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Articles 1 - 30 of 33
Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities
Ellen G. White’S Statements In Their Original Context On The Heathen Being Saved, Andrew Tompkins
Ellen G. White’S Statements In Their Original Context On The Heathen Being Saved, Andrew Tompkins
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
This article is a study of a number of statements found in the writings of Ellen G. White on the experience of the heathen who have not heard about Jesus or God’s law. A brief section on the historical theological setting during the lifetime of Ellen White, specifically as it relates to the question of the eternal destiny of the heathen, will preface the primary portion of the study. The question of the eternal destiny became a major discussion issue, in the wider Protestant world, during the lifetime of Ellen White. It was also an issue that John Wesley addressed …
The Legacy Of J. N. Andrews, Gottfried Oosterwal
The Legacy Of J. N. Andrews, Gottfried Oosterwal
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
No abstract provided.
Foreigners In America: A Study Of Migration, Mission History, And Ellen G. White’S Missional Model, William Wells
Foreigners In America: A Study Of Migration, Mission History, And Ellen G. White’S Missional Model, William Wells
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
No abstract provided.
Toward An Adventist Theology Of Urban Mission, Gary Krause
Toward An Adventist Theology Of Urban Mission, Gary Krause
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"As the Adventist Church looks at modern cities, the vista can be overwhelming. The city is an enigmatic phenomenon, a conglomeration of hundreds of disparate cultures, languages, and people groups. It is a complex and complicated place, resistant to easy categorization or description. Just as soon as one feels one is getting a grip on the nature of a city, a street corner is turned and another unfamiliar world opens up. The way the church views the city is of fundamental importance to the way it conducts its urban mission; therefore, in this chapter I will propose a theological window …
A Theological Framework For Adventist Urban Ministry, Kelvin Okey Onongha
A Theological Framework For Adventist Urban Ministry, Kelvin Okey Onongha
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"Early Adventism typically advocated the need to flee the cities for simple rural living because cities were regarded as Babylon (Jer 50:1-3; Rev 18:2-3). Consequently, in those regions of the world where the church’s presence has the longest history with sometimes larger congregations, many church properties are located in the countryside or rural areas. A major reason why the Adventist Church is only so lately coming to terms with the exigency of urban ministries is the deficiency of a theological framework for engagement in missions to the cities. Stone (2015) agrees that the failure to develop a theology for the …
Missional Apologetics: Keys To The Hearts And Minds Of Urban Young Professionals?, Sven Östring
Missional Apologetics: Keys To The Hearts And Minds Of Urban Young Professionals?, Sven Östring
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"research study in Australia indicated that one of the top spiritual repellents for non-Christian people is a focus on philosophical discussions and debating ideas. In spite of this, a significant percentage of Australian young professionals are still willing to consider changing their worldview if presented with the right circumstances and evidence. This article explores how apologetic material can missionally connect with the hearts and minds of urban young professionals. The Greater Sydney Conference and the South Pacific Division Adventist Media Center developed this approach based on a preliminary qualitative research study of an evangelistic series."
Short Term Travel To The Holy Land: Questions Of Potency, Pilgrimage, And Potential, Sherene Hattingh, Phil Fitzsimmons, Paul Hattingh
Short Term Travel To The Holy Land: Questions Of Potency, Pilgrimage, And Potential, Sherene Hattingh, Phil Fitzsimmons, Paul Hattingh
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"There has been a significant impact on the two participants who took part in this research project. There is no doubt that this short-term travel to the Holy Land has resulted in transformative learning where both individuals experienced contextualizing through a visual perspective, which has enhanced and contributed to a deeper meaningful understanding of their personal and spiritual journey. The results show that the impact has been positive and that planning, group membership, and active engagement through reading and journaling have made this trip unlike any other. This study although limited to two related individuals from the same faith does …
Toward A Post-Religious Urban Theology: The Missionary Movement Ethos In Secularized Contexts, Marcelo E. C. Dias
Toward A Post-Religious Urban Theology: The Missionary Movement Ethos In Secularized Contexts, Marcelo E. C. Dias
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"An urban theology should be the center of conversation with the current post-religious context that takes into serious consideration people’s search for meaning and the new spirituality in this age. Perhaps popular culture can give clues about contemporary meaning-making as well (Shannahan 2014:207-217). On the one side, history assures that an urban setting does not need to feel like a threat to the Christian faith. “Early Christianity was primarily an urban movement. The original meaning of the word pagan (paganus) was ‘rural person,’ or more colloquially ‘country hick.’ It came to have religious meaning because after Christianity had triumphed in …
In These Cities Are Jewels: Lessons From Adventist City Missions—1880–1915, David J. B. Trim
In These Cities Are Jewels: Lessons From Adventist City Missions—1880–1915, David J. B. Trim
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"As Ellen White’s words of 1909 imply, urban-focused mission has a long history in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. It goes beyond the work of Dr. John Harvey Kellogg in Chicago, the one exemplar which is reasonably well known but which comes with proverbial baggage, given what happened with Kellogg. I will touch on the Chicago mission, but it was not unique; in fact, our pioneers established many city missions. And while they stressed practical experience they also valued analytical approaches. For example, in 1910, the first two days of the annual council were given over to what was essentially a …
Multicultural Urban Ministry In The Post-Apartheid Era:A Search For Identity And Unity In Diversity, Diói Cruz
Multicultural Urban Ministry In The Post-Apartheid Era:A Search For Identity And Unity In Diversity, Diói Cruz
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"This article explores the cultural-ethnic diversity of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South Africa and its development in urban centers since the end of Apartheid. It examines challenges and opportunities for the transition to multicultural churches, and concludes by arguing that the culture of racial prejudice and suspicion can only be eradicated with the weapons of trust, faith, hope, and love."
Country Versus City Tension: Historical And Socio-Religious Context Of The Development Of Adventist Understanding Of Urban Mission, Allan Novaes, Wendel Lima
Country Versus City Tension: Historical And Socio-Religious Context Of The Development Of Adventist Understanding Of Urban Mission, Allan Novaes, Wendel Lima
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"The Adventist engagement in the evangelization of cities has been timid and, for many decades, even discouraged by an anti-urban attitude. This mentality of criticism and resistance to the cities was largely sustained through an incomplete and/or misreading of Ellen White’s writings (Jones 2013:716). This article seeks to describe Adventist rural/urban tension, the historical and social context of its origin, and how it has been softened by a contrasting broader view of Adventist urban mission."
From Rural To Urban: Critical Differentiations In Ministry Contexts Within Rural And Urban Environments, Conrad A. R. Vine
From Rural To Urban: Critical Differentiations In Ministry Contexts Within Rural And Urban Environments, Conrad A. R. Vine
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"This article seeks to delineate three critical dimensions of ministry that impact ministry strategies in predominantly rural and in predominantly urban contexts for AFM Front Line Workers (FLWs). First, the community contexts within rural and urban environments. Second, the ministry strategy considerations for FLWs in rural and urban environments. Third, personal factors impacting FLWs in rural and in urban environments. The article provides in summary form the three key critical dimensions of ministry that are shared with AFM FLWs during initial training and that are utilized post-launch by AFM FLWs with their supervisors when prayerfully demonstrating urban ministry strategies within …
Urban Church Planting: Three Functional Shifts From The New Testament, Anthony Wagenersmith
Urban Church Planting: Three Functional Shifts From The New Testament, Anthony Wagenersmith
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"Indeed, the very pulse of Adventist ministry beats strongest through apostolic mission. A basic consideration of the practical and exegetical link between the second advent of Christ and the apostolic witness for Christ must generate significant shifts in thinking and practice. Describing these as functional shifts rather than paradigm shifts—to emphasize the connection between theology and practice—what better framework to reflect upon urban church planting than that of the New Testament Church. Looking through a disciple-making and church planting lens, one can be challenged by three functional shifts for urban mission today: from places to people, from performers to equippers, …
Bulugo Vine Story: Redemptive Analogy Case Study, John Holbrook
Bulugo Vine Story: Redemptive Analogy Case Study, John Holbrook
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"Shaw indicates that rather than contextualizing the missionary’s perception of Christianity to make it understandable within the local people’s culture, the missionary should facilitate the people themselves discovering God from within their own cultural context ... In my own mission experience, I have found this approach to be valid and preferable, once there are local believers, and as God begins to develop leaders from among them. At times, cultural dynamics or God’s preparation of an unreached people group allow them to discover God without a great deal of intervention on the missionary’s part. However, in the beginning stages, it is …
Thai Contextualized Art, Gregory P. Whitsett, Amy Whitsett
Thai Contextualized Art, Gregory P. Whitsett, Amy Whitsett
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"In the 1980s, a set of four murals depicting four specific and unique Adventist teachings and beliefs was commissioned by Pastor Clifton Maberly who was serving as a missionary in Thailand. His goal was to have these events depicted in a medium familiar to local Thai buddhists so they could wrestle with the new concepts without being distracted by Western art styles. His hope was that if Jesus, Satan and the angels could be depicted using characters similar to those already familiar to the Thai, the viewer would be better able to focus on and understand the truth portrayed in …
Hmong Statement Of Belief: A Case Study, Jon L. Dybdahl
Hmong Statement Of Belief: A Case Study, Jon L. Dybdahl
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"This case study exploring the Hmong statement of belief is more than just a story. Embedded and implied in it are certain key missiological principles which should be considered any time a particular belief statement is framed. Specifically, it assumes that the gospel must be presented in ways that are culturally relevant. Responsible communicators must adapt their message so that it can communicate the gospel to their intended audience with clarity and power. A missionary must prayerfully consider both how the truths of Scripture can be best articulated in a new cultural context, as well as just what truths ought …
Sinolization Of Christianity: Increasing Gospel Relevance Or Distorting The Gospel Message?, L. Asher
Sinolization Of Christianity: Increasing Gospel Relevance Or Distorting The Gospel Message?, L. Asher
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"This study aims to address the concept of the Sinolization of Christianity in light of cultural studies, biblical principles, and the Great Controversy perspective. It will then set forth some ideas on how it could affect the communication of the gospel in the Chinese context. It will attempt to see if Sinolization makes the gospel more relevant or further distorts the Christian message through the lens of the Chinese culture. The answers to these questions should help Chinese Christians, and especially Adventists, better understand their mission in China."
Reaching Thai Buddhists And Those With A Background In Thai Buddhist Beliefs, Warren A. Shipton, Jared Wright, Tonya Wright, Nilubon Srisai
Reaching Thai Buddhists And Those With A Background In Thai Buddhist Beliefs, Warren A. Shipton, Jared Wright, Tonya Wright, Nilubon Srisai
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"One of the greatest challenges for those working across cultures is to understand the unique features of the host culture and the dominant religious beliefs and practices found in the society represented. If this is to be done acceptably, the written and spoken language must be mastered and personal friendships formed with community members. Much damage has been done by Western missionaries arriving with preconceived ideas on evangelism taken from their home country and with an attitude of being holders of superior knowledge in many areas of thought beyond that held by the host culture. Catholic missionary activity has been …
Can I Get An “Amen”? Affirming The Contemporary Ghanaian Usage Of Amen, Agana-Nsiire Agana
Can I Get An “Amen”? Affirming The Contemporary Ghanaian Usage Of Amen, Agana-Nsiire Agana
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"Altogether then, the claim that amen as used in the instances we have discussed is inappropriate is found to lack firm biblical or etymological foundation. Neither does the suggestion that if it is a vestige of African worship culture then that provides a reasonable ground for thus condemning it. While it is recognized that amen is often babbled from mental laxity, it is suggested that the problem lies not in amen, as a word, but in the person, as a worshipper. Amen is a rich word, capable of communicating a spectrum of positive human intellectual and emotional responses to worship; …
Contextualization Of An Indian Christian Marriage: A Case Study, Chanchal Gayen
Contextualization Of An Indian Christian Marriage: A Case Study, Chanchal Gayen
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"In this case study the Pheras ceremony was reinterpreted, but many of the cultural elements were retained. Biblical meanings were substituted for the cultural meanings that went against the teachings of Scripture. When doing this type of contextualization it is important to constantly pour Christian meanings into the cultural practice. Good biblical teaching is the antidote to syncretism, a danger that is always present while doing contextualization. The local people appreciated the fact that the wedding ceremony incorporated local cultural elements that were important to them. This approach also communicated the idea that Christianity is not a Western religion, but …
The Reality And The Apparent: Worldviews And Missiological Strategies, Cristian Dumitrescu, Hatsarmaveth Venkaya
The Reality And The Apparent: Worldviews And Missiological Strategies, Cristian Dumitrescu, Hatsarmaveth Venkaya
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"Worldview is an abstract concept used for identifying a set of assumptions people use to organize their view of reality. Conceptualizing worldview is a challenging task. Nobody has seen a worldview, but everybody has one. A worldview informs a person’s interpretation of reality, their cosmology, and determines their actions and reactions. Charles Kraft (1988) considers worldview as the “center control box” of a person’s life and communal culture. Most assumptions reflect one’s unverified beliefs and answers to fundamental questions, such as who they are and who others are, how people should relate to each other, what causes things to happen, …
Critical Contextualization: A Case Study Of Lobi Funeral Rites In Burkina Faso, Boubakar Sanou
Critical Contextualization: A Case Study Of Lobi Funeral Rites In Burkina Faso, Boubakar Sanou
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"It is very difficult to be relevant in our Christian witness if we do not know and address the issues with which the people we are trying to reach are wrestling. For the gospel to meaningfully engage recipients with the purpose of transforming their worldviews, Christian witnesses must always encode the biblical message in such a way that its content remains faithful to biblical principles but also makes sense to its receptors in terms of its relevance. Such new experiences often challenge them in their social location. The rationale for this is that because the gospel is always received from …
Critical Contextualization: Case Studies From Cambodia, Bruce L. Bauer
Critical Contextualization: Case Studies From Cambodia, Bruce L. Bauer
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"Those of us involved in world mission must be at the forefront to encourage local people to develop local expressions of their faith. When I hear people rejoice about the fact that regardless of where they travel in the world the Sabbath school and church service order of worship, the songs sung, and the way of doing church is the same, I do not rejoice, I groan. For that means that the foreign visitor is comfortable, but how about the local people? Are they comfortable with the often foreignness of Adventist worship? We can and must do better to allow …
Japanese Baptismal Vows, Bruce L. Bauer
Japanese Baptismal Vows, Bruce L. Bauer
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"Initiation ceremonies are important in most cultures; however, they need to be carried out in culturally sensitive ways. The changes suggested above did not change in any way the purpose or content of the baptismal day. The only thing that was changed was a strong emphasis on groupness. The missiological implication from this case study is that one size does not fit all situations. There is more than one way to do most church ceremonies, so church leaders need to be encouraged to rethink what they do and do everything in culturally sensitive ways."
Overcoming Barriers To Effective Missions, Kelvin Okey Onongha
Overcoming Barriers To Effective Missions, Kelvin Okey Onongha
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"Much today is known regarding the Great Commission of Christ to the church before his ascension for which every member is called to actively engage in missions until Christ’s Second Coming. The Greek word ethne, translated in English as “nation” is better understood as people groups (Matt 28:19). The challenge and responsibility of the Adventist Church, therefore, is to reach the diverse and numerous people groups proximal and distant, by employing all possible means and methods that God has provided for this task. The assignment undoubtedly may appear daunting, however, it still is “mission possible.” For this goal to be …
A Biblical Approach For An Inner Healing Discipleship Cycle For Migrants And Refugees, Diói Cruz
A Biblical Approach For An Inner Healing Discipleship Cycle For Migrants And Refugees, Diói Cruz
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"Within the Adventist Church many immigrants struggle silently with the consequences of emotional pain, fear, failure, anxiety, stress, inadequate parenting, rejection, and abusive relationships. Many try to cope with the ongoing results of involvement in the occult or other false religions, and the effects of physical illness, accidents, and trauma continue to impact their lives. It is God’s desire that we prosper and be in good health (3 John 2) because he created us in his image. “For in Him we live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28). Therefore, if we are to reflect his image we must …
Who Gave You Authority To Baptize?, Milton Adams
Who Gave You Authority To Baptize?, Milton Adams
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"This paper will explore the age-old, yet still relevant question, “And who gave you authority to baptize?”(Mark 11:27-33; John 1:25). First, biblical authority will be examined regarding who is allowed to baptize. Second, the writings of Ellen G. White, as they relate to biblical authority for baptizing, will be considered. Third, a counter-argument will be discussed. And finally, two baptismal tracks within the current conventional Adventist church system will be compared. This paper will conclude with a missional way forward that is faithful to Scripture, sustainable, scalable, and missionally effective in light of current cultural trends."
Toward An Adventist Theology Of Refugees, Nicholas Miller, Janna Quetz
Toward An Adventist Theology Of Refugees, Nicholas Miller, Janna Quetz
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"The Bible encourages God’s people to help immigrants, and does not leave it up to just the state, but says the people of God should personally help them. Whatever path is taken in the future it is important to keep in mind that Christ calls us brothers, and we too should call the sojourner within our gates brother. Immigration policy is complex, and there may be no clear guidance from God’s Word on parts of it. But whatever policies are arrived at, the Christian has a role to advocate for the creation and implementation of a humane and moral policy …
A Study Of The Pokot Cultural Worldview: Missiological Implications For Seventh-Day Adventist Witness Among The Pastoral Nomads Of Kenya, Haron Nyamweya Matwetwe
A Study Of The Pokot Cultural Worldview: Missiological Implications For Seventh-Day Adventist Witness Among The Pastoral Nomads Of Kenya, Haron Nyamweya Matwetwe
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"Seventh-day Adventist witness among the nomadic peoples of the East Africa region is faced with a number of challenges. Although the Church enjoys relative success in reaching most communities, its growth and development appears restricted to locations occupied by the settled communities. Unfamiliarity with nomads’ cultural structures and values is a partial explanation for why missionaries have failed to effectively connect with the nomads thereby hampering the establishment of a more vibrant mission work in pastoral nomadic regions. This qualitative research sought to describe the Pokot cultural worldview as a step toward understanding their socio-cultural context and identify barriers to …
The Seventh-Day Adventist Church And “Growing In Christ”: From Ecclesiological Awareness To Missiological Engagement, Michée Badé
The Seventh-Day Adventist Church And “Growing In Christ”: From Ecclesiological Awareness To Missiological Engagement, Michée Badé
Journal of Adventist Mission Studies
"“Growing in Christ” touches the theme of freedom from evil and satanic oppression––a topic with universal appeal and special relevance to many cultures. In this article I have argued that for Adventist mission to succeed cross-culturally, the following new perspectives need to be taken into consideration. First, as we near the close of cosmic conflict, the missiological perspectives demand special attention for the achievement of God’s mission (Kim 2013:127). Second, Adventists are called to “reveal the true character of God to the world as manifested in a unique way in His Son, calling everyone to worship Him as Creator and …