a It is acknowledged that Evangelicals and Roman Catholics start from single new humanity brought into being (Eph. 2:15-16). The Church cannot a different background. Evangelicals tend to stress the discontinuity, and with integrity preach the gospel of reconciliation unless it is evidently a Roman Catholics the continuity, between man unredeemed and man re­ reconciled community itself. deemed. At the same time, both emphases are qualified. Discontinuity is It is a community that makes present the obedient Lord who under­ qualified by the Evangelical recognition of the image of God in humankind, went death for us. It is founded upon him (Eph. 2:20), he is its Lord (Eph. and continuity by the Roman Catholic recognition that human beings and 1:22), and its power to speak of him comes from the manner in which it societies are contaminated by sin. The Lausanne Covenant summarized reproduces in all its members and in its common life his obedience to the this tension as follows: "Because man is God's creature, some of his saving plan of God. culture is rich in beauty and goodness. Because he is fallen, all of it is This unity, holiness, love, and obedience are the authentic sign that tainted with sin and some of it is demonic." 31 Christ is not an anonymous or remote Lord. They are the mark of the We have particularly concentrated on the place of culture in four areas: community given over to God, and they speak about the good news of in the Bible, in cross-cultural evangelism, in conversion, and in church salvation in Jesus Christ. formation. 4. The Church Is an Agent of the Gospel 1. Culture and the Bible

That the Church must be an agent of the gospel overflows from its We have already affirmed that the Bible is the Word of God through internal life. The Church which receives the Word must also sound it forth the words of human beings. Realizing that human language and human (1 Thess. 1:5-8). The Church which embodies its message visually must thought-forms reflect human cultures, we saw the need to explore two major also declare it verbally. questions: First, the Church continues and prolongs the very same mission of a. What was the attitude of the biblical authors to their cultures? Christ. 29 b. How should we ourselves react to the cultural conditioning of Secondly, the Church received Christ's command to be his witnesses Scripture? in the power of the Spirit to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). In answer to the first question, we considered the New Testament. Thirdly, the Church proclaims the message with the authority of the Its message comes to us from the context of the 1st-century world, with Lord himself, who gave her the power of the Spirit. As to the qualified its own images and vocabulary, and is thus set in the context of that world's subjects of this authority, there are divergences between Evangelicals and Roman Catholics. For Evangelicals the agent of the proclamation is the whole community of believers, who are equipped for this task by those appointed to the pastoral ministry (Eph. 4:11-12). For Roman Catholics "Evangelicals tend to also the evangelistic task belongs to the whole people of God, but they stress the discontinuity, believe bishops have a special role and responsibility both to order the life of the community for this task and, as successors to the ministry of ap­ and Roman Catholics the ostolic times, to preach the good news of the Kingdom. To sum up, the Church and the gospel belong indissolubly together. continuity, between man We cannot think of either apart from the other. For God's purpose to create unredeemed and man a new community through Christ is itself an important element in the good news. The Church is also both the fruit and the agent of the gospel, redeemed." since it is through the gospel that the Church spreads and through the Church that the gospel spreads. Above all, unless the Church embodies the gospel, giving it visible flesh and blood, the gospel lacks credibility and the Church lacks effectiveness in witness. culture. The culture has become the vehicle of the message. More and more Christians are recognizing this lack of a fully credible, Yet within that Ist-century culture there were elements which the effective witness because of divisions among themselves. They believe Christian and the Church were required to resist, out of loyalty to the that Christ has called all his disciples in every age to be witnesses to him Lord Jesus. Distinctions between the new community and the surrounding and his gospel to the ends of the earth (cf. Acts 1:8). Yet those who profess culture were clearly drawn. At the same time, the Christian and the Church such discipleship differ about the meaning of the one gospel and go their enjoyed a new freedom in Christ, which enabled them to discern those different ways as if Christ himself were divided (cf. 1 Cor. 1:13). elements in the culture which must be rejected as hostile to their faith and To be sure, Christian separations and divisions have often been due those which were compatible with it and could on that account be affirmed. to conscientiously held convictions, and Christian unity must not be sought Blindness, which leads Christians to tolerate the evil and/or overlook the at the expense of Christian truth. Nevertheless, the divisions and their good in their culture, is a permanent temptation. causes contradict the will of Jesus Christ, who desires his people to be Our other question was concerned with how we ourselves should united in truth and love. They also hinder the proclamation of his good react to the cultural conditioning of Scripture. It breaks down into two news of reconciliation. Therefore the gospel calls the Church to be renewed subsidiary questions which express the options before us. First, are the in truth, holiness, and unity, in order that it may be effectively renewed biblical formulations (which we have already affirmed to be normative) so for mission as well. intrinsically conditioned by their mode of specific cultural expression that

January 1986 15 they cannot be changed to suit different cultural settings? Put another lowed to develop its own identity. The first is the question of certain forms way, has biblical inspiration (which Evangelicals and Roman Catholics both of organization, especially as they relate to Church leadership. Although acknowledge) made the cultural forms themselves normative? The alter­ Roman Catholics and Evangelicals take a different approach to authority native is to ask whether it is the revealed teaching which is normative, so and its exercise, we are agreed that in every Christian community (espe­ that this may be re-expressed in other cultural forms. We believe the latter cially a new one) authority must be exercised in a spirit of service. "I to be the case, and that such re-expression or translation is a responsibility am among you as one who serves," Jesus said (Lk. 22:27). Yet the expres­ laid both on cross-cultural missionaries and on local Christian leaders.F sion given to leadership can vary according to different cultures. The second sphere is that of artistic creativity-e.g., church architec­ 2. Culture and Evangelization ture, painting, symbols, music, and drama. Local churches will want to express their Christian identity in artistic forms which reflect their local Christian missionaries find themselves in a challenging cross-cultural, culture. indeed tri-cultural, situation. They come from a particular culture them­ A third area is theology. Every church should encourage theological selves, they travel to people nurtured in another, and they take with them reflection on the aspirations of its culture, and seek to develop a theology a biblical gospel which was originally formulated in a third. How will this which gives expression to these. Yet only in such a way as to apply, not interplay of cultures affect their evangelism? And how can they be compromise, the biblical revelation. simultaneously faithful to Scripture and relevant to the local culture? Two problems confront a church which is seeking to "inculturate" In the history of mission in this century a progress is discernible. The itself, namely, provincialism and syncretism. "Provincialism" asserts successive approaches may be summarized as follows: the local culture of a particular church to the extent that it cuts itself adrift a. In the first period the missionary brought along with the gospel from, and even repudiates, other churches. We are agreed that new expres­ message many of the cultural trappings of his or her own situation. sions of local church life must in no way break fellowship with the wider Then culture, instead of being (as in the New Testament) a vehicle Christian community. for the proclamation of the gospel, became a barrier to it. Acci­ "Syncretism" is the attempt to fuse the biblical gospel with ele­ dentals of teaching and practice were taught as if they were ments of local culture which, being erroneous or evil, are incompatible essentials, and a culture-Christianity was preached, as if it were with it. But the gospel's true relation to culture is discriminating, judging the gospel. some elements and welcoming others. The criteria it applies to different b. In the second period the gospel message was translated into terms elements or forms include the questions whether they are under the judg­ (language and thought-forms, artistic symbols and music) appro­ ment of Christ's Lordship, and whether they manifest the fruit of the priate to those to whom it was brought, and the cultural trappings Spirit. began to be left behind. Now local cultures, instead of being ne­ It has to be admitted that every expression of Christian truth is in­ glected, were respected and where possible used for the better adequate and may be distorted. Hence the need for mutually respectful communication of the gospel. In a word, the gospel began to be dialogue about the relative merits of old and new forms, in the light of "contextualized." both the biblical revelation and the experience of the wider community of c. So at the present time, missionaries endeavor to bring both the faith. biblical gospel and an experience of life in Christ. They also en­ The Second Vatican Council addressed itself to these important mat­ deavor to take seriously the people to whom they have come, with ters. It recognized that in every culture there are some elements which their worldview and way of life, so that they may find their own may need to be "purged of evil association" and to be restored "to authentic way of experiencing and expressing the salvation of Christ their source, who overthrows the rule of the devil and limits the Christ. This kind of evangelism tries to be both faithful to the manifold malice of evil." In this way "the good found in people's minds ­ biblical revelation and relevant to the people's culture. In fact, it and hearts, or in particular customs and cultures, is purified, raised to a aims at bringing Scripture, context, and experience into a working higher level and reaches its perfection...." 33 relationship for the effective presentation of the gospel. Hence it is not a question of adapting things which come from the world usurped by Satan, but of repossessing them for Christ. To take them 3. Culture and Conversion over as they are would be syncretism. "Repossession," on the other hand, entails four steps: (a) the selection of certain elements from one's We are clear that conversion includes repentance, and that repentance culture; (b) the rejection of other elements which are incompatible with is a turning away from the old life. But what are the aspects of the old life the essence of the biblical faith; (c) the purification from the elements from which a convert must turn away? Conversion cannot be just turning selected and adopted of everything unworthy; (d) the integration of these away from "sin" as this is viewed in anyone particular culture. For into the faith and life of the Church. different cultures have different understandings of sin, and we have to The age to come has broken into this present age in such a way as to recognize this aspect of pluralism. So missionaries and church leaders in touch our lives with both grace and judgment. It cuts through every cul­ each place need great wisdom, both at the time of a person's conversion ture. Vatican II referred to this discontinuity, and also emphasized the and during his or her maturing as a Christian, to distinguish between the need for "the spiritual qualities and endowments of every age and moral and the cultural, between what is clearly approved or condemned nation" to be fortified, completed, and restored in Christ. 34 by the gospel, on the one hand, and by custom or convention, on the For Jesus Christ is Lord of all, and our supreme desire vis-a-vis each other. The repentance of conversion should be a turning away only from culture is to "take every thought captive to obey Christ" (2 Cor. 10:5). what the gospel condemns. 4. Culture and Church Formation 7. The Possibilities of Common Witness

In the development of the Christian community in each place, as in We turn in our last chapter from theological exploration to practical action. the other areas we have mentioned, missionaries must avoid all cultural We have indicated where we agree and disagree. We now consider what imperialism; that is, the imposition on the Church of alien cultural forms. we can do and cannot do together. Since our discussion on this topic was Just as the gospel has to be inculturated, so must the Church be incul­ incomplete, what follows awaits further development. turated also. We all agree that the aim of "indigenization" or "inculturation" 1. Our Unity and Disunity is to make local Christians congenial members of the Body of Christ. They must not imagine that to become Christian is to become Western and so We have tried to face with honesty and candor the issues which divide to repudiate their own cultural and national inheritance. The same prin­ us as Roman Catholics and Evangelicals. We have neither ignored, nor ciple applies in the West, where too often to become Christian has also discounted, nor even minimized them. For they are real, and in some cases meant to become middle class. serious. There are a number of spheres in which each Church should be al­ At the same time, we know and have experienced that the walls of

16 International Bulletin of Missionary Research our separation do not reach to heaven. There is much that unites us, and b. Common Witness in the Use of Media much in each other's different manifestations of Christian faith and life Although we have put down the availability of a Common Bible as a which we have come to appreciate. Our concern throughout our dialogue priority need, Evangelicals and Roman Catholics are united in recognizing has not been with the structural unity of churches, but rather with the the importance of Christian literature in general, and of Christian audio­ possibilities of common witness. So when we write of "unity," it is this visual aids. In particular, it is of great value when the Common Bible is that we have in mind. supplemented by common Bible reading aids. In some parts of the world To begin with, we acknowledge in ourselves and in each other a firm Bible atlases and handbooks, Bible dictionaries and commentaries, and belief in God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This faith is for us more than explanatory notes for daily Bible reading are available in a form which a conviction; it is a commitment. We have come to the Father through the betrays no denominational or ecclesiastical bias. The same is true of some Son by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 2:18). Christian films and filmstrips. So Evangelicals and Roman Catholics may We also recognize that the gospel is God's good news about his Son profitably familiarize themselves with each other's materials, with a view Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:1-3), about his godhead and manhood, his life and to using them whenever possible. teaching, his acts and promises, his death and resurrection, and about the In addition, the opportunity is given to the churches in some countries salvation he has once accomplished and now offers. Moreover, Jesus Christ to use the national radio and television service for Christian programs. We is our Savior and our Lord, for he is the object of our personal trust, suggest, especially in countries where Christians form a small minority of devotion, and expectation. Indeed, faith, hope, and love are his gifts to the total population, that the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant us, bestowed on us freely without any merit of our own. churches, and specialist organizations cooperate rather than compete with In addition, God's Word and Spirit nourish this new life within us. one another in the development of suitable programs. We see in one another "the fruit of the Spirit," which is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self­ c. Common Witness in Community Service control" (Gal. 5:22-23). No wonder Paul continues in this text with an exhortation that there be among us "no self-conceit, no provoking of The availability of welfare varies greatly from country to country. Some one another, no envy of one another" (v. 26). governments provide generous social services, although often the spiritual There is therefore between us an initial if incomplete unity. Never­ dimension is missing, and then Christians can bring faith, loving com­ theless, divisions continue, even in some doctrines of importance, as we have made clear in earlier chapters of our report. Our faith has developed in us strong convictions (as it should), some uniting us, others dividing us. The very strength of our convictions has not only drawn us together "There seems to be no in mutual respect, but has also been a source of painful tension. This has been the price of our encounter; attempts to conceal or dilute our differ­ justification for organizing ences would not have been authentic dialogue, but a travesty of it. So separate Roman Catholic would have been any attempt to magnify or distort our differences. We confess that in the past members of both our constituencies have been and Evangelical projects of guilty of misrepresenting each other, on account of either laziness in study, unwillingness to listen, superficial judgments, or pure prejudice. When­ a purely humanitarian ever we have done this, we have borne false witness against our neighbor. nature, and every reason This, then, is the situation. Deep truths already unite us in Christ. Yet real and important convictions still divide us. In the light of this, we for undertaking them ask: What can we do together? together."

2. Common Witness "Witness" in the New Testament normally denotes the unique passion, and hope to an otherwise secular service. In other countries the testimony of the apostolic eyewitnesses who could speak of Jesus from government's provision is inadequate or unevenly distributed. In such a what they had seen and heard. It is also used more generally of all Chris­ situation the churches have a particular responsibility to discover the big­ tians who commend Christ to others out of their personal experience of , gest gaps and seek to fill them. In many cases the government welcomes him, and in response to his commission. We are using the word here, the Church's contribution. however, in the even wider sense of any Christian activity which points In the name of Christ, Roman Catholics and Evangelicals can serve to Christ, a usage made familiar by the two documents, jointly produced human need together, providing emergency relief for the victims of flood, by the World Council of Churches and the Roman Catholic Church, which famine, and earthquake, and shelter for refugees; promoting urban and are entitled Common Witness and Proselytism (1970) and Common Witness rural development; feeding the hungry and healing the sick; caring for the elderly and the dying; providing a marriage guidance, enrichment and (1980). reconciliation service, a pregnancy advisory service and support for single­ a. Common Witness in Bible Translation and Publishing parent families; arranging educational opportunities for the illiterate and job-creation schemes for the unemployed; and rescuing young people from It is extremely important that Roman Catholics and Protestants should drug addiction and young women from prostitution. There seems to be have an agreed, common text in each vernacular. Divergent texts breed no justification for organizing separate Roman Catholic and Evangelical mutual suspicion; a mutually acceptable text develops confidence and fa­ projects of a purely humanitarian nature, and every reason for undertaking cilitates joint Bible study. The United Bible Societies have rendered valuable them together. Although faith may still in part divide us, love for neighbor service in this area, and the Common Bible (RSV) published in English in should unite us. 1973, marked a step forward in Roman Catholic-Protestant relationships. The inclusion of the Old Testament Apocrypha (books written in Greek d. Common Witness in Social Thought and Action during the last two centuries before Christ), which the Roman Catholic Church includes as part of the Bible, has proved a problem, and in some There is a pressing need for fresh Christian thinking about the urgent countries Evangelicals have for this reason not felt free to use this version. social issues which confront the contemporary world. The Roman Catholic The United Bible Societies and the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Church has done noteworthy work in this area, not least through the Unity have published some guidelines in this matter, 35 which recommend social encyclicals of recent Popes. Evangelicals are only now beginning to that the Apocrypha be printed "as a separate section before the New catch up after some decades of neglect. It should be to our mutual ad­ Testament" and described as "deutero-canonical." Many Evangelicals vantage to engage in Christian social debate together. A clear and united feel able to use a Common Bible in these circumstances, although most Christian witness is needed in face of such challenges as the nuclear arms would prefer the Apocrypha to be omitted altogether. race, North-South economic inequality, the environmental crisis, and the

January 1986 17 fULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY School of World Mission Summer Seminars-1986 PIERSON GlASSER JUNE 23 TO AUGUST 29 ...

Our Summer Semina rs offer a faculty of 16 distinguish ed scholars. Each is a practical 'hands -on' pro fessional miss ionary, dedicated to prepa ring top-level leadership for the task of wo rld mission. Designed not only for experience d field missionar ies, our Sum mer Seminars are also for international church leader s. mission executives and those preparing themselves for cross-cultural ministries. You will find the se m ina rs particularly valuable if you r time is limited. They willalso allow and enco urage you to concen­ trate on specialized areas throu gh two -week 'intensives' throughout the summer. Our mandate is to meet the chal­ lenge oftoday by providing greater understanding and better HIEBERT GlLUlJ\ND preparation for cross-cultural evangelism and ministry. REGULAR SESSIONS SESSION 1: June 23.July 3. nine days only CLINTON: Impl emen ting Change in Christian Organizations 8 a.m .­ 12 noon . KRAFT: Phenom enology and Institution of Folk Religions (CORE) 1-5 p.m . • HIEBERT: Anthro pologicalTools for Missionaries TAN CLINTON 8 a.m.- 12 noon . SESSION 2: July 7 -18 PIERSON: Historical Development of the Christian Movement (CORE) 1-4 p.m . • G I ~LILAND : Pauline Theology and the Mission Church 9 a.m .-12 noon . WOODBERRY: Introduction to Islam 9 a.m .-12 noon . BREWSTERS: Lang uage/Culture Learning and Mis­ sion 8 a.m .-12 noon (starts july 5).

BREWSTERS WOODBERRY SESSION 3: July 21·August 1 GREENWAY: The Dyn amics of Urba n Evan gelism 9 a.m .-12 noon . McCURRY: The Gospel and Islam 9 a.m .-12 noon. SESSION 4: August 4·15 GLASSER: Biblical Theology of Mission (CORE) 9 a.m .-12 noon. GIBBS: Theology of Church Growth 9 a.rn .-12 noon . BREWSTERS: Incarnation and Mission Among the World's Urban Poor 8 a.m .­ 12 noon. McCURRY GIBBS SESSION 5: August 18·29 WAGNER: Fo undations of Church Growth (CORE) 9 a.m .-12 noon . ELLISTON: Theological Education by Exten sion 9 a.m .-12 noon . SPECIAL SESSIONS MODULE OF LANGUAGE AND CULTURE LEARNING: June 23.July 18 GREENWAY ELLISTON j une 23 -July 3-HIEBERT:*Anthrop ological Tools for Missionaries 't!:!:1 G, adll.Qft Schools of TH EOL O GY 8 a .m .-12 noon . j uly 5 -18- BREWSTERS: "Language/Culture PSY CH OL O GY -- W ORLD MIS SI ON Write : Learning and Mission 8 a.m .-12 noon. (*m ay be taken se pa rately) - --+---­ Director of Admissions MODULE OF ISLAMIC STUDIES: July 7·August 15 •• Fuller Theological july 7-18-WOODBERRY: Introd uction to Islam 9 a.m .-12 noon (m ay Seminary be ta ken sepa rately) . july 19-Augustl -McCURRY: The Gospel and ~ Pasadena, CA 91182 Islam 9 a.m .-12 noon • August 4 -15 - SAMUELZWEM ERINSTITIffE FACUL1YChurch Planting in Muslim Contexts 9 a.m .-12 noon.

Telephone: California (818) 44 9-1745 . , Out -of-State call toll-free (800 ) 235-2222 revolution in sexual mores. Occasional participation in each other's services in church is also natural, Whether a common mind will lead us to common action will depend especially for the sake of family solidarity and friendship. largely on how far the government of our countries is democratic or It is when the possibility of common participation in the Holy Com­ autocratic, influenced by Christian values or imbued with an ideology un­ munion or Eucharist is raised that major problems of conscience arise. friendly to the gospel. Where a regime is oppressive, and a. Christian Both sides of our dialogue would strongly discourage indiscriminate prophetic voice needs to be heard, it should be a single voice which speaks approaches to common sacramental worship. for both Roman Catholics and Protestants. Such a united witness could The Mass lies at the heart of Roman Catholic doctrine and practice, also provide some stimulus to the quest for peace, justice, and disarma­ and it has been emphasized even more in Catholic spirituality since the ment; testify to the sanctity of sex, marriage, and family life; agitate for Second Vatican Council. Anyone is free to attend Mass. Other Christians the reform of permissive abortion legislation; defend human rights and may not receive Communion at it, however, except when they request it religious freedom, denounce the use of torture, and campaign for prisoners in certain limited cases of "spiritual necessity" specified by current of conscience; promote Christian moral values in public life and in the Roman Catholic legislation. Roman Catholics may on occasion attend a education of children; seek to eliminate racial and sexual discrimination; Protestant Communion Service as an act of worship. But there is no ruling contribute to the renewal of decayed inner cities; and oppose dishonesty and corruption. There are many such areas in which Roman Catholics and Evangelicals can both think together and take action together. Our witness will be stronger if it is a common witness. "Since both Roman Catholics and Evangelicals e. Common Witness in Dialogue believe that the Lord's The word "dialogue" means different things to different people. Some Christians regard it as inherently compromising, since they believe Supper was instituted by it expresses an unwillingness to affirm revealed truth, let alone to proclaim Jesus as a means of graceI it. But to us "dialogue" means a frank and serious conversation between individuals or groups, in which each side is prepared to listen respectfully and agree that he to the other, with a view to increased understanding on the part of both. We see no element of compromise in this. On the contrary, we believe it commanded his disciples is essentially C'hristian to meet one another face to face, rather than pre­ to J do this in serving our isolation from one another and even indifference to one an­ other, and to listen to one another's own statements of position, rather remembrance' of him, it is than relying on second-hand reports. In authentic dialogue we struggle a grief to us that we are so to listen carefully not only to what the other person is saying, but to the strongly cherished concerns which lie behind his or her words. In this deeply divided in an area process our caricatures of one another become corrected. We believe that the most fruitful kind of Evangelical-Roman Catholic in which we should be dialogue arises out of joint Bible study. For, as this report makes clear, united, and that we are both sides regard the Bible as God's Word, and acknowledge the need to read, study, believe, and obey it. It is surely through the Word of God therefore unable to obey that, illumined by the Spirit of God, we shall progress towards greater Christ's command agreement. We also think that there is need for Evangelical-Roman Catholic dia­ together." logue on the great theological and ethical issues which are being debated in all the churches, and that an exchange of visiting scholars in seminaries could be particularly productive. Honest and charitable dialogue is beneficial to those who take part in of the Roman Catholic Church which would permit its members to receive it; it enriches our faith, deepens our understanding, and fortifies and Communion in a Protestant Church service, even on ecumenical occasions. clarifies our convictions. It is also a witness in itself, inasmuch as it testifies Nor would Roman Catholics feel in conscience free to do so. to the desire for reconciliation and meanwhile expresses a love which Many Evangelical churches practice an "open" Communion policy, encompasses even those who disagree. in that they announce a welcome to everybody who "is trusting in Jesus Further, theological dialogue can sometimes lead to common affir­ Christ for salvation and is in love and charity with all people," whatever mation, especially in relation to the unbelieving world and to new theo­ their church affiliation. They do not exclude Roman Catholic believers. logical trends which owe more to contemporary culture than to revelation Most Evangelicals would feel conscientiously unable to present themselves or Christian tradition. Considered and united declarations by Roman Cath­ at a Roman Catholic Mass, however, even assuming they were invited. olics and Evangelicals could make a powerful contribution to current This is because the doctrine of the Mass was one of the chief points at theological discussion. issue during the 16th-century Reformation, and Evangelicals are not sat­ isfied with the Roman Catholic explanation of the relation between the f. Common Witness in Worship sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and the sacrifice of the Mass. But this question was not discussed at our meetings. The word "worship" is used in a wide range of senses from the Since both Roman Catholics and Evangelicals believe that the Lord's spontaneous· prayers of the "two or three" met in Christ's name in a Supper was instituted by Jesus as a means of grace.> and agree that he home to formal liturgical services in church. commanded his disciples to "do this in remembrance" of him, it is a We do not think that either Evangelicals or Roman Catholics should grief to us that we are so deeply divided in an area in which we should hesitate to join in common prayer when they meet in each other's homes. be united, and that we are therefore unable to obey Christ's command Indeed, if they have gathered for a Bible study group, it would be most together. Before this becomes possible, some profound and sustained appropriate for them to pray together for illumination before the study theological study of this topic will be needed; we did not even begin it at and after it for grace to obey. Larger informal meetings should give no ERCDOM. difficulty either. Indeed, in many parts ofthe world Evangelicals. and Roman Catholics are already meeting for common praise and prayer, both g. Common Witness in Evangelism in charismatic celebrations and in gatherings which would not describe themselves thus. Through such experience they have been drawn into a Although there are some differences in our definitions of evangelism, deeper experience of God and so into a closer fellowship with one another. Roman Catholics and Evangelicals are agreed that evangelism involves

January 1986 19 proclaiming the gospel, and that therefore any common evangelism nec­ of "evangelizing" such people, although they refer to them as essarily presupposes a common commitment to the same gospel. In earlier "lapsed" or "inactive" rather than as "nominal," because they chapters of this report we have drawn attention to certain doctrines in do not make a separation between the visible and invisible Church. They which our understanding is identical or very similar. We desire to affirm are understandably offended whenever Evangelicals appear to regard all these truths together. In other important areas, however, substantial agree­ Roman Catholics as ipso facto unbelievers, and when they base their evan­ ment continues to elude us, and therefore common witness in evangelism gelism on a distorted view of Roman Catholic teaching and practice. On would seem to be premature, although we are aware of situations in some the other hand, since Evangelicals seek to evangelize the nominal members parts of the world in which Evangelicals and Roman Catholics have felt of their own churches, as well as of others, they see this activity as an able to make a common proclamation. authentic concern for the gospel, and not as a reprehensible kind of Evangelicals are particularly sensitive in this matter, which is perhaps "sheep-stealing." Roman Catholics do not accept this reasoning. not surprising, since their very appellation "evangelical" includes in We recognize that conscientious conviction leads some people to itself the word "evangel" (gospel). Evangelicals claim to be "gospel" change from Catholic to Evangelical or Evangelical to Catholic allegiance, people, and are usually ready, if asked, to give a summary of their un­ and leads others to seek to persuade people to do so. If this happens in derstanding of the gospel. This would have at its heart what they often conscience and without coercion, we would not call it proselytism. call "the finished work of Christ," namely, that by bearing our sins on There are other forms of witness, however, which we would all describe as "unworthy," and therefore as being "proselytism" rather than "evangelism." We agree, in general, with the analysis of this given in the study document entitled Common Witnessand Proselytism (1970), and "We recognize that in particular we emphasize three aspects of it. conscientious conviction First, proselytism takes place when our motive is unworthy; for ex­ ample, when our real concern in witness is not the glory of God through leads some people to the salvation of human beings but rather the prestige of our own Christian community, or indeed our personal prestige. change from Catholic to Secondly, we are guilty of proselytism whenever our methods are un­ Evangelical or Evangelical worthy, especially when we resort to any kind of "physical coercion, moral constraint or psychological pressure," when we seek to induce con­ to Catholic allegiance, and version by the offer of material or political benefits, or when we exploit leads others to seek to other people's need, weakness, or lack of education. These practices are an affront both to the freedom and dignity of human beings and to the persuade people to do so. Holy Spirit whose witness is gentle and not coercive. Thirdly, we are guilty of proselytism whenever our message includes If this happens in "unjust or uncharitable reference to the beliefs or practices of other conscience and without religious communities in the hope of winning adherents." If we find it necessary to make comparisons, we should compare the strengths and coercion, we would not call weaknesses of one church with those of the other, and not set what is it proselytism." best in the one against what is worst in the other. To descend to deliberate misrepresentation is incompatible with both truth and love. Conclusion the cross Jesus Christ did everything necessary for our salvation, and that we have only to put our trust in him in order to be saved. Although many We who have participated in ERCDOM III are agreed that every possible Evangelicals will admit that their presentation of the gospel is often one­ opportunity for common witness should be taken, except where conscience sided or defective, yet they could not contemplate any evangelism in which forbids. We cannot make decisions for one another, however, because we the good news of God's justification of sinners by his grace in Christ recognize that the situation varies in different groups and places. In any through faith alone is not proclaimed. case, the sad fact of our divisions on important questions of faith always Roman Catholics also have their problems of conscience. They would puts a limit on the common witness which is possible. At one end of the not necessarily want to deny the validity of the message which Evangelicals spectrum are those who can contemplate no cooperation of any kind. At preach, but would say that important aspects of the gospel are missing the other are those who desire a very full cooperation. In between are from it. In particular, they emphasize the need both to live out the gospel many who still find some forms of common witness conscientiously im­ in the sacramental life of the church and to respect the teaching authority possible, while they find others to be the natural, positive expression of of the Church. Indeed, they see evangelism as essentially a Church activity common concern and conviction. In some Third World situations, for ex­ done by the Church in relation to the Church. ample, the divisions which originated in Europe are felt with less intensity, So long as each side regards the other's view of the gospel as defective, and mutual trust has grown through united prayer and study of the Word there exists a formidable obstacle to be overcome. This causes us particular of God. Although all Christians should understand the historical origins sorrow in our dialogue on mission, in which we have come to appreciate and theological issues of the Reformation, yet our continuing division is one another and to discover unexpected agreements. Yet we must respect a stumbling block, and the gospel calls us to repentance, renewal, and one another's integrity. We commit ourselves to further prayer, study, and reconciliation. discussion in the hope that a way forward may be found. We believe that the Evangelical-Roman Catholic Dialogue on Mission has now completed its task. At the same time we hope that dialogue on 3. Unworthy Witness mission between Roman Catholics and Evangelicals will continue, pref­ erably on a regional or local basis, in order that further progress may be We feel the need to allude to the practice of seeking to evangelize made towards a common understanding, sharing, and proclaiming of people who are already church members, since this causes misunderstand­ "the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3). We ing and even resentment, especially when Evangelicals are seeking to commit these past and future endeavors to God, and pray that by "convert" Roman Catholics. It arises from the phenomenon which "speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him Evangelicals call "nominal Christianity," and which depends on the who is the head, into Christ" (Eph. 4:15). rather sharp distinction they draw between the visible Church (of pro­ fessing or "nominal" Christians) and the invisible Church (of commit­ ted or genuine Christians), that is, between those who are Christian only in name and those who are Christian in reality. Evangelicals see nominal Christians as needing to be won for Christ. Roman Catholics also speak

20 International Bulletin of Missionary Research Appendix: The Participants

ERCDOM I ERCDOM II ERCDOM III (Venice) April 1977 (Cambridge, England) March 1982 (Landevennec, France) April 1984 Evangelical Participants Evangelical Participants Evangelical Participants Professor Peter Beyerhaus Dr. Kwame Bediako Dr. Kwame Bediako Bishop Donald Cameron Professor Peter Beyerhaus Bishop Donald Cameron Dr. Orlando Costas Bishop Donald Cameron Dr. Harvie Conn Mr. Martin Goldsmith Mr. Martin Goldsmith Mr. Martin Goldsmith Dr. David Hubbard Dr. David Hubbard Reverend John Stott Reverend Gottfried Osei-Mensah Reverend Peter Savage Dr. David Wells Reverend Peter Savage Reverend John Stott Reverend John Stott Dr. David Wells Roman Catholic Participants Sister Joan Chatfield Roman Catholic Participants Roman Catholic Participants Father Matthieu Collin Sister Joan Chatfield Sister Joan Chatfield Sister Joan Delaney Father Pierre Duprey Father Parmananda Divarkar Father Claude Geffre Monsignor Basil Meeking Father Pierre Duprey Monsignor Basil Meeking Father Dionisio Minguez Fernandez Father Rene Girault Father Philip Rosato Father John Paul Musinsky Monsignor Basil Meeking Bishop Anselme Sanon Father Waly Neven Monsignor Jorge Mejia Father Bernard Sesboue Father Robert Rweyemamu Father John Mutiso-Mbinda Father Thomas Stransky Father Thomas Stransky Father John Redford Monsignor Pietro Rossano Father Thomas Stransky

Notes

1. "Evangelism" and "evangelization" are used indiscriminately Catholic contexts. Similarly, we use "sacrament" or "ordinance" in this Report. The former is commoner among Evangelicals, the latter in relation to Baptism and Eucharist without doctrinal implications. among Roman Catholics, but both words describe the same activity 17. E.g., Eph. 2:1-3; 4:17-19; 2 Cor. 4:3-4. of spreading the gospel. 18. Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World iGaudium 2. Given the diversity of the Evangelical constituency, as well as the et Spes), no. 13 (DOV II). differences of understanding between Evangelicals and Roman Cath­ 19. Ibid. olics, the use of the word "Church" in this Report inevitably carries 20. Ibid. some ambiguity. Further conversations would be required before it 21. Pope John Paul II, encyclical Redemptor Hominis (London: Catholic would be possible to arrive at greater clarity and common terms of Truth Society, 1979), no. 14. ecclesiological discourse. 22. Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), no. 8 (DOV 3. Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis Redintegratio), no. 6. In The Documents II). of Vatican II, ed. Walter M. Abbott (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1967; 23. Lumen Gentium, no. 16. and New York: Guild Press, America Press, Association Press, 1966), 24. Cf. Eph. 3:10, 18; 4:13. henceforth cited as DOV II. 25. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium), nos. 7, 4. Ibid., no. 4. 47 (DOV 11). 5. Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation (Dei Verbum), nos. 23-24 26. E.g., Rom. 4; Gal. 3. (DOV II). 27. Evangelii Nuntiandi, no. 15. 6. See John Stott, The Lausanne Covenant: An Exposition and Commentary 28. Lumen Gentium, no. 1. (Wheaton, IL: Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, P.O. 29. In. 20:21-22; cf. Mt. 28:16-20; Lk. 24:46-49. Box 1100, 1975), Lausanne Occasional Paper No.3. 30. The Willowbank Report: Consultation on Gospel and Culture (Lausanne 7. Pope Paul VI, Evangelization in the Modern World (Evangelii Nun­Committee for World Evangelization, 1978), Lausanne Occasional iiandi), (London: Catholic Truth Society, 1975). Paper No.2, para. 2. 8. Lausanne Covenant, para. 4. 31. Lausanne Covenant, para. 10. 9. Evangelii Nuniiandi, no. 22. 32. Here Roman Catholics will want to make reference to the encyclical 10. E.g., Ps. 19:1-6; Rom. 1:19-20. of Pope John Paul II, June 2, 1985, Slavorum Apostoli ("Apostles of 11. Dei Verbum, no. 13. the Slavs"). 12. Ibid., no. 10. 33. Decree on the Church's Missionary Activity (Ad Gentes), no. 9 (DOV 13. Ibid., no. 22. II). 14. E.g., 1 Thess. 5:14-15; Heb. 3:12-13; 12:15. 34. Gaudium et Spes, no. 58. 15. E.g., Mk. 10:23-27; cf. Is. 52:7. 35. Guiding Principles for Interconfessional Cooperation in Translating the Bible 16. In this Report we use "the Lord's Supper," "the Holy Com­ (1968). munion," and "the Eucharist" indiscriminately; no particular the­ 36. See above, chapter 4:3. ology is implied by these terms. "The Mass" is limited to Roman

January 1986 21 Annual Statistical Table on Global Mission: 1986

David B. Barrett Introduction

he table opposite is the second in an annual series. Last January of church leaders there are honest persons of integrity, some 5 percent T we gave statistics on sixty variables and commented on general have become small-time ecclesiastical crooks embezzling sizable church twentieth-century trends. This year we add thirteen new variables (lines funds, overseas grants, relief donations or foreign currency, or setting up 7-10,27,52, 56, 6~71), and we shall now comment on them. phony relief or third-world-mission projects. A major factor contributing to this rash of petty crime has been the reluctance of Western donor agen­ Worldwide Expansion of Cities (lines 7-10) cies to enforce strict accounting for the huge sums of money they unload on third-world churches every year. One of the most startling phenomena of the twentieth century has been the massive increase in the number of large cities. In the year 1900, the Christian Use of Computers (line 56) world had some 400 metropolises defined as mother cities of over 100,000 population each. Of these, only 20 were megacities (over 1 million pop­ There are now some 50 million computers of all kinds in the world, in­ ulation each), and 2 were supercities (over 4 million), i.e., London and cluding mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and word-proces­ New York. By 1986 these have mushroomed startlingly to 1,780 metrop­ sors. Line 56 gives one result from our ongoing survey of computerization olises, 286 megacities, 46 supercities, and 14,supergiants (over 10 million as practiced or planned by all Christian confessions and denominations population each). By A.D. 2000 megacities will have reached some 433 in and agencies based in Rome, Geneva, Canterbury, Paris, London, New number. York, Washington, Moscow, Tokyo, et alia. At present, almost all of these are operated as stand-alone systems solely for the benefit of individual The Central Role of Christian Martyrs (line 27) Christians or offices. We hope it may soon be possible to link up all such systems into a single voluntary global network. People often criticize statistics of Christians for not including quality of commitment. Line 27 describes Christians who undergo the ultimate test Christian Urban Mission (lines 66-70) of commitment: martyrdom, which means losing one's life for Christ as a result of human hostility. The annual numbers involved throughout the The number of urban Christians as a percentage of urban dwellers has twentieth century are far higher than any of us had hitherto imagined. fallen markedly during this century from 68.8 percent in the year 1900 to Martyrdom continues to play a major role in local, national, regional, 45.5 percent today, largely as a result of massive urban population increase continental, and global evangelization. Pentecostal theologian W. J. in third-world countries traditionally hostile to Christianity (line 69). The Hollenweger was right when he once wrote: "Evangelism is the most churches are losing the cities at the rate of 80,900 new non-Christian urban dangerous business." dwellers every day, or one every second (line 67). Whereas in the year 1900 there were only five non-Christian megacities in existence (the largest Ecclesiastical Crime (line 52) being Tokyo, Peking, Calcutta, Osaka), today that number has mush­ roomed to 126 non-Christian megacities and is likely to reach 202 by x.o. 2000. Many of these cities show growing hostility to organized Christian It brings a note of reality to any analysis of Christian finance (line 48 mission. This is formidable opposition indeed, totally unexpected by mis­ onward) to realize that ecclesiastical crime is becoming a significant factor sion strategists in the year 1900. in many parts of the world. In the first world (Western world), embezzle­ ment of church funds is still rare, largely because of the power of public opinion, tenacity of the investigating press, and swift retribution from the Christian Megaministries (line 71) law. In the second world (Communist world), secret police discredit clergy and bishops with false accusations, and agents deliberately subvert or Lastly, we should note that over the last five years, the number of persons entrap church leaders with large cash payments. In the third world, ec­ reached by organized mass Christian outreach every day has been increas­ clesiastical crime has now reached serious proportions. Whereas 95 percent ing markedly. In 1983 the United Bible Societies distributed 497,714,000 Scriptures (Bibles, Testaments, Portions, and Selections) in 1,800 languages (which is an average of 1.4 million a day). Christian movies in 1985 were David B. Barrett, a contributing editor, has been a missionary of the Church shown to audiences averaging a million each night. Christian broadcasting Missionary Society since1956, and research officer for the Anglican Consultative in 1985 reached 23 percent of the entire world once a month or more, Council and the Lambeth Conference since 1970. He is currently Research Con­which means an average of 37 million different people every day. Such sultant to the Foreign Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention, Richmond, megaministries offer the only hope for keeping up with or surpassing the Virginia. global population explosion of 84 million a year.

METHODOLOGICAL NOTES ON TABLE (referring and are not intended as a complete breakdown of 23. 52. Amounts embezzled (U.S. dollars, per year). to numbered lines on facing page). Indented cate­ 25. Active members of the Renewal in older mainline 56. Total computers and word-processors owned by gories form part of, and are included in, unindented denominations (Anglican, Catholic, Orthodox, Prot­ churches, agencies, groups and Individual Christians. categories above them. Definitions of categories are estant). 57. On strict UNESCO definition of book (over 49 as grven and explained in WorldChristian Encyclopedia 26. Secret believers. pages). (1982), with additional data and explanations as be­ 27. World totals for all confessions (from survey by 58. As 57, but adding the mass of smaller devotional low. Sources include in-process world surveys by au­ author, forthcoming). literature (prayer books, service books, liturgies, thor. 28-34. The total of these entries can be reconciled to hymnbooks, choruses, etc.). 7-10. Indentation means: supergiants are also line 11 by referring to WCE, Global Table 4. To the 63. Total of audiences in 64 and 65, excluding overlap. counted as supercities which are also megacities, all total of these entries, add the category "nominal 65. Total regular audience for Christian programs of which are also metropolises ("mother cities"). Christians," and subtract "doubly-affiliated" and over secular or commercial stations. 11. Widest definition: professing Christians plus se­ "disaffiliated" members, as found there. 66. Megacities with long non-Christian or anti-Chris­ cret believers, which equals affiliated (church mem­ 35. Definitions of the eight continents or continental tian tradition (Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, etc.), under bers) plus nominal Christians. areas follow exactly United Nations practice. 25% Christian, and usually hostile to Christian mission 18. Adherents of Asian so-called New Religions (non­ 43. Including 44. 71. Megaministries are defined here as ministries Christian, syncretistic). 48-55. Defined as in article "Silver and Gold Have which each reach over 1 million persons every day. 21. Mainly Chinese folk religionists. I None," in International Bulletin of Missionary Total includes Scripture distribution, literature, tracts, 22. Definition as in 11. Research, October 1983, p. 150. broadcasting, mass media, films, audiovisuals; it also 24. Church attendees. by churches' own definition. 51. As distinct from churches' (denominational) in­ includes duplications and overlap. 24-26. These entries are selected sub-groups of 23 come. 72-73 (also 70). Defined as in WeE, parts 3, 5, 6, 9.

22 International Bulletin of Missionary Research STATUS OF GLOBAL MISSION, 1986, IN CONTEXT OF 20TH CENTURY Year: 1900 1970 1980 1986 2000 WORLD POPULATION 1. Total population 1,619,886,800 3,610,034,400 4,373,917,500 4,867,006,100 6,259,642,000 2. Urban dwellers 232,694,900 1,354,237,000 1,797,479,000 2,108,978,000 3,160,381,900 3. Rural dwellers 1,387,191,900 2,255,797,400 2,576,438,500 2,758,856,000 3,099,260,100 4. Adult population 1,025,938,000 2,245,227,300 2,698,396,900 2,990,163,500 3,808,564,300 5. Literates 286,705,000 1,437,761,900 1,774,002,700 1,999,603,300 2,697,595,100 6. Nonliterates 739,233,000 807,465,400 924,394,200 990,701,500 1,110,969,200 WORLDWIDE EXPANSION OF CITIES 7. Metropolises (over 100,000 population) 400 1,614 1,677 1,780 2,200 8. Megacities (over 1 million) 20 161 227 286 433 9. Su~ercities (over 4 million) 2 24 38 46 79 10. upergiants (over 10 million) 0 4 9 14 24 WORLD POPULATION BY RELIGION 11. Christians (total all kinds) 558,056,300 1,216,579,400 1,432,686,500 1,572,875,100 2,019,921,400 12. Muslims 200,102,200 550,919,000 722,956,500 837,308,700 1,200,653.000 13. Nonreligious 2,923,300 543,065,300 715,901,400 825,072,900 1,071,888,400 14. Hindus 203,033,300 465,784,800 582,749,900 661,371,700 859,252,300 15. Buddhists 127,159,000 231,672,200 273,715,600 300,146,900 359,092,100 16. Atheists 225,600 165,288,500 195,119,400 213,893,500 262,447,600 17. Tribal religionists 106,339,600 88,077,400 89,963,500 91,365,600 100,535,900 18. New Religionists 5,910,000 76,443,100 96,021,800 108,505,600 138,263,800 19. Jews 12,269,800 15,185,900 16,938,200 18,023,700 20,173,600 20. Sikhs 2,960,600 10,612,200 14,244,400 16,560,600 23,831,700 21. Other religionists 400,907,100 246,406,600 233,620,300 222,676,100 203,582,200 GLOBAL CHRISTIANITY 22. Total Christians as % of world 34.4 33.7 32.8 32.4 32.3 23. Affiliated church members 521,563,200 1,131,809,600 1,323,389,700 1,447,369,100 1,844,614,200 24. Practicing Christians 469,259,800 884,021,800 1,018,355,300 1,105,346,600 1,330,325,100 25. Charismatics in Renewal 0 1,587,700 11,005,390 18,230,500 38,861,500 26. Crypto-Christians 3,572,400 55,699,700 70,395,000 79,843,300 106,208,700 27. Average Christian martyrs per year 35,600 230,000 270,000 330,000 500,000 MEMBERSHIP BY ECCLESIASTICAL BLOC 28. An~icans . 30,573,700 47,557,000 49,804,000 51,363,300 61,037,200 29. Cat olics (non-Roman) 276,000 3,134,400 3,439,400 3,634,100 4,334,100 30. Marginal Protestants 927,600 10,830,200 14,077,500 16,133,200 24,106,200 31. Nonwhite indigenous Christians 7,743,100 58,702,000 82,181,100 97,544,400 154,140,400 32. Orthodox 115,897,700 143,402,500 160,737,900 171,489,300 199,819,000 33. Protestants 103,056,700 233,424,200 262,157,600 281,177,300 345,709,100 34. Roman Catholics 266,419,400 672,319,100 802,660,000 886,698,600 1,132,541,500 MEMBERSHIP BY CONTINENT 35. Africa 8,756,400 115,924,200 164,571,000 196,874,500 323,914,900 36. East Asia 1,763,000 10,050,200 16,149,600 20,041,700 27,560,300 37. Europe 273,788,400 397,108,700 403,177,600 406,849,300 411,448,700 38. Latin America 60,025,100 262,027,800 340,978,600 392,314,400 555,486,000 39. Northern America 59,569,700 169,246,900 178,892,500 184,860,600 201,265,200 40. Oceania 4,311,400 14,669,400 16,160,600 17,063,300 21,361,500 41. South Asia 16,347,200 76,770,200 106,733,200 126,660,300 185,476,700 42. USSR 97,002,000 86,012,300 96,726,500 103,292,500 118,101,000 CHRISTIAN ORGANIZATIONS 43. Service agencies 1,500 14,100 17,500 19,700 24,000 44. Forei~n-mission sending agencies 600 2,200 3,100 3,600 4,800 45. Institutions 9,500 80,500 91,000 97,000 103,000 CHRISTIAN WORKERS 46. Nationals 1,050,000 2,350,000 2,950,000 3,621,700 4,500,000 47. Aliens (foreign missionaries) 62,000 240,000 249,000 250,200 400,000 CHRISTIAN FINANCE (in U.S. $, ber year) 48. Personal income of church mem ers 270 billion 4,100 billion 5,878 billion 7,812 billion 12,700 billion 49. Givin~ to Christian causes 8 billion 70 billion 100.'3billion 133 billion 200 billion 50. Churc es'income 7 billion 50 billion 64.5 billion 77 billion 80 billion 51. Parachurch and institutional income 1 billion 20 billion 35.8 billion 56 billion 120 billion 52. Ecclesiastical crime 300,000 5,000,000 30,000,000 64,000,000 350,000,000 53. Income of global foreign missions 0.2 billion 3 billion 5.0 billion 7.5 billion 12 billion Givin~ per church member per week 54. to a I Christian causes $0.29 $1.19 $1.46 $1.77 $2.09 55. to global foreign missions $0.01 $0.06 $0.07 $0.10 $0.10 56. Computers in C ristian use 1,000 3,000,000 22,000,000 340,000,000 CHRISTIAN LITERATURE ° 57. New commercial book titles per year 2,200 17,100 18,800 21,200 25,000 58. New titles includin~ devotional 3,100 52,000 60,000 62,400 75,000 59. Christian periodica s 3,500 23,000 22,500 20,700 35,000 SCRIPTURE DISTRIBUTION (all sources) 60. Bibles~er year 5,452,600 25,000,000 36,800,000 44,360,100 70,000,000 61. New estaments per year 7,300,000 45,000,000 57,500,000 65,385,600 110,000,000 CHRISTIAN BROADCASTING 62. Christian radio/Tv stations 1,230 1,450 1,600 4,000 63. Total monthly listeners/viewers °0 750,000,000 990,474,400 1,111,074,400 2,150,000,000 64. for Christian stations 0 150,000,000 291,810,500 387,991,200 600,000,000 65. for secular stations 0 650,000,000 834,068,900 938,220,700 1,810,000,000 CHRISTIAN URBAN MISSION 66. Non-Christian megacities 5 65 95 126 202 67. New non-Christian urban dwellers per·~ 5,200 51,100 69,300 80,900 140,000 68. Urban Christians 159,600,000 660,800,000 844,600,000 980,000,000 1,393,700,000 69. Urban Christians as % of urban dwellers 68.8 47.8 46.3 45.5 44.5 70. Evangelized urban dwellers, % 72.0 80.0 83.0 86.0 91.0 CHRISTIAN MEGAMINISTRIES 71. World total all persons reached per day 250,000 10,000,000 30,000,000 45,000,000 70,000,000 WORLD EVANGELIZATION 72. Unevangelized populations 788,159,000 1,391,956,000 1,380,576,000 1,326,319,700 1,038,819,000 73. Unevangelized as % of world 48.7 38.6 31.6 27.3 16.6

January 1986 23 Book Reviews

Correct Ideas Don't Fall from the Skies: Elements for an Inductive Theology.

By Georges Casalis. Maryknoll, N. Y.: Or­ his Books, 1984. Pp. xvi, 219. Paperback $8.95.

This is a European version of liberation a posteriori according to our life expe­ is to be found in history, politics, and theology. The book is exciting because rience" (p. 41). In other words, even praxis," and vice versa: "a real un­ it comes from a serious European revelation "does not fall from the derstanding of our times becomes ar­ (French Protestant) theologian doing skies," a saying he adapted from Mao ticulated through the biblical message, theology inductivelywith full force. The Zedong's writing in 1963 entitled through living as a disciple, through author has decisively parted company "Where Do Correct Ideas Come praying" (p. 74). Praxis in life and his­ with 'his peers who continue in the From?" Mao answered his own ques­ tory is the key to faith and theology. "venerable" tradition of proposi­ tion: "They come from social prac­ Casalis goes on to apply this to his ex­ tional theology. The diagrams he uses tice, and from it alone." perience as a white Christian living in to illustrate his inductive hermeneutic Practice is a big word in Casalis's a West that has much to be liberated become progressively a little too com­ inductive theology. It is impossible to from, both internally and in relation to plicated, but underlying them is this say from the book whether he has the third world. firm affirmation: "We believe on the learned anything else from Mao Ze­ Perhaps it is his exercise of liber­ basis of what we have lived, we believe dong other than the catch phrase for ation theology within Western society his book title, but he is thoroughly in­ that shows, incidentally, how far in­ C. S. Song, from Taiwan, is Professor of The­ spired by Latin American theologians ductive theology has to go for Western ology and Asian Cultures at Pacific School of of liberation. His enthusiasm for lib­ theologians, including Casalis. He is Religion and serves on thedoctoral facultyof the eration theology vibrates throughout one of the few enlightened and awak­ Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, Califor­ the book. He tends to be overenthu­ ened ones, and his book is much needed nia. He has served on the staff of the World siastic and has nothing critical to say spadework to ignite a belated theolog­ Council of Churches and of the World Alliance about it. But he is right when he says: ical revolution in Europe. of Reformed Churches. "A real understanding of the Bible -C. S. Song

Okumene Lexikon: Kirchen, opments in the German-speaking Religionen, Bewegungen. world are given fuller treatment than those elsewhere. Of particular value Edited byHanfried Kruger, Werner Loser, are the articles dealing with ecumeni­ and WalterMuller-Romheld. Frankfurt am cal issues that have been most in­ Main: Verlag Otto Lembeck, Verlag Josef tensely debated in that world: Knecht, 1983. Pp. 1326. ·DM 125. Abendmahl (communion), Amt (church office), Bekenntnis (confession), Dia­ It is greatly to the credit of the editors given complete freedom in their arti­ konie, Dialog, and on through the al­ and publishers of this substantial ref­ cles to set forth their ecumenical points phabet to Taufe (baptism) and Union. erence work that, in the midst of swirl­ of view." These tend to be somewhat longer ing controversies over all things The result is a concise source book than the others and bring out most ecumenical, they have brought world on ecumenicity in the broadest sense, clearly the differences in thought and Christianity into focus for us as an in­ on the issues at stake in relations the varieties of experience among the terrelated whole. This the editors set among the churches, theological, or­ churches and in the ecumenical discus­ forth as their purpose: "the knowledge ganizational, and social, on the growth sion. Also helpful are substantial arti­ and understanding of the forms of life and change of churches themselves by cles on the major Christian confessions and thought that have developed and confession and by country, on the ma­ including the differences within them, are present in all the various churches jor persons who have had influence in and on the principal non-Christian as they follow and live the Christian church life, and on the development world religions. Nor have important message." There is no given pattern and structure of the ecumenical move­ secular categories that bear on church for this, the editors realize. "So the ment among non-Roman churches and life-Friede (peace), Marxismus, Wissen­ nearly three hundred authors could be ecumenical changes in the Roman schaft und Technik (science and technol- , Catholic Church. A careful balance is ogy), et al.-been neglected, though maintained among Protestant, Roman on the whole not as fully handled. Charles C. West is Professor of Christian Ethics Catholic and, where relevant, Ortho­ The Lexikon'streatment of the ecu­ at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was for­ dox perspectives on major doctrines menical movement and of the Chris­ merly a Presbyterian missionary in China and, and historical events. The authors are tian world mission is highly varied, from1956 to 1961, served asassociate director of mostly German or Swiss, with a few both in extent and in quality. Full at­ the Ecumenical Institute, Bossey, of the World drawn from other European countries tention is given to the World Council of Council of Churches, in Switzerland. and overseas. Understandably, devel­ Churches, in its origins, its history, its

24 International Bulletin of Missionary Research organization , its assemblies and con­ and editors are drawn more from Ger­ conversation . The olde r work had Or­ feren ces, and parts of its wo rk. A sup­ many and less from th e ecume nica l thodox, but lacked Rom an Catholic plem ent eve n brings an acco un t of the movem ent as a whole. The quality of participation . It deals wo rthily with Sixth Assembly, in Vanco uver in 1983, the articles is comparable, but in the cha nges in th e past ge ne ration a few months at most before publica­ Okumene Lexikon th e concentration is wroug h t by Vatican II, the ongoing se­ tion date. The Faith and O rder Move­ more on the inner-church areas of doc­ ries of World Co uncil of Churches as ­ ment is well described , up to its Lima trine and organiza tion , less on missio n semblies and at least, in ecume nical meeting of 1982. There are good arti­ and outreach. For fuller, more ecu­ wo rk, the Faith and O rder movem ent, cles on the World YMCA and YWCA men ical informa tion over th e whole the Program to Co mbat Racism , and and on the World Stude nt Christian ran ge of world Christ ianity up to the the inter church aid an d development Fede ration. The Christian Peace Co n­ date of th e book's publication, one work that is done ecume nica lly. And feren ce is included and even the mu st still turn to th e Weltkirchelllexikoll. for tho se for whom the larger , ea rlier Internation al Co uncil of Christia n On the othe r hand , the Okumene Lexi­ wo rk is not avai lable, it does cover the Churches. On the Rom an Ca tholic side ken is an important supplement. It field enough to be a valua ble referen ce Vatican Co uncil II is give n full cover­ brings th e Protestan t, Ca tholic, and tool. age. A con cise article on the Holy See Orthod ox trad ition s more directly into -Cha rles C. West presents its contempo rary struc tu re, and Roman Catholic persp ectives are brought into vari ous other contexts. On the other hand, there are seri­ ous lacunae. Description of church life by contine nts is fairly good; by coun­ tries it is in most cases skeletal in the extre me. There is an articl e on world mission conferences, up through Mel­ bourne and Pattaya 1980, but none on the Internation al Missionary Co uncil or on the Commission on World Mis­ sion and Evangelism, its successor. The re is no su bstan tive treatment of the problem atic of wo rld mission ove r the past two centu ries, or of its most re­ cent exp ression in th e fruitful dialogu e amo ng Pro tes tant, Catholic, and con­ In 1900 , six-sevenths of the We offer to inner city servative eva ngel ical movem ents and True or wo rld 's pop ula tion wa s pastors in the United scholars abo ut the th eology and prac­ ru ral. By 19 75 , 24 % of the States and to overseas tice of mission . wo rld 's people lived in worke rs­ False? cities of 100,000 or more. Equally serio us is th e Lexikon's ne­ By 2000, the United Na­ • three specialized glect of th e work of th e World Council tions predict s the wo rld degree programs in of Churches in ch urc h and socie ty. The wi ll have 414 cities of over Urban Mission s (M.A. Life and Work Movement up to the "We live in one million people. Mexico Miss., MA R., D.Min.) Am sterdam Assembly is described . a global City will have ove r 3 1 • internship in urban, The World Conference on Church and m illion peo ple, Calcu tta cross-cultural Society in Ge ne va 1966 is listed with village." will have 19 m illion , Cairo chu rches for those other ecu me nical meetings. But th e over 16 million , Th e world cu rrently spaw ns a new without field vast swee p of ecu menical stud y and Chicago every month or so. expe rience prophecy, centered in the Office and Answer: • inner city campus the Working Committee on Church combining learning and Society of the World Council of False. If you're a Jonah in on the street and in Churches-Resp on sible Society in search of a Nineveh or the classroom World Per spective (1948-56), Stud ies a Paul on his way to • extension materials to in Rapid Social Ch an ge (1956-62), and We live in Rome. join us in the accelerate doctoral the Fu ture of Humanity and th e Role of Urban Missions Pro­ studies w ithout the Churches in a World of Science ­ a global gram at leaving your place of Based Techno logy (1969-83)-receives ministry only incidental mention and not even a city. Westminster place in th e index. In th e course of th is, Theological several wo rld ecu me nical confe rences on socia l issues, most notabl y th at on Seminary Faith , Science and the Future, in Cam­ Box 27 009 bridge, Massachusetts, in 1979, are Philadelphia, PA 19118 consigne d to oblivion . A mountain has been ign ored on the ecumen ical land­ scape . Finally, the Lexikon invites com­ parison with th e subs tantial Weltkir­ URBfltllJIft 1 chenlexikon of 1960, the first "ec­ S erving Christ' um enical handbook," as it called itself, ~~~ in th e city, to appear in any lan guage. The Okll­ MISSIOtllfQJ for th e city melle Lexikon is not a successor. It is about half the length. Its contribu tors

January 1986 25 The Facts on File Dictionary of their role is not defined. F. F. Bruce is Religions. the most widely known contributor. Crucial to any such work is the list Edited by John R. Hinnells. New York: of topics assigned. While many entries Facts on File, 1984. Pp. 550. $24.95. are obvious choices, others seem to have been chosen arbitrarily. For ex­ Designed to give the general reader ars, mostly from Great Britain . The ample, we find ANGELS (BIBLICAL) and clear definitions of religious terms in subject matter was divided into thirty ANGELS (IN JUDAISM) but no entry for brief compass, this dictionary presents subject areas, and the authors were angels in Islam or Christianity. The various aspects of religion from ancient given a "matrix of thirty topics" to General Index provides only spotty times to the present. The articles have serve as a model of what they were to help here. Further, we find MUSIC (IN been prepared by twenty-nine schol- write. ISLAM) and MUSIC (JEWISH), but no The editor, senior lecturer in com­ other entries on music. The only article Keith Crim, Editorial Director, Westminster parative religion at the University of on slavery is SLAVERY (IN ISLAM) . Press, was formerly an evangelistic anq educa­ Manchester in England, acknowledges While the greatest emphasis is tional missionary to Korea under the Presbyte­ the assistance given by Geoffry Parrin­ given to Hinduism, Judaism, Bud­ rian Church , U.S. der, Ninian Smart, and others, though dhism, Christianity, and Islam, much space is devoted to the traditional reli­ gions of Africa, Australia, Melanesia, Polynesia, and North America. New religious movements in primal socie­ ties and Western societies are also fea­ tured, but new religions in Japan are subsumed under either Shinto or Bud­ dhism. Special features increase the use­ fulness of the volume. There are sixty­ four pages of bibliographical entries, grouped according to the thirty subject areas. Each article is coded with a ref­ Here is more gold for every theological library erence to one of these areas, and fur­ and exploring scholar of mission studies -- this ther numerical markers within an volume with all 16 issues of the International article refer to specific books within the Bulletin ofMissionary Research, 1981-1984, area. The General Index of eighty-six bound in red buckram, with vellum finish pages lists main entries and significant and embossed in gold lettering. It matches the earlier bound volume of the Occasional terms. Unfortunately the index con­ Bulletin of Missionary Research, 1977-1980 tains significant errors and omissions. (sorry, completely sold out). There is also a Synoptic Index, listing 115 articles under each subject area. Eleven Limited edition: Only.Je('fbound volumes available. pages of black-and-white sketch maps Each volume is individually numbered and signed personally by the editor and associate editor. provide a minimum of information. Nine widely scattered black-and-white Includes: sketches are of even less help. • 350 contributors (a virtual "Who's Who" of contemporary missiology) • 300 book reviews The article MISSIONS (CHRISTIAN), • 1100 doctoral dissertation notices in fewer than 250 words, is negative in • cumulative index tone. The achievement of missions "may have been as much cultural and Special Price: $56.95 political as religious," and "reforming Orders outside the U.S.A. add $4.00 for postage and handling. zeal often damaged societies and their Payment must accompany all orders. culture." There is no general discus­ To order, use coupon below. sion of conversion, but there is an en­ try CONVERSION (TO JUDAISM) . The item Mail to: "Conversion, Converts" in the Gen­ Publications Office eral Index leads the reader to little Overseas Ministries Study Center more than casual occurrences of the P.O. Box 2057 terms. Ventnor, New Jersey 08406, U.S.A. In the article NICHIREN, Nichiren Send me bound volume(s) of the International Bulletin ofMissionary Shoshu is mentioned, but without a Research. 1981-1984. cross-reference to the article SOKA Name GAKKAI, which provides a clear and Address _ helpful discussion of the modern de­ velopments in Nichiren Shoshu. The name "Shakyamuni" occurs in several articles without any indication of its significance, but by tracking down all Enclosed is my check in the amount of $ made out to the entries in the General Index a defi­ "International Bulletin of Missionary Research." Orders outside U.S.A. add nition can be found (in the article $4.00 for postage and handling. Payment must accompany all orders. Allow GOTAMA). 5 weeks for delivery within U.S.A. The article ZEN, a topic of consid­ erable current interest, is particularly

26 International Bulletin of Missionary Research weak, even when supplemented by th e apa rtheid mindset focuse d mor e in­ heid; rather, his focus is th e role of CU'AN. WITCUCRAIT tells us nothing ten sely on the black danger. ideas in history. Within this limited about its practice in Amerindian cul­ Th ere are places where Hexh am frame wo rk, Hexh am has written an tu res (nor doe s th e article NAVAJ O) , or stumbles; for example, his misleading important, empa thetic, yet critical its practice in th e Far East. assessme nt of th e Christian Institute, work as a result of his dili gent use of No editor of a dictionary of th is which bears th e imprint of his inf or­ archives and th e cooperatio n of Dopper type can please eve ry one. Eve n so, The mants at Potchefstroom . More over, he intellectua ls at th e Un iversit y of Pot ch­ Facts on File Dictionary of Religions fails has not an alyzed the class interests efstroom. to give enough facts, to explain them within Afrikanerdom, which contrib­ -Peter Walshe full y or clearly, to show th eir inte rre­ ut ed to th e growth of mod ern apart ­ lationship s, and to file th em in such a way as to make it easy to retrieve th em. -Keith Crim

The Irony of Apartheid: The Struggle for National Independence of Afrikaner Calvinism against British Imperialism. By Irving Hexham. New York: Edwin M ellen d~p~ry Press, 1981. Pp. xi, 239. Paperback $34 .95. ""'idL M'K"," PhD E. STANLEY JONES President The root s of Afrikaner nati on alism go back to th e early nineteenth century, to School of World Mission and Evangelism the Gre at Trek and to th e fear of th e black danger. Biblical imagery from th e Advanced degree programs beyond the M.Div. Jewish Scriptures and th e sense of a chosen peopl e sus tained by Calvinis m also contributed to an inchoate sense of Effectiveness in Mission nationalism . This nation alism fin ally coalesced amid th e agony of defeat and You r close fellowship with these in the aft ermath of th e Sou th Afri can k e y profe ss or s in th e J . C . War (1899-1902). It is Hexh arn's argu­ McPh eeters Center for Leadership ment th at in th ese early yea rs of th e Ministries is su ppo rte d by th e twentieth century, Afrikaners had th eir entire faculty of Asbury's Schoo l consc iousness raise d and th eir apart­ of Th eol o gy . Learn fr om th e heid mentality fo rme d by myths and experience, reflection and heart­ ideology propounded by a small splin ­ Geo rge H unte r III, Ph.D . Ronald Cranda ll, P.Th .D. D ean ; Ch urch stra tegy. Local church plan tin g beat of outstanding theor etician s­ ter group, th e Gereformeerde Kerk (Re­ gro wth a nd leadersh ip a nd eva ngelism practition ers. The y've been there, formed Church) of th e " Doppers." they know what you' ll face, they Dopp er mini sters-preeminently are committed to help you becom e th e young poet/theologian J. D. du everything God calls you to be. Toit and his brother-in-law , th e writer Rev . W illem Postma-creat ed heroic The Word-our authority, images and nurtured th e peopl e's Holiness-our call, grieva nces . Their overwhe lming com ­ Ministry-our motive, mitment wa s to a Calvinist oolk exis ting Kenn eth Mc Elh anon, Ph.D . J. T. Seamands, Th.U The World-our parish! Lingu istics . fo lk religio ns . Missio ns histo ry. mis.sio na ry in their own apartheid sphe re, separat­ cross-cultural communications develop ment ed from th e contamina tio n of British • Th .M. secular and liberal influe nces. The • D.Min. th eological underpinnings for th is were drawn from th e Netherlands and th e wr itings of van Prinsterer and Kuyp er. Later th e Doppers (particularly their intellectuals gathered in the Un iversit y A Call or write today: of Pot chefstroom ) were to extend th eir Da rre ll Wh iteman. Ph.D. A. II . Malhies ZahniS

January 1986 27 Announcing the Reign of God: years, though many details have been Evangelization and the forgotten. As well as excellent books like this, we badly need historical sur­ Subversive Memory of Jesus. veys of past "Kingdom theologies," to instruct and perhaps also to chasten By Mortimer Arias. Philadelphia: Fortress us. Press, 1984. Pp. xviii, 155. Paperback -Eric J. Sharpe $8.95.

Formerly a bishop of the Methodist lical, and he has an eye to the well­ Church in Bolivia, Mortimer Arias is known paradox of the kingdom, which The Supremacy of Jesus. currently professor of Hispanic studies is both here an,d not here, "already and evangelization at the School of now" and "not yet." He does not shy By Stephen Neill. Downers Grove, Ill.: Theology, Claremont. California, away from the question of apocalyptic, InterVarsity Press, 1984. Pp. 174. Paper­ where the theme of this book was first the original purpose of which he sees back $5.95. stated in lecture form. What that theme as being "not to terrorize people, but to is, may be 'described as "Kingdom raise and preserve hope in the midst of This brilliant study is the last published evangelization." As Arias puts it: persecution and oppression" (p. 37). book from Bishop Stephen Neill who "Kingdom evangelization may be the The proclamation of the kingdom he died in 1984 before completing his answer to our present crisis. The vision views as "gift," "hope," and "chal­ projected three-volume History of of the reign of God can be the motivat­ lenge." All of these words could be ap­ Christianity in India. Having spent ing force which takes us beyond the plied equally to this book, which is much of his life as a missionary and paralyzing effect of our contradictory graceful, hopeful, and challenging in Anglican bishop in South India, Neill and worn out motivations" (p. xvii). equal measure. had wrestled personally and deeply With this end in view, Arias ana­ There remains, however, the with the basic missiological issues that lyzes a number of aspects of the king­ problem of the varying ways in which are rooted in the person and work of dom of God-a concept by now the kingdom has been interpreted in Christ as "the central point in his­ extremely common in liberation theol­ Christian, and especially missionary, tory." Here we have Stephen Neill's ogy-with a view to their evangelistic history. Words come trailing associa­ personal testimony to the uniqueness relevance. His approach is solidly bib­ tions, not all of them helpful. The and supremacy of Jesus Christ over all problem neither began, nor did it end, contenders. with Paul. On the contrary: the possi­ In his introduction the author sup­ Eric]. Sharpe, British by birth, is Professor of bilities and perils of "Kingdom evan­ poses that if a number of reasonably Religious Studies in the University of Sydney, gelization" have been with us for many well-educated people were asked to Australia. prepare a short list of those men and women who have influenced the course of human life more than any others, New Books From most of the lists would include Gau­ tama the Buddha, Jesus of Nazareth, the prophet Muhammad, and Karl William Carey Library Marx. In the nine chapters that follow, Bishop Neill draws upon his classical learning and erudite scholarship to SEAMEN'S MISSIONS: Their Origins contrast the life and teachings of Christ and Early Growth, by Roald Kverndal not only with the three named above The first definitive history of the beginnings of but also with representative thinkers from Greek, Chinese, Jewish, and compassionate ministry to seafarers. Covering Hindu traditions. He does not want to events primarily in the 18th and 19th Centuries take anything away from what is good (with retrospect to earlier eras) the author and true in other faiths: it is simply not in his character to do so. But after reveals the social and political conditions that studying some of the great teachers led to the establishment of missions and minis­ and religious leaders from both East tries to forgotten and mistreated men of thesea. and West, Bishop Neill firmly con­ cludes: "Each has shown us some­ Paperback $15.95x, Hardback $19.95x thing that is of great value; but to each MANUAL FOR TODAY'S MISSION­ in turn we have found ourselves obliged to say, 'You are not he.' Each ARY: From Recruitment to Retire­ points to one beyond himself, in whom ment, by Marjorie A. Collins. the best that he has to offer is tran­ Covering the areas of Preparation, Field Exper­ scended, fulfilled, perfected" (p. 165). While this book will be of special ience, Furlough and Retirement this book will interest to those already convinced of serve as a text for missions courses, an orienta­ "the supremacy of Jesus," it also tion tool for mission boards and an excellent has a message for those who are fol­ reference guide for pastors, youth workers and lowers of other faiths or of no faith at all. libraries. Paperback $9.95x -Warren W. Webster Order from Warren W. Webster, General Director of the \ P.O. Box 40129, Pasadena, California 91104 Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society, l ~' 1':~ ~ ~. , . , \ " , .r ' . ._ • (.; • • : ' : •• ' • :. '. r. " r • •_ :.'" '• • • 1. ,,' (' 1 • , served in Pakistan from 1954 to 1970.

28 International Bulletin of Missionary Research Christians and Reli~ious reli gions . The in ca rn atio n, he says, Pluralism: Patterns In the is a myth (in th e se nse of a linguistic Christian Theology of Religions. sy mbo l), therefore no notion of the "fi nality of Christ" is an y longer ap­ By Alan Race. London: SCM Press, and plicable. For an alternative doctrine of Maryknoll, N.Y : Orbis Books, 1983. Pp. Christ, Race proposes an " action­ xii, 176. Paperback £5.95; $8.95. christology " in which he holds tha t "God's action in Jesu s wa s in no Alan Race, an Anglican chaplain at the religiou s experience in a creative ten­ sense different from his action in th e University of Ken t in Can terbury, sur­ sion" (p. 104). res t of creation, exce pt in that throu gh vey s a spectru m of Ch ristian theories All of th is is background to the au­ Je sus' particular 'aim ,' 'lure' and that deal with religious pluralism as tho r' s ma in concern and purp ose , 'prehension' he has becom e 'impo r­ a theological issue. For his "broad namely, a reco nsideration of th e doc­ tant: and th ereby makes a difference in typological framework within w hich trine of Christ , and the place of that the rel ationship betw een m an a n d most of the cur re nt Christian theologies d octrine in a Christian th eology of God" (p . 130). of religions can be placed " (p . 7), he adopts .the headings: Exclusivism , In­ clusivism , and Pluralism, and se lects individuals who are representative of MISSION AND THE CHURCH each position. For representatives of exclus ivism, Recent Releases who believe th ere is a radical disconti­ nuity between the go spel and the non­ MISSION BETWEEN Christian faiths, he chooses Barth, THE TIMES SENT FREE Brunner, Kr a emer, an d Newbigin . Essays by C. Rene Mission and Unity in argues that the After discussing th eir views, Race ab­ Padilla the Perspective of the perspective of the Kingdom kingdom can guaran­ ruptly co nclu d es that- in the p re s­ "A major contribution ent climate of critical historical "en­ to evangelical and EMILIO CASTRO tee freedom and foster lightenment"-the exclu sive positi on The kingdom of God unity in mission. He ecumenical missiol­ describes some of the , "can only be ma intained at the pr ice ogy from one of the was the focal point of the ministry of Jesus: disparate situations in of a disho nes t reckoning with history" most important Th ird which mission takes World voices in the he announced its com­ (p . 37). ing and he showed, place today, traces the Under inclusivisrn, the author de ­ contemporary interna­ emerging conver­ tional theological through his own life, gence in the contem­ scribes two typ es. The first is exe mpli­ dialogue." the kingdom in action. fied by th e "ano nymous Chris­ It is the calling of the porary debates on - GERALD H. ANDERSON tianity" o f Karl Rahner. The major church to continue to mission, and con­ probl em here, Race writes, is that the "These essays are proclaim and manifest cludes that "mission­ issue of religious truth is pr ejudged . rich and persuasive the kingdom in the ary freedom means d iverse situations of asking what we shall Th e second typ e is that represented by reminders of where all theology should our world. do and being perpetu­ Hans Kiing (" inclusive Christian begin-at the cutting In this book Emilio ally prepared to do universa lism") and Jo h n Robin son edge of the world, Castro, General Secre­ what God asks of us." ("an inclusivism which is not exclu­ and of how theology tary of the World Paper, $5 .95 sively determined " ). Even thi s troubles should proceed- in a Council of Churches, the autho r, becau se there is still " the missionary spirit of claim th at Christ represents the fullest crossing boundaries." expression of th e Godhead " (p . 69). - HARVIE M. CONN For the po sition of pluralism, char­ Paper, $9.95 acte rized by tolerance of othe r religions as a th eological necessity, Race selects Troeltsch , Toynbee, Tillich , Hick, Cobb, and Wilfred Cantwell Smith. Knowl­ edge of God, from the persp ective of " tolera nt pluralism ," is partial in all faiths, including the Christian , and the religions must acknowledge th eir need of eac h othe r if the full truth abo ut God is to be ava ilable. According ly, Chri s­ tians will lay aside all claims of abso­ lut eness and finality, and join with peopl e of othe r faiths in a common qu est for truth. The author recogni zes the dan gers of " debilitating relativ­ ism" and rul es out an easy syncretism. The way forward, he suggests, is to hold together " the different types of

Gerald H. Anderson, Editor, is Director of the t your bookstore, or write: Overseas Ministries Study Center, Ventnor, New 522 I~WM. B. E ERDMANS PUBLISHING CO. _ :lSJ JEffER SON AVE. S.E. I GRAN D RAPID S. MICH IGAN 49 ' 0 ) Jersey.

Janu ary 1986 29 The author maintains that Faith and Ideologies (Jesus of "action-christology" provides "the Nazareth Yesterday and Today, most positive Christian response" for a Vol. 1). pluralist position in the theology of re­ ligions. In this view "Jesus' ,deci­ By Juan Luis Segundo. Translated by John siveness' is viewed as primarily related Drury. Maryknoll, N. Y.: Orbis Books; to those who have received the light of Melbourne, Australia: Dove Communica­ God made known through Jesus, and tions;London: Sheed and Ward; 1984. Pp. developed in one 'particular cultural xvi, 352. Paperback $14.95. form. Jesus is 'decisive,' not because he is the focus for all the light every­ Latin American liberation theology is ology, he asserts that "Jesus was where revealed in the world, but for the now mature enough to show its rich recognized as the revelation of God vision he has brought in one cultural varieties. Segundo gives us its scho­ only by those people who already had setting" (pp. 135-36). lastic version-an academic theology, those values" represented by Jesus (p. The author sees Jesus "as par­ addressed to the intellectual world, but 64). If we ask whether Jesus did not adigmatic for man's relationship with a theology that takes very seriously the transform the values of his followers, God," and views "the sonship of Je­ oppression of the poor. the answer is that he provided the sus metaphorically, not metaphysi­ It is scholastic also in a more pre­ "transcendent data" that altered cally." Any verification of the genuine­ cise sense. Like Thomas Aquinas, Se­ those values. The continuity with the ness of "the style of relationship gundo has a careful concern for Thomist tradition is evident. with God which Jesus initiated ... will definitions (sometimes so far from con­ With other liberation theologians be' eschatological" (p. 146). In the midst ventional usage that the reader must Segundo appropriates Marxist themes. of conflicting truth-claims of the various constantly remember their special Segundo finds Marx's atheism not es­ religions, Race "looks to dialogue as terms). He develops his intricate ar­ sential to his historical materialism, the first step on the road to religious guments by appropriation of and dif­ which cannot itself evaluate faith. He truth viewed from a world perspective" ferentiation from others. As St. urges that Marxist "suspicion" of (p. 144). Thomas used Aristotle and Augustine, dominant ideas and institutions be ap­ In this reductionist, relativizing Segundo uses Bateson and Marx, Pan­ plied to Marx himself. perspective, which minimizes the nenberg and Tracy. Segundo's ecological awareness union between God and man in Jesus, In still another sense Segundo is a provides a depth not evident in all lib­ there is clearly no place for a Christian scholastic theologian. He aspires to a era tion theologies. His discussions of evangelistic mission that is founded on comprehensive harmony-of faith and Latin America are the most moving the testimony of the New Testament. ideology, of normal experience and parts of the book. He describes the -Gerald H. Anderson revelation. In opposition to much the- movement (1950-75) from desperation to desperate actions to despairing pas­ sivity, and urges the importance of Roger L. Shinn is Reinhold Niebuhr Professor sustaining hope for a distant future. of Social Ethics at Union Theological Seminary He is especially sensitive on the issue Copies of articles in New York. His most recent book is Forced of violence, maintaining that guerrilla Options: Social Decisions for the 21st Cen­ warfare is morally less culpable than from this publication tury. He has studied issues of technology and systems of oppressive violence, but social ethics in Eastern and Western Europe, that it destroys the social ecology. are now available Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. -Roger L. Shinn from the UMI Article Muhammad and the Christian: A Clearinghouse. Question of Response

Yes! I wouldlike to knowmore about UMI ArticleClear­ By Kenneth Cragg. London: Darton, Long­ inghouse. I am interested in electronic man and Todd; and Maryknoll, N. Y.: Or­ ordering through the following systemts): o DlAWG/Dialorder 0 ITTDialcom bis Books, 1984. Pp. xii, 180. Paperback o OnTyme 0 OCLC ILLSubsystem £5.95 (DLT); $8.95 (Orbis). o Other (pleasespecify) _ o I am interested in sending myorder bymail. Old and new themes, developed by equation; Muhammad in the soul, and o Pleasesend me your current catalogand user instruc­ tions for the svstemts) I checkedabove, theological meditation during the long Muhammad the definitive Muslim, Name _ and committed life of Kenneth Cragg with the prophetic experience. Chris­ among Muslims, have been here re­ tians are invited to appreciate the con­ Title: _ elaborated in a personal and coura­ tent of the Qur'an and are required to Institution/Company _ geous answer of a Christian to the be guided by the gospel, so that they Departrnent., _ Islamic question: "What do Christians may finally be ready for response. Address~ _ say about Muhammad?" If the debate is to a great extent be­ City State__Zip _ Nine chapters help Christians pre­ tween Muhammad as event (in history) Phone (__)------­ pare to respond: rediscovering the and Muhammad as myth-through-faith prophet in history, with the political (in devotion) (p. 4), the Christian re­ sponse cannot make an abstraction of faith in Jesus. Qur'an and Muhammad Maurice Borrmans is Professor at the Pontificio prefer the "activist patriarchs" of the Institutedi Studi Arabied'Islamistica, in Rome, Bible and finally the "manifest vic­ Mail to: University Microfilms International 300 North ZeebRoad, Box91 AnnArbor, MI48106 and founder of its yearly publication Islamo­ tory": "the pattern of Muhammad's christiana. Sirah will always be in conflict with the

30 International Bulletin of Missionary Research power and perspective of the Cross" Kari Torjesen Malcolm takes a look ship, in need of healin g, despe rately (p. 52). So how can Christians appre­ at two paths for wom en - secular fem ­ waiting to hear the Word of God for ciate the Islamic equa tion God-with-man inism and traditionalism- andfind s both th eir pred icam ent. " so often expressed by the sentence Al­ seriously wa nting . For example, in dis­ The dau ghter of No rwegian mis­ lah-Muhammad (shahiida , dev otion and cussing the traditional woman, she says siona ries to Ch ina, and a former mis­ mysticism) ? Can Christian s trul y con­ one result of "laye rs of sociological sionary to the Philippines, Kari Malcolm side r the postscriptural Qur'an as rev­ conditioning that keep wom en from a presents a third path, one focu sed on elation for othe r places and times? How healthy relationship with Jesu s Christ" a first-love relation ship to Jesus Christ. can they harmonize its strong and im­ is a "low self-image that keeps man y "Innume rable wom en through the mune monotheism with its rep eated women acting like children, led by their ages have found their identity as dis­ denials of God's mysteries as revealed hu sbands and fed by thei r pastors till ciples of Jesu s Christ and then let their in Jesu s Christ? Cra gg twice appeals to they becom e like stuffed she ep . The roles flow from the iden tity." Chri stians to contain these qu estion s obstacle of a low self- image keeps them Malcolm's approach is fresh , pos­ "within the predicates of theism" (p . from becoming an ointed channels of itive, and challenging, and she avoids 93)!This is the main difficulty of his en­ God 's love to peopl e starved for friend­ red-flag terms that might narrow her terprise. If Ch ristian-Muslim dialogu e need s a new or renew ed Christian ap­ preciation of Muhammad in history FOR ALL INTERESTED AND CONCERNED ABOUT THE MIDDLE EAST: and faith , Christians have to recognize with Cragg that for Muslim s " the ap os­ WELCOME INTO THE MIDDLE EAST tolat e of Muhammad is not for debate This newstudy byGeorge Jenn ings is an indepthexamination abo utthe MiddleEast from or enquiry, but for acceptance" (p. 1). four decades offield research with em phas is up on cu ltureandperson al itycha racteristics At least, let them say , with Timo thy , including mental illness and major issues facing the area - imperative for all mission the Nestorian patriarch of Baghdad , personnel and organizations working there. an swering the Caliph al-Mahdi (eighth The bookisthe response toarequest byThe MiddleEast Christian Ou treach which will be century): "Muhammad has followed observing in 1986 the 10th anniversary following a merger of the Le banon Evang elical the path of the prophets." Trul y the Mission (began in 1860), the Middle East Gen eral Mission, and the Arabic Literature mystery of Jesu s and the person ality of Mission to form the larg est international, interdenomi national and evangelical Christian Muhammad rem ain the stumbling­ mission working in the Middle East. blocks for dialogu e between their dis­ Chapters will include such titles as " Conflicting Valu es," " Sa udi Mod al Personality ," ciples or follow er s. " Mental Illness ," "The Future of Relig ion ," and " Resistanceto Western ization " am ong - Maurice Borrm:ans the 20 chapters. The publi cation dateiswinter, 1986 , withabout 350pages, illustrations . The pre-publication order price is $14 .50 (pape r) plu s shipping costs." Order must be accompanied by payment to: Women at the Crossroads: A Path MIDDLE EAST MISSIONS RESEARCH beyond Feminism and Tradition­ P. O. Box 632 alism. Le Mars, Iowa 51031 Ge orge Jenn ings is profe ssor eme ritus of By Kari Torjesen Malcolm. Downers Grove, psychological Anthropo logy with former profes­ Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1982. Pp. 215. sorships atthe U. Of Minnesota, Beth el (Minn). Paperback $5.95. Wh eaton (III.), and Geneva Colleges. He has received numerous grants, includ ing the Ful­ In the past two decad es aw aren ess and bright, forfield work intheMiddleEast fornearly debate related to wom en 's issu es have 40 years . As former Executive Secretary of the MiddleEast Ch ristian Outreach (USA) , heisnow gone throu gh several stages. Du ring ResearchConsu ltant. HeisaFellowofthe Amer­ the 1960s and early 1970s, secular fem­ ican An thropological Assoc.. the Am erican inis m brought many concerns into Ethnologica l Soc., the AmericanScientificAIIil ., public debate, so that "women's lib" as well as holding membersh ip in theAmerican was a hou seh old phrase. In resp onse Society of Missioloqy. His numerous publica­ Christian s have also reexam ined the tions includethose for professional journals and roles of wo me n . Along with rejecting books. the angry rh etoric and combative ness of the earlier fem inists, man y conserv­ ative Christian s reacted by reaffirming Also available at reduced prices by the author some of the very concepts that the fem­ inists criticized-male supremacy and AU THINGS, AU MEN, AU MEANS···TO SAVE SOME authority simply by virtue of malen ess, Wo rld wide survey byacultural anthropologistgeared formission work cross-culturally. in the hom e and in the churc h . Othe r Reduced from $8.75 to $5.75" Christians becam e sensi tized to legiti­ HADITH: A COMPOSITE MIDDLE EASTERN VILLAGE UNDER A mate issu es relati ng to wom en and be­ MISSIONS CONSULTANT'S GAZE gan a reexamination of Scrip ture, which A detailed analysi s of village life and thou ghtin theMiddleEast. Red uced fro m$6.75to focused on the idea that in Christ the re $4.85" is neither male nor fem ale. A MISSION CONSULTANT VIEWS MIDDLE EASTERN CULTURE AND PERSONALITY An extend ed probe into how Middle Easterners think, fe el , and act so commonly Joyce Bowers is a social worker and former mis­ misunderstood . Redu ced from $4.75 to $3.74" sionary to Liberia . Her study and writing have "Add $2.00 for Each book shipped within USA; $3.00 elsewhere by surface mail focusedon roles of missionary women.

Januar y 1986 31 audien ce. One weakness of the book at what Scripture says to and abo ut increases the significance of his work, is th e dichotomy of secular feminism women. Her own cross-cultural ex­ becau se we are given not only a goo d vs. traditionalism without mention of perien ces and obse rvations enrich the history of the Naga Baptist community evangelical fem inism. Althou gh she book immen sely, and her application s but also an irenic, ecume nical persp ec­ do es not claim to be a biblical feminist, to contempo rary life are realistic an d tive on its life and witness. The ecu­ she relie s heavily on th e scho larship of free from stereotypes. This book does meni cal aspect of the study is many who are. an excellent job of jolting one's think­ especially important given the rather A historical ove rview of wo me n's ing out of wha tever rut it might be in, unhappy relation ships that have often contribution s from biblical tim es to th e in relation to wo me n and Chris tian ser­ obta ine d between the dominant Bap­ present is ins piring and sur prising . vice. tists and th e Rom an Catholic mission­ Malcolm also takes a fresh , creative look - Joyce Bow ers aries . It is clear from th e out set that Puthe npurakal is engage d in more than narrative history. He is con­ Baptist Missions in Nagaland: A scious ly see king, as a Catholic, to un ­ Study in Historical 'and derstand the Naga Baptists as Baptists, Ecumenical Perspective. and to interp ret th em properly to his own churc h, in th e interests of grea ter By Joseph Puthenpurakal. Shillong, India: Ch ristian unity. It is th is ecume nica l Vendram e Missiological Institute, 1984. concern that prompts him to spe nd al­ Pp. xxio, 292 . Rs. 125/- . most fifty pages tracing th e history and convi ctio ns of th e Baptists in gene ral The remarkable story of th e Baptists of step toward rectifying that situation . before he begin s to recoun t th e origins Na galand is too little kn own outside The fact that the author is a Roman of the Naga churc hes . The growth an d their own den om ination , and Dr. Catholic pri est (vicar ge neral of the di­ spread of th e Baptist movement in the Puthenpurakal' s book is a valuable ocese of Koh ima, Nagaland) materially Naga Hills is then surveyed in two sub­ stan tial cha pters; and a chapter is de­ voted to an ana lysis of th e work of the "A Time to Seek . . . A Time to Keep" mission aries, which includes th eir use of indigenous eva ngelists, th eir teach­ Ecclesiastes 3:6 ing, their method s, and th eir cultural You have sought-and discovered-valuable impact. The book concludes with a insights in the INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN OF careful evalua tion of the Baptist contri­ MISSIONARY RESEARCH, Keep every issue bution to the churc h at large, and a dis­ for future reference. One sturdy slipcase protect s cussion of pr ospects for ecu me nical a three years' collection of the INTERNATIONAL in teraction amo ng Baptists and Ca tho­ BULLETIN. No space wasted. No clutter. lics in Nagaland . This is cer tainly a volume to be Each slipcase spine is identi­ read with attention by Naga Chr is­ fied with embossed gold tian s, both Baptist and Ca tho lic. Each lettering. gro up has much to learn about the To order, use ~~-ee­ othe r fro m its pages. And in th e world coupon below. S~::X-S. ""1" church it can be studied with profit if for no other reason than it sheds such ~-; . informative ligh t up on what ha s hap­ pen ed and is now going on amo ng .._ ,J' . ::?::r . . -, 5 --~~~1: :; some of th e most vigorous Ch ristians ~ - -' -....~-., ~ to be found anywhere. Puthenpurakal ha s serve d us we ll by offering us this ----::.::~- _1 "outsid er's" look at them . He has mad e extensive use of primary sources ------as we ll as the secondary literature International Bulletin Prices: $ 6.95 each ; thr ee for$20.0 0; six for of Missionary $36.00. availabl e, and his account is tru st­ Research Orders out side U.S. add $2.50 per slipcase worthy. Regard ing his treatment of the for postage and handli ng. Payment must ac­ Baptists as such I had only one reser­ MAIL TO: company order. Allow 5 weeks for delivery vation. I doubt that we are as self-con­ Jesse Jones Box Corp. within the U.S. scious ly ecclesiologica l as he suggests P.O. Box 5120 in his formal definition of us. In our Phi ladelphia , PA 19141 I enclose $ for__slipcase(s). own subjectivity we see ourselves as loyal to Jesu s Christ, and loyal to an ec­ Name _ c1esiological principle only as a result. I sus pec t th at the Catho lic view point has led he re to a sligh t distortion . But it Addr ess _ does not at all affect the streng th of the work as a who le. City _ - George Peck Sta te Zip _ George Peck is President of Andover Neunon Theological School in Newton Centre, Massa­ Country ---­-- ---­ ------­ - chusetts. He servedfor five years as an American Baptist missionary in northeast India.

32 In tern ational Bulletin of Missionary Resea rch West African Christianity: The My Enemy Is My Guest: Jesus Religious Impact. and Violence in Luke.

By Lamin Sanneh. Maryknoll, N. Y.: Orbis By]. Massyngbaerde Ford. Maryknoll, Books, 1983. Pp. xoiii, 286. Paperback N. Y.: Orbis Books, 1984. Pp. xiv, 178. Pa­ $11.95. perback $9.95.

Originally designed as a text for stu­ Massyngbaerde Ford, professor of (love of the enemy)." This is best de­ dents, this book has emerged as an im­ New Testament at the University of veloped by Luke "the first evangelist to portant and original contribution to Notre Dame and author of the Anchor write a history of Christianity [who] study of the missionary enterprise. Commentary on Revelation, believes deliberately records it in line with sec­ The historical layout follows, perhaps "that Jesus plants the seed of a new ular history and delineates the political rather too closely, the examination syl­ theology, that of 'philo-echthrology' stance of the new religion, especially labus. After a stimulating initial chap­ with regard to war and peace." ter, which sketches in broad strokes This is not a commentary but, the ancient history of Christianity in John A. Lapp, Executive Secretary of the Men­ rather, a study of several themes, North Africa, five chapters contain a noniteCentral Committee, wasformerly provost which collectively demonstrate that careful,' detailed description, first, of and professor of historyat Goshen College. "violence was not the way the King- the early Catholic missions, and then of the Protestant churches established along the West African coast in the nineteenth century together with their contributions to modern education. The originality of Sanneh's book emerges, however, most clearly in the last three chapters, where he develops most convincingly his basic argument. Like other writers before him, he effec­ tively demonstrates the crucial role of Africans as pioneers in the expansion and adaptation of Christianity in Af­ rica. More fundamentally, however, he maintains that the contributions and influence of both foreign mission­ aries and African Christians can only be assessed within the continuing framework of indigenous religious ex­ perience and enterprise. An authority on the [akhanke Muslim clerics in his native Senegambia, Sanneh also ap­ plies this argument to Islam. He con­ THE HEALING ARTS IN AFRICA trasts the crusading elements of both these missionary religions with the tol­ erance and inclusive nature of African JESUS AND THE WITCHDOCTOR traditions, and he argues that the Af­ An Approach to Healing and Wholeness rican response to both Christianity and by AYLWARD SHORTER . Islam derives its force and vitality from Based on his twenty years experience as an anthropologist, missionary, and theolo­ indigenous models and experiences. gian, Aylward Shorter tells the story of integral healing at every level of human life. Shorter This theme, drawing theologically on also explores the fascinating question of how the role of the witchdoctor helps us to un­ the distinction between missio Dei and derstand Jesus as healer. 256pp pbk $10.95 the mission of the church, is of great significance, and one hopes that this HEALERS IN THE NIGHT young yet distinguished assistant pro­ by ERIC DE ROSNY fessor at Harvard will return to it and A fascinating personal account of the beliefs and healing methods of the practitioners of develop it further. traditional medicine in West Africa. "This study uncovers human and theological dimen­ -Richard Gray sions of the African soul that churchpersons must take very seriously if they are to under­ stand Africans, and, indeed, themselves." -SIMON SMITH, SJ, Jesuit Refugee Service in Africa 304pp pbk $13.95 Richard Gray is Professor of African History at THE WORLD IN BETWEEN the School of Oriental andAfricanStudies, Uni­ Christian Healing and the Struggle for Spiritual Survival versity of London. Born in England, he has by ARCHBISHOP EMMANUEL MILINGO worked and visited extensively in sub-Saharan Catholic, Bishop, Healer ... Emmanuel Milingo's gifts of heal.ing and exorcising spirits Africa. generated a controversy that reached to the Vatican. This is the story of his healing minis­ try to the spiritual needs of Zambian Christians. 144pp pbk $5.95

G. At bookstores or from ORBIS BOOKS • . .Maryknoll, NY 10545

January 1986 33 dom of God could be established." appears to be "proclaiming the imagi­ served before-but rather, the way in Ford is especially good in documenting nation of a jubilee year" developed which Ford has mined contemporary the conflictual situation of first-century around "forgiveness and healing, not materials, especially Josephus, Qum­ Palestine. Luke's interpretation of Je­ wrath and distruction" as assumed by ran, and the Mishnah, to sense the sit­ sus' life and ministry should be under­ contemporary revolutionaries. uation Luke addresses. In the most stood against the background of Two chapters onJesus' attitude to­ profound sense Luke contextualizes foreign occupation, class conflict, so­ ward tax collectors and Samaritans Jesus and the gospel. cial banditry, religious fanaticism, foreshadow the passion, where enemy Ford's insight into the strategic revolutionary prophets, abusive offi­ love reaches a climax. First tax collec­ role of Samaria and Samaritans is im­ cialdom, unjust taxation, and the bitter tors and Samaritans, then all people portant for missiological studies. Luke, hostility between Jews and Samari­ are admitted to "covenant intimacy." according to the author, demonstrates tans. Jesus' followers are to forsake the the­ "that the Samaritan mission was the Ford asserts that whereas the birth ology of holy war widely accepted in beginning of the Gentile mission and narratives of Luke 1-3 reflect some of the first century, and not to "take was part of the divine plan." If the gos­ the "revolutionary messianism" of vengeance but to await God's vindica­ pel cannot deal with the enemy it really first-century Judaism, John the Baptist tion of their cause and to pray unceas­ has no integrity for the redemption of becomes the "transitional forerunner" ingly." friends. The implications for contem­ of the nonviolent Jesus. This force of The most striking contribution of porary mission strategy are obvious. Jesus' message becomes evident at these essays is not so much their inter­ -John A. Lapp Nazareth, as noted in Luke 4, where he pretation of Luke-that has been ob-

Polynesian Missions in Melanesia: From Samoa, Cook For your seminars Islands and Tonga to Papua New conferences • classes • Guinea and New Caledonia.

committees • meetings Edited by Ron and Marjorie Crocombe. Suva, Fiji: Institute of Pacific Studies, University of the South Pacific, 1982. Pp. International Bulletin Special Issues 144. Paperback. No price indicated.

In this postcolonial age of mission there is a heightened awareness of the "China Mission History" important role third-world missionar­ ies have played and a greater appreci­ (April 1985) ation for their continuing impact today. For example, in many Pacific mission history books the work of South Sea Island missionaries is over­ "Mission Since shadowed by their European counter­ parts, but this imbalance is being corrected by the Crocombes' book, along with such works as Alan Tip­ Vatican Council II" pett's The Deep Sea Canoe (1977) and (October 1985) George Carter's Ti-eVarane (1981). This book, a collection of essays, provides a variety of approaches to the study of Polynesian missionaries in Melanesia, beginning with an over­ "Evangelical-Roman view of when and where Polynesian missionaries served, noting that "hardly any facet of the traditional way Catholic of life of the people among whom these Polynesian missionaries lived and worked were left untouched by Dialogue on Mission" their influence" (p. 4). Chapters by Ruta Sinclair focus on (January 1986) the Samoans, noting the powerful po­ sitions pastors had in Samoan society Bulk rates now available: and how this influenced their work 5-25 copies, $3.00 each; 26-50, $2.50; 51-100, $2.00; over 100, $1.50. Add $5.00 per order for postage and handling. Payment Darrell L. Whiteman is Associate Professor of must accompany order. Send orders and payment to: Interna­ Cultural Anthropology in the E. Stanley Jones tional Bulletin of Missionary Research, P.O. Box 2057, Ventnor, School of Evangelism and World Mission, As­ New Jersey 08406. bury Theological Seminary. He hashadresearch and mission experience in Central Africa, Solo­ mon Islands, and Papua New Guinea and is the authorof Melanesians and Missionaries.

34 International Bulletin of Missionary Research and behavior in Melanesia, leading Th er e are seven short chap ters dealing are found in most histories. Also, the many European missionaries to accu se with the history of Protestantism dur­ cha racteristics of ear ly evangelicals (pp. them of authoritarian leadership and ing the colonial period , th e nineteenth, 49-56) as forthrigh tly prese nted help to high-handed tactics with their Melane­ and the twentieth centuries; condi tions explain th e reciprocal antipathy that ex­ sian congregations. Sione Latukefu that facilitated and im pe de d Protestant isted bet ween Pro testants and Roman profiles the work of Sione Taufa with grow th during this development; and Cat ho lics, an antipa thy unfortunately the Methodists on Bougainville (1949­ an ana lysis of the characteristics of that pr evailed at least throug h the mid­ 68), and Marjorie Crocombe digs back early Protestants in Centra l America. A 1960s. into the archives of the last centu ry to final chapter provides an update on th e The conciseness of the boo k is both portray the courageous work of Rua­ statistical growth of Pro tes tants since its grea tes t strength an d its weakness. toka, a Cook Islander who worked 1975. There is much more of a story to tell, closely with Jam es Chalmers in estab­ The book provid es more de tails, and one wishes that Ne lson had bee n lishing the work of the London Mis­ names, dates, places, and othe r facts enco uraged to relate it more fully. Ex­ sionary Society in Papua New Guinea. regarding Protestants beginnings than cessive and often unnecessary paren- Included in the book are two fas­ cinating pieces of missionary ethnohis­ tory: a letter written by a Cook Islander describing his life and pioneering work in new Caledonia (1842-45) and a Tu­ valuan's diary in Papua (1934-46). TRINITY The book sh ows how many of th e EVANGELICAL DMNITY SCHOOL Polynesians, with a history of fifty to seventy-five years of Christianity in their islands, in terp reted that faith and propagated it in Melanesia . For exam­ ple, th ey often advocated a curious mix of Christianity and Western Culture, and altho ugh they were often very eth­ Doctor of nocentric in relating to Melanesians, many of them adapted more success­ fully than th eir European counterparts Missiology to the Melanesian cultural context. -Darrell L. Whiteman degree

Robert E. Coleman Directo r Protestantism in Central America. Stretch yourself and enlarge your ministry By Wilton M. Nelson. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., If you have an M.Div. (or its equivalent) and 3 years of ministry experience 1984. Pp. vi, 90. Paperback $4.95. you may qual ify for this exciting program All residence work may be done in one-week se minar s. Study with Robert E. Coleman . Ph.D. Timothy M. Warn er, EdD Written originally in Spa nish as a seg­ David I. Hesselgrave. Ph.D John W Nyquist. MA.M.Div. ment of a multivolume work sponsored William D. Taylo r. PhD. Well-known Adjunct Faculty by the Roman Catholic Commission for Invest a furlough in a th e Study of th e History of the Churc h Master of Theology or in Latin A merica, Wilto n Nelson Master of Arts program (d . 1984) offers his sma ll bu t significant Get a head start with account of Centra l American Prot es­ Independent Study Courses for cred it tan tism. Ne lson was surely qu alified to History of Missions (I. Herbert Kane) do a history, since he lived and worked Theo logy of Missions (George WPete rs) for nearly a half-century as a mission­ World Religion (David I. Hesselgrave) ary, professor, and pr esident of the r------­ Latin American Semina ry in San Jose, I Admis sions Office Costa Rica . He es tablishe d himself as a I TRINITY EVANGELICAL DIVINITY SCHOOL compe tent his torian with the publica­ I 2065 Half Day Road. Deerfie ld. Illinoi s 60015· 312-945-8800 tion in 1963 of a definiti ve history of I Prot estantism in Costa Rica. Check the item for which you would like further inform ati on ~~~~~ii~~~ Protestantism in Central America, I D Doctor of Mi ssiology D Master of Divini ty/Mi ssion s how ever, is much briefer and att empts I D Master of Arts to cover a broad er geographical area. I D Master of Theology/M issions I D Trinity World Forum (one year free subscription) I Name _

Alan Neely is Professor of Christian Missions, I Addr ess ------­ Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Wake I City. State. Zip _ Forest, North Carolina. He served for thirteen I Trini ty Eva ngelica l Divi nity School admits qualified students of any race. co lo r years as a Southern Baptist Missionary in Cali, I and national or ethnicorigin with out regard to sex or handicap Colombia.

January 1986 35 theses clutter the text, inconsistent and questionable. Central America: first, that natural dis­ dubious statistics raise questions of ac­ Though not ·a serious misuse, it asters-earthquakes and hurricanes­ curacy (pp. vi, 74, 76), and there is a was the Northern (now American) Bap­ have resulted in more genuine and use of Spanish words that should be tist Home Mission Society and not widespread ecumenical cooperation translated: for example, quemadero, a the "Baptist Mission Board" that than anything previously; and second, place where convicts were burned, and sent the first Baptist missionaries to that the scattered, sporadic missionary relajaci6n, the delivery of an accused Nicaragua (p. 42). presence prior to 1960 has now become person by an ecclesiastical to a criminal The current difficulties facing Prot­ a veritable missionary invasion. Nelson court of justice. Moreover, the state­ estants in Central America merit fuller does not speculate as to the long-term ment that the present turmoil in Gua­ consideration (pp. 66-69), as do their results of either of these phenomena, temala is not as clearly ideological as fits and starts in ecumenism. Two facts but they should and likely will be that in El Salvador and Nicaragua, but Nelson points out should engender observed with delight by some and rather, "seems to originate in per­ careful reflection by those interested in apprehension by others. sonal power struggles" (p. 72) is highly the state of the Christian community in -Alan Neely

Hope and Suffering. as a Biblical Theme," "Current By Desmond M. Tutu. Grand Rapids, Concerns," and "The Divine Inten­ Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., tion." The dates, places, and occasions 1984. Pp. 189. $10.95. of these sermons and addresses are helpfully identified, which assists the "Hope and Suffering" is an appro­ picture in the media-daily newspa­ reader to set Bishop Tutu's words in priate title for this collection of ser­ pers, religious and secular magazines proper and timely context. His mes­ mons and speeches by the 1984 Nobel and periodicals, and television. The sage, rooted and grounded in a com­ Peace Prize winner, the Right Rever­ world needs to hear his prophetic prehensive understanding of and end Desmond M. Tutu of South Africa. Christian voice proclaiming so person­ commitment to biblical Christianity and Hardly a day goes by since Bishop Tutu ally, authentically, and courageously love of the Lord Jesus, is clearly com­ was so rightfully honored in October the truth about apartheid in his coun­ municated in this book. It is the story 1984 that we do not see his name and try as the evil and destructive force of the horrible suffering of the op­ it is. pressed South African blacks that the Bishop Tutu's words in this col­ bishop shares and the hope he knows, LymanC. Ogilbyhasbeen Bishop of the Diocese lection, initially intended for hearing, experiences, and radiates in the Chris­ of Pennsylvania (Episcopal) since1973. In 1949 are usefully compiled by Mothobi Mut­ tian gospel. I commend the reading he went to the Philippines as a missionary and loatse and edited by John Webster un­ of this excellent collection of Bishop served asbishop ofthePhilippine Episcopal Church der four chapter headings: "Intro­ Tutu's sermons and speeches. from to 1953 to 1967. ducing South Africa," "Liberation -Lyman C. Ogilby

Christianity and Traditional Reli­ Bhebe recognized one major gion in Western Zimbabwe, 1859­ weaknessin his study-hisdependence 1923. upon missionary and government ar­ chives. They provide little insight into By Ngwabi Bhebe. London: Longman, 1979. the theology, rituals, organization, and Pp. xiv, 190. £7.95 .. sociopolitical aspects of traditional Ndebele religion, except for the official Powerful chiefs often aided early mis­ The first thirty years were a quar­ religion of the Mwari rainmaking cult. sions in Africa in the precolonial pe­ antine period, according to Bhebe. Largely overlooked is the family reli­ riod, and the church grew strong in Converts became outcasts among their gion of guardianship by ancestral Malawi, Botswana, and Uganda. An own people. Chiefs Mzilikazi and Lob­ spirits, appeal to healers and diviners exception was the conspicuous failure engula were more attracted by the at times of misfortune, and reinforce­ of missionaries to the Ndebele people Shona Mwari cult than by the white ment of traditional customs and values in what is now Zimbabwe during the people's religion. by religious sanctions. Bhebe neglects 1859-90 precolonial period. The fall of the Ndebele kingdom also the religious plurality that resulted Ngwabi Bhebe, senior lecturer in in 1893, the suppression of the 1896­ as Ndebele warriors, who had entered history at the University College of 97 rebellion against white rule, and the Zimbabwe from South Africa no earlier Swaziland, himself a Zimbabwean, has development of a capitalist economy, than 1837, incorporated into their so­ written a clear history of early missions according to Bhebe gave Christian mis­ ciety wives, warriors, and slaves from to the Ndebele from 1859, the year of sions new opportunities from 1897 to tribes they conquered. the arrival of Robert Moffat at Mzili­ 1923. While old people remained aloof, -Norman E. Thomas kazi's krall, to 1923. they encouraged their young people to seek education in mission schools. Still church leadership remained largely in missionary hands. Combined with Norman E. Thomas is Professor of WorldChris­ missionary opposition to African cul­ tianity, United Theological Seminary, Dayton, tural values, this was to provide a fer­ Ohio. He wasa UnitedMethodist missionary in tile seedbed for African independence Zimbabwe and Zambia from 1962 to 1976. in the years that followed.

36 International Bulletin of Missionary Research For My People: Black Theology competitiveness and triumphal reli­ and the Black Church. gion of free-enterprise capitalism. Cone's "vision of a new social or­ ByJames H. Cone. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis der" is not compelling but it under­ Books, 1984. Pp. xiii, 271. Paperback scores the public character of theology, $9.95. especially at a time when religion in America is being driven increasingly James Cone, the Charles A. Briggs Pro­ scends the politics of Black churches so toward ideological purity, parochial­ fessor of Systematic Theology at Union that a genuine creative encounter with ism, and privatism. Theological Seminary in New York, is progressive elements in the Third -Romney M. Moseley to be commended for extending his World is possible" (p. 143). Good rhet­ commitment to a theology of liberation oric, but the fact remains that the black beyond the particular concerns of black church is unashamedly steeped in the people in North America. This book is intended to be more than a -vicarious mea culpa for the my­ opia of the black church and the con­ ceptual weakness of black theology. In asking black theologians to tell the truth about themselves, Cone is re­ questing a level of honesty that, if heeded, would be far more revolution­ THEOLOGY IN CONTEXT ary than anything black theology has attempted thus far. Accordingly, he lets the chips fall where they rightly be­ An Annotated Bibliography long-against sexism, parochialism, of Theological Journals from Africa, Asia, and the anti-intellectualism of black Oceania and Latin America clergy. These indictments are harsh but they need to be made before black theologians engage in substantive the­ Since 1980, the Institute of Missiology Missio has ological discourse on the future of the been publishing the journal THEOLOGIE 1M black church. Regrettably, the author does not spend enough time develop­ KONTEXT. The first English edition of its biblio­ ing substantive theological arguments. graphy was published in February 1984. Each issue of What is supposedly insightful THEOLOGY IN CONTEXT consists of approximately about this volume is Cone's appropri­ 100 DIN A4 pages and offers an annotated ation of Marxist critique of capitalism. bibliography of more than 50 theological journals However, Cone's use of Marxist cri­ tique is superficial and reflects the from the Third World as well as indices of authors same weakness noted by Marx in his and key words. criticism of Feuerbach, namely, that the philosophers (theologians) have ************************************************* interpreted the world but have failed to change its structures of oppression. SUBSCRIPTION FORM One wonders how seriously do the op­ pressed take the "liberative" murmur­ I wish to subscribe to the biannual bibliography ings of North American and European THEOLOGY IN CONTEXT. academicians. Far more incisive are the socialist critiques of capitalism adopted Subscription fee (inc. surface mail): by H. Philip Randolph and Chandler US $ 10,-- per year for two issues Owen on their brilliant monthly The Messenger in the 1920s and 1930s. In' the end, Cone calls on his peo­ Name: ple to join with the oppressed through­ Address: out the world in a common struggle for freedom. Black denominations in North America are encouraged to learn Date and Signature: from the "base communities" in Latin America and accomplish what they have failed at thus far-to develop "a style of ecumenism that really tran- To: Institute of Missiology Missio Postfach 1110 D-5100 Aachen Romney M. Moseley is Assistant Professor of Theology and Human Development, and Asso­ WEST GERMANY ciate Director of the Center for Faith Develop­ ment, Candler School of Theology, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia. Heisan Anglican priest andcitizenof Barbados.

January 1986 37 A Vision of Hope: The Churches and Change in Latin America. them to confront the daily peril and sometimes even death and martyr­ By Trevor Beeson and Jenny Pearce. Phil­ dom. adelphia: Fortress Press, 1984. Pp. 290. Each chapter summarizes the his­ Paperback $6.95. torical antecedents in twelve countries and thus establishes the backdrop Although the controversy surrounding sharply condemned although allow­ against which Christians seek to act in liberation theology has been going on ances are made for those whose evan­ response to the demands of God. A for some time, history may record it as gelical commitment compels them to Vision of Hope provides not only good only a prelude to a protracted debate opt for the poor. political analysis, but more important, that will likely have enduring conse­ In A Visionof Hope, Trevor Beeson it powerfully describes the link be­ quences for the institutional church. and Jenny Pearce declare their inten­ tween context and Scripture (text). The Vatican, long concerned about the tions in the opening paragraph. Byex­ The role of the Protestants, being a rebellious overtones inherent in faith amining the role of faith and church in junior partner in Latin America, is too that responds to the supplications of a variety of Latin American countries, often overlooked in a discussion of the the poor, has decided to opt for a more they set out to offer an account of obe­ church and Latin America. Beeson and confrontational approach. On Septem­ dience to God in societies largely con­ Pearce discuss in surprising detail the ber 3, 1984, the Vatican issued a 10,000­ trolled by extreme and repressive Protestant presence in Latin America, word text, which warns the practi­ regimes. According to the authors, the exposing the ecclesiastical cleavages, tioner of liberation theology that "a main concern of the book is to describe which are strikingly similar to those of system" of Marxist interpretation of the life and witness of the churches in their Catholic counterparts. the Scriptures "is a perversion of the Latin America through the eyes of A Visionof Hope is a compelling in­ Christian message." In this first official Christians who have taken sides with troduction for those who want to un­ statement by the Catholic hierarchy on the poor. derstand better the origins of the liberation theology, class struggle is Although Beeson and Pearce's Vatican's complaint. More important, zealous embrace of the people's church it lays the groundwork for a debate would doubtlessly make the Vatican that may potentially shape not only the Joseph T. Eldridge, a UnitedMethodist minister queasy, the book serves both as valu­ church in the developing world, but and former missionary in Latin America, is Di­ able history of the travail of Latin the church's institutional manifesta­ rector of the Washington Office on Latin Amer­ America and as a moving tribute to the tion everywhere. ica, in Washington, D.C. heroism of those whose faith forces -Joseph T. Eldridge

The Naked Public Square: and the protection of minority reli­ Religion and Democracy in gious positions. The important thesis America. will be lost to many by its neo-conserv­ ative context, such as the bipolar By Richard John Neuhaus. Grand Rapids, worldview, the distorted presentation Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., of liberation theology, the threat of to­ 1984. Pp. viii, 280. $16.95. talitarianism, and the concentration on the secularity of church-and-state bur­ Neuhaus is a Lutheran minister, ligious right or left or by the ambitions eaucracies versus that of political fun­ scholar, and activist recognized for of the modern state. (The need for damentalism. The "theory" (only in publications on Christian political evangelizing the American masses and the back in a note is there acknowledg­ thought. The "public square" repre­ nurturing them in biblical values is not ment of its questionable character) of sents areas of public interaction of both presented.) the political self-interest of the "new individuals and communities. It is "na­ In his best chapter (seven) Neu­ class" of helping professionals is ap­ ked" because of the liberal position haus states (but does not demonstrate) plied to those in religious agencies. that moral values and religious beliefs that revelation presents a design for Capitalism, one of the most far-reach­ are private. The boldness of Moral Ma­ public order to be held accountable to ing secularisms, is not treated. The ef­ joritarians (who are treated with sen­ transcendent truth and for a "lively in­ fect may be a further delegitimization sitivity) challenges this position. The teraction among people who are acting of the social problems of the response to them by the mainline from values that are, in most instances, churches-and a more naked public churches should not be invoking the grounded in specific religious belief" square. principle of the naked public square (p. 120). (These values are not identi­ -Stephen Charles Mott because the removal of religion is in­ fied.) The interaction is by persuasion, imical to democracy. The public square not coercion, by translating the values is clothed with ultimate meaning by into terms that as much as possible are some elite; and if mainline churches open to public argumentation, and decline the role through flabbiness or with a sense of provisionality. In view disillusionment, they will be replaced of competing religious claims, one is either by a new formation from the re- willing to compromise out of faithful­ ness to an open public order. The problem is important, the Stephen Charles Mott is Professor of Christian strategy helpful, but Neuhaus fails to Social Ethics, Gordon-Conwell Theological Sem­ treat the area of religious values that inary, Hamilton, Massachusetts. are appropriate for legal enactment

38 International Bulletin of Missionary Research The Middle East Remembered.

By John S. Badeau. Washington, D.C.: TheMiddle East Institute, 1983. Pp. 271. Fifteen Outstanding Books of1985 $25.00. for Mission Studies This book is a collection of John S. Bad­ eau's personal reminiscences, a de­ lightful narrative that will hold the The editors of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research have selected the following books reader's interest to the last page. It be­ for special recognition of their contribution to mission studies in 1985. We have limited our gins by providing information about selection to books in English since it would be impossible to consider fairly the books in many his family and educational back­ other languages that are not readily available to us. We commend the authors, editors, and ground, which prepared him for the publishers represented here for their contribution to advance the cause of missionary research series of careers that comprised his life­ with scholarly literature. time of person-oriented service. First experiencing the Midddle East as a missionary in Iraq (1928-35), he then Axtell, James. taught at the American University of The Invasion Within: The Contest of Cultures in Colonial North America. Cairo (1936-44) and assumed its presi­ New York: Oxford Uni~ersity Press. $29.95. dency in 1945. In 1953 he returned to Barnett, Suzanne Wilson and John King Fairbank, eds. the United States to head the Near East Christianity in China: Early Protestant Missionary Writings. Foundation, where he remained until Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univ. Press. $20.00. appointed ambassador to Cairo by Castro, Emilio. President John F. Kennedy (1962-64). Freedom in Mission: The Perspective of the Kingdom. Finally he returned to teaching at Co­ Geneva: World Council of Churches. Paperback $12.95. lumbia University (1964-71) and Cook, Guillermo. Georgetown University (1971-74). The Expectation of the Poor: Latin American Base Ecclesial Communities in These memoirs are not intended Protestant Perspective. to present a comprehensive overview Maryknoll, N. Y.: Orbis Books. Paperback $13.95. of the Middle East. Rather, they are a Drummond, Richard Henry. series of anecdotes culled from many Toward a New Age in Christian Theology. years of experience in listening to and Maryknoll, N. Y.: Orbis Books. Paperback $12.95. talking with people from all walks of Haight, Roger. life, as well as some seasoned obser­ An Alternative Vision: An Interpretation of Liberation Theology. vations of classical and modern Arabic New York: Paulist Press. Paperback $9.95. literature. Badeau illuminates signifi­ Hansen, Holger Bernt. cant aspects of Middle Eastern culture Mission, Church and State in a Colonial Setting: Uganda 1890-1925. and politics in a very human presen­ New York: St. Martin's Press. $39.95. tation that will appeal to a wide range Hill, Patricia R. of readers. His experiences and his The World Their Household: The American Woman's Foreign Mission Movement narrative reflect his overriding concern and Cultural Transformation, 1870-1920. for the human element. Objecting to Ann Arbor, Mich.: Univ. of Michigan Press. $19.50. the temptation of many students of the Keeley, Robin, ed. Middle East to view the area as if it Christianity in Today's World:. An Eerdmans Handbook. were a problem in political science, he Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. $29.95. declares, "It is people. People who are Knitter, Paul F. alive. People living. And how to com­ No Other Name? A Critical Survey of Christian Attitudes Toward the World bine that with analysis is the problem" Religions. (p.60). Maryknoll, N. Y.: Orbis Books. Paperback $14.95. The reader will find in this work Koyama, Kosuke. not only personalized glimpses of Mid­ Mount Fuji and Mount Sinai: A Critique of Idols. dle Eastern culture, but an autobio­ Maryknoll, N. Y.: Orbis Books. Paperback $12.95. graphical narrative of an American Murray, Jocelyn. patriot, an astute politician, and a Proclaim the Good News: A Short History of the Church Missionary Society. Christian gentleman. Without conde­ London: Hodder and Stoughton. Paperback £2.95. scension or paternalism, Badeau illus­ Padilla, C. Rene. trates the ways in which it is possible to Mission Between the Times. relate to persons of another culture, to Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Paperback $9.95. understand them on their own terms, Schreiter, Robert J. and thus to be able to contribute to Constructing Local Theologies. their welfare with sensitivity and ap­ Maryknoll, N. Y.: Orbis Books. Paperback $8.95. preciation. It is refreshing, entertain­ Webster, John C. B., and Ellen Low Webster, eds. ing, and informative, as well as just The Church and Women'in the Third World. plain good reading. Philadelphia: Westminster Press. Paperback, $11.95. -Wadi Z. Haddad

Wadi Z. Haddad is Professor of Islamic Studies and Christian-Muslim Relations at theHartford Seminary, Hartford, Connecticut, and editor of The Muslim World.

January 1986 39 Speaking the Gospel Today: A equally stimulating. Beginning with a Theology for Evangelism. definition of evangelism as the Chris­ tianizing of others and the renewal of By Robert Kolb. St. Louis,Mo.: Concordia Christians (p. 9), he proceeds to an Publishing House, 1984. Pp. 223. $16.95. outline of Christian history, which in­ forms and illuminates on every page. There are occasional lapses of histo­ riography, as in his assessment of the

Speaking the Gospel through the mass IIconversions" of the medieval Ages: A History of Evangelism. period (pp. 43f£.,· 58f£.). But for the most part, his narrative is sure, and his By· Milton L. Rudnick. St. Louis, Mo.: scholarship erudite. This is church his­ Concordia Publishing House, 1984. Pp. tory at its best. 232. $24.95. This is why, in the final analysis, Rudnick leaves us with a fresh aware­ For evangelism to develop further as unfold this in a systematic treatment of ness of the need for a more refined def­ a field of practical theology, it must Christian doctrine, with the purpose of inition of evangelism as a field of study forge a distinctive dialogue with the facilitating a faithful and knowledge­ in its own right. Rudnick is working theological disciplines. Correlation able communication of the gospel. with a handicap in this regard-as are with sociology, anthropology, and And in so doing, he identifies with we all-and it shows in some surpris­ communications theory is not enough. some cogency the con textual dialectic ing anomalies: a mere passing refer­ The dialogue must extend to the main­ of evangelism: for the resistant and de­ ence to the Lollards, for example (p. stream of scholarship in the Christian fiant sinner, a proclamation of law; for 90), who surely provide one of the tradition. These volumes from Concor­ the broken and contrite sinner, a mes­ most important paradigms for. pro­ dia Publishing House are therefore sage of grace. phetic evangelism in the whole of welcome additions to evangelistic lit­ Where Kolb keeps to this agenda, Christian history; or a treatment of erature. Each author approaches his there are some helpful evangelistic in­ black evangelism that fails to come to subject from the vantage point of a . sights: a schematic of the dynamics of grips with the issues of the gospel as classical discipline: Kolb from that of surrender to grace, for example (p. eschatological promise (pp. 178ff.) On Christian doctrine, Rudnick from that 175); and a brilliant passage on the the other hand, and by the same token,

I of church history. And they both break specificity of evangelistic agape (pp. the book points time and again to the important new ground. 198-99). Yet his concern for doctrinal rich potential for further interdiscipli­ Kolb's thesis is arresting and sub­ fidelity ultimately locks his argument nary study, as in a very fine section on stantial. Drawing heavily on the Lu­ into a conservative Lutheran existen­ Pietism (pp. 113f£.), and an extremely theran tradition, he proposes that tialism. Eschatology, the generally ac­ perceptive overview of contemporary evangelists must proclaim a twofold cepted cutting edge of evangelism, is trends (pp. 210f£.). Rudnick has message for the world: "a message of treated as an appendage (p. 208); and opened the way for much new work in wrath against sin, and a message of theodicy, while rightly identified as the field. mercy and liberation, of forgiveness the essential mystery of evangelism, is It may seem carping to finish on a and new life" (p. 6). He proceeds to deprived of any immediacy of hope critical question for the editor of the (pp. 76f£.). Even so, this is incisive Kolb volume, but it must surely be writing, which any thoughtful evan­ asked whether we can afford any David Lowes Watson, formerly on the faculty at gelist will want to read as a salutary longer to leave a manuscript with the PerkinsSchool of Theology, SouthernMethodist doctrinal self-evaluation and a creative First and Third Persons of the Trinity University, is Director of Evangelism Ministries prognosis of human response to the so frequently identified throughout by at theGeneral Board of Discipleship ofthe United gospel. the masculine pronoun. Methodist Church, Nashville, Tennessee. Milton Rudnick's volume is -David Lowes Watson

Guidelines for Christian Seminary in Ogbomosho. He explains Theology in Africa. that the need to write his book arose out of the observation that the "usual By Osadolor Imasogie. Achimota, Ghana: resort of the average African Christian Africa Christian Press, 1983. Pp. 92. Pa­ in crisis situations is a reversion to tra­ perback. No price indicated. ditional African religious practices" (p. 11). This is due "to the lack of 'fit' be­ In Africa the question of methodology lemics to lucid and critical evaluation of tween Christian theology and African for Christian theology is increasingly the task at hand. In the various families life" (p. 12). Developing an African coming to the forefront of the debate of Christianity in Africa, the question theology therefore becomes a pastoral on contextualization. This shift of em­ no longer is: Should we make the gos­ necessity. Such a theology will not be phasis indicates a movement from po- pel fit into African realities? but rather: created unless specific guidelines are How do we make the gospel take root established. That is why Imasogie's in African soil? Osadolor Imasogie's stated goal is to "engender fresh inter­ Tite Tienou holds the Ph.D. in Inter-Cultural Guidelines forChristian Theology in Africa est in the study of theological meth­ Studiesfrom FullerTheological Seminary. A cit­ is an example of the maturity that has odology" (p. 13). izen of BurkinaFaso (formerly UpperVolta), he taken place in the debate on African Of the book's four chapters, only is currently Assistant Professor of Missiology at theology. the last one deals specifically with the­ Alliance Theological Seminary in Nyack, New Osadolor Imasogie is the principal ological methodology. In chapter 1 the York. of the Nigerian Baptist Theological author develops his basic thesis, which

40 International Bulletin of Missionary Research is that Christianity is, in its very na­ cal, ritual, experiential, social-and the Smart proposes a federal ap­ ture, incarnational. Consequently, necessity of understanding, experienc­ proach to worldviews---many within "Christian theology must . .. be in­ ing, and comparing them. Worldviews one, with mutual acceptance and loy­ formed by the contextual milieu of its may be outward looking or introspec­ alty. This is why the study of world­ target audience in such a way that the tive, but all involve elements of search views can be an important contribution Word will become flesh among the for the ultimate truth in the cosmos. to recent developments in "global ed­ people" (p. 14). Chapter 2 deals with There can be no superiority of one ucation," the knowledge of the world traditional Western Christian theology worldview over another. Whether one as a whole. The future of humankind and the new theologies. Chapter3 con­ is a conservative Christian or a Marxist lies in the acquisition of this knowl­ trasts what the author calls the qua si­ atheist, one cannot deny the power edge and a common experience of the scientific worldview of the West with that lies behind any worldview. In es­ totality of the globe. This would be the the (singular) African worldview. sence, the world is dominated by dif­ contribution of "worldview s" to world Imasogie successfully moves the ferent worldviews, many of which are peace. debate to another level, but the final in conflict with each other. - Y. Franklin Ishida chapter is disappointingly general in the three guidelines suggested . - Tite Tienou

Worldviews: Crosscultural Explorations of Human Belief.

By Ninian Smart . New York : Charles Scribner's Sons, 1983. Pp. ix, 190. $12.95.

The word "religions" may be very lim­ iting, representing only traditional god-worship. In the same way " reli­ gious studies" evokes images of com­ paring religious beliefs and theologies. Worldviews was written as an introduc­ CHANGING CONTEXTS tion to the modem study of religions--­ OF OUR FAITH modem in that the author attempts to LETTY M. RUSSELL, Editor explore the problems in looking at re­ An invitation to Christian readers from dit­ ligions from a traditional standpoint ferent traditions to explore the ways faith based on history, anthropology, and can be nurtured in the midst of change. comparative studies. Ninian Smart, pape r $4.95 ECUMENISM: well known in this field and professor A MOVEMENT TOWARD at the University of California, Santa FAITH AND CHURCH UNITY Barbara, and Lanca ster University, En­ WILLIAM G RUSCH gland, while not rejecting the impor­ FRAGMENTATION tance of traditional religious studies, Christianity for a New Age A popu lar presentation of the significance points out the need to include all reli­ J. PHILIP WOGAMAN of the ecumenical moveme nt: its history, J. Philip Wogaman offers a timely applica­ resources, organ izations and prospe cts. gions and ideologies in the study of the paper $6.95 world. tion of Christian ideas to the major intellec­ In addition to what is offered by tual and moral currents of our day. the usual Christocentric religious stud­ pape r $10.95 UNITY OFTHE ies, Smart points to the richness of CHURCHES-AN ACTUAL Eastern religions as well as the impor­ THE FAITH OF CHRISTIANS POSSIBILITY tance of recent developments in non­ DENIS BALY and ROYAL W. RHODES HEINRICH FRIES and KARL RAH NER traditional ideologies such as Marxism, Based on que stions raised by studen ts In a lively and controversial study two well­ nationalism, and secular humanism. from different religious tradit ions, The know n Catholic theologians present eight From this stance the term " world­ Faith of Christians presents the basic theses which take seriously the achie ve­ views" is appropriate, as it crosses dis­ tenets of the Christian faith and the founda ­ ments of ecumeni cal dialogues , particu­ ciplines and relates to idea s of symbols tionsof this faith in the Bible and in the early larly those between Luthera ns and and practices as they affect each other. Church . pape r $14 .95 Roman Catholics. paper $6.95 Approaching the different world­ views, Smart spends con siderable time THE FAITH WE CONFESS elaborating on six aspects needed in An Ecumenical Dogmatics their study-doctrinal, mythical, ethi- JAN MILIC LOCH MAN The affirmations of the Apostles Creed are the basis for t.hiS brilliantly con temp o r ar y ~ Y. Franklin Ishida, presently serving as intern and broad ly ecumen ical statement of what for the Communications Department of the Christians believe. cloth $19 .95 World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzer­ land, holds a B.A . in Human Rights from St. OlafCollege, Minnesota, and an M.A. in Inter­ national Relations and Strategic Studies from Lancaster University, England.

January 1986 41 A Guide to the Study of the Pentecostal Movement.

By Charles Edward Jones. ATLA Bibliog­ This Publication raphy Series, No.6. Metuchen, N.J.: The Scarecrow Press, and the American Theo­ is available in logical Library Association, 1983. 2 vols. Microform. Pp. xlu, 1199. $77.50. The great interest over the past fifteen listie agencies in his study, some of years in the charismatic movement has which (such as those of Dave Wilker­ also served to awaken interest in the son and Oral Roberts) have had ex­ wider phenomenon of Pentecostalism. tremely wide popularity and Students of this complex movement influence. Finally Jones includes much will be pleased with the appearance of information about Third-World Pente­ Charles E. Jones's large, two-volume costal movements, which will do much Guide tothe Study ofthe PentecostalMove­ to correct the all-too-common view of ment. Pentecostalism as a largely American Jones, author of an earlier Guide to phenomenon. the Study of the Holiness Movement , di­ This is not to say that the work vides his work into four parts. The first does not have its problems. Jones oc­ treats the general literature of Pente­ casionally includes rather tangential costalism. Part 2 identifies and pro­ material. Albeit Marilyn Monroe was vides bibliographic information on baptized by Aimee Semple Me­ more than 284 Pentecostal church bod­ Pherson, the necessity of listing Nor­ ies . Parts 3 and 4 provide, respectively, man Mailer's biography of Monroe not bibliographic information on Pentecos­ once but twice may be questioned. On tal schools of learning, and biographi­ a more serious level, the lack of ade­ cal references concerning leading quate notes and references raises a Pentecostal figures. An index is also in­ fundamental problem. Jones's thumb­ cluded. nail descriptions of the various Pente­ Several aspects of Jones's work costal churches in part 2 often bear render it useful to both pastor and stu­ parallels in fact, and occasionally even dent. He refines the traditional in phrasing, with standard secondary Wesleyan/Baptist division of Pentecos­ sources. (Compare Jones, vol. 1: 263­ talism by delineating Holiness-Pente­ 64, 266,314,333, 534, 616-17, with Ar­ costal and Signs Following groups thur Piepkorn's Profiles in Belief, vol. 3: within the Wesleyan tradition, and dis­ 149, 18, 184-85, 131-34, 140, 205~ .) tinguishing between Trinitarians and Jones's failure to cite the source of his Oneness believers in the Baptist tradi­ information flaw s the work for the se­ tion. Second, he includes not only rious reader. churches but also Pentecostal evange- These caveats aside, however, Jones's Guide is a monumental en­ deavor and undoubtedly will become an important tool for anyone inter­ Robert Bruce M ullin is a Lecturer in American ested in the subject. University Microfilms Religious History at Yale University. -Robert Bruce Mullin International Theology and the Third World Please send additional information Church. for _ By f. Andrew Kirk. Downers Grove, lll.: Name _ lntervarsity Press; and Exeter, England: Paternoster Press, 1983. Pp. 62. Paperback lnstitutioru., _ $2.95/£1.75. Street, _ City _ In this brief study, J. Andrew Kirk de­ lar, Latin America. He speaks about scribes the development of theology the shift since the mid-1960s among State Zip _ on the basis of his own personal pil­ those being educated theologically in grimage through different continents, Latin America away from abstract and 300 North Zeeb Road including Asia, Africa and, in particu- detached studies to something more Dept. P.R . obviously related to everyday life. Ann Arbor, Mi . 48106 "Much of the content of this study will Anton Wessels is Professorof Missionand Evan­ be devoted to analyzing the reasons for gelism in the Theological Faculty ofthe FreeUni­ and the implications of this shift, as versity, Amsterdam. From 1972 to 1977 he well as trying to assess its positive and taught at the Near East School of Theology in negative virtues" (p . 14). Beirut. He mentions as reasons for the

42 Int ernation al Bulletin of Mis sion ary Research shift the rise of national self-aware­ with cultures, for evangelism as well as fellowships of believers who cluster ness, the European ethnocentrism in "convivial fellowships" in which around Jesus, their Lord" (p. 148). traditional theology, the Greek and Ro­ God's plan to bring all things together With this at the center Jacobs as­ man bias, and finally the philosophical in Christ is first being realized. sumes-questionably, I believe-that shift in base from Kant to Hegel. Kirk The key image he suggests is that matters of mission dynamics and prac­ reflects upon the consequences of this of "fellowships" (churches) keenly tice will fall into place. shift-which he calls a revolution­ aware of the presence of Jesus in their Though speaking to issues as they and deals then, among other things, midst. Missiology is therefore "really are being faced by Mennonites in mis­ with cultural relativism in the commu­ Christocentric ecclesiology. God is sion, his discussion has much broader nication of the gospel. working out his plan [for the redemp­ relevance. As essential condition for any tion of the whole of creation] through -Lawrence M. Yoder Christian theology he mentions to be committed to Jesus, to change, and to the whole people of God. He discusses the implications this has for theological education. He closes with a profile of a theologian for the church of tomorrow. It is obvious that in 62 pages-in­ A Century of World Evangelization cluding some notes and a select bibli­ ography-any treatment of such a vast subject is bound to be too swift and therefore superficial. Only the church NORTH AMERICAN of Latin America comes somewhat into the picture (theologians such as Gu­ tierrez and Sobrino), but the theologi­ EVANGELICAL cal developments even there are not explained very well. MISSIONS, 1886,1986 -Anton Wessels A conference sponsored.by The Institute for the Study of American Evangelicals Pilgrimage in Mission. June 17.. 19, 1986 With funding from the LiUy Endowment By Donald R. Jacobs. Scottdale, Pa.: Her­ aldPress, 1983. Pp. 162. Paperback $6.50.

The "pilgrimage" is at once the au­ PURPOSE: thor's own as a missionary in East Af­ rica, mission administrator, and To explore a neglected field of study: the past century of American missiologist, and that of Mennonite evangelical foreign missions. churches out of intense missionary in­ volvement in the Reformation era through several centuries of isolation FEATURED TOPICS: into extensive reengagement in mis­ sion in the present century. The American context In their current reengagement Missions Since 1900 Mennonites borrowed heavily from New Directions in Missions History the theology and praxis of the Pro­ African, Asian, and Latin American perspectives testant missionary movement, only superficially integrating these borrow­ ings with their own vision for the PARTICIPANTS: church as a disciplined community of faith under the Lordship of Christ ex­ Andrew F. Walls, University of Aberdeen isting .in distinct tension with the Lamin Sanneh, Harvard University world. Dana Robert, Boston University Jacobs seeks to "update" Men­ nonite missiology, drawing on biblical C. Rene Padilla, Latin American Theological Fraternity images for a theology of mission that Bong Ro, Asian Theological Association holds in holistic perspective a vision Richard V. Pierard, Indiana State University for accommodation of the gospel to Gary Corwin, Sudan Interior Mission cultures as well as its confrontation

For more information, contact BIlLy Lawrence M. Yoder, formerly missionary and Joel Carpenter or Brenda Buchweitz, seminary proiessor with Mennonite-related The Billy Graham Center, ffi\H~\1 churches in Indonesia, is now Assistant Profes­ Wheaton College, sorofMissiology and Director fortheCenter for Wheaton, IL 60187 Evangelism and Church Planting at Eastern 312/260~5917 CcNTEK. Mennonite Seminary in Harrisonburg; Vir­ AT WHEATON COLLECE ginia.

January 1986 43 A History of Christianity in tuguese impact on India is that it made India: The Beginnings to A.D. contact with Europe a permanent part 1707. of Indian life and that it assured a con­ tinuing, active Christian presence in By Stephen Neill, Cambridge, England: the land. He does not draw into this fi­ Cambridge Univ. Press, 1984. Pp. xxi, nal evaluation the cruel and destruc­ 583. $79.50. tive side of the Portuguese activity, but he has narrated these at some length so The recent death of Stephen Neill at panions. It covers the years up to the the reader can bring them into the bal­ the age of eighty-three has cut short his beginning of Protestant missions. The ance. labors on his largest and most ambi­ volume, therefore, is basically about A question naturally arises as to tious piece of writing, the history of the Thomas Christians and the Roman the value of this work in light of the Christianity in India. Stephen Neill Catholics, though there is one chapter multivolume and multiauthored his­ wrote over forty books in English in at the end about the work of the En­ tory of Indian Christianity now being the course of a long literary career, and glish and Dutch chaplains who came to developed by the Church History As­ in addition wrote an important series India during the seventeenth century. sociation of India, of which one vol­ of books in Tamil for the education of All this is set within the wider context ume, that by Joseph Thekkadath on pastors when he was a bishop in India. of Indian history. Neill was clearly en­ the late sixteenth and the whole of the For fifty years he planned to write a full amored of the whole Indian experience seventeenth centuries, has already ap­ history of Christianity in India and car­ and he provides much material about peared. Thekkadath's volume is an ex­ ried on reading and research devoted the scene in which his main story took cellent piece of work and augurs well to that end. It was to have been a three­ place. for the remainder of the project. How­ volume work. The first is now in print. The book is a good example of his­ ever, it is good to have in addition the The second was delivered to the pub­ tory writing in the classical style. It is whole story surveyed by one mind and lishers in manuscript form shortly be­ an absorbing narrative that carries the viewed from a single perceptive. This fore his death. It is to be hoped that it reader forward. At times the author provides a unity and coherence to the will also be published. The third, pre­ stops for summaries and judgments on narrative, which contributes much to sumably, will never be seen. the events and actors he has described. our understanding. For such an effort, The first volume is an imposing The writing is based on long and me­ even though not fully completed, we piece of work even without its com- ticulous research. Original documents will continue to be indebted to Stephen have been used wherever they are Neill. available and the variety of their lan­ -Charles W. Forman Charles W. Forman, Professor of Missions at guages seems to impose no impedi­ Yale University Divinity School, New Haven, ment to the author. His thorough Connecticut, served as a missionary in India knowledge of Tamil is particularly use­ Black and Reformed: Apartheid, from 1945 to 1950. ful, as in the section where he analyzes Liberation, and the Calvinist the Tamil writings of Robert Nobili. He Tradition. finds Nobili's Tamil always correct, which was no small achievement for a By Allan Boesak; editedby Leonard Sweet­ Take Some of the man writing before the days of pub­ man. Maryknoll, N. Y.: OrbisBooks, 1984. lished grammars and dictionaries, but Pp. xix, 167. Paperback $8.95. Guessing Out of he also finds it heavy and technical in its terminology. Allan Boesak is a black South African What isHap ning Neill refers constantly to the work theologian, an ordained minister of the of other scholars who have unearthed Dutch Reformed Mission Church, who ~ old documents and solved old puzzles. did his doctoral studies at the Theolog­ in Christian He shows how greatly our knowledge ical Academy of Kampen in the Neth­ World ~.~ of Indian church history has advanced erlands. In 1982 he was elected in the past half-century and how new president of the World Alliance of Re­ points of view have arisen through formed Churches. The present volume Mission••• ~ fresh investigations. He gives an inter­ ~ contains lectures, sermons, and open Subsaibe to the quarter1y esting summary, for example, of the letters. The reader who expects a flam­ reports of International Bulletin of Missionary arguments of recent canon lawyers Research. Join with the 9,000 readersworldwide boyant revolutionary book will be dis­ who keep up-to-dateon the latest developments in over the legitimacy of the Synod of appointed. On the contrary, Boesak world mission. Diamper. It is clear from this that that . writes in a cool, matter-of-fact style. "Essential for documentation and interpretation of synod, which had such devastating ef­ That does not prevent him from telling mission." fects on the old Syrian church of South -Ralph D. Winter, Director the horror story of oppression in South U.S. Center for World Mission India, was highly questionable in its Africa, but he does it with understate­ "Themost informativeand comprehensive journalin constitution and its actions in the light ment. That is why it hurts a white its sphere." of Roman Catholic canon law. reader all the more when he reminds -David B. Barrett, Editor The judgments he reaches on the World Christian Encyclopedia us of the laws that prevent a wife living various periods and persons are some­ Make check payableand mailto: International Bulletin of Missionary Research times open to challenge, but he pro­ Circulation Dept., P.O. Box 1308-E ~ot-~ vides the reader with the facts on WallterJ. Hollenweger, Professor of Mission at ~$~ Fort Lee, NJ 07024-9958 U.S.A. which a challenge can be made. Some­ the University of Birmingham, England, is a 01 yr. $14 02 yrs. $26 03 yrs. $37 ~~ Name _ times his judgments seem to empha­ Swiss theologian who did his doctoral work in size the positive contributions of Zurich. He is the author of The Pentecostal Address _ 'Christianity and of Europe and to play and Charismatic Movements, Conflict in City/State/Zip _ down the negative effects. For exam­ Corinth, and several volumes on intercultural Country ple, his overall judgment on the Por­ theology.

44 International Bulletin of Missionary Research with her hu sband or allow white peo­ the Western mind, wo rk so largely in being syncretistic (which may be dis­ ple to ill-treat and torture their black abstractions . Evan gelical theology astrous)? (p. 120). brothers and sisters. should therefore be non-abstract, con­ Evange licals in Asia have mad e However, the most important part crete. Evangelical theology in Asia is real progress toward developing their of the book is Boesak's argume nt that not easier to produce than elsewhe re, own theology. They no longer limit the Reformed Churches in South Af­ for in this continent the confrontation their theologizin g to a criticism of lib­ rica have misrepresented the Re­ is with the renascent religions to which era l theology. They do distance them ­ formed tradition and Calvin in the vast majority of pe opl e belong: selves some wha t from their largely particular. Boesak is right when he Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shinto. Western parentage. They take the con­ quotes Calvin and Barth aga inst the Then there is the totalitarian cul­ text more seriously than they did pre­ Reform ed Churches in South Africa ture of Ch inese socialism. As eva nge l­ viously. They have even begun and rem inds the South African minis­ icals see it, the central issue is: Where dialogue with liberal and ecume nical ter of justice, the Honorable A. Schle­ does one draw the line between being theologians and with the Asian non­ bu sch, that " blind obedience to civil contextual (which is required ) and Christian ideologies and religion s. authorities is alien to the Bible and that, for the Christian , loyalty and obe­ dience to God are first and foremost" (p. 37). He also rem inds the minister that his (Boesak's) position of critical FLEXIBLE and nonviolent opposition is the onl y alternative to a violent eruption in South Africa. An important though PRACTICAL painful book. -Walter J. Hollenweger DENVER SEMINARY'S DOCTOR OF MINISTRY

The Bible and Theology in Asian FOR MISSIONARIES* Contexts: An Evangelical Carries Research Through to Application Perspective on Asian Theology. *M.Div. or equivalent req uired EditedlJy Bong Rin Roand Ruth Eshenaur. Taichung, Taiwan: Asia Theological Asso­ Curriculum ciation, 1984. Pp. 404. Paperback U.S. Exte nsion Co rres ponde nce Courses 8 qtr. units $8.00 Worldw ide Expansion of the Christian Faith Theo log ical Fo undation of Missions This volume, the first of its kind, is an eva ngelical persp ective on Asian the ­ Sum mer Semi nars 10 qtr units (offered consecutively in odd-numbered years) It ology. is eva ngelical, Asia n, contex­ Cross-Cultural Christianity tual , and up-to-date. The first tw o Chris tian Education and Missions chapters record Asian eva ngelical dec­ larati ons on contextualization. The re­ Residence Study 16 qtr, uni ts main ing seventee n chapters tell us (one full quart er) how Asian evangelicals view contex­ Courses in the student's field of in terest tualization and Asian religion s. Professional Project 10 qtr. uni ts "Evangelical" means based on the To be done on the field text of Scripture as the normative source for theology. The eva ngelical Written o r O ral Exa m and Integrati ve Essay theologian begins with the Bible's mes­ We also offer a separate track f or pastors. sage, not with the daily struggle and conflict with peo ple (p. 124). The text rul es the context, and the work of the 1987 Schedule Holy Spirit is abso lutely nessary in or­ der to understand the normative text. July 20 . July 3 1 The eva ngelical theologian feels a close Cross-Cultural Christianity personal attachment to Jesus Ch rist Leaders: Drs. Paul H iebert and Ralph Couell and a compulsion to witness for him . August 3 · 14 The Asian context, one reads re­ Christian Education and Missions peatedly, is similar to that of the Bible Leade rs: Drs. Lois Mckinney and Dennis Williams writers (e.g ., p. 91). The Asian mind is moni stic and intuitive in its approac h All inquiries for further infor mation on the Doctor o f Minislr y to reali ty. It has a unitary wo rldview prog rams should he addressed 10 : that resolves the odious disp arity be­ Dr. Ber nett L. vorton. Director of DOCtor uf ~l i n i str y Progra ms. tween eva ngelism and social concern Denver Sernin arv, Po. Box 10,000, Denve r, Colo rado 8021O. (p. 175). The Asia n mind does not, like Denver Sem inar}' admits students uf any race, sex. co lo r, and national o r ethn ic o rigin. '!pa ul G. Schrotenboer is General Secretaryof the \~rir. Reformed Ecumenical Synod and Editor of the International Reform ed Bulletin, GrandRap­ DENVER SEMINARY ids, Michigan.

Jan uary 1986 45 They are still running at the back of the theology is. There are in this book condition. Evangelicals in Asia, judg­ pack, but they are running. many loose and conflicting definitions ing from this book, might give more at­ The church should take note of .of theology. tention also to the place and influence Asian evangelical theology. On its Asian theology, seen from my per­ of worldviews in theological thought. part, this theology might consider spective, needs an overarching view of Asian evangelicals may take en­ going beyond the Asian context to an the relation of theology as a service couragement from the progress they evangelical theology that is centered both to the everyday nonscientific life have made, and they may need a on the general human condition. Is' it of faith of God's people and to the nudging to advance toward a more too much to ask for an Asian and global other sciences. It could profit from comprehensively biblical, contextual evangelical theology? Evangelicals in greater clarity on the relation of theol­ Asian (and global) theology. Asia might also do some homework ogy as a human theoretical enterprise -Paul G. Schrotenboer and try to reach agreement as to what and religion as our total inescapable

Corrections Dissertation Notices Please note the following correction of errors in proofreading the from the United States International Bulletin for October 1985. On page 165, the third line of the Arnjad-Ali, Charles Wesley. Philip, T. M. second paragraph in the article by "A Theory of Justice for an "A Study of the Encounter Paul E. Pierson should read, "of Ecumenical Praxis: between Theology and Ideology in certain individuals and raises up A Critique of Eurocentric the Writings of M. M. Thomas and orders to take on the duty of cross­ Pseudo-Universals." Its Application in Formulating a cultural evangelization." In the Ph.D. Princeton, N./.: Princeton Communicative Theology in India." article by William B. Frazier, the last Theological Seminary, 1985. Th.D. Chicago, Ill.: Lutheran School of sentence in the first full paragraph Theology, 1985. on page 176 should read, "It is not Buama, Livingstone Komla. human nature but human nurture that is the cause of human "The Relevance of Professor Rafael, Vicente Leuterio. aggression." James Cone's Black Theology for "Contracting Christianity: the Ghanaian Context." Conversions and Translations in Ph.D. Madison, N.J.: Drew Univ., 1985. Early Tagalog Colonial Society." Ph.D. Ithaca, N. Y:: Cornell Univ., 1984. CIRCULATION STATEMENT Burkhalter, William Nolan. Statement required by the act of August 12, 1970, section 3685. Title 39, Unites States Code, showing ownership, man­ "A Comparative Analysis of the Ruiz, Lester Edwin [ainga. agement, and circulation of INTERNATIONAL BULLETIN OF Missiologies of Roland Allen and "Toward a Transformative Politics: MISSIONARY RESEARCH. Donald Anderson McGavran." Published 4 times per year at 6315 Ocean Ave., Ventnor, A Quest for Authentic Political NJ,08406. Ph.D. Louisville, Ky.: Southern Baptist Subjecthood." Publisher: Gerald H. Anderson, Overseas Ministries Study Theological Seminary, 1984. Ph.D. Princeton, N./.: Princeton Center, 6315 Ocean Ave., Ventnor, NJ08406, Editor: Gerald H. Anderson, Overseas Ministries Study Center, 6315 Ocean Theological Seminary, 1985. Ave., Ventnor, NJ 08406. Managing Editor: James M. Phil­ lips, Overseas Ministries Study Center, 6315 Ocean Ave., Hernandez, Jose Antonio. Ventnor, NJ 08406.

"Training Hispanic Leaders in the Sanders, Cheryl Jeanne. The owner is Overseas Ministries Study Center, 6315 Ocean United States: An Application of the "Slavery and Conversion: An Ave., Ventnor, NJ 08406. Concept of Contextualization to Analysis of Ex-Slave Testimony." The known bondholders, mortgagees, and other security holders owning or holding one percent or more of total Theological Education." Th.D., Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard amount of bonds, mortgages or other securities are: None. Ph.D. Fort Worth, Texas: Southwestern Univ., 1985. Average Actual no. Baptist Theological Seminary, 1985. no. of cop­ of copies ies each is­ of single Stevens, Richard John. sue during issue pub­ Jafta, Lizo Doda. preceding lished "Suffering as a Key to Social and 12 months. nearest to "God-Consciousness: Similarities Political Transformation in South filing date.

and Differences as Reflected in the Africa." Total no. copies printed 9,000 9,000 Belief Systems of the Traditional Paid circulation: sales o o Ph.D. Princeton, N./.: Princeton through dealers, Zulus of Southern Africa and Theological Seminary, 1985. carriers, street vendors, counter sales Friedrich Ernst Schleiermacher." Mail subscriptions 7,394 6,769 Total paid circulation 7,394 6,769 Ph.D. Madison, N./.: Drew Univ., 1984. Wickeri, Philip Lauri. Free distribution 289 348 Total distribution 7,683 7,117 "Seeking the Common Ground: Copies not distributed: 1,317 1,883 office use, left over, McPherson, John T. Protestant Christianity, the Three-Self unaccounted, spoiled "John Mason Peck: A Movement and China's United after printing Returns from news agents o o Conversionist Methodology for Social Front." Total 9,000 9,000 Transformation on the American Ph.D. Princeton, N./.: Princeton I certify that the statements made by me above are cor­ Frontier." Theological Seminary, 1985. rect and complete. Ph.D. Louisville, Ky.: Southern Baptist (signed) Gerald H. Anderson Theological Seminary, 1985.

46 International Bulletin of Missionary Research A lace to be-

~ ~ for mission O~ ISC'~j r • study and renewal The Overseas Ministries Study Center, Ventnor, New Jersey, is just the kind of place where you'd expect to find these three talking together: an Anglican theological educator from Kenya, a Tanzanian missionary working in urban North America, and a cross­ cultural advisor from Missionary Internship, Farmington, Michigan. Every year several hundred international church and mission leaders and overseas missionaries enrich OMSC. Many come for furlough and study leave. Others come for shorter periods, drawn by the annual array of mission seminars and courses . You are invited to apply now-for residence, or for an y of the following forthcoming programs.

*JANUARY 20-24 APRIL 1-4 Medi cin e, Jeannette M. Thiessen, MAP Mission and Global North/South Middle East Update: Christian Witness in Int ernati onal, and Mr. Eldo n Stolt zfu s, Tensions: A Question of Ultimate the Heart of the Muslim World. Mennonite Ce n tral Co mmittee . Co­ Loyalties. Professor Samue l Escobar, Dr. Norman A. Horner, former mission ar y spo nsored by Am eri can Lep rosy Missions, Int ernation al Fellows hip of Evangelical in West Africa and th e Middle East. Ass ociated Medi cal Mission Office/NvX', Students, and Eastern Baptis t Theo log ical MAP Int 'l . and World Co nce rn . Semi nary. APRIL 8-11 Crucial Issues in Mission Today. *APRIL 28-MAY 2 *JANUARY 27-31 Dr. Gerald H . Ander son , Director, OMSe, The Gospel and Urbanization: Mission's Thy Kingdom Come: The Intersection of former mission ary in the Ph ilippines. Task at Home and Abroad. Dr. Roger S. the Theology of Shalom with the Greenway, Westminster The ological Theology of Mission. Dr. Kosuke *APRIL 14-18 Seminary, and Dr. John M. Perkins, au tho r Koyama, Pro fessor of World Christianity, Spiritual Growth in Mission: Entering the and lecturer in commu nity development. Uni on Theological Seminary, New York. Future with Hope. Sr. Maria F. Rieckelman, Co-spo nso red by Christian Reformed M.M ., M.D ., Loyola Co llege of Baltim ore, World Mission s, Int er -Varsity Evangelism, *FEBRUARY 11-14 and Rev. Th omas E. Clarke, S.J., author Latin Am erica Mission , Mission to th e Mission, Development, and the Urban and lecturer. Co-spo nsored by Mar ykn oll World (PCA ), Southe rn Baptist FMB, and Crisis. Dr. Anthony Carnpolo, Eastern Mission Institute, at Maryknoll, New York. World Vision, U.S. College, Dr. John Wiley Nelso n, urban pastor and author, and Herb Van Den end, *APRIL 21-25 *Jndicates seminar format (16 hours usith tecturer, beginning President, Glenco , Inc., Pat erson , New Community-Based Primary Health Care: The Challenge for Christian Missions. Morfday aften lOon and emleluding Friday noon); tuition $45. Jer sey. Co-sp on sored by Princeton All atha courses run four mornings. beginning Tuesday (8 Semi na ry Ce nter of Co ntinuing Education, Drs. Jean and Jim Morehead, Int ernat ional hours With lecturer); tuition $3U. Conti nui ng Education Units at Princeton. (Note: Begins Tuesday Child Care and Tuft s Univ ersity School of available. afte rnoon, ends Frid ay noon. ) *MARCH 3-7 Missionary Spirituality: Letting the r 4~ '".... , OVERSEAS MINISTRIES STUDY CENTER Gospel Govern Our Lives. Dr. Anna­ ~-.... Ventnor, NJ 08406 U.S.A. Mari e Aagaard, Aarhus Un iversity, "l Publishers of the International Bulletin of Missionary Research Denmark. Co-sponso red by Princet on ~ ..... Gerald H . Ande rso n, Director; Jam es M. Phillips, Associate Director Sem inary Ce nter of Co ntin uing Edu cati on , o Please se nd application for resid en ce and Maryknoll Mission Institute. o Please se nd more inf ormat ion about th e following se mina r/course : MARCH 11-14 New Forms of Mission for Tomorrow's Na me _ World. Dr. Jam es M. Phillip s, Associate Address _ Director, OMSC; forme r mission ary in Korea and Jap an . City/State/Zip _ Book Notes In CODling

Cabestrero, Te6filo. Blood of the Innocent: Victims of the Contras' War in Nicaragua. Issues Maryknoll, N. Y: Orbis Books, 1985. Pp. viii, 104, Paperback $6.95. Current Trends in North American Elwood, Douglas J. Protestant Ministries Faith Encounters Ideology: Christian Discernment and Social Change. Samuel Wilson Quezon City, Philippines: New Day Publishers, 1985. Pp. xvi, 320. Paperback. No price indicated. Black Americans in Mission: Setting the Record Straight Haddad, Yvonne Yazbeck, and Ellison Banks Findly, eds. Gayraud S. Wilmore Women, Religion, and Social Change. Albany, N. Y: State Univ. of New York Press, 1985. Pp. xxi, 508. $49; paperback A Vision for Evangelizing the Real $19.50. America C. Peter Wagner Haight, Roger. An Alternative Vision: An Interpretation of Liberation Theology. Another Look at Mission in Ramsey, N.].: Paulist Press, 1985. Pp. v, 345. Paperback $9.95. Eastern Europe Walter Sawatsky Joseph, John. Muslim-Christian Relations and Inter-Christian Rivalries in the Middle East: Theology and Strategy of The Case of the Iacobites in an Age of Transition. Pentecostal Missions Albany, N. Y: State Univ. of New York Press, 1983. Pp. xviii, 240. $49.50; paperback Grant McClung $17.95. The Reorientation of African Koyama, Kosuke. Church History: Some Polemic Mount Fuji and Mount Sinai: A Critique of Idols. Thoughts Maryknoll, N. Y: Orbis Books, 1985. Pp. x, 278. Paperback $12.95. Paul Jenkins

Mayson, Cedric. Culture-Sensitive Counseling and A Certain Sound: The Struggle for Liberation in South Africa. the Christian Mission Maryknoll, N. Y: Orbis Books, 1985. Pp. xi, 145. Paperback $8.95. David]. Hesselgrave

Meyer, Louis. Edited with an introduction by David A. Rausch. My Pilgrimage in Mission-A New Eminent Hebrew Christians of the Nineteenth Century: Brief Biographical Series, with articles by Sketches. Harry R. Boer Lewiston, N. Y: Edwin Mellen Press, 1983. Pp. xxxv, 145. $39.95. Walbert Buhlmann, O.F.M. Cap. Barbara Hendricks, M.M. Milingo, E. Katharine B. Hockin The World in Between: Christian Healing and the Struggle for Spiritual ]. Herbert Kane Survival. Donald McGavran Maryknoll, N. Y: Orbis Books, and London: C. Hurst, 1985. Pp. vi, 138. Paperback Olav G. Myklebust $5.95; £3.95. Eugene A. Nida M. M. Thomas Miller, Char, ed. ]. Verkuyl Missions and Missionaries in the Pacific. and others Lewiston, N. Y: Edwin Mellen Press, 1985. Pp. 125. $19.95. In our Series on the" Legacy of Mundadan, A. Mathias. Outstanding Missionary Figures of History of Christianity in India. Vol. 1: From the Beginning up to the Middle the Nineteenth and Twentieth of the Sixteenth Century. Centuries, articles about Bangalore: Theological Publications in India, St. Peter's Seminary, for Church History Roland Allen Association of India, 1984. Pp. xxii, 567. No price indicated. Charles H. Brent Arthur Judson Brown Villa-Vicencio, Charles, and John W. de Gruchy, eds. A. J. Gordon Resistance and Hope: South African Essays in Honour of Beyers Naude. William Wade Harris Grand Rapids, Mich.: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1985. Pp. xii, 209. Maurice Leenhardt Paperback $11.95. John Alexander Mackay Stephen Neill Witvliet, Theo. Samuel M. Zwemer A Place in the Sun: Liberation Theology in the Third World. Maryknoll, N. Y: Orbis Books, 1985. Pp. ix, 182. Paperback $8.95.