Consideration of four (4) encounters in missions. Truth, Allegiance, Love, and Power.
Long ago and far away (22 years ago, late 1980s, and 9,000 miles away) back before the Internet was called the Internet, I used to hang out on the Religion Forum of Compuserve (especially the Christian Subforum). It was a strange place. Although proselytism was strictly forbidden and language was fairly strongly controlled, I felt …
Continue reading Lessons I Learned About Online Interreligious Dialogue Before “The Internet”
In some previous posts, I have looked at Saint Boniface as a traditional model for Power Encounter. He used Ecclesiastical power (orders from the pope) and Political power (letters from Charles Martel) to go into pagan German villages and (among other things) desecrate pagan shrines (a clash of Divine power). I have questioned the value …
Suppose you are a young teenage man. There is a pop star who you think is just wonderful. She looks beautiful on TV. She has a great voice. Her songs really speak to you, and you just know that such soulful singing expresses a beauty that lies within. But, sadly, you live in Nowhere, Kansas. …
Continue reading Religiocentrism and Religious Exoticism. Opposite Concepts from Common Roots
I have been a bit down on "Power Encounter" as a missiological method... especially on this website. Power Encounter has been popularized by Charles Kraft whose understanding has been affected by his work in West Africa. He found the animistic beliefs there made the people receptive to Christianity marketed in terms of power. And perhaps …
The mission of St. Boniface and that of the Celtic Peregrini were considerably different. The table here shows a few broad differences: The Peregrini had a mission of translation (in terms of Lamin Sanneh) in that there was a genuine effort for the work of God to be adapted to the local culture. St. Boniface, …
History The Peregrini (exiles) were Celtic monks who chose to follow the call of Christ by leaving their monasteries behind and traveling to different parts of Europe to share the Gospel, disciple new believers, and educate the people. The most famous Celtic missionaries were typically Irish, but they came from many Celtic groups such as …
<Much of this article is discussed more in Sir Normal Anderson's book "CHRISTIANITY AND WORLD RELIGIONS: THE CHALLENGE OF PLURALISM"(starting around page 169)> “What view should the Christian take of non-Christian religions-…- as systems that profess to mediate salvation?” Anderson describes three broad viewpoints. To provide real-world illustration of these options, I am using the …
Continue reading What Should Be the Christian View on Non-Christian Religions?
Numerous times in Christian circles, we focus on the extremes. Extreme faith, extreme dedication, extreme charisma, extreme courage, etc. There is a place for that... and I suppose, it is reasonable that the heroes of the faith are often people of rather extreme temperaments, even (perhaps) collectors of personality disorders. They are people you might …
I was reading a web article about Campus Crusades for Christ. I generally like CCC, although, like any group, there is certainly room for criticism. The same could be said about Bill Bright, its founder. (One of the least useful books I read in seminary was one that he wrote supporting religious fasting.) Anyway, the …
Continue reading In Evangelism, Positive is Better than Negative
A Quote from Roland Allen in "Missionary Methods: St. Paul's or Ours. A Study of the Church in the Four Provinces" chapter 5 (ca 1912). "St. Paul did not convert or attempt to convert people by working miracles upon them. He did not attract people to Christianity by offering them healing. He did not heal …
Continue reading Roland Allen Quote on Role of Charity in Missional Outreach