DOCSLIB.ORG

Mission from the Margins

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Mission from the Margins Mission from the Margins Mission from the Margins Selected writings from the life and ministry of David A. Shank James R. Krabill, editor Published by Institute of Mennonite Studies Copublished with Herald Press Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Shank, David A. Mission from the margins : selected writings from the life and ministry of David A. Shank / James R. Krabill, editor. p. cm. “Bibliography of the writings of David A. Shank”: P. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-0-936273-44-0 (alk. paper) 1. Missions—Theory. 2. Mennonites—Missions. 3. Christianity and culture—Af- rica, Sub-Saharan. 4. Mennonites—Missions—Africa, Sub-Saharan. I. Krabill, James R. II. Title. BV2063.S485 2010 266’.97—dc22 2010037821 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture readings are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, and are used by permission. Mission from the Margins: Selected Writings from the Life and Ministry of David A. Shank Copyright © 2010 by Institute of Mennonite Studies, Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, Elkhart, IN 46517. All rights reserved Copublished with Herald Press, Scottdale, PA 15683 and Waterloo, ON N2L 6H7 Published in collaboration with Mennonite Mission Network Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2010037821 International Standard Book Number: 978-0-936273-44-0 Printed by Evangel Press, Nappanee, IN Book design by Mary E. Klassen 15 14 13 12 11 10 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 To order or request information, please call 1-800-245-7894, or visit www.heraldpress.com. Contents Acknowledgments vii I. Reflecting on David Shank’s contribution 1. On reading David Shank Wilbert R. Shenk 3 2. A view from the dining room table the children of David and Wilma Shank 9 3. Apprenticeship in Blokosso James R. Krabill 19 II. Personal pilgrimage 4. On the margins: My pilgrimage in mission David A. Shank 29 III. Selected essays A. Theology of mission 5. Jesus the Messiah: Messianic foundation of mission 89 6. Consummation of Messiah’s mission 135 7. The shape of mission strategy 159 B. Mission in the European context 8. A missionary approach to a dechristianized society 171 9. Discovering the strategy of the Spirit 191 C. Mission in the African context 10. The legacy of William Wadé Harris 201 11. What Western Christians can learn from African- initiated churches 219 v vi | Contents D. Conversion 12. Toward an understanding of Christian conversion 233 13. A religious itinerary from African traditional religion to New Testament faith 249 E. Anabaptism and mission 14. Anabaptists and mission 269 15. Reflections on relating long term to messianic communities 295 16. John Howard Yoder, strategist for mission with African-initiated churches 311 17. Qualities that enable Mennonites to relate to African- initiated churches 337 IV. Bibliography of the writings of David A. Shank Crissie Judith Buckwalter, compiler 341 Ackowledgments Primary acknowledgements for the content of this volume go to Da- vid A. Shank, who for more than half a century has worked diligently and creatively to share the good news of Jesus, the Messiah, in the vari- ous contexts where God has placed him. Other Shank family members have also contributed time to making this collection of writings a reality through photo selection, editorial suggestions, sharing family memories, and general support and coun- sel throughout the process. These include Wilma Shank (David’s wife and ministry companion of many years) and the four Shank children: Michael H. Shank, Stephen Shank, Crissie Judith Buckwalter, and Ra- chel A. Shenk. Several of David and Wilma’s grandchildren have also provided suggestions or assistance along the way. Special gratitude also goes to Wilbert R. Shenk for his insightful introductory chapter on David’s contribution to missiological think- ing; to Karen Hallis Ritchie, for many hours of copyediting; to Hatoko Inoue, for scanning the original publications of the articles appearing here; to Marcella Hershberger, who obtained permissions for previ- ously published pieces; and to Mary Klassen of Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary, for book design. Gratitude is also owed to Herald Press and to Institute of Menno- nite Studies at AMBS for their support for this project. Thanks especial- ly to tireless IMS volunteer James Nelson Gingerich, for devoting many hours to formatting the text and attending to many details, and to IMS managing editor Barbara Nelson Gingerich for overseeing the project. J. R. K. vii Section I Reflecting on David Shank’s contribution David and Wilma Shank at Home of Hope in Ohain, Belgium (1953) 1 On reading David Shank Wilbert R. Shenk Rereading his writings spanning more than fifty years confirms what I have come to expect from David Shank: thoughtful engagement with context through identifying and probing the pressing issues that de- fine the present situation, in the light of history, philosophy, biblical faith, and missiological purpose. There is no better place to begin than with his programmatic essay, “A Missionary Approach to a Dechristian- ized Society.”1 Commissioned by Mennonite Board of Missions for missionary ser- vice in Europe, the Shank family arrived in Belgium in 1950. During the 1952 post-Easter season, a group of young American Mennonites work- ing and studying in Europe met in Amsterdam as the Concern Group. A second meeting took place a year later in Zurich. In the face of the disil- lusionment that pervaded European culture following two world wars, these young Mennonites were burdened by the “deep inadequacies in the spiritual resources within our brotherhood.” They discerned that the world was in the grip of a spiritual crisis and that the stakes were high. American Mennonites had suddenly been thrust onto this stage but were unable “to define or communicate the message that seemed implicit in our professed position.”2 While the “decline of the West” was writ large, the “partial sterility of our efforts at home and abroad” was not reassuring. Studies of the sixteenth-century Anabaptists con- firmed that renewal of the church would take the form of covenanted Wilbert R. Shenk directed overseas ministries of Mennonite Board of Missions (1965–90) and then taught at Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary (1990–95) and Fuller Theological Seminary (1995–2005). He has written and edited many articles and books on mission history, missiology, and church renewal. 1 David A. Shank, “A Missionary Approach to a Dechristianized Society,” Mennonite Quarterly Review 28, no. 1 (January 1954): 39–55. Reprinted as chapter 8 in the present volume. 2 Both quotations are from the introduction to Concern No. 1 (June 1954), 3. 3 4 | RefleCting on DaviD shank’s ContRibution local congregations. But observed trends in the church in North Amer- ica suggested that Mennonites were uncritically hurrying to join the cultural mainstream, hardly a positive prospect. David began the piece with an ironic observation: a North Ameri- can Mennonite church—a small rural group descended from the left wing of the Reformation—has sent him as a missionary motivated by “a compulsion to be an agent of [Jesus Christ’s] reconciliation” to Europe to work out an effective expression of this compelling motivation. At the time of writing, David had been in Belgium eighteen months. He was dividing his time between “religious and social work with all levels of European society,” language study, and preparation for ministry. He observes that during this time he had “met dechristianization at its grass roots.” In order to introduce contemporary Europeans to Jesus Christ, it was essential to understand what a dechristianized society was and why it had evolved in that direction. Materials for studying the European situation in 1950 were abun- dant, and David immersed himself in study and reflection. For a gener- ation, philosophers, historians, sociologists, and novelists had attempt- ed to interpret the new Europe—now largely cut off from its Christian roots. Philosophers Martin Heidegger and Jean-Paul Sartre advocated atheistic existentialism, while novelist Albert Camus promoted a pa- gan and “pre-Christian” vision.3 Still other Europeans wanted to re- claim their Christian heritage. The French writer François Mauriac ar- gued that “there must be a politically neutral, yet spiritually dynamic, and life-giving message in the midst of this dechristianized society.”4 Thoughtful people recognized that this reclaiming would not be easy. Reflecting on David’s 1952 article assessing the European scene, Har- old S. Bender noted that “in his search for the right answer, Shank reaches out into difficult areas of criticism of Western Christianity, with a sharp alertness to the present challenge from the Communist side.” He added perceptively, “The overtones of this critical analysis carry implications far beyond the local situation in Western Europe.”5 What then constitutes a viable missionary approach to this unprec- edented kind of mission field—a culture long regarded as Christian that 3 Twenty years later, W. A. Visser ’t Hooft called for the evangelization of “neo-pagan Europe.” See “Evangelism in the Neo-Pagan Situation,” International Review of Mission 63 (1974): 81–86; and “Evangelism among Europe’s Neo-Pagans,” International Review of Mission 66 (1977): 349–60. 4 Quoted in Shank, “A Missionary Approach to a Dechristianized Society,” 48. 5 Editorial, Mennonite Quarterly Review 28, no. 1 (January 1954): 2. On reading David Shank | 5 is now patently dechristianized, even anti-Christian? David proposed a message that moves between two poles: conservative and creative. The gospel is a conservative force inasmuch as it does not change over time. What God has done in Jesus Christ remains the point of our encounter with God’s self-revelation. But the gospel is also a creative power. God’s redemptive love engages us wherever we are, bringing about a funda- mental reorientation, that is, reconciliation of the self to God.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Finding Fellowship and Love in a Sacramental, Communal Meal A
    Liberty University School of Divinity Sharing the Lord’s Supper: Finding Fellowship and Love in a Sacramental, Communal Meal A Thesis Project Report Submitted to the Faculty of the School of Divinity in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Ministry Department of Christian Leadership and Church Ministries by Josh Peterson Lynchburg, Virginia November 30, 2020 November 13, 2020 ii THE DOCTOR OF MINISTRY THESIS PROJECT ABSTRACT Josh Peterson Liberty University School of Divinity, 2020 Mentor: Dr. Samuel Olarewaju This thesis project identifies the biblical practice of celebrating the Lord’s Supper weekly in conjunction with a communal meal. At this project’s Ministry Context, Garden City Bible Fellowship, there is a lack of fellowship and love. This project investigates whether the implementation of the Lord’s Supper and a communal meal on a weekly basis will build fellowship and love in a biblical way. After being approved by the leadership of this church, the topic will be introduced to the congregation via a sermon on the subject, culminating in a question and answer session for anyone who has questions before participating. Research will begin by participants voluntarily and anonymously completing an introductory survey, which will reveal their current views on the Lord’s Supper and the love feast. These participants will then voluntarily participate in the Lord’s Supper and the communal meal weekly for the next five weeks. Subsequently, those who have participated in three or more communal meals will complete the conclusory survey,
    [Show full text]
  • Mapping Mission As Translation with Reference to Michael Polanyi's
    Middlesex University Research Repository An open access repository of Middlesex University research http://eprints.mdx.ac.uk Haney, Richard L. (2014) Mapping mission as translation with reference to Michael Polanyi’s heuristic philosophy. PhD thesis, Middlesex University. [Thesis] Final accepted version (with author’s formatting) This version is available at: https://eprints.mdx.ac.uk/13666/ Copyright: Middlesex University Research Repository makes the University’s research available electronically. Copyright and moral rights to this work are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners unless otherwise stated. The work is supplied on the understanding that any use for commercial gain is strictly forbidden. A copy may be downloaded for personal, non-commercial, research or study without prior permission and without charge. Works, including theses and research projects, may not be reproduced in any format or medium, or extensive quotations taken from them, or their content changed in any way, without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder(s). They may not be sold or exploited commercially in any format or medium without the prior written permission of the copyright holder(s). Full bibliographic details must be given when referring to, or quoting from full items including the author’s name, the title of the work, publication details where relevant (place, publisher, date), pag- ination, and for theses or dissertations the awarding institution, the degree type awarded, and the date of the award. If you believe that any material held in the repository infringes copyright law, please contact the Repository Team at Middlesex University via the following email address: [email protected] The item will be removed from the repository while any claim is being investigated.
    [Show full text]
  • In the Liverpool District of the Methodist Church
    THE ECCLESIAL REALITY OF FRESH EXPRESSIONS “DOING CHURCH DIFFERENTLY” IN THE LIVERPOOL DISTRICT OF THE METHODIST CHURCH by CHRISTINE MARGARET DUTTON A thesis submitted to The University of Birmingham for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Urban Theology Unit, Sheffield Department of Theology and Religion College of Arts and Law The University of Birmingham March 2017 1 University of Birmingham Research Archive e-theses repository This unpublished thesis/dissertation is copyright of the author and/or third parties. The intellectual property rights of the author or third parties in respect of this work are as defined by The Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 or as modified by any successor legislation. Any use made of information contained in this thesis/dissertation must be in accordance with that legislation and must be properly acknowledged. Further distribution or reproduction in any format is prohibited without the permission of the copyright holder. ABSTRACT In the light of the Mission-Shaped Church report (2004) and the foundation of the joint Anglican/Methodist Fresh Expressions Initiative (2005), churches were encouraged to seek ‘fresh expressions of church for our changing culture, established primarily for the benefit of people who are not yet members of any church’. The ecclesial reality of four case studies of new forms of worshipping communities across Methodist Churches in the Liverpool District was examined and analysed in relation to the official statements of the Methodist Church and the Fresh Expressions Initiative, questioning the rhetoric of “church for the unchurched”. Operating at the interface of ethnography and ecclesiology, this thesis employed ethnographic and negotiated research methods in order to establish why, in an age of declining church attendance, people are choosing to join groups that are doing church differently.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecumenical Ecclesiology in Its New Contexts: Considering the Transformed Relationship Between Roman Catholic Ecclesiology and Ecumenism
    religions Article Ecumenical Ecclesiology in its New Contexts: Considering the Transformed Relationship between Roman Catholic Ecclesiology and Ecumenism Kristin Colberg Department of Theology, College of Saint Benedict, St. John’s School of Theology & Seminary, Collegeville, MN 56321-2000, USA; [email protected] Received: 20 August 2018; Accepted: 25 September 2018; Published: 26 September 2018 Abstract: The quest for Christian unity is entering a new phase amidst the movement’s many voices, perspectives and tensions. Christians are witnessing the advent of an emerging ecumenical paradigm, which, because it is not fully realized, is still realizing its full definition. The paradigm operates in a global context rather than a Eurocentric one, and even as it is more global, it is simultaneously more local. It cultivates shared praxis while being less concerned with the comparison of dogmas. Ecclesiology is also entering a new paradigm which shares many features with its ecumenical counterpart, particularly its global perspective and interest in shared praxis ahead of dogmatic questions. Even though ecumenism and ecclesiology share common trajectories, their journeys are unfolding in largely parallel rather than cooperative and mutually-enriching ways. This raises the question: What opportunities might arise from examining the shifts in ecumenism and ecclesiology together? This article examines how new methodological and practical developments in these two fields can form and inform one another. It studies the shift to synodality in the Catholic Church and the turn towards discernment in the ecumenical sphere as manifestations of similar theological commitments and a common interest in cultivating participatory processes. The seismic changes reshaping the religious landscape are transforming the relationship between ecumenism and ecclesiology; yet a strong connection between them endures and illumines paths forward for the church in the third millennium.
    [Show full text]
  • Preach My Gospel (D&C 50:14)
    A Guide to Missionary Service reach My Gospel P (D&C 50:14) “Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 27:20). Name: Mission and Dates of Service: List of Areas: Companions: Names and Addresses of People Baptized and Confirmed: Preach My Gospel (D&C 50:14) Published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Salt Lake City, Utah Cover: John the Baptist Baptizing Jesus © 1988 by Greg K. Olsen Courtesy Mill Pond Press and Dr. Gerry Hooper. Do not copy. © 2004 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America English approval: 01/05 Preach My Gospel (D&C 50:14) First Presidency Message . v Introduction: How Can I Best Use Preach My Gospel? . vii 1 What Is My Purpose as a Missionary? . 1 2 How Do I Study Effectively and Prepare to Teach? . 17 3 What Do I Study and Teach? . 29 • Lesson 1: The Message of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ . 31 • Lesson 2: The Plan of Salvation . 47 • Lesson 3: The Gospel of Jesus Christ . 60 • Lesson 4: The Commandments . 71 • Lesson 5: Laws and Ordinances . 82 4 How Do I Recognize and Understand the Spirit? . 89 5 What Is the Role of the Book of Mormon? . 103 6 How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes? . 115 7 How Can I Better Learn My Mission Language? . 127 8 How Do I Use Time Wisely? .
    [Show full text]
  • The Promise of the New Ecumenical Directory
    Theological Studies Faculty Works Theological Studies 1994 The Promise of the New Ecumenical Directory Thomas P. Rausch Loyola Marymount University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/theo_fac Part of the Catholic Studies Commons Recommended Citation Rausch, Thomas P. “The Promise of the New Ecumenical Directory,” Mid-Stream 33 (1994): 275-288. This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Theological Studies at Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theological Studies Faculty Works by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Thomas P. Rausch The Promise of the ew Ecumenical Directory Thomas P. Rausch, S. J., is Professor of Theological Studies and Rector of the Jesuit Community at Loyola Marym01.1nt University, Los Angeles, California, and chair of the department. A specialist in the areas of ecclesiology, ecumenism, and the theology of the priesthood, he is the author of five books and numerous articles. he new Roman Catholic Ecumenical Directory (ED), officially titled the Directory for the Application ofPrinciples and Norms on Ecumenism, was released on June 8, 1993 by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity. 1 In announcing it, Pope John Paul II said that its preparation was motivated by "the desire to hasten the journey towards unity, an indispensable condition for a truly re­ newed evangelization. "2 The pope's linking of Christian unity with a renewal of the Church's work of evangelization is important, for the very witness of the Church as a community of humankind reconciled in Christ is weakened by the obvious lack of unity among Christians.
    [Show full text]
  • Nelson, Russell M., “Jesus the Christ—Our
    Nelson, Russell M., “Jesus the Christ—Our Master and More” in A Book of Mormon Treasury: Gospel Insights from General Authorities and Religious Educators, (Provo, UT and Salt Lake City: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University and Deseret Book, 2003), 19–31. Jesus the Christ—Our Master and More Elder Russell M. Nelson Elder Russell M. Nelson is a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. My lifelong interest in the human heart took an unexpected turn in April 1984, when I was called to leave the operating room of the hospital and enter the upper room of the temple. There I became an ordained Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. I did not seek such a call but have humbly tried to be worthy of that trust and privilege of being His representative, now hoping to mend hearts spiritually as I previously did surgically. So I come to you as one who has been called, sustained, and ordained—one of the twelve special witnesses of our Lord and Master. In speaking with you, I sense our mutual desire and sacred responsibility to follow this vital theme from the Book of Mormon: “We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, [and] we prophesy of Christ” (2 Nephi 25:26). We honor Him as the most important individual ever to live on planet Earth. He is Jesus the Christ— [1] our Master and more. He has numerous names, titles, and responsibilities, all of eternal significance. The Topical Guide has eighteen pages (240–58) under the heading “Jesus Christ,” filled with references listed under fifty-seven subheadings.
    [Show full text]
  • Theology Today
    Theology Today volume 67, N u m b e r 2 j u l y 2 0 1 0 EDITORIAL Christmas in July 123 JAMES F. KAY ARTICLES American Scriptures 127 C. CLIFTON BLACK Christian Spirituality in a Time of Ecological Awareness 169 KATHLEEN FISCHER The “New Monasticism” as Ancient-Future Belonging 182 PHILIP HARROLD Sexuality as Sacrament: An Evangelical Reads Andrew Greeley 194 ANTHONY L. BLAIR THEOLOGICAL TABLE TALK The Difference Calvin Made 205 R. BRUCE DOUGLASS CRITIC’S CORNER Thinking beyond Easy Tribalism 216 WALTER BRUEGGEMANN BOOK REVIEWS The Ten Commandments, by Patrick Miller 220 STANLEY HAUERWAS An Introduction to the New Testament Manuscripts and Their Texts, by D. C. Parker 224 SHANE BERG TT-67-2-pages.indb 1 4/21/10 12:45 PM Incarnation: The Person and Life of Christ by Thomas F. Torrance, edited by Robert T. Walker 225 PAUL D. MOLNAR Religion after Postmodernism: Retheorizing Myth and Literature by Victor E. Taylor 231 TOM BEAUDOIN Practical Theology: An Introduction, by Richard R. Osmer 234 JOYCE ANN MERCER Boundless Faith: The Global Outreach of American Churches by Robert Wuthnow 241 RICHARD FOX YOUNG The Hand and the Road: The Life and Times of John A. Mackay by John Mackay Metzger 244 JOHN H. SINCLAIR The Child in the Bible, Marcia J. Bunge, general editor; Terence E. Fretheim and Beverly Roberts Gaventa, coeditors 248 KAREN-MARIE YUST TT-67-2-pages.indb 2 4/21/10 12:45 PM James F. Kay, Editor Gordon S. Mikoski, Reviews Editor Blair D. Bertrand, Editorial Assistant EDITORIAL COUNCIL Iain R.
    [Show full text]
  • Publications Des Sociétés D'histoire Et D'archéologie D'alsace \(Année 2012\)
    Revue d’Alsace 139 | 2013 L'Alsace et la Grande Guerre Publications des sociétés d’histoire et d’archéologie d’Alsace (année 2012) Gabrielle Claerr-Stamm Édition électronique URL : http://journals.openedition.org/alsace/1982 DOI : 10.4000/alsace.1982 ISSN : 2260-2941 Éditeur Fédération des Sociétés d'Histoire et d'Archéologie d'Alsace Édition imprimée Date de publication : 1 octobre 2013 Pagination : 553-585 ISSN : 0181-0448 Référence électronique Gabrielle Claerr-Stamm, « Publications des sociétés d’histoire et d’archéologie d’Alsace (année 2012) », Revue d’Alsace [En ligne], 139 | 2013, mis en ligne le 01 octobre 2013, consulté le 19 avril 2019. URL : http://journals.openedition.org/alsace/1982 ; DOI : 10.4000/alsace.1982 Tous droits réservés Gabrielle CLAERR STAMM Publications des sociétés d’histoire et d’archéologie d’Alsace (année 2012) Bas-Rhin Société académique du Bas-Rhin Bulletin t. CXXXI-CXXXII - L’école centrale du Bas-Rhin (1796-1803), contribution à l’histoire de l’instruction publique, par Janice BUCK Première partie : Espaces et équipements scolaires : La situation de l’Ecole centrale du Bas-Rhin : au cœur de la ville de Strasbourg ; L’édiice : des conditions matérielles diiciles dans un cadre prestigieux ; Les équipements : les ressources de la ville mises au proit de l’Ecole ; Deuxième partie : l’organisation interne et le fonctionnement de l’École : mise en place d’un modèle strasbourgeois : De l’administration de l’École centrale du Bas-Rhin : le rôle prépondérant des professeurs ; Une situation inancière précaire
    [Show full text]
  • Mission Studies As Evangelization and Theology for World Christianity
    Mission Studies as Evangelization and Teology for World Christianity Refections on Mission Studies in Britian and Ireland, 2000 - 2015 Kirsteen Kim DOI: 10.7252/Paper. 000051 About the Author Kirsteen Kim, Ph.D., is Professor of Teology and World Christianity at Leeds Trinity University. Kirsteen researches and teaches theology from the perspective of mission and world Christianity, drawing on her experience of Christianity while living and working in South Korea, India and the USA, with a special interest in theology of the Holy Spirit. She publishes widely and is the editor of Mission Studies, the journal of the International Association for Mission Studies. 72 | Mission Studies as Evangelization and Theology for World Christianity Foreword In 2000 and in 2012 I published papers for the British and Irish Association for Mission Studies (BIAMS) on mission studies in Britain and Ireland, which were published in journals of theological education.1 Tese two papers surveyed the state of mission studies and how in this region it is related to various other disciplines. Each paper suggested a next stage in the development of mission studies: the frst saw mission studies as facilitating a worldwide web of missiological discussion; the second suggested that mission studies should be appreciated as internationalizing theology more generally. Tis article reviews the developments in Britain and Ireland over the years which are detailed in these articles and bring them up to date. It further argues that, while continuing to develop as “mission studies” or “missiology”, the discipline should today claim the names “theology for world Christianity” and “studies in evangelization.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of Religion in Peacebuilding in Conflict-Torn Society in Southeast Asia
    Religious Peacebuilders: The Role of Religion in Peacebuilding in Conflict-Torn Society in Southeast Asia Raja Juli Antoni A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at The University of Queensland in 2014 School of Political Science and International Studies Abstract Scholars and practitioners of International Relations and Peace and Conflict Resolution Studies tend to ignore religion in their analyses due to the considerable influence of the secularist paradigm within these fields. Religion tends to be perceived as a cause of violent conflict, and hence as a phenomenon that must be relegated to the private sphere. However, against these more conventional approaches, some scholars and practitioners have begun to approach religion as a factor that can potentially shape peace and security in positive ways. Within this context, the aim of this thesis is to investigate, as its core question, how Muslims and Christians use religious resources to contribute to peacebuilding in conflict-torn societies in Southeast Asia. To answer the research question, the notions of the ambivalence of the sacred (AoS) and the hermeneutics of peace (HoP) are employed as theoretical frames for moving beyond both the core assumptions of the secularist paradigm and analysing local dynamics in the field. These local dynamics are accessed through a qualitative case study methodology with particular reference to the conflicts in Maluku (Indonesia) and Mindanao (the Philippines). This thesis includes the argument that religion is a resource for peacebuilding through the complex process of the HoP: the process of rereading sacred texts, religious doctrines, and narratives in order to create new, inclusive, and peaceful religious meanings and practices to overcome violent conflicts.
    [Show full text]
  • Irenaeus Shed Considerable Light on the Place of Pentecostal Thought for Histories That Seek to Be International and Ecumenical
    Orphans or Widows? Seeing Through A Glass Darkly By Dr. Harold D. Hunter Abstract Scholars seeking to map the antecedents of Pentecostal distinctives in early Christendom turn to standard reference works expecting to find objective summaries of the writings of Church Fathers and Mothers. Apparently dismissing the diversity of the biblical canon itself, the writers of these reference works can be found manipulating patristic texts in ways which reinforce the notion that the Classical Pentecostal Movement is a historical aberration. This prejudice is evident in the selection of texts and how they are translated and indexed as well as the surgical removal of pertinent sections of the original texts. This problem can be set right only by extensive reading of the original sources in the original languages. The writings of Irenaeus shed considerable light on the place of Pentecostal thought for histories that seek to be international and ecumenical. Introduction I began advanced study of classical Pentecostal distinctives at Fuller Theological Seminary in the early 1970s. Among those offering good advice was the then academic dean of Vanguard University in nearby Costa Mesa, California, Russell P. Spittler. While working on a patristic project, Spittler emphasized the need for me to engage J. Quasten and like scholars. More recently I utilized Quasten et al in dialogue with William Henn in a paper presented to the International Roman Catholic - Pentecostal Dialogue which convened July 23-29, 1999 in Venice, Italy. What follows is the substance of the paper delivered at that meeting.i The most influential editions of Church Fathers and Mothers available in the 20th Century suffered from inadequate translation of key passages.
    [Show full text]