Evangelical Review of Theology Reflect the Opinions of the Authors and Reviewers and Do Not Necessarily Represent Those of the Editor Or Publisher
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EVANGELICAL REVIEW OF THEOLOGY VOLUME 24 Articles and book reviews original and selected from publications worldwide for an international readership for the purpose of discerning the obedience of faith EDITOR: DAVID PARKER Published by PATERNOSTER PERIODICALS for WORLD EVANGELICAL FELLOWSHIP Theological Commission Volume 24 • Number 1 • January 2000 Evangelical Review of Theology ISSN: 0144–8153 Vol. 24 No. 1 January 2000 Copyright © 2000 World Evangelical Fellowship Editor David Parker Committee The Executive Committee of the WEF Theological Commission Dr Rolf Hille, Executive Chair Executive Director Dr. James Stamoolis 814 W. Hawthorne Blvd. Wheaton, IL 60187 USA Phone: +1 630 690–7082 Fax: +1 630 690–0660 E-mail: [email protected] 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 Publisher. Manuscripts, reports and communications should be addressed to the Editor and sent to WEF International Office, 141 Middle Road, #05–05 GSM Building , Singapore 188976 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. Editorial 2 Students of church history are well aware that the early centuries of the church have been known as the ‘age of persecution’ but what is becoming clear is that persecution is a major problem at the present time as well. In fact, reports indicate that more people were martyred for their faith in Jesus Christ in the 20th century than in all the previous nineteen combined. More people died in circumstances related to their faith, about 100 million, in the 20th century than in all the wars fought in that time combined. The main reason for the rise in persecution, especially over the past several years, seems to be the exponential growth of Evangelicals in places such as Latin America, sub- Sahara Africa and Asia. These are the same areas of the world where Christians are experiencing discrimination, harassment and persecution at the hands of those with power. Reported incidences of persecution have actually increased since the fall of Communism in the former USSR. In these and other countries, believers feel they have been silent too long and because they feel a new sense of support from fellow Christians, they are now publicly stating their belief in Jesus, and are willing to risk the repercussions coming from their public declaration. It is easy enough to recognize the seriousness of this state of affairs, but it is another matter to live constantly in this context. So theological reflection on persecution and religious liberty must be highly conscious of this existential situation and listen to those who are involved in it. We have tried to reflect these criteria in this collection of papers. The opening article by Johan Candelin embodies the insights and perspectives of the World Evangelical Fellowship’s Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) of which the author is the director. A sister body to the WEF Theological Commission which publishes this journal, the RLC has been in existence since 1992 and in that time has effectively promoted the cause of religious freedom within the global evangelical community and beyond. One of the most prominent activities of the RLC is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) held in November each year. The material which appears under the heading ‘By the power of your name’ was prepared by the RLC for the 1999 and 1998 IDOP. Much of the work of the RLC and other similar bodies is taken up with reporting the incidence of persecution and background information about these developments. An authorative survey of the situation at the present time is provided by Roger Marshall, respected commentator and Advisor on Religious Freedom to the World Evangelical Fellowship. Transmission of information about persecution and religious liberty has been greatly assisted by the speedy and widespread communication now available on the Internet. John Roxborogh, a missiologist who has taught courses on Minority Christianity, offers an introduction to this vast amount of material and provides a valuable guide on how to interpret and use it for research and prayer, for creating greater awareness of the problem and developing constructive responses to it. The next two articles move into the area of reflection. France Quéré, a free lance author, approaches the subject in terms of unity and community with Christ. Then Joseph Tson seeks to develop a biblical understanding of martyrdom, keeping in mind his own experiences as a pastor of a Romanian church who was exiled by his government; he has since continued to work for the welfare of the church of his homeland. Taking a broader view, Thorwald Lorenzen, formerly Professor of Systematic Theology and Ethics at the International Baptist Theological Seminary, Rüschlikon, Switzerland, examines the question of human rights from a Christian perspective. Finally, we turn to a related area of concern with Allison Howell’s engaging report and reflection on the process of reconciliation in Northern Ghana when missionaries and local Christians faced the deep rooted problems that the degrading history of the British slave 3 trade has left. It is a model of sensitivity, insight and courage, which as she notes, could be well emulated by people in many other analogous situations. These articles confirm the observations of missiologist Peter Beyerhaus of Tübingen, Germany who points out that while persecution has reached new heights in recent times, it is nevertheless part of the essence of the church, reinforcing its solidarity and unity, and as such, can bring great blessing upon it (Diakrisis, June 1999 pp. 131–141). Freidrich Graber has pointed out that martyrdom functions as a sign of faith. In fact, it is next to the Word as a testimony to faith which comes to its fulfilment in death for the sake of God and his truth. The martyr’s death is the ultimate confession of faith in the sovereignty and grace of God and in the overwhelming value of eternal life in comparison with all earthly goods. So persecution, and ultimately martyrdom, is the greatest protest against earthly powers who seek to subjugate people’s bodies, minds and souls; it is especially important when the church is being silenced and can no longer meet to celebrate and proclaim the gospel. The fear of the One who is able to destroy body and soul in Hell overcomes the fear of those who can kill only the body (Mt. 10:28) (Diakrisis, June 1999 p. 142) Particular thanks is expressed to John Candelin, Mark Albrecht and John Roxborogh for their assistance with this issue. David Parker, Editor. The Message of the Cross And the Cross of the Message Johan Candelin Keywords: Persecution, power, discrimination, freedom; The eternal message of the Bible is the message of the cross of Christ. The cross is the hallmark of evangelical theology and the core of its proclamation. Yet the pages of the Bible, from Cain and Abel all the way through to the revelation on the island of Patmos, tell us that the message itself has a price—its own cross to bear. Western Christianity has lost sight of this price, both in its words and its deeds. In our increasingly consumer-oriented Sunday services any talk of suffering or sacrifice for Christ is omitted or ignored for fear of driving people away. In a self-centred, pleasure- driven and independent generation such talk is easily considered unappealing, uncomfortable or even alarming. Even Bible institutes and seminaries have not escaped the trend; few church leaders today are trained to teach on what it means to suffer for Christ. In many developing countries the situation is the reverse. Suffering for one’s faith is not only a distinct possibility, but also a proven sign that that faith is genuine and penetrating. A Sudanese pastor has expressed it this way: ‘The cross [pendant] that I wear around my neck will surely mean death for me if I meet [Muslim] soldiers from the north. But I am prepared to die for Him who died on the cross for me.’ He has watched his father die for the gospel, and knows that faith will carry a person through the doors of suffering into eternity. 4 At Jewish weddings the bride and groom each drink from two cups, the cup of love and the cup of suffering. The symbolism is beautiful and a powerful lesson to us Christians. We gladly drink together with Jesus from the cup of love but are wholly unacquainted with the cup of suffering. In revival meetings in the West, many rise from their seats to receive blessing, but how many would stand up if it meant risking their lives? For those of us who are familiar with spiritual life in the persecuted church it is clear that the revival and renewal we so badly need in the West will come from there, not from Hollywood. The persecuted church is a praying, witnessing and growing body with a vital message for anyone who will listen. PARADIGM SHIFT One reason the number of suffering Christians has risen in the last forty years is a radical paradigm shift in evangelical Christianity. In 1960, two thirds of the world’s evangelical Christians were in North America and Europe and one third in the developing and Third World countries. Today the reverse is true. Although the number in North America and Europe has not decreased significantly, in the developing and Third World countries it has shot up to account for two thirds of the total. As it is in these countries that human rights are most at risk or do not exist at all, it is hardly surprising that the number of suffering Christians is rising.