Missions and World Christianity Commons^™

Engaging Witchcraft Accusations Among Christians As A Vehicle Of African Traditional Religious Self-Advocacy In African Contexts, Robert Magoola

The Asbury Journal

That African Christianity is growing in numbers has become a familiar fact; testimony to the commitment of African preachers and adherents to the gospel of Christ. However, a disturbing trend is sweeping over many parts of sub-Saharan Africa in places such as Uganda. It is the increased number of witchcraft accusations that are being leveled against Christians and Christian leaders. In this paper, Robert Magoola acknowledges this unfortunate predicament facing the African church as it maligns Christian gospel proclamation and enhances African traditional religion’s self- advocacy. He evaluates the possible credibility of field-based evidence on the basis of a parable …

Journal In Entirety

The Asbury Journal

TABLE OF CONTENTS

From the Editor, Robert Danielson

The Practical Theology of the General Rules Andrew C. Thompson

Historical Support for Early Methodist Views of Water and Spirit Baptism Joseph D. McPherson

Understanding Christian Perfection and its Struggle with Antinomianism Victoria L. Campbell

Vulnerability and Empowerment in Crossing Frontiers: A Christian Theology of Mission Lalsangkima Pachuau

Life in the Spirit: An Overview of Lesslie Newbigin’s Pneumatology of Mission Rob Hughes

The Significance of Pentateuchal Tithing as a Legal Instruction for the 21st Century Reader Miracle Ajah

Chronicles as Revisionist Religious History Moshe Reiss and David J. Zucker

Local Residents’ Responses …

From The Editor, Robert Danielson

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

The Practical Theology Of The General Rules, Andrew C. Thompson

The Asbury Journal

The “General Rules of the United Societies” were a central component of the early Methodist movement under John Wesley’s leadership. Examinations of the General Rules in contemporary literature tend to focus on their role in personal and organizational discipline for early Methodists and for the movement as a whole. Yet a close examination of the rules shows that they served a greater purpose: as the practical theological articulation of how Methodists could expect to experience sanctification in the context of their lives. This crucial aspect of the General Rules’ use can be seen by exploring Wesley’s understanding of the means …

Understanding Christian Perfection And Its Struggle With Antinomianism, Victoria L. Campbell

The Asbury Journal

Every so often, a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary will notice a current student with exceptional promise. The Asbury Journal wants to help highlight the work of rising academics by publishing works from such students. This paper is an example of such a work, brought to the attention of the editor by Dr. Larry Wood.

Much of the confusion regarding John Wesley’s phrase, Christian perfection, comes from the western tendency to define “perfection” as a state of infallibility (from the Latin perfectio) rather than a process of spiritual maturing based upon the Greek word for perfection, teleios (Matthew …

Life In The Spirit: An Overview Of Lesslie Newbigin’S Pneumatology Of Mission, Rob Hughes

The Asbury Journal

British missionary Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998) was a highly influential missionary theologian, a bishop in the Church of South India, and a leader in the twentieth century ecumenical movement. His writings regarding the missionary nature of the church, the engagement of the post-Christendom West as a mission field, and the theological understanding of mission from a Trinitarian perspective have been foundational for both the missional and emerging church movements. This article presents an overview of one aspect of Newbigin’s thought, which, though constituting a key element of his Trinitarian theology of mission, has often been overlooked—his grasp of the role of …

The Significance Of Pentateuchal Tithing As A Legal Instruction For The 21st Century Reader, Miracle Ajah

The Asbury Journal

So much debate has arisen as to whether or not the obligation to tithe was bound to the Old Testament and Judaism, or applied to the contemporary Christian Church. This paper seeks to answer the questions about how we can understand and apply the Old Testament datum to the contemporary church in Africa; how we can define our relationship to God’s covenant revealed in the Old Testament in the light of our New Testament experience; and the significance of Pentateuchal tithing as a legal instruction for the 21st Century reader. Discussions were done under the following headings: The Pentateuchal tithing …

Chronicles As Revisionist Religious History, Moshe Reiss, David J. Zucker

The Asbury Journal

Chronicles takes history and reconstructs it to make it more acceptable in terms of its time and place. The Chronicler writes a form of revisionist religious history, to revitalize, reinvigorate, and renew Judaism for the returning exiles from Babylon and their descendants. Chronicles is selective history. The Chronicler understands that Moses created the nation of Israel from a group of slaves, and that David created a dynastic monarchic system of government. By the time Chronicles is written, that system was gone and what replaces it is a religion based on the Temple, the cultus and the attendant Levitical personnel.

From The Archives: Methodist Camp Meetings And Revival, Robert A. Danielson

The Asbury Journal

Pictures Shown:

• Unknown Camp Meeting with Tents

• Camp Meeting at Camp Wofowag, near Moodus, Connecticut

• Pasadena Camp Meeting, Pre 1917

• Willimantic Camp Meeting with “Cottages”, Connecticut in 1910

• Asbury President H.C. Morrison at an Unknown Camp Meeting

• Asbury President Frank Bateman Stanger Preaching at Redwoods Christian Park Camp Meeting

  
  

Special Book Review Essay, Aaron Perry

The Asbury Journal

The Economy of Desire: Christianity and Capitalism in a Postmodern World
Daniel M. Bell, Jr.
Grand Rapids: Baker Academic
2012, 224 pp. paper, $19.99
ISBN: 978-080-1035-739

Liturgy as a Way of Life: Embodying the Arts in Christian Worship
Bruce Ellis Benson
Grand Rapids: Baker Academic
2013, 160 pp. paper, $17.99
ISBN: 978-080-1031-359

Book Reviews, Ruth Anne Reese, Dale F. Walker, Randall Hardman, Robert A. Danielson, Brian Yeich

The Asbury Journal

Understanding Biblical Theology: A Comparison of Theory and Practice
Edward W. Klink III and Darian R. Lockett
Grand Rapids: Zondervan
2012, 193 pp. paper, $17.99
ISBN: 978-0310-49223-8
Reviewed by Ruth Anne Reese

Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament
Murray J. Harris
Grand Rapids: Zondervan
2012, 304 pp. cloth, $42.99
ISBN: 978-0310-49392-1
Reviewed by Dale F. Walker

The New Testament: A Historical and Theological Introduction
Donald Alfred Hagner
Grand Rapids: Baker Academic
2012, 896 pp. cloth, $49.99
ISBN: 978-0-8010-3931-7
Reviewed by Randall Hardman

Contextualization in World Missions: Mapping and Assessing Evangelical Models
A. Scott Moreau
Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications …

From The Editor, Robert Danielson

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Inductive Biblical Study: History, Character, And Prospects In A Global Environment, David R. Bauer

The Asbury Journal

In this keynote address at the 2012 Interdisciplinary Colloquium, held at McKenna Chapel on the Kentucky Campus of Asbury Theological Seminary, October 12, 2012, David Bauer examines the history and development of inductive biblical study within its English-speaking environment. In addition, he proposes ways in which this approach can be understood in postcolonial environments as a way to open the methodology of Inductive Bible Study to a larger global audience.

Inductive Bible Study: Contextual Appropriation In Northeast India, M. Sashi Jamir

The Asbury Journal

M. Sashi Jamir examines the application of Inductive Bible Study to the tribal communities of Northeast India. This postcolonial situation has some positives such as a context with a higher degree of education, but it has also lead to a prominence of Western philosophy over traditional ways of understanding, which need to be reclaimed. The reality that larger national forces in India often overshadow tribal communities also poses potential problems that prevent the local theological voice from being heard.

From The Archives: The Methodist World’S Fair Of 1919

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Books Received, Robert Danielson

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

Historical Support For Early Methodist Views Of Water And Spirit Baptism, Joseph D. Mcpherson

The Asbury Journal

This paper is a product of the Wesleyan Studies Summer Seminar for 2011. This program at Asbury Theological Seminary, under the leadership of Dr. Kenneth Collins, provides Wesleyan scholars with a month long intensive opportunity for research, writing, and interacting with other Wesleyan scholars for the furthering of academic knowledge in fields of Wesleyan Studies.

This paper explores the historical theological positions regarding water and Spirit Baptism in early Methodism and how these views diverged in the American Holiness Movement. Early Methodist teaching was more in line with Church history in associating water baptism with the outpouring of the Holy …

Local Residents’ Responses To Tourism As A Framework To Understand Hosts’ Responses To Short-Term Missions, Jeremy Griffin

The Asbury Journal

The research on the perspectives of the hosts in short-term missions is beginning to gain a stronger presence in the literature on short-term missions. To analyze the hosts’ point of view in short-term missions, this article uses four theoretical frameworks from the anthropology of tourism that measure hosts’ attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions of tourism, its development and impacts. The result is that the hosts may show advocacy, concession, contention, or resignation towards short-term missions.

"Justification By Faith": Richard Baxter's Influence Upon John Wesley, Joseph W. Cunningham

The Asbury Journal

Correction In our Spring 2009 issue we published an essay, "'Justification by Faith": Richard Baxters Influence upon John Wesley." Due to an editing error, the essay was mistakenly attributed to Floyd T. Cunningham, president of Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary. We apologize to Dr. Cunningham for the inconveniences this mistake has caused.

We also apologize to Dr. Joseph W Curmingham of Eureka College who is the correct author of the essay. In order to emphasize this correct attribution, we are republishing the essay in this issue with Dr. Joseph W Cunningham listed as the author.

-Terry …

Anticipating Change: Missions And Paradigm Shifts In Emergence, Sam Law

The Asbury Journal

As our global community is in an unprecedented period of rapid change, missiology, being a study of crossing boundaries, plays a critical pathfinder role in anticipating, participating and mediating the change process, for change itself is a temporal boundary. Failure to do so in the past has left the Church and other groups in a position in which they lag change, and have been marginalized and considered irrelevant. Emergence theory is introduced as a new model, in place of Kuhn's pyramid of causality, to describe how change itself has changed, as networks are now the opinion leaders. As well, Emergence …

Identification By Spirit Alone: Community-Identity Construction In Galatians 3:19-4:7, Susaan Liubinskas

The Asbury Journal

Interpretations of Paul's letter to the Galatians have tended to focus on its theological content, particularly Paul's attitude toward the Law and Judaism Moreover, the question of how the theological portion of the epistle relates to the paraenetic section (Gal 5:13---6:10) continues to vex interpreters. However, the author notes that the position of Jews and Gentiles within the Christian churches is ultimately a question of identity. Accordingly, the goal of this study is to perform a sociological analysis of Gal 3:19--4:7, drawing upon aspects of social identity theory, in order to analyze Paul's method of constructing community identity in terms …

Public Theology For Global Development: A Case Study Dealing With "Health" In Africa, Gregg A. Okesson

The Asbury Journal

This article makes a simple assertion. The problems faced by global societies require a multi-disciplinary approach, in which theology actively engages other disciplines, such as politics, health, economics, science, and cultural studies, for the purposes of helping the Church of Jesus Christ accurately represent "the fullness of him who fills everything in every way" (Eph 1:23). This reflects the writings of John Wesley and involves a process of reinterpreting the Asburian heritage of "the whole Bible for the whole World" for relating the Gospel to such issues as poverty, disease, famine, ecological disaster, and other facets of development crisis. In …

A Macarian-Wesleyan Theology Of Mission, Matt Friedman

The Asbury Journal

In this paper, Iwill begin by providing an outline of the development of the theology of union with God, or theoric. I will have a particular focus on fourth-century Syrian monk Macarius-Symeon, whose Fifty Spiritual Homilies had an influence on early Pietism and early Methodism From there, I will seek to demonstrate how John and Charles Wesley, as well as their colleagues such as John Fletcher in the first generation of Methodist leadership, sought to critically fold this understanding into their own teaching regarding justification, sanctification and the ultimate goal of those who walk in union with God in …

Journal In Entirety

The Asbury Journal

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Essays

Anticipating Change: Missions and Paradigm Shifts in Emergence Sam Law

Identification by Spirit Alone: Community-Identity Construction in Galatians 3:19-4:7 Susann Liubinskas

Public Theology for Global Development A Case Study Dealing with ''Health'' in Africa Gregg A, Oktsson

Poetry as the Handmaid of Piety: Hynms as a Catalyst for Human Development in Early Methodism Brian Yeich

A Macarian-Wesleyan Theology of Mission Matt Friedman

Impacting the Orienting System: The Role of Theological Education in Influencing Socio-cultural Images of God Anne K. Gatobu

The Tabernacle and Contextual Worship Craig Keener

The Journey to God: Union, Purgation and Transformation …

The Tabernacle And Contextual Worship, Craig Keener

The Asbury Journal

Christians today sometimes debate the propriety of contemporary worship styles. Examining features of Exodus's tabernacle in light of cultures surrounding ancient Israel offers one biblical model for contextual worship. These features reveal that this model was relevant to its cultural setting Some contextual elements fit Israel's setting merely out of necessity or expediency. Other elements employ existing forms, sometimes even from non-Israelite religious practices, to communicate a point intelligible within that cultural sphere. Still other elements show striking contrasts with surrounding cultures, contrasts highlighted all the more conspicuously by the aforementioned similarities. Noticing which elements are similar and which elements …

Christian Publishing In Korea, Stephen Andrew Major, Stephanie Zugates Major

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

The Journey To God: Union, Purgation And Transformation Within The Ascent Of Mount Carmel And A Plain Account Of Christian Perfection, Stephen L. Martyn

The Asbury Journal

This article is both a call to Christian maturity and an appreciative recounting of how a Roman Catholic mystic, John of the Cross, helped me reclaim and love my own Wesleyan tradition of entire sanctification. In this article I hold up the theological doctrine of Union with God as the goal of the Christian life and review and contrast how Wesley and John of the Cross approached the issue. UThile these two spiritual masters outline differing views of the path to perfection in love, they both, nevertheless, continue to inspire and offer the light of Christ to Christians seeking full …

God's Silence: Psalm 28, Terry C. Muck

The Asbury Journal

No abstract provided.

"A Classless Society?": The Pneumatology Of E. Stanley Jones In Conversation With Mortimer Arias' Theology Of The Kingdom Of God, Angel Santiago-Vendrell

The Asbury Journal

This lecture addresses the pneumatology of E. Stanley Jones in

conversation with Mortimer Arias' theology of the kingdom of God. Jones was an advocate of what is known today in Latin America as mission integral. Integral mission seeks to restore every dimension of human life by requiring from Christians to be completely involved in the historical moment by the concrete demonstration of the power of the gospel in everyday life. Later, this illlderstanding of mission was used in Bolivia to propagate the gospel illldera brutal right-wing military regime by Bishop Mortimer Allas. Therefore, the kingdom of God as used …

New Directions In Transformational Development, Stephen Offutt

The Asbury Journal

How does theology and theoryinfonn evangelical international development initiatives? The present article answers this question by reviewing the creation and growth of the international development industry, by outlining the dominant theory in evangelical development today, and by pointing to possible future directions. It argues that Transformational Development, currently the dominant evangelical development paradigm, has played a critical role in evangelical development theory and practice. But there are weaknesses to the theory. New voices, especially Wesleyan voices, are needed to shape evangelicalism's response to poverty in the 21st century.