This Journal is a short overview of how Christian Missiology has worked over the years in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ, it critically examines what has worked and has not worked for us.

1. CHRISTIAN
MISSIOLOGY
JASON
WORSLEY
worsleyj@roehampton.ac.uk
INTRODUCTION
The
National
Gallery
in
London
mounted
an
exhibition
at
the
turn
of
the
third
millennium
called
“Seeing
Salvation”
and
in
the
introduction
to
its
catalogue
written
by
Neil
Macgregor
the
Director
of
the
Gallery
wrote:
All
great
collections
of
European
painting
are
inevitably
also
great
collections
of
Christian
art.
In
the
National
Gallery
London,
roughly
one
third
of
the
pictures
–
and
many
of
the
finest
–
are
of
Christian
subjects.
This
is
hardly
surprising,
for
after
classical
antiquity,
Christianity
has
been
the
predominant
force
in
shaping
European
cultures.
(Macgregor.
2000:6)
According
to
Smith
(Smith.
D
2003:1)
Macgregor
immediately
acknowledges
that
even
though
most
paintings
are
Christian
its
visitors
were
not.
Culture
is
described
as
the
way
of
life,
especially
the
general
customs
and
beliefs,
of
a
particular
group
of
people
at
a
particular
time;
it
is
simply
how
we
do
things
that
are
important
to
us
and
was
in
existence
before
Christianity
was
ever
practiced,
it
was
involved
in
the
conception,
broadcast
and
adaption
of
the
Christian
gospel.
Apostle
Paul
altered
his
culture
ways
on
many
occasions,
which
took
away
barriers
against
the
Gospel
(1
Corinthians
9:19-­‐23).
Culture
plays
a
vital
role
in
evangelism,
if
you
cannot
relate
to
the
people,
you
cannot
minister
the
gospel
to
them.
People
like
to
feel
part
of
a
tribe
and
like
to
be
identified
to
a
tribe
by
the
way
they
speak,
dress
and
live
on
a
daily
basis,
this
makes
people
feel
needed
and
special.
This
essay
will
define
what
culture
is,
the
role
it
plays
in
mission,
the
impact
of
culture
that
shapes
mission
and
finally
an
evaluation
on
the
21st
Century
Mission.
CULTURE
ROLE
ON
MISSION
In
1894
the
resounding
Mission
hymns
“God
is
working
His
purpose
as
year
succeeds
to
year”
the
Victorian
confidence
that
the
“The
Great
Commission”
Christ
entrusted
His
disciples
would
be
fulfilled
and
would
find
them
in
all
the
nations,
even
unto
the
ends
of
the
earth.
This
came
as
a
surprise
and
shock
to
many
people
that
missionaries
are
still
found
today.
In
fact
there
are
many
more
missionaries
now
then
they
were
in
the
heyday
of
imperialism,
indeed
more
than
ever
in
the
history
of
Christendom.
(Pettifer
&
Bradley
1990:12)
According
to
Doerksen
(2015:141)
the
Gospel
is
a
prisoner
of
whatever
culture
it
finds
itself
in,
and
not
necessarily
in
a
bad
way,
I
agree
with
doerksen
to
the
point
that
a
Christian
missionary
from
England
who
travels
to
a
country
like
Uganda
would
have
to
change
the
approach
to
the
community
he
or
she
is
about
to
share
the
gospel
with.
The
gospel
seeks
to
be
incarnated
to
whatever
setting
it
finds
itself,
in
a
way
that
will
also
find
itself
to
be
familiar
to
the
people
of
that
setting.
Walls
suggests
(1996:8)
that
Christ
does
not
only
take
people
as
they
are
but
He
takes
them
in
order
to
transform
them
into
what
He
wants
them
to
be.
A
Christian
has
all
his
relationship
in
which
they
are
brought
up
in
but
God
will
add
a
new
set
of
relationship
in
that
person
with
others
members
of
the
family
of
faith
in
which
he
has
come
into.
The
gospel
has
to
become
a
prisoner
in
a
new
culture
so
it
may
become
a
liberator
of
that
culture.

2. At
the
Center
of
the
Jewish
and
Islamic
faith
is
the
prophetic
word
but
at
the
centre
of
the
Christian
faith
is
the
incarnated
word
of
God
becoming
flesh
and
this
divine
word
became
flesh
for
all
humanity
and
this
is
why
they
cannot
be
a
single
Christian
civilisation
it
is
not
like
the
Quran
but
it
can
be
spoken
in
any
language
under
heaven.
The
Christian
faith
rests
on
divine
translation
into
complex
relationship
and
experiences,
which
form
social
identities
in
different
parts
of
the
world.
(Walls
1996:47)
According
to
Rose
and
Walls
(2008:168)
at
the
turn
of
the
21st
Century
the
Christian
faith
had
to
emerge
with
other
cultures
and
religions
more
direct
and
the
West
is
not
seen
as
the
infiltrator
or
forerunner
player
in
international
relations,
when
the
Christian
faith
is
not
seen
through
the
Eurocentric
spectacles,
it
will
start
to
cease
as
a
declining
story,
if
we
look
at
India
for
example
the
diocese
of
South
Kerala
has
over
800,000
members
and
over
600
churches
and
a
new
church
is
established
every
month,
Christianity
is
still
viewed
as
a
minority
in
that
country
and
the
Christian
community
is
outward
and
confident
in
its
belief.
Verlag
suggests
(2010:35)
that
Christian
Mission
in
the
Middle
East
has
proved
fruitful
and
has
been
an
exciting
field
of
research
for
scholars
in
missiology
because
of
the
modernity
of
the
so-­‐called
traditionalist
cultures
there
and
the
key
to
it
is
the
academic
publication.
I
can
relate
to
Verlag
suggestion
after
my
conversion
I
have
made
up
my
mind
to
leave
every
stone
unturned
in
my
search
for
the
truth
and
it
has
now
led
me
down
a
path
of
studying
academically
in
Ministerial
Theology,
when
you
are
raised
in
a
Muslim
background
from
a
young
age
you
are
advised
to
keep
searching
texts
as
it
will
lead
you
into
knowledge
of
the
greater
truth
and
that
greater
truth
is
found
in
Christ
alone.
CULTURE
THAT
SHAPES
MISSION
Smith
suggest
(2003:38)
that
the
prophet
Jeremiah
understood
three
reasons
that
draws
people
attention
to
his
message
(I)
his
inability
(ii)
the
cultural
condition
(iii)
self-­‐interest
and
despite
the
difficult
condition
remained
optimistic.
The
most
dramatic
encounter
between
Jeremiah
and
those
with
dominant
ideology
occurred,
which
is
also
known
as
the
“temple
sermon”
and
find
two
accounts
of
the
prophecy
one
in
Chapter
7
and
the
second
in
chapter
26,
he
delivered
the
sermon
at
the
entrance
of
the
temple
and
gave
a
blistering
attack
on
the
entire
system
with
the
belief
and
existence
of
temple
against
him
Jeremiah
insisted
in
the
destruction
of
the
city
and
the
temple
and
announced
the
holy
place
has
become
a
robbers
cave
(7:11).
This
was
an
act
of
prophetic
deconstruction,
which
exposed
and
lacked
any
true
theological
or
moral
foundation.
Not
surprisingly
this
sermon
nearly
cost
Jeremiah
his
life
because
the
defenders
thought
it
to
be
an
act
of
treason.
(Smith
2003:39)
AFRICA
On
24th
February
1874
the
body
of
the
failed
missionary
in
East
Africa
David
Livingstone
was
carried
by
over
60
Africans
from
the
village
in
Chitambo
to
the
coast
where
a
ship
waited
to
carry
his
body
back
to
England,
now
buried
in
Westminister
Abbey,
people
who
attended
his
funeral
would
not
have
been
aware
of
the
reality
of
his
mission
in
East
Africa
but
labelled
him
the
Saviour
of
East
Africa,
in
reality
he
was
able
to
save
only
one
soul
and
even
that
person
lost
his
faith
because
Livingstone
Mission
was
too
closely
associated
with
slave
master’s
even
though
he
purchased
the
lives
of
slaves
from
the
slave
masters
and
moved
them
to
a
town
in
Zanzibar
called
Freedom
Town,
people
that
he
delivered
from
slavery
felt
no
different
to
the
lifestyle
of
slavery
even
in
freedom
town
not
one
person
who
carried
his
body
from
the
village
to
the
coast
was
a
Christian.
(Smith
2003:82)

3. ASIA
According
to
Frykenberg
(2003:62)
the
language
that
was
one
of
the
keys
to
understanding
India
was
Sanskrit
which
was
discovered
by
Europeans
during
the
time
of
Alexander
the
Great,
it
was
complicated
because
of
its
special
characters
and
was
kept
from
foreigners
but
missionaries
who
wanted
to
impact
the
land
of
India
with
the
Gospel
knew
the
secret
to
that
culture
and
its
people
was
the
sacred
language
they
cherished
in
Sanskrit.
William
Jones
one
of
the
missionaries
to
India,
in
his
famous
“third
anniversary”
discourse
presented
to
the
meeting
of
Asiatic
Society
of
Bengal
on
2
February
1786
by
saying:
The
Sanskrit
language,
whatever
its
antiquity,
is
of
wonderful
structure;
more
perfect
than
Greek,
more
copious
than
the
Latin
and
more
exquisitely
refined
than
either,
yet
bearing
both
of
them
a
stronger
affinity,
both
in
the
roots
of
verbs
and
in
the
form
of
Grammar,
than
could
possibly
have
been
produced
by
accident.
Jones
understood
to
impact
a
nation
you
must
love
what
they
love,
you
must
feel
what
they
feel
and
live
as
they
live
and
the
learning
of
Sanskrit
became
his
key
in
the
mission
to
India
and
that
made
him
part
of
their
culture
and
was
valued
by
them.
(Frykenberg,
2003:64)
21st
CENTURY
CULTURE
MISSION
According
to
Donovan
(1978:6)
in
1906
Bishop
Joseph
Shananhan
was
worried
about
the
apostolate
to
the
slaves
as
far
as
missionary
work
was
concerned
and
did
something
about
it,
as
the
bishop
of
southern
Nigeria
he
took
the
money
that
was
coming
from
propaganda
in
Rome
which
was
sent
specifically
to
ransom
slaves,
and
used
it
to
build
extensive
school
system,
He
not
only
affected
the
the
Ibos
culture
but
affected
the
history
of
all
Africa.
Christian
missionaries
transformed
the
cultural
heritage
of
West
Africa
at
the
turn
of
nineteenth
and
twentieth
centuries
by
introducing
schools,
hospitals,
printing
presses
and
factories
and
regarded
it
as
an
instrument
on
propagating
Christianity
(Sharkey
2013:1).
This
new
era
of
Christian
missiology
was
so
affective
across
the
world
and
was
notable
among
Muslims,
Jewish,
Hindu
and
Buddhist
cultures
who
already
had
strong
literacy
traditions
and
is
still
affective
today
across
the
world.
According
to
Miller
(2007:89)
one
of
the
roots
of
the
failure
to
culture
mission
seems
to
be
theological
in
nature,
and
the
traditions
they
were
taught
in
seminary.
Theologically
many
clergy
and
religious
professionals
have
not
devolved
or
studied
theology
at
work
as
part
of
their
seminary
training
or
systematic
theology.
I
agree
with
Miller
scholars
have
realised
this
as
one
of
the
roots
to
the
problems
and
have
now
implemented
this
part
of
their
systematic
training
in
the
form
of
work
experience
and
more
teaching
on
culture
mission
to
develop
clergy
and
professionals.
CONCLUSION
To
impact
a
culture
you
must
come
to
the
level
of
that
community,
Jesus
teaches
us
the
foundation
of
culture
when
he
visited
Martha
and
Mary
in
their
house
(Luke
10:38-­‐42),
Christ
taught
us
to
eat
what
they
eat
and
be
accepted,
in
another
case
he
met
a
samaritan
women
at
a
well
(John
4:1-­‐42)
He
met
her
at
her
need
and
the
same
women
opened
the
door
to
her
whole
community
to
hear
the
truth
that
could
liberate
them.
Culture
is
meeting
people
at
the
point
of
their
needs,
regardless
of
their
status
and
background
and
the
a
desire
to
be
part
of
what
they
stand
for.
Christ
teaches
us
to
respect
culture,
when
He
was
asked
if
the
people
should
pay
taxes
or
not
(Mark
12:15)
He
replied
quiet
simple
to
give
to
Caesar
what
belongs
to
Caesar,
this
was
a
clear
teaching
on
respecting
and
honouring
cultural
traditions,
In
order
for
you
to
bring
the
mission
of
Christianity
to
them.

4.
This
essay
has
answered
what
culture
is,
the
impact
it
has
on
mission,
how
it
directs
our
mission
and
how
the
21st
century
mission
is
prevailing
in
communities,
which
could
not
be
touched.
REFERENCES
Smith.
D,
“Mission
and
Christendom”.
2003,
Darton,
Longman
and
Todd:
London
Macgregor.
N,
“Seeing
Salvation”.
2000,
London:
BBC
Doerksen,
P,
Jesus
Christ
-­‐-­‐
History
of
doctrines
-­‐-­‐
1900-­‐;
Culture
and
Christianity;
Culture;
Gentiles
in
the
New
Testament;
Jews
in
the
New
Testament;
Church
-­‐-­‐
Biblical
teaching,
44
no
2
2015,
p
138-­‐143
Walls,
A.
“The
Missionary
Movement
in
Christian
History”
1996,
Orbis
Books:
Edinburgh
Walls,
A
and
Rose,
C.
“Mission
in
the
21st
Century”,
2008,
Orbis
Books:
London
Pettifer,
J
and
Bradley,
R.
“Missionaries”,
1990,
BBC
Books:
London
Frykenberg,
R.
“Christians
and
Missionaries
in
India”
2003,
Eerdmans:
London
Verlag,
F.
“The
Social
Dimension
of
Christian
Missions
in
the
Middle
East”
2010,
Deutschen:
Germany
Donovan,
V.
“Christianity
Rediscovered”
1978,
Orbis
Books:
New
York
Sharkey,
H.
“Cultural
conversion”
2013,
Syracuse:
New
York
Miller,
D.
“God
at
Work”
2007,
Oxford
Press:
Oxford