editorial comment a long time. After the Cross, Jewish people would kill Stephen. Later, Jew- Most mission enigmas ish people reacting negatively to Paul’s hinge on our interpretation preaching would stone Paul and leave him for dead. Soon, however, the Romans of the Bible. would kill more Christians than the Jews ever killed anyone of any kind. Ralph D. Winter In other words, THE Jews are not unique in this gruesome narrative. The same pattern is seen across the centuries in the history of missions as fearless Dear Reader, foreign by most of the people in India. missionaries have dared to penetrate the This issue of Mission Frontiers However, in India, as Biblical faith has dangerous domains of “those who sit focuses once more on the incredible begun to surface signifi cantly in Hindu in darkness.” Remember, in Scripture, importance of the emergence of a major cultural garments (for millions of darkness is not merely the absence of Hindu—a culturally Hindu—move- cultural Hindus), it is a scandal to many light but the presence of a dark, intel- ment to Christ. Curiously, our big- people both there and here. ligent, evil personality. Paul explained gest problem in digesting this kind of But this is not the only issue of to Agrippa that his call was to “open startling information is understanding interpretation of the Bible. Another their eyes, to turn them from darkness the Bible correctly. So let’s talk a little fascinating complexity is that the Bible to light, and from the dominion of about the use and misuse of the Bible. seems to have two different ways of Satan to God.” Those three phrases are In the Bible, to be sure, we fi nd the explaining things. One way, mostly synonymous. drastically different and “pagan” Greek in the Old Testament, has to do with Thus, for me, the immediate reason way of life becoming a suitable garment ultimate meaning and fi nal purpose, the for (cause of) Jesus’ death fairly jumps of faith for Greeks, however unsuitable other describes the immediate cause. out of “The Passion” movie, namely, it may have seemed to many Jewish the fact that a terrible evil was com- believers. Take the movie, “The mitted by human beings goaded and That is parallel to the drastically Passion”, for example deluded (“they know not what they do”) different “Hindu” way of life that is now Does the Bible—does the movie, by an evil power that to this day still becoming, in India, suitable clothing for “The Passion”—say that the Jews killed ranges across this planet even though Biblical faith. Jesus? Yes and no. ultimately to be Does the Bible give defeated. The Bible is “the Problem”? us two quite differ- Our biggest problem in A second reason As a matter of fact, most mission ent reasons for Jesus’ digesting some kinds (purpose) for why enigmas hinge on our interpretation of death? Yes. of startling information Christ died is, of the Bible. Here are a couple of exam- Did some Jews kill is understanding the course, for Mel ples of Bible problems. Gibson, for most Jesus? Sure, indirectly. Bible correctly. For example, is the Bible trying to But we should not say Catholics and for tell us that God shifted gears drasti- that “THE Jews killed many Protestants, cally from a Jewish tradition to a Greek Jesus,” because that would implicate the fact that God sent His Son to die tradition? Does the latter now “super- them all – Zechariah, Elizabeth, etc. for the sins of the world. This purpose, cede” and replace the former? Or is the Think of the crowds of Jews that heard not a cause, we understand from the Greek tradition in addition? Is, after all, both John the Baptist and Jesus “gladly.” perspective of the sovereignty of God. the Bible portraying for us the basic le- Were they all present in that mob that Both interpretations are true. Ap- gitimacy of the personal faith of people opted for Barabbas? parently, to understand the Bible it is within either cultural tradition, and, Even if, more accurately, we say necessary to realize that the Bible itself eventually in all cultural traditions? that “some Jews” killed Jesus, that is in often gives two different reasons for the Missionaries do well to acknowlege one sense no more than to say that some same event. the latter case to be closer to the truth. people killed Jesus. If they don’t, they will end up simply John Piper’s recent book, The Pas- The Biblical paradox behind extending into, say, India, a Western sion of Jesus Christ, gives 50 reasons all this type of religion that will be considered why Jesus went to the Cross. However, Sometimes the Bible is exasperat- these 50 reasons are not fi ftycauses but ingly diffi cult to understand. Two fi ftypurposes, as the back cover carefully things in apparent contradiction can Ralph D. Winter is points out. both be true. A “dual perspective” is es- the Editor of Mission In any case, one thing about the sential, and to be faithful to the Bible we Frontiers and the Cross of Christ is fearfully undeni- must get comfortable with it. General Director of For example, the Bible very plainly the Frontier Mission able. People in the Jewish tradition had and straightforwardly states that Fellowship. been killing the prophets routinely for 4 May-June 2004 Mission Frontiers USCWM•1605 E. Elizabeth St.•Pasadena, CA 91104•626-797-1111 www.missionfrontiers.org Mission Frontiers May-June 2004 5 editorial con’t. hen the Bible describes something in two radically different ways, we Wstumble seriously if we feel there must be a contradiction. 1) Joseph was sent to Egypt because of of the heart, etc. are usually described •The fact that God “incited” David to the ill will and initiative of his con- as 1) directly from God, while in the count Israel does not excuse Satan in niving brothers. Later, Joseph himself New Testament Peter’s statement is the slightest. insists to his brothers equally plainly, 2) more typical about the origin of evil, •The fact that God sent His Son to the “You did not send me to Egypt. God 2) “Jesus went around … healing all Cross does not excuse certain Jews and did (Gen. 45:8).” One statement is a who were under the power of the devil Romans (and Satan) in the slightest. cause, the other a purpose, both true! (Acts 10:38).” Modern-day examples of this In the same vein, probably the most In fact, in the Old Testament the paradox may be more delicate for us to paralyzing paradox in Scripture is the Hebrew word satan usually means deal with. For people visiting the dying startling fact that 1) in 2 Sam. 24:1 simply adversary, while in the New in hospitals it is not good enough to King David is “incited by God” to do Testament the word almost always say “God gives and God takes away,” wrong, while in the parallel account 2) means Satan. (It still means adver- or that “God knows what He is doing,” in 1 Chronicles 21 it says unmistakably sary when Jesus uses it in connection or that we must believe that “God has a that David was “incited by Satan” to with an adverse reaction of Peter. But good purpose for this.” do that same wrong. Yet, Biblically, Bible translators working in the New We must also recognize that, as true both are true. Testament are right that in the New as these statements of God’s purposes Joseph’s and 2 Samuel’s accounts Testament satan almost always means may be, they do not excuse the role of 1) speak from the perspective of the Satan.) Satan, or diabolical pathogens, or per- over-arching sovereignty of God and So what? (This is very serious.) haps misguided doctors in the slightest. His purposes while the alternate state- In both the Bible and daily life today Most important, relaxing in God’s ments 2) speak of the actual cause, the we badly stumble if we resort to only one overarching purposes does not excuse functioning instrumentality, the vile, of these two Biblical ways of describing believers from the obligation to go all evil, destructive work of Satan who things. out in mission to extinguish causes. Can often works through human beings. Here is a crucial point. we wrap our inactivity under the cloak Thus, in the Old Testament espe- •The fact that God sent Joseph into of a superfi cial Evangelical fatalism that cially, harm, danger, blindness, deaf- slavery does not excuse his brothers relaxes with the thought that “God has His ness, illness, plagues, even hardening in the slightest. mysterious reasons”? New Members of the Frontier Mission Fellowship James and Julie Butare and family have joined us under loan from Wycliffe Bible Translators. James has a doctorate in applied linguistics from Sorbonne University, while Julie has a diploma in business studies and offi ce administration. James has been appointed to the faculty of William Carey International University as a curriculum developer, and Julie assists in the university library. Elias and Sonia Rivera and family, originally from Puerto Rico, have come to us after pastoral service to three congregations in Puerto Rico and North America. Sonia is assisting the Latin American Mobilization Division and overseeing subscriptions for the Global Prayer Digest in Spanish. Elias teaches Perspectives and mobilizes Spanish-speaking churches to complete the unfi nished task. Is God calling you to join them in the Frontier Mission Fellowship? The FMF is the agency behind the U.S.