ERT cover 30-2 15/3/06 14:24 Page 1 CONTENTS Theme: International Evangelical Theology E The Future of Evangelical Theology and its Missionary V A Challenges in the Church of the 21st Century N G ROLF HILLE E L I page 100 C A Creation, Christians and Environmental Stewardship L R KEN GNANAKAN E V I page 110 E W Evangelicals and Mary: Recent Theological Evaluations O DAVID PARKER F T page 121 H E Prophetic Preaching as Social Preaching O L CHANG HOON KIM O G page 141 Y V Well-being Syndrome in Korea from the Perspective of O Articles and book reviews reflecting L Biblical Counselling U M global evangelical theology for the purpose KYU MYEONG WHANG E page 152 3 of discerning the obedience of faith 0 , Is Christianity a Korean Religion? One Hundred Years of N Protestant Churches in Korea O 2 HEUNG SOO KIM , A page 162 p r i l Completing the circle: The Resurrection according to 2 0 0 John 6 DEREK TIDBALL page 169 Book Reviews page 184 Volume 30 No. 2 April 2006 Evangelical Review of Theology EDITOR: DAVID PARKER Volume 30 • Number 2 • April 2006 Articles and book reviews reflecting global evangelical theology for the purpose of discerning the obedience of faith Published by for WORLD EVANGELICAL ALLIANCE Theological Commission ISSN: 0144-8153 Volume 30 No. 2 April 2006 Copyright © 2006 World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission Editor David Parker Committee The Executive Committee of the WEA Theological Commission Dr Rolf Hille, Executive Chair Editorial Policy The articles in the Evangelical Review of Theology reflect the opinions of the authors and reviewers and do not necessarily represent those of the Editor or the Publisher. Manuscripts, reports and communications should be addressed to the Editor and sent to Dr David Parker, 17 Disraeli St, Indooroopilly, 4068, Qld, Australia The Editors welcome recommendations of original or published articles or book reviews that relate to forthcoming issues for inclusion in the Review. Please send clear copies of details to the above address. Email enquiries welcome: [email protected] http://www.worldevangelicalalliance.com/commissions/theological.htm Typeset by Profile, Culmdale, Rewe, Exeter, Devon EX5 4ES and Printed in Great Britain for Paternoster Periodicals, PO Box 300, Carlisle, Cumbria CA3 0QS by Polestar Wheatons Ltd., Exeter, Devon. ERT (2006) 30:2, 99 Editorial: International Evangelical Theology IN THIS ISSUE WE ARE pleased to present which the author, Heung Soo Kim, some papers from the Third Interna- examines the cultural influences on tional Conference on Evangelical The- the development of Protestant ology, held at Sungkyul University, churches over the last century. Ayang City, Korea in 30 September-1 We hope to publish more papers October 2005 at which the WEA Theo- from the conference later, but this logical Commission was generously issue concludes with the detailed Bible hosted by the University and the Korea study article by Dr Derek Tidball, Prin- Evangelical Theological Society. First, cipal of the London School of Theology, we have the keynote address by TC which is appropriate to the Easter sea- Chair, Dr Rolf Hille of Tuebingen, Ger- son. Dr Tidball shows how the resur- many—an outstanding statement of rection accounts in the Gospel of John the role and nature of evangelical the- ‘complete the circle’ which is estab- ology in relation to the church and its lished in the opening chapter, giving ‘a mission. Then follows a lucid declara- rich and varied exposition of the resur- tion of one of the themes for which the rection which leads us to see in him the TC vice-chair, Dr Ken Gnanakan of glory which his first disciples saw India, has become rightly well while he lived among them, and, like known—Christians and the environ- them, to believe’. Such a view should ment. The editor’s paper on recent help us reflect on and preach the res- evangelical approaches to Mary the urrection without some of the ‘monoto- Mother of Jesus is next. nous voice of predictability’ which is The following three papers come often the case for those who have from Korean theologians—the social passed through many Easter seasons. responsibilities of Christians from the This study shows that ‘There is so perspective of the OT prophets is the much more to the wonder of the resur- subject of Kim Chang Hoon’s study. rection than “dead man comes back to Looking at one aspect of contemporary life” or “the classic apologetic”’. culture, Kyu Myeong Whang provides Instead, we can see that the ‘The res- an interesting analysis of the ‘well urrection is God’s “yes” to salvation, to being’ phenomena from the view point new life, to sins forgiven, to the of his speciality, biblical counselling. restoration of creation itself. It draws To provide a helpful background for the from us the same reaction as it did from amazing phenomena of Korean Chris- Thomas. When we “see” it with our tianity, we have pleasure in re-publish- own eyes, we too want to fall down in ing an article from the new Asia-Pacific worship and in wonder.’ Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, in David Parker, Editor ERT (2006) 30:2, 100-109 The Future of Evangelical Theology and its Missionary Challenges in the Church of the 21st Century Rolf Hille KEYWORDS: Mission, Christology, size their unity beyond all historical Spirit, baptism, teaching, liberalism, confessions and denominations. When Reformers, ecumenical John Mott sent out invitations for the first Conference on World Missions in 1910 in Edinburgh, his main argument CHRISTIAN THEOLOGY has a very impres- was that the Christian churches could sive history of nearly two thousand have a future only if they were united years. But we live in a secular world in confessing their faith. At that time, with a plurality of ideologies, philoso- the mainline churches and the different phies and powerful religions; and so we denominations were willing to look for- need to ask: Does Christian theology ward to confirm the common ground of also have an impressive future? Since all Christian theology and to stand the century of the Enlightenment, and together in order to win the future for especially the religious criticism of the Christian theology and the Christian influential philosophers of the Nine- Church. teenth century, the future of Christian- Therefore, we have to ask today if it ity has been written off. The spectacu- makes sense to proclaim one specific, lar success of the modern sciences and and relatively new, form of Christian the Industrial Revolution put the theology at the beginning of the Christian faith and the old privileges of twenty-first century, with all its chal- the Christian churches aside. lenges to the Christian church and its Therefore, it is no wonder that at thinking. If we claim a future for evan- the beginning of the twentieth century gelical theology, we have to clarify the Christians were concerned to empha- way in which evangelical theology is Dr Rolf Hille is Executive Chair of the World Evangelical Fellowship Theological Commission and Principal of Albrecht Bengel Haus, Tübingen, Germany. Rolf Hille received his Th.D. from the University of Munich (Germany) and his M.Ph. from the University of Tuebingen (Germany). As well taking an active part in his own church, he is also a leading figure in the Evangelical Alliance movement and theological associations in his own country and elsewhere in Europe. This paper was the keynote address at the Third International Conference on Evangelical Theology held at Sungkyul University, Anyang City, South Korea Sept 30-Oct 1, 2005 jointly sponsored by Korea Evangelical Theological Society and the WEA Theological Commission. The Future of Evangelical Theology and its Missionary Challenges 101 rooted in Christian theology, and ask biblical basis for a missionary theol- where the differences are that make it ogy. I believe evangelical theology has necessary to distinguish evangelical a future only in as far as it serves its mis- theology from (for example) Roman sionary task. One can have a future only Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran or if one has a real presence. Evangelical Methodist, theology. What is the spe- theology has a presence because mis- cific shape of evangelical theology? sion is in God’s time. Within the frame- work of biblical salvation, mission is on God’s agenda for this period of time. 1. The Missiological Shape of The Christian church is created by the Evangelical Theology Holy Spirit through the word of the Evangelical theology is inextricably risen Lord. He, in his authority, has put intertwined with the fortunes of the mission at the top of his agenda and the evangelical movement as a whole. The- only thing that we as Christians have to ology both influences the development do is to remain in step with the Spirit of the evangelical movement and, at and God’s own purpose. The future of the same time, is also dependent on the evangelical theology is not guaranteed development of evangelicalism. by any academic standard or by any Evangelicalism is primarily an evan- human thinkers, but only by the gelistic and missionary movement within promises of the Lord himself. the worldwide Christian church. It is a Therefore, I will propose an outline gathering of Christians who are com- in what follows, at least in part, of what mitted to Christ and his mission it really means to define theology as a throughout the world, transcending all function of the mission of the Lord the divisions of Protestant denomina- Jesus Christ. In order to accomplish tions. Evangelicalism unites Chris- this theological program, I will give a tians from different theological back- systematic commentary on the Great grounds and traditions and, to some Commission from the perspective of degree, emphasizes by its missionary our question: What should evangelical engagement new theological profiles theology be in order to have a future within the diversity of historic Christ- guaranteed by Christ? ian faiths.