Christian Missions

“In the year 1901 the latter rain began to fall in different parts of the
world,” trumpeted the Missionary Manual of the Assemblies of God
published three decades later. More importantly, the evangelistic zeal of
“waiting, hungry-hearted people,” who had been baptized in the Holy
Spirit, signaled the resumption of “the Lord’s Pentecostal missionary
movement.” It had been halted at the end of the first century when the
Holy Spirit was “largely rejected and His position as leader usurped by
men.” Consequently, Spirit-led missions ceased and the Dark Ages
commenced.2 Now, in the remaining days before the imminent return of
Christ, Pentecostals would jubilantly carry the apostolic banner down the
parade route of modern mission.

God's Missional Nature The important term Missio Dei (Mission of God) needs a biblical foundation. The sending of God by God is a foundational motive in the New Testament. Even at the very beginning of salvation history, shortly after creation, God became the first missionary. In Jesus, God is the missionary par excellence, and in the Holy Spirit, God is the most successful missionary. Mission is part of the nature of God, and therefore mission can only be described holistically and in a manner that transforms human mission into the image of God's mission.

This article explores the relationship between the Christian mission and Israel as a modern Jewish nation state. From the rebirth of the state of Israel in 1948, some Christian Protestant Churches and missionary organizations have acted to convert Jews to Christianity. The State of Israel has opposed such proselytizing yet wishes to maintain its commitment to freedom of religion as stated in its Declaration of Independence; nor does it wish to damage relations with the Christian world.

Pour un cinquième de l’Église mondiale, le leadership s’exerce dans un contexte de persécution. Si la persécution et le leadership suscitent l’un et l’autre un intérêt croissant tant parmi les érudits que chez un public plus profane, il a été jusqu’ici mené peu de recherches au carrefour de ces deux domaines d’études, qui portent sur l’expérience du leadership face à la persécution. Cet article en appelle à une étude consciente et approfondie du leadership chrétien dans ce dernier contexte, qui prenne en compte les défis du témoignage à Jésus-Christ en pareilles circonstances, des perspectives bibliques, de la pertinence des théories du leadership et des profits à en retirer pour l’Église mondiale, notamment pour les communautés persécutées, pour les missionnaires et pour ceux jouissant d’un degré plus important de liberté religieuse. La théorie du leadership de Robert E. Quinn est un exemple de modèle de recherche prometteur, testé dans le cadre de l’étude du leadership de l’église Meserete Kristos, en Éthiopie, entre 1974 et 1991.

El Patronato de Misiones Pedagógicas desarrolló una importante labor de recuperación y difusión de la cultura musical, especialmente del folklore musical español, en los primeros años de la II República española, al poner en marcha un servicio de música y un coro que se encargaron de acercar diferentes estilos y géneros musicales a los habitantes de las zonas rurales más deprimidas. En este artículo se presenta un estudio documental sobre el trabajo llevado a cabo por los integrantes del coro y por las personas que se encargaron de custodiar los recursos musicales cedidos por el Patronato y de programar las diferentes actividades musicales en los municipios que gozaron de dichos recursos. A su vez, se recogen diversos testimonios que dan fe del cometido realizado por esta institución y del impacto cultural y musical que supuso en los habitantes de las localidades donde se desarrollaron las diferentes actividades misionales.

How might Christians from one honor-shame culture effectively serve as missionaries in another honor-shame culture? By answering this question, churches and mission organizations can better train cross-cultural workers whose cultural backgrounds offer advantages not enjoyed by many Western missionaries. Due to the sheer scope of the topic, his essay sketches only a preliminary proposal.

"The purpose of this analysis is to provide an overview of the North Korean situation in order to design effective mission strategies among the North Korean people.  This analysis will provide a summary overview of the current North Korean culture, current missionary work, and possible strategies for the future.  Due to the intense suspicion of foreigners and extreme resistance to religious activity, missionaries will have to rely heavily on political, social, and humanitarian methods in order to evangelize the North Korean people" (taken from the introduction).

The use of missionary and other archives can reveal useful information for contemporary planning both by providing sociomedical baselines for understanding change, and by providing practical approaches to development. At the beginning of this century, German Lutheran missionaries in South Pare, Tanzania, implemented a successful campaign to lower child mortality without the aid of modern medical technology. The missionaries achieved this goal through an understanding of indigenous ideas about health and illness, cooperation with indigenous healers, and through communication and mutual learning. By focusing on behaviorally oriented prevention, as well as cures, long-term health care projects based on this strategy may provide more effective basic health improvements than large-scale expensive medical-technological intrusions. 0

Finally, we are at the precipice overlooking a deep chasm, which few believers are willing to cross. Yet, at the same time, if we are going to square with Jesus, someone needs to give us a shove off the deep end. If you have read all the sections prior to this one, you are on the end of an overlook and I've placed dynamite behind you. Good luck as we blow the bridge to the past.

Discipleship is fundamental to developing Christian leaders. A discussion on Christian leadership requires we consider the importance of the church and personal character. Some people might not realize that these two topics correspond with prominent themes in honor-shame cultures; namely, collective identity and a practical approach to ethics. Many Asian religions and philosophies tend to emphasize the importance of community yet veer away from abstract doctrines that do not affect one's daily life. Therefore, this paper considers how honor and shame can and should influence our approach to discipleship and thus Christian leadership in general.

English translations below >>

O ensaio aborda três pátios de aldeamentos missionários (Jacoca, Preguiça e Pilar) e cinco adros de conventos franciscanos (João Pessoa, lgarassu, Olinda, Salvador e Paraguaçu), datados dos séculos XVII e XVIII, próximos à costa do Nordeste do Brasil. Os casos compartilham o mesmo arranjo espacial - pátio retangular alongado, com construções pequenas nos lados maiores, igreja em uma cabeceira, cabeceira oposta aberta, e cruzeiro localizado no eixo longitudinal. Nesses espaços, analisam-se a implantação, a forma e as relações estabelecidas entre a arquitetura, a cidade e o território, considerando o contexto da forte presença da religiosidade na sociedade, na cidade e território coloniais. Evidencia-se uma analogia entre adros/pátios e as naves das igrejas; e enfatiza-se o papel do cruzeiro, com localização habilmente escolhida, enquanto elemento de articulação da expansão do sentido religioso da igreja conventual por sobre o pátio, o adro e a cidade. O movimento de expansão e os recursos teatrais são entendidos como meios para atingir a persuasão que motiva a criação dos espaços. Forma aberta, dinâmica e focada; e, paralelamente, teatralidade e persuasão são dois grupos de categorias que permitem situar os espaços estudados no campo da cultura barroca.

This essay focuses on the courtyards of three missions (Jacoca, Preguiça and Pilar) and on five squares in front of Franciscan convents (João Pessoa, lgarassu, Olinda, Salvador e Paraguaçu), dated from 17th and 18th centuries, located near Brazilian Northeastern coast. These cases share the same generallayout- a long rectangular courtyard, with small buildings or walls along the larger sides, a church in one of the smaller sides (while the opposite side remains open), and a stone cross (or a wooden one) in the longitudinal axis. For each of those spaces, we analyze the setting, the built form and the relations they establish with the surrounding architecture, the city and territory. The social context of a strong presence of religion in colonial society (and spaces) is also taken into account. We find an analogy between the courtyards/squares and the nave of the churches; we also emphasize the role played by the carefully positioned cross, since it works as a link for the expansion of the sacred meaning of the church throughout the courtyard, the square and the city. The dynamic expansion and the theatrical resources found are seen as means for achieving the persuasion that motivates the very construction of those spaces. Open, dynamic and focused form; as well as theatrical resources and persuasion are two groups of concepts that allow us to consider those spaces as meaningful parts of a baroque culture.

A number of recent books examine the presentation of the gospel through the lens of honor-shame. This article assesses some of the arguments given in these books to see what they have to say is of valuable and what should be questioned from the perspective of anthropology, the Bible, language, and mission history.

Η μελέτη του θεολογικού έργου του νυν Αρχιεπισκόπου Τιράνων, Δυρραχίου και πάσης Αλβανίας Αναστασίου αναδεικνύει την ιστορική του συμβολή στην αναζωπύρωση της ορθόδοξης ιεραποστολής κατά τη μεταπολεμική περίοδο. Στο θεολογικό του έργο προβάλλει με επιστημονική τεκμηρίωση την ιεραποστολική αυτοσυνειδησία της Εκκλησίας και την οικουμενικότητα του χριστιανικού μηνύματος. Το έργο αυτό αποτελεί σε μεγάλο βαθμό τη θεολογική θεμελίωση της εν Χριστώ μαρτυρίας στον σύγχρονο κόσμο και εμπνέει για την ιεραποστολική κινητοποίηση των Ορθοδόξων.
Ένα άλλο σημαντικό στοιχείο της προσφοράς του είναι η αρμονική συλλειτουργία της θεολογικής μαρτυρίας και της εκκλησιαστικής έμπρακτης ιεραποστολικής εργασίας. Στα κείμενα του Αρχιεπισκόπου, καθώς και στην εκκλησιαστική του δράση, διάχυτη είναι η προσπάθειά του οι χριστιανοί να βιώσουν και να μεταλαμπαδεύσουν το φως του Χριστού σε όλο τον κόσμο. Επίσης, έκδηλοι είναι οι αγώνες του να παρακινήσει τις Χριστιανικές Εκκλησίες, προκειμένου να δώσουν τεκμηριωμένες απαντήσεις απέναντι στα παγκόσμια προβλήματα της σύγχρονης εποχής.
Η παρούσα εργασία έχει ως σκοπό να μελετήσει τη θεολογία της Ορθόδοξης μαρτυρίας, όπως αυτή θεμελιώνεται στο συγγραφικό έργο του Αρχιεπισκόπου Αναστασίου. Επιπλέον, επιδιώκει να ερευνήσει τον τρόπο με τον οποίο ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος κωδικοποίησε το μήνυμα της οικουμενικότητας της Εκκλησίας στη σύγχρονη εποχή και να καταγράψει τα θεολογικά επιχειρήματα που συνέβαλαν στο νεότερο ιεραποστολικό ξεκίνημα στο τέλος της δεκαετίας του ’50.

With this edition, the Asia Pacific Theological Seminary (APTS) begins a year of celebrating its fiftieth anniversary which we are calling a Year of Jubilee. Like the biblical concept, APTS’s Jubilee will include a number of activities throughout 2014 designed to thank God for his great faithfulness to this institution.

Dr. E Stanley Jones through his Kingdom of God perspective had a lasting impact on racism both in India and North America.  Through his formation in India of the Christian Ashram movement in 1930 and transplanting it worldwide, Jones modeled a christian community in which divisions of class and cash had no place.  His book on his good friend Gandhi was instrumental in encouraging Martin Luther King Jr in the formation of the nonviolent civil rights movement.

Missionaries seek to be credible to the people whom they try to influence with the message of the gospel. Although Christ first and foremost calls missionaries to be humble servants who love and serve him, empirical evidence from the behavioral sciences indicates that missionaries who are perceived as experts, who attract people to themselves, and, most importantly, who are trustworthy are most likely to be deemed credible. To be perceived as experts, missionaries need to demonstrate their knowledge of a topic and to speak with confidence. To be perceived as attractive to others, missionaries should have frequent contact with others, demonstrate appreciation to others, and take care with their physical appearance. To come across as trustworthy, missionaries need to demonstrate long-term integrity, trustworthiness, open communication, and concern for others.

Mission Round Table 15:1 (Jan-Apr 2020): 42-43.

In this insightful interview, Scott Callaham highlights key challenges issued in World Mission: Theology, Strategy, and Current Issues. The book was written not only for mission practitioners, mission agencies, and seminaries, but for all biblically- and theologically-engaged Christians. Covering themes not seen in contemporary books on mission, the contributors to the book are not merely advocating returning to the Bible as a guide for the theology and practice of mission (although these aspects of mission clearly need to be reformed) but are aiming for a complete rethinking of world mission that takes us back to the source—the Bible.

Oxford.  Cambridge.  Harvard.  Princeton.  Yale…  These schools are recognized as some of the most respected universities in the English-speaking world.  George Whitefield, John Wesley, Charles Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, D.L. Moody…  These men stand out as some of the most influential Christians in the last 300 years.  What do these two short lists have in common with each other?  These are places and people greatly used in extraordinary movements of the Holy Spirit in recent centuries, and specifically related to collegiate campuses.

This paper aims to examine the implications, benefits, and challenges of using the Buddhist concept of merit transference to explain the redemptive work of Christ to those with a karmic worldview, with particular attention to the Theravada Buddhist context. The first part of the paper will examine the nature of karma, merit, and merit transference as they exist in the minds of Buddhists, particularly Theravada Buddhists. The second part of the paper will deal with adapting the merit transference paradigm to explain the cross of Christ, followed by an analysis of the potentially positive and negative consequences of presenting the Gospel in this way.

Review
Humphrey J. Fisher
The Journal of African History / Volume 37 / Issue 01 / March 1996, pp 124 - 126
DOI: 10.1017/S002185370003485X, Published online: 22 January 2009
Link to this article: http://journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S002185370003485X
How to cite this article:
Humphrey J. Fisher (1996). The Journal of African History, 37, pp 124-126
doi:10.1017/S002185370003485X

This article is based on the structural component of the dissertation, “Strategic Use of Medical Mission Events in Long-Term Local Church Outreach: A Consultant-Style Framework for Medical Mission Practitioners in the Ilocos Region, Philippines.” The research was built around semi-structured interviews of individuals involved in medical missions in the Philippines, particularly in the Ilocos Region of Norther Luzon. Nineteen such individuals were interviewed, including medical professionals, medical ministry organizers, and church leaders. The interviews were analyzed utilizing grounded theory analysis, a form of qualitative analysis that focuses on developing a model based on multiple perspectives of a phenomenon.

Analysis of the interview sources led to a visual model, the Medical Mission Structural Model. It is put in an organic form—-a trillium (or three-petaled flower). One flower is shown as healthy with the acronym “REAL” making up the parts of the flower. R is the center of the flower, with E, A, and L comprising the petals. “REAL” (or successful) medical missions have Right Motives, Effective Partnering, Active Community Participation, and Long-term Presence. With proper understanding of the terms, this model can be used to show visually what happens when key components of a medical mission are missing. Another form of the Structural Model is when the opposite occurs. The flower structure forms the acronym “WILT,’ and is shown as a weak or dying plant. Medical Missions WILT (fail) when they have Wrong Motives, Ineffective Partnering, Lack of Community, and Temporary Planning. Wrong Motives takes the center of the flower while the other letters comprise the petals. This model is meant to provide a memorable form for use in training and troubleshooting medical missions.

Background: The mathematical idea of Jesus Christ is ­ ~ ≤ X ≤ ~ and X = Y. Other mathematical ideas are the Cartesian coordinate system, n⁰ = 1 and ~, and n⁰ = 1 (X for the Lord ‘s day) and n ^n + 2 (Y for human’s day). Mathematically, it is scholarly that Christ came from heaven to earth and the dead people, and then came back to heaven through the earth. The gospel does not introduce a new Lord. There is no other Lord in Christianity, except Christ. The mathematical idea of - ~ ≤ X1 < ~ and X1 = Y1 is for Satan and the false prophet.
Objectives: To show mathematically that Jesus Christ is Lord and journey of Jesus Christ from heaven to earth and the world of the dead, then returned to heaven through this world. This journey is scholarly.
Methods: The n⁰ (X) and 10 ^2+n is mathematical ideas of days in God and human. The n⁰ = 1 and ~ in which -~≤ n ≤ ~ is for mathematical idea for one God. The ­ ~ ≤ X ≤ ~ and X = Y is mathematical idea for the spiritual journey of Jesus Christ. For the false prophet and Satan are - ~ ≤ X1 < ~ and X1 = Y1, and Cartesian coordinate systems were described.  Searched verses in the Bible manually and via the internet. Keywords included such as Christ, and the false prophet. 
Results: God in the Old Testament is the same as God in the New Testament. In mathematics, God is the same as one and ~. Mathematics can show who is God. Christ is the same as God. There is no other Christ. God became man in Jesus Christ to preach the gospel to humans. He went to the earth of the dead to preach the gospel 3 days, returned to the earth, and then to the heaven. This is the spiritual journey. Emmanuel is God with us.  A Christian could catch up into paradise as Paul’s vision. It was from the earth. It was not from heaven. It is different with Jesus Christ’s journey. Paul’s vision shows that the man catch up from the world to heaven, returned to the earth and died. He needed to wait the advent of Christ to rise up him from the death. Christ is eternal forever. The man in Paul’s vision still needs to be rise by Christ on the day of the Lord. The - ~ ≤ X ≤ ~ and X = Y fills Quadrant 1, Quadrant 2, Quadrant 3, and Quadrant 4 in the Cartesian coordinate system. Mathematical idea of -~ ≤ X=Y ≤ ~ is first the evidence as spiritual journey of Jesus Christ as the Father, Son, and the Spirit. The Cartesian coordinate system is the second evidence of the journey. Another evidence in mathematical idea, the third evidence, of the Father, Son and the Spirit is n⁰ = 1, ~. For example, if n is 1, 2, 3, the result is 1⁰ = 2⁰ = 3⁰ = 1. It shows that the Father, the Son, and the Spirit is one. The forth evidence is day in the Lord and day in human. Its mathematical idea is n⁰ = 1 (the Lord’s day) and n^n+2 (human’s day). Satan was from heaven and was thrown into the earth. It was not a spiritual journey. Satan, his angels and the false prophet have been thrown into the hell.  The mathematical model of the false prophet is - ~ ≤ X1 < ~ and X1 = Y1.
Conclusions: Jesus Christ is the Lord and scholarly. There is only one Lord Jesus Christ. The ­ ~ ≤ X ≤ ~ and X = Y shows that Jesus Christ is the Lord. Ten mathematical ideas or evidences can demonstrate the relationship between God, Jesus Christ, and the Spirit. This relationship also shows the Spiritual Journey of Jesus Christ. These include n⁰ = 1and~ , n0⁰ (X) and n^2+n, -~ ≤ X=Y ≤ ~, and the Cartesian coordinate systems. The false prophet has mathematic idea as - ~ ≤ X1 < ~ and X1 = Y1.

The 1890s saw a rapid expansion of mission schools in China, among which a number of theological seminaries were established or enlarged in order to provide Chinese Christian workers with a systematic education, rather than traditional short-term training courses. This article uses the Theological Institute of the London Missionary Society (LMS) in Tianjin 天津養正聖經學院 (which developed into the Tientsin Anglo-Chinese College 天津新學書院 (TACC) in 1902) as a case study, examining the shift in its educational intentions, perspectives and approaches from 1863 to 1902, in order to explore the factors that caused this shift and the possible impact it had on the students and the nature of mission education, as well as on the evolution of Christianity in China during this period.

This 200-page, English-and-Albanian work is an illustrated history of the 200-year Protestant contribution to Albanian literature (1817–2017). It was published jointly by the National Library of Albania and the Institute for Albanian and Protestant Studies, and is based on Hosaflook's Ph.D. dissertation.

The Russian Orthodox mission to Alaska can be understood in terms of liberative mission. The article shows how the missionaries succeeded in allowing Christianity to become indigenized in native Alaskan cultures, rather than attempting to make the indigenous peoples Russian. It did this through an attention to the narratives, religious and otherwise, of the Alaskan peoples and by allowing these narratives to address and be addressed by the Christian narrative. Current anthropological research points to the depth of the roots of this indigenization, and how it helped in the identity formation of the native peoples especially after the sale of Alaska to the United States when their identity was under severe external threat. The Russian Orthodox mission to Alaska provides a good historical case study of how the gospel can be indigenized in a way that empowers people and suggests a tradition available to Orthodox churches today as they seek to become more mission-minded.

What has holiness to do with mission? This work focuses on answering the question of what holiness has to do with mission by exploring definitions of both holiness and mission, and how the two are connected. It then moves on to explore whether Holness is and should be the aim of mission through an examination of the work of the Old Testament prophets, before moving on to discuss the implications of the Great Commission. Finally, it will seek to explore the idea of whether holiness is necessary for mission to take place by examining the world of the Early Church and the role of mission in the exilic period. The conclusion to this work finds that mission and holiness are inextricably linked and cannot, and should not, take place without reference to one another.

Firstly, the Roman Catholic «prehistory» of contact between the Panoan groups of Bolivian Amazonia and Jesuit, Franciscan and lay clergy missionaries is described. The paper then analyses the continuity of the evangelization process by diverse evangelical denominations, describing three missionary experiences with the Chacobo since 1955 to the present day. Finally, general insights are proposed relating the anthropological problem of religious conversion.

In recent years, missionaries have discussed and strategized ways to catalyze “church planting movements” (CPMs) around the world.  However, many people have challenged mission practices that are oriented on CPM-theory.  Both sides of the debate appeal to Scripture to support their arguments. Indeed, CPM theorists implicitly and explicitly contend that CPMs are found in the Bible itself.  This article examines and contests any such claim.
This article makes a simple argument: there are no “church planting movements” in the Bible. Although someone might regard this as a “negative” thesis, the aim of the essay is quite constructive. It is utterly critical that certain notions and associations be set aside if we are to develop biblically faithful and strategically wise missiology. Of course, there is much to commend in CPM literature. However, we cannot simply draw out what it good from a CPM theory without examining related ideas, such as its use of Scripture. When applying some aspect of CPM missiology, we may unwittingly assume ways of thinking or interpreting the Bible that are counterproductive. Therefore, this essay tries to help readers discern theory from theology.

This paper explores the London City Mission’s concerted efforts to evangelise the foreigner residing in, or passing through, London in the late nineteenth century. In 1876 the London City Mission Magazine declared that: ‘No principle can possibly justify the neglect of [the] heathen to be met within our own city. They have a claim on us even greater than if they were still far off from us’. At this time, the London City Mission had nine dedicated missionaries for their ‘Mission to the Foreigner’ in London, of which three were dedicated to working in the dock areas. In respect of the settled migrant communities, mission services were held in local churches in the respective native language. Ideally in the long term this would lead to the establishment of a mission room and associated facilities; this was, for example, achieved in the case of the French community which had settled in Soho and experienced a large influx of numbers during the 1870s due to the Franco-Prussian War. Additionally, migrant workers, such as the Italian masons that came to London to work on building projects, could be found in settled migrant communities of London. The transient foreign population was mainly to be found in the London docks. The missionaries routinely visited crew and passengers on ships, providing them with bibles and religious tracts. They also held services both on board ship and in local churches. Additionally, the missionary also sought out the foreigner in hospitals, workhouses, prisons, and opium smoking rooms, and often acted as an interpreter. The missionaries handed out religious tracts in over twenty languages in London and had extensive language skills. One missionary, for example, grappled with learning Swahili so that he could converse with the emancipated East African slaves that worked as crew on many cargo ships.

The University of Shanghai (滬江大學) was founded in 1906 as a co-operative effort between the Southern Baptist Convention [SBC] and the American Baptist Missionary Union [ABMU]. Herman C. E. Liu (劉湛恩) was appointed its first Chinese president in 1928 and had been highly esteemed in both Christian and Chinese educational circles. Although this article focuses on the history of the University of Shanghai during the period of 1928-1938, it firstly gives a brief account of the early history of the university, as well as the nationwide Anti-Christian Movement (1922-27), which resulted in the transition of the university leadership from foreign to Chinese. This article then examines how the university, under Liu’s leadership from 1928 to 1938, attempted to achieve the goal of ‘more Christian, more Chinese, and more efficient.’ It aims to explore the complexity of the interaction between a Christian institute and Chinese society, particularly in the face of fierce nationalist tensions. The history of the University of Shanghai reflects the trend of the evolution of a Christian establishment from its denominational (Baptist) background to a more general and diverse character, and from western to Chinese. This article argues that it was a natural step during the course of the growth of the ‘selfhood’ of Christianity in early twentieth-century China; meanwhile, however, it reveals an obliged response to a politically hostile environment. In addition, this paper argues that, while making itself more indigenous and relevant to Chinese society, the university was quite exceptional by keeping and emphasising its Christian essence. This owed much to Herman Liu’s own vision and practice in Christian education in China, which reflects a contextual understanding of the Christian message and its social application.

Afin de comprendre les racines de la formation de l'Etat et de la nation angolaises, ce livre se penche sur l’histoire sociale et politique du planalto central de l’Angola, la région qui a vu naître l’Union nationale pour l’indépendance totale de l’Angola (Unita).