Bauer: Editorial Published by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 1 Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, Vol. 16 [], No. 1, Art. 3 The views and opinions expressed in these articles are solely those of the original authors and do not necessarily represent those of Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. All authors assume full responsibility for the accuracy of all facts and quotations. JAMS Journal of Adventist Mission Studies Vol. 16, No. 1, Spring 2020 ISSN: 1553-9881 Editor: Bruce L. Bauer Associate Editors: Wagner Kuhn, Lester Merklin, Boubakar Sanou Managing Editor: Andrew Tompkins Regional Editors: Cristian Dumitrescu, Sung Ik Kim, Kelvin Onongha, Olaotse Gabasiane Editorial address: JAMS, Dept. of World Mission, Berrien Springs, MI 49104-1565 Phone: 269.471.6505 Fax: 269.471.6202 Editorial e-mail: [email protected] Cover and Layout: Amy Rhodes Cover Photos: AdobeStock/Photo, AdobeStock/tuayai JAMS is a peer-reviewed journal published in the Spring and Fall by the International Fellowship of Adventist Mission Studies, Berrien Springs, MI 49104-1500 Copyright © 2005-2020 International Fellowship of Adventist Mission Studies https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol16/iss1/3 2 i Bauer: Editorial CONTENTS Editorial ................................................................................................... iv Death and Ancestors in Light of the Old Testament ................................ 1 Richard M. Davidson Death and Ancestors in Contemporary Judaism .................................... 29 Reinaldo W. Siqueira Ancestor Worship and the Gadarene Demoniacs ..........................................55 Cedric Vine A Biblical Framework for Discipling Believers Who Fear Death and Hell ....................................................... 68 Wagner Kuhn and Boubakar Sanou The Phenomenon of Ancestor Cults with Missiological Implications ....................................................................... 82 Richard Doss Ancestors in the Asia-Pacific Context ..................................................... 95 Cristian Dumitrescu Funeral Rituals and Practices: The Quest for Missiological Approaches of Witnessing to Mwami Church Members in Zambia ................................................................ 108 Christopher Kabwe Mukuka Adventist Devotional Theology in Mission: An Emphasis on Spiritual Life in the Encounter with the Buddhist Karmic Understanding of God and the Afterlife ............................................................................................ 122 Regine Rimarzik Facing Missiological Challenges by Understanding Hinduism’s Approach to Ancestors....................................................... 142 Chanchal Gayen Published by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 3 ii Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, Vol. 16 [], No. 1, Art. 3 Faith, Force, and Fear: Factors that Influence Ancestral Worship among Hindus ........................................ 156 Santosh Kumar and Petr Cincala Rituals and Beliefs Surrounding Death in Islam .................................... 173 Petras Bahadur Theological Education of Seventh-day Adventist Women in Nigeria ................................................................ 193 Harriet Ikhane Dissertation Abstract Towards a Biblical and Missiological Model of Cross-Cultural Contextualization Among Chinese Immigrants in “Barrio Chino” Duarte of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic ......... 205 Samuel Telemaque Book Review Intercultural Discipleship: Learning from Global Approaches to Spiritual Formation by W. Jay Moon ........................... 207 Reviewed by Daniel Duffis Book Review The Church on Mission: A Biblical Vision for Transformation among All People by Craig Ott .............................. 210 Reviewed by Kerth Payne https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol16/iss1/3 4 iii Bauer: Editorial Editorial Understanding the biblical position on death, ancestors, and whether or not the human soul is immortal or mortal is of vital importance in Christian mission. Many in Africa and Asia have strong connections with their ancestors, believing that even after people die they continue to have an influence on the living. If the ancestors are not properly cared for, it is believed that harm, sickness, and even death can impact the family, the clan, and even the whole community. This issue of the Journal of Adventist Mission Studies provides three excellent articles detailing the biblical position on death and ancestors. Check out Richard Davidson’s article from an Old Testament perspective, Reinaldo Sequeira’s article on a Jewish perspective, and Wagner Kuhn and Boubakar Sanou’s article on a bib- lical framework for discipling new believers who fear death and hell. Much of the Christian world with its belief in the efficacy of saints ministering to the living or with a strong belief in an immortal soul can provide little comfort to those who fear the wrath of angry ancestors. The tragedy is that as Seventh-day Adventists have discipled new believers too often they have taught the biblical doctrine without spending the time to change the underlying worldview assump- tions and premises. For example, in 2018 the General Conference commissioned a Global Church Member Survey that had 63,756 responses from all 13 divisions with a margin of error of less than 1%. One of the items on the survey stated, “When people die, their bodily remains decay and they have no consciousness or activity until they are resurrected.” This is good Adventist teaching. Among respondents from all di- visions, 89.6% agreed or strongly agreed. However, in a subsequent statement that said, “The soul is a separate part of a person and lives on after death” 8.3% of the respondents said they were not sure and an additional 32.5% agreed or strongly agreed. A large majority answered the belief question correctly, but when it came to applying that statement to cultural concepts and assumptions, a large percent- age continued to believe in an immortal soul. Many new Adventist members share a cultural or religious heritage with strong Catholic or Protestant teachings con- cerning an immortal soul or come from cultures where most people believe that ancestors interact with the living. Another statement from the survey said, “People who have died believing in Christ are in heaven right now.” Among all divisions, 8.2% were not sure and an additional 19.5% agreed or strongly agreed with that statement. This means that 27.7% of Adventists were not sure or confused on this issue. I believe these statistics reveal deeply held cultural and religious values and assumptions that continue to intermingle with an Adventist belief system. Therefore, it is not only important to exegete the Word of God to ascertain what it says about death, ances- tors, and whether a person’s soul is mortal or immortal; it is just as important to exegete the local culture and the world religions to understand where people are coming from and what their deeply held beliefs and worldview values are. Four articles discuss what Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, and Hindus believe concerning these vital topics. Bruce L. Bauer, editor Published by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 5 iv Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, Vol. 16 [], No. 1, Art. 3 Doctor of Missiology COHORT-BASED CLASSES Study without disconnecting from the ield FOCUSED ON PRACTICALITY Academic rigor with practical ield research EXPERIENCED PROFESSORS Learn from trained and mature missionaries MULTICULTURAL ENVIRONMENT Interact with classmates from around the world TUITION Automatic discount when 50% DISCOUNT accepted into the program. APPLY TODAY! andrews.edu/go/missiology [email protected] (269) 471-6505 https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol16/iss1/3 6 Bauer: Editorial Published by Digital Commons @ Andrews University, 7 Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, Vol. 16 [], No. 1, Art. 3 RICHARD M. DAVIDSON Death and Ancestors in Light of the Old Testament Introduction From my personal study and from listening to the various excellent pa- pers presented at this conference, I have been both sobered and saddened to see the extent to which the belief in ancestors surviving death and being venerated or worshiped has permeated all the various religions and peo- ple groups throughout the world, both ancient and modern, both Chris- tian and non-Christian. Why does ancestor worship persist in spite of Christendom’s strenu- ous efforts to eradicate it? Various authorities have noted a major factor to be that ancestor worship has its parallels in Christian cults of the dead and of the saints. Such “parallels” are due to the widespread belief of Christendom in an immortal soul. Ironically, then, Christian missionaries have actually often reinforced the traditional indigenous belief that dead ancestors can help and harm. For example, Harriet Ngubane, in the book Body and Mind in Zulu Medicine, states: “Usually a Christian Zulu living in a chiefdom [tribal area] does not find Christian beliefs and ancestral beliefs incompatible” (1977:4). Various denominations and individual scholars have argued for “common ground” between Christianity and the Indigenous Religions of Africa and elsewhere who practice ancestor wor- ship. Therefore, Emmanuel K. Twesigye writes, “The spirits referred to as ‘ancestral spirits’ are the African equivalent of the Christian ‘Community of Saints,’ particularly within the Catholic tradition and devotional prac- tice.” He goes on to affirm: https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/jams/vol16/iss1/3