Evangelical Review of Theology
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The World Evangelical Alliance’s Journal The World Evangelical Alliance’s Journal of Theology and Contemporary Application of Theology and Contemporary Application EVANGELICAL REVIEWEVANGELICAL THEOLOGY OF EVANGELICAL Table of Contents Editor’s Introduction Caring about the Persecuted Church: Balancing REVIEW OF page 3 the Lessons of Romans 13 and Revelation 13 Thomas K. Johnson Towards a Missionally Integrative, Evangelical page 62 Theological Education Seth J. Nelson The WEA’s 2019 General Assembly: Energy and THEOLOGY page 4 Urgency Bruce Barron Making Bible Translation a Core Mission of the page 72 Church Ralph Siebert The State of the Evangelical Movement page 23 Efraim Tendero page 75 The Role of Reconciliation Theology in Socio-Political Healing and Development An Astonishing and Completely Normal Book Muhati Allan Isiaho from Turkey page 33 Thomas K. Johnson page 81 2020 Jan 44, No.1, Volume Are We Free to Pray? On the Freedom Necessary for Petitionary Prayer Book Reviews Christopher Woznicki page 88 page 49 Volume 44 No. 1 January 2020 ERT 44_1 cover Draft1.indd 1 28/11/2019 14:07:46 Evangelical Review of Theology A Global Forum Volume 44 • Number 1 • January 2020 Published by See back cover for Table of Contents ISSN: 0144-8153 Volume 44 No.1 January 2020 Copyright © 2019 World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission General Editor Dr Thomas Schirrmacher, Germany Executive Editor Dr Bruce Barron, USA Assistant Editor Dr Thomas K. Johnson, Czech Republic Book Review Editor Dr Peirong Lin, Singapore Committee Executive Committee of the WEA Theological Commission Dr Rosalee V. Ewell, Brazil, Executive Director Dr Thomas Schirrmacher, Germany, Executive Chair Dr James O. Nkansah, Kenya, Vice-Chair Editorial Policy The articles in the Evangelical Review of Theology (ERT) of the authors and reviewers and do not necessarily represent those of the reflect the opinions Editors or the Publisher. The Editors welcome both unsolicited submissions and recommendations of original or previously published articles or book reviews for inclusion in ERT. Manuscripts, reviews, queries and other communications may be addressed to the Executive Editor at [email protected]. Printed and bound in Great Britain for Paternoster Periodicals by AlphaGraphics, 8-9 Vanguard Court, Preston Farm, Stockton-on-Tees, TS18 3TR ERT (2020) 44:1, 3 Editor's Introduction: Holistic Mission As I write this introduction, I am new- all people in their own language. ly returned from an inspiring week at Muhati Allan Isiaho, a theological the World Evangelical Alliance’s 2019 programme director in Burundi, re- years), held on November 7–12, 2019 plaguing that country and many oth- Generalin Bogor, Assembly Indonesia, (its an firsthour in south eleven of flectsers and on masterfully the problems derives of ethnic a theolo strife- Jakarta. This issue of the Evangeli- gy of reconciliation, with clear practi- cal Review of Theology contains (on cal application, from the implications pages 72–87) a two-page overview of of Christ’s atonement. the General Assembly, WEA Secretary Christopher Woznicki’s article General Efraim Tendero’s ‘State of the Movement’ speech, and a message de- more analytical philosophy than the- livered by Thomas K. Johnson of the mayology. look Don’t strange be scared at first, off. becauseHe carefully it is WEA Theological Commission. addresses a very common spiritual The main emphasis of the General problem: people struggle to pray be- Assembly was on holistic, intergener- cause they think God has already de- ational disciple making. Suitably, the cided what he is going to do anyhow. - As Woznicki explains colourfully, he has often heard people in Reformed other five articles in this issue insight churches (which tend to strongly em- fullyholistic cover manner: five important theological aspects educa of- phasize God’s sovereignty) encourage fulfillingtion, Bible the translation, Great Commission social recon in a- others to pray as though Reformed ciliation, the effect of prayer, and sup- theology was not true! Woznicki’s ar- porting the suffering church. ticle aims to solve this problem. Seth Nelson probes what it would Thomas K. Johnson discusses the take for theological education to pre- difference between the experience of pare pastors with a thoroughly mis- Christians dealing with friendly (‘Ro- sion-focused mindset, rather than a mans 13’) and unfriendly (‘Revelation primary preoccupation with serving 13’) governments and highlights the those already in the church. He de- responsibility of all Christians to pray rives seven principles of ‘missional’ for and aid the persecuted church. education and assesses how we are - doing on each item. cles, along with the messages from Ralph Siebert of Wycliffe Associ- theI WEAhope General you will Assembly, read all andfive share arti ates, who has been involved in Bible them widely. Each article presented translation efforts for nearly thirty here could have a transforming im- years, describes the recent revolution pact on how Christians think about in Bible translation methods and calls and carry out holistic mission. on local churches, with support from Happy reading! national evangelical alliances, to take —Bruce Barron, Editor a greater role in providing the Bible to ERT (2020) 44:1, 4-22 Towards a Missionally Integrative, Evangelical Theological Education Seth J. Nelson I. Introduction pel-centred, missional theology could In 1989, the renowned missiologist serve as both the integrating point and churchman Bishop J. E. Lesslie and motivation for evangelical theo- 3 Newbigin lamented, ‘It seems clear logical education around the world. that ministerial training as currently conceived is still far too much train- evangelical, missional theology with- ing for pastoral care of the existing Iin will the firstcontext discuss of the the larger contours missio of Dei an congregation, and far too little ori- movement that emerged in the twen- ented towards the missionary calling tieth century. Then, to establish the to claim the whole of public life for current need for missionally integrat- Christ and his kingdom.’1 To what ex- ed theological education, I will pre- tent is Newbigin’s lamentation true of sent two related historical surveys. theological education globally thirty years later? How have evangelical church in the West has conceived of seminaries responded to the call to Inpastoral the first leadership survey, Iin discuss different how para the- recover a biblical, missional theol- digms and suggest what a missional ogy over the last twenty years?2 Have pastoral paradigm might look like to- they reconceived their institutional day. In the second, I interact with the missions and practices for training ongoing debate in the West over the leaders to participate actively in the unity, fragmentation and purposes of missio Dei? theological education. On this basis, I In this article, I explore how a gos- propose an integrated model, adapt- ing from Darren Cronshaw’s work,4 1 The Gospel in a Plural- ist Society (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989), 3 - 231. Lesslie Newbigin, cation can encompass all formal, non-formal, 2 Missional and Although informal I recognizestudy of God,that theologicalin this article edu I Church: A Vision for the Sending of the Church use the term to refer to formal, post-bacca- in For North example, America Darrell (Grand Guder, Rapids: ed., Eerd- laureate education in seminaries and divin- mans, 1998) became the seminal work that ity schools. sparked the emergence and development 4 - of the ‘missional church movement’ in the logical Education and Missional Spirituality’, United States. Journal Darren of AdultCronshaw, Theological ‘Reenvisioning Education Theo9, no. Seth J. Nelson (MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, USA) is an adjunct instructor in Educational Ministries and a PhD student in Educational Studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL, USA. He is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church in America and previously pastored two missional congregations for ten years. Towards a Missionally Integrative, Evangelical Theological Education 5 for evangelical, missional theological missional conversation by applying education. Based on this model and the seminal work of theologians and the review of the missional literature, missiologists Karl Barth, Lesslie New- I suggest seven commitments and bigin and David Bosch. Bosch’s oft- practices which a theological school quoted statement about the emerg- could employ to become more mis- ing ecumenical consensus on mission sionally integrative. I conclude by summarizes the situation well: offering my perspective on the state Mission was understood as being of evangelical theological education derived from the very nature of concerning mission, as a way to en- God. It was thus put in the context courage schools towards deeper mis- of the doctrine of the Trinity, not sional impact. of ecclesiology or soteriology. The classical doctrine of the missio Dei as God the Father sending the Son, II. The Contours of an and God the Father and the Son Evangelical, Missional sending the Spirit was expanded Theology to include yet another ‘movement’: If a gospel-centred, missional theol- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit send- ogy could serve as both the integrat- ing the church into the world.6 ing point and motivation for evangeli- This understanding of the missio Dei cal theological education, what might represented an important develop- be the contours of such a theology? ment within