Editorial – Issue 83
DJ is the Editor of Foundations. He is also an Elder at Cambridge Presbyterian Church and Assistant Professor of Historical Theology at Westminster Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Foundations: No.83 Winter 2023
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 28:19 (NKJV)
This edition brings together a number of articles which focus on the vital area of mission. The first article is from Dr. Andrew G. Bannister. This is, in part, a response to an earlier article from Rev. Duncan Peters in the Spring 2022 edition of Foundations, “The ‘Same God’ Issue and the Communication of the Gospel to Muslims”. Dr Bannister takes the opposite approach to Rev. Peters, arguing it is inappropriate to speak of Muslims and Christians as worshipping the “same God” even granting the vital caveats and distinctions Rev. Peters makes. While on the topic at hand my sympathies are with Dr Bannister, there is one area in the article where I find the language problematic. The classic doctrine of God carefully affirms (in line with Scripture) that “God does not have blood, does not suffer, cannot be touched with hands.” (John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, 2.14.2). Whilst I understand the point Dr Banister is making under the heading of The God of the Bible has Suffered, I believe more careful terminology can be employed. That said, this is an important debate and further related contributions are welcome.
Thorsten Prill provides a helpful perspective on cross-cultural training for missionaries, whether Western Christians who are called to serve as missionaries in Africa or African reverse missionaries who come to Europe and other parts of the world. Dr Prill helpfully outlines the importance of cultural intelligence (CQ) for missionary efforts and ways training in this area can be improve. This is also an important area for local church evangelism, as we need to speak into the communities around our church buildings (or meeting venues) with an unchanging message that is appropriately contextualised, as Paul himself did, “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. Now this I do for the gospel’s sake” (1 Cor. 9:22-23).
E.M. Hisham considers for us the phenomenon known as the “Insider Movement”. This is the question of how a convert to Christianity in a Muslim country should relate to Islam. This article considers this question with great sensitivity, and yet with biblical firmness, arguing “Muslims who become Christians will always pay a high price for their faith. The Gospel includes blessing and pain for Christ’s sake. Any attempt to change the Christian message in order to help new converts to live an easier life is a betrayal of the full Gospel of Christ.” This whole discussion is a live missiological topic and this article is a helpful introduction for those who may be unaware of the debate.
The final two articles consider the nature of worship, and the effects of one stirring worship service from church history. Dr Robert Strivens offers a review article of Revolutionary Worship: All of Life for God’s Glory, written for a popular audience by William Taylor, rector of St Helen’s, Bishopsgate. Dr Strivens argues that in contrast to the thesis of Revolutionary Worship Christians gather for worship in a special way on the Lord’s Day, without diminishing the truth that all of life is lived for God’s glory. Indeed, for Strivens, to lose the special place of gathered worship would “constitute a severe blow to the spiritual health of Christ’s church.”
In the final article John Keddie considers the impact of a worship service in Scotland in 1596. This service produced what might be called “revival” at the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. This is a reminder of the power of preaching when blessed by the Spirit, and a call for us to pray for such power today. I hope the variety of these articles, and the book reviews in this issue, give much food for thought.
Book Review: When Christians Face Persecution
John Davidson and the General Assembly of 1596
Do Christians meet for worship?
A missiological assessment of the Insider Movement
Equipping twenty-first century missionaries for cross-cultural ministry
Muslims, Christians, And God
Editorial – Issue 83