contextualization – CWoznicki Think Out Loud

The Gospel as Prisoner and Liberator of Culture

Missiologist and church historian Andrew Walls begins his classic essay, “The Gospel as Prisoner and Liberator of Culture,” with a fascinating thought experiment. An extraterrestrial who is a “Professor of Comparative Inter-Planetary Religion” has come to earth to study the Christian religion. The alien visits Christian gatherings across various times and places. He finds thatContinue reading “The Gospel as Prisoner and Liberator of Culture”

Review: Insider Jesus by William Dyrness

William Dyrness’s book, Insider Jesus, is an attempt to provide a theological framework for evaluating “insider movements.” He adopts Scott Moreau’s definition of insider movements as, “movements to obedient faith in Christ that remain integrated with or inside their natural community.” (Dyrness 2016, 133) While Dyrness does not attempt to evaluate insider movements he presentsContinue reading “Review: Insider Jesus by William Dyrness”

Roman Catholic Contextualization

It has been said that up until recently western missions has been a process of cultural domination – i.e. westernization. Although there is a ring of truth to this, we know that the Vatican sent out instructions to its missionaries, through the Sacred Congregation for the Propagation of Faith, in 1659 instructing it missionaries notContinue reading “Roman Catholic Contextualization”

They are People too! – Getting to Know Your Campus

Ministry – whether its parish ministry, youth ministry, ministry in a mega church, or ministry in a community church – is all about getting to know your people. When you do college campus ministry that truth does not go out the door. However, what you need to know about your people changes a little bit.Continue reading “They are People too! – Getting to Know Your Campus”

Christ, Culture, and College Students – A Reformed Perspective (Pt. 1)

A while ago I took a class at Fuller Seminary called “Perspectives on Christ and Culture.” In that class we examined various aspects of the relationship between Christ or Christianity and culture. We looked at and assessed various traditions ranging from Anabaptists to those belonging to the Reformed Tradition, we also examined various topics likeContinue reading “Christ, Culture, and College Students – A Reformed Perspective (Pt. 1)”

Contextual Theologies of Mission: Samuel Escobar and Jeremy Wynne Compared (Pt. 3)

Today we conclude this series by comparing Samuel Escobar’s theology of mission and Jeremy Wynne’s interpretation of Moltmann’s theology of mission. ______________________________ Comparison The fundamental difference between Escobar’s and Wynne’s way of doing theology of mission is how they address the existential realities of human beings. Escobar stresses how social and political realities have affectedContinue reading “Contextual Theologies of Mission: Samuel Escobar and Jeremy Wynne Compared (Pt. 3)”

Prometheus, Christ, and Culture

The following post is an online forum post that I wrote for my Christ and Culture class. The assignment was to examine a Christian Website’s understanding of the interaction between Christ and culture. (Because this is part of an informal online discussion, I did not go out of my way to review spelling or grammar.)Continue reading “Prometheus, Christ, and Culture”

Missiology Book Review: God So Loves the City

Van Engen, Charles and Tiersma, Jude editors. God So Loves the City. Monrovia, CA: MARC, 1994. Charles Van Engen tells us the essence of this book: it is “to explore ways to integrate theology, urban studies, and contextualization in a theologically informed, holistic, and transformational theology of mission.” This book is a collection composed ofContinue reading “Missiology Book Review: God So Loves the City”

Missiology Book Review: Dynamics of Christian Mission

Pierson, Paul E. The Dynamics of Christian Mission: History through a Missiological Perspective. Pasadena, CA: William Carey International University Press. 2009. Paul E. Pierson is Dean Emeritus of Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of Intercultural Studies. He is also Senior Professor of History of Mission and Latin American Studies. Before teaching at Fuller, he served asContinue reading “Missiology Book Review: Dynamics of Christian Mission”