Southwestern Journal of Theology Scripture, Culture, and Missions
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Journal of Theology and missions Southwestern Scripture, Culture, Scripture, Culture, SWJT Scripture, Culture, and Missions Vol. 55 No. 1 • Fall 2012 SCRIPTURE, CULTURE, AND MISSIONS Southwestern Journal of Theology Volume 55 Fall 2012 Number 1 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Paige Patterson, President, Professor of Theology, and L.R. Scarborough Chair of Evangelism (“Chair of Fire”) MANAGING EDITOR Terry L. Wilder, Professor and Wesley Harrison Chair of New Testament EDITORIAL BOARD Jason G. Duesing, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Assistant Professor of Historical Theology Keith E. Eitel, Professor of Missions, Dean of the Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, and Director of the World Missions Center Mark A. Howell, Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church Daytona Beach Evan Lenow, Assistant Professor of Ethics and Director of the Riley Center Miles S. Mullin II, Assistant Professor of Church History, J. Dalton Havard School for Theological Studies Steven W. Smith, Professor of Communication, Dean of the College at Southwestern Jerry Vines, Jerry Vines Ministries Joshua E. Williams, Assistant Professor of Old Testament BOOK REVIEW EDITOR AND EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Ched Spellman Southwestern Journal of Theology invites English-language submissions of original research in biblical studies, historical theology, systematic theology, ethics, philosophy of religion, homiletics, pastoral ministry, evangelism, missiology, and related fields. Articles submitted for consideration should be neither published nor under review for publication elsewhere. The recommended length of articles is between 4000 and 8000 words. For information on editorial and stylistic requirements, please contact the journal’s Editorial Assistant at journal@ swbts.edu. Articles should be sent to the Managing Editor, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 22608, Fort Worth, Texas 76122. Books and software for review may be sent to Book Review Editor, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, P.O. Box 22608, Fort Worth, Texas 76122. Please direct subscription correspondence and change of address notices to Editorial Assistant, P.O. Box 22608, Fort Worth, Texas 76122. Change of address notices must include both the old and new addresses. A one volume subscription in the United States is $27. An international subscription is $32. Southwestern Journal of Theology (ISSN 0038-4828) is published at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Fort Worth, Texas 76122. Printed by Branch-Smith Printing Inc., Fort Worth, Texas 76101. For the contents of back issues and ordering information please see http://swbts.edu/journal. © 2012 CONTENTS Editorial . 1 Terry L. Wilder A Biblical Theology of Missions and Contextualization . 3 Terry L. Wilder Global Choices for Twenty-First Century Christians: Bringing Clarity to Missional Theology . 18 Malcolm Yarnell III Proclaiming the Changless Truth in These Changing Times . 37 Norman L. Geisler Encountering Culture in Light Of the Book of Daniel . 52 Paige Patterson Scriptura or Cultura: Is There a Sola in There? . 63 Keith E. Eitel Did Cape Town 2010 Correct the “Edinburgh Error”? A Preliminary Analysis . 77 David J. Hesselgrave Introduction to McGavran’s Thoughts On the Church and Denominations . 90 John M. Morris The Church, the Denominations, and the Body. 94 Donald McGavran (1897-1990) Wrinkling Time in the Missionary Task: A Theological Review of Church Planting Movements Methodology . .100 John D. Massey Review Essay (Part One): John Calvin on the Death of Christ and the Reformation’s Forgotten Doctrine of Universal Vicarious Satisfaction: A Review and Critique of Tom Nettles’ Chapter in Whomever He Wills. .138 David W. Ponter Review Essay of Whosoever Will . .159 Mark T. Coppenger Book Reviews. .172 Southwestern Journal of Theology • Volume 55 • Number 1 • Fall 2012 Scripture, Culture, and Missions Terry L. Wilder Managing Editor [email protected] Many scholars today are discussing the need to contextualize the presenta- tion of the gospel and the way that we do ministry. Jesus gave believers his Great Commission and sent the church on mission (Matt 28:19-20; John 20:21). Con- textualization considers the culture into which the gospel is proclaimed and tries to remove unnecessary stumbling blocks to communicating the good news of salvation. The subject of contextualization, however, gives rise to many questions concerning why and how the church engages in mission. For instance, what role does Scripture play in contextualization? What forms and strategies should believers use as they are engaged in mission? Should they contextualize at all? If so, how far is too far? How far is far enough? How should Christians understand culture? Who should contextualize? What principles or values should be used in contextualization? How can one ensure that the gospel enters the culture and does not become diluted by the culture? This issue of theSouthwestern Journal of Theology (SWJT) focuses on the re- lationship between Scripture, culture, and missions. Most of the essays enclosed in this volume were delivered at the Sola Scriptura or Sola Cultura? conference held at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary on April 14-15, 2011. The contributors to this issue will answer many such questions like those asked in the previous paragraph. First, since Scripture should be the driving force behind any theological or missiological enterprise we undertake, I have contributed an article titled, “A Biblical Theology of Missions and Contextualization.” The ad- dress provides some theological and methodological principles to help believers as they engage in evangelism, missions, and contextualization. I have the privi- lege of serving at Southwestern as Professor of New Testament and Managing Editor of the Southwestern Journal of Theology. Second, in an essay called, “Global Choices for Twenty-First Century Christians,” Malcolm Yarnell discusses, from a global perspective, our theological choices in fulfilling the Lord’s commis- sion during the twenty-first century. Yarnell is Professor of Systematic Theology and Director of the Center for Theological Research at Southwestern Seminary. He was also my predecessor, having faithfully served as the managing editor of SWJT. Many thanks, Dr. Yarnell, for your outstanding service and a job well done! Third, in an article entitled, “Proclaiming the Changeless Truth in These Changing Times,” Norman Geisler speaks to the problem that the evangelical church faces today of proclaiming a premodern message in postmodern times. Three crucial areas are addressed: absolutism, exclusivism, and supernaturalism. A well known philosopher and apologist, Geisler serves at Veritas Evangelical EDITORIAL 2 Seminary as Chancellor and Distinguished Professor of Apologetics and Theol- ogy, occupying the Norman L. Geisler Chair of Christian Apologetics. Fourth, Paige Patterson examines in an address titled, “Encountering Culture in Light of the Book of Daniel,” how four Hebrew children in the book of Daniel re- sponded to a culture change that they had no idea was coming. He ascertains what we can learn about how we as followers of Christ should respond to the cultural circumstances in which we find ourselves. Patterson is President of Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, serves as Professor of Theology, and also holds the L. R. Scarborough Chair of Evangelism (“Chair of Fire”). Fifth, in his article “Scriptura or Cultura: Is There a Sola in There?” Keith Eitel describes the tensions between text and culture, explains how the role of culture has come to have sway in the current conversation, and proposes a set of biblical principles to take the lead in the contextualization dance between text and context. Ei- tel serves Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary as Professor of Missions, Director of the World Missions Center, and Dean of the Roy Fish School of Evangelism and Missions. Sixth, in a preliminary analysis, David Hesselgrave asks, “Did Cape Town 2010 Correct the ‘Edinburgh Error’?” For many years it seemed to Hesselgrave that the fateful “error” at the famous World Missionary Conference held in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1910, was its failure to deal with vital matters of the Christian faith—with theological and doctrinal issues crucial to the future of Christian mission. Hesselgrave, a prominent missiologist, wrote an earlier article entitled, “Will We Correct the Edinburgh Error?” In the pres- ent article, however, he asks whether missions conferences (particularly the one held at Cape Town) held 100 years after Edinburgh have corrected the errors of the earlier conference. Seventh, John Morris anticipates the following essay and provides “An Introduction to McGavran’s Thoughts on the Church and De- nominations.” Morris serves as Assistant Professor of Missions at Southwestern and secured the rights to publish the next article, a little known piece written by Donald McGavran in 1985. Eighth, in his essay, “The Church, the Denomi- nations, and the Body,” the late Donald McGavran, arguably the greatest mis- siologist of the twentieth century, addresses and analyzes the tremendous drive for denominations to unite, and thus, structurally speaking, make one church. McGavran served as Dean Emeritus of the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary. Finally, John Massey contributes a thought provoking theological review of Church Planting Movements (CPMs) methodology in “Wrinkling Time in the Missionary Task.” Massey is Associate Professor of Missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.