This issue of Missiology contains three groupings of articles. The first four articles analyze important missiological ideas that have developed and changed over time. As societies change, missiological ideas also need to change to remain relevant and effective. First, Andrew Tompkins reviews the stories of Abraham, Jacob, and Joseph to uncover missiological principles and applications from the narratives. After examining the meaning in the original context, he offers suggestions about how the implications of their stories might work in present-day societies. Next, Richard W. Cogley presents his analysis of an unpublished, seventeenth-century manuscript written by a Puritan minister interested in evangelizing indigenous peoples. While his reasoning sounds odd today, the document offers a fascinating glimpse into the thinking of previous centuries of missionaries. Third, Magnus Robinson revisits the concept of the “child of peace” from Luke 10, addressing some previous critiques and offering an updated understanding of the concept for twenty-first-century mission work. Last in this section, Warrick Farah traces the history and development of terminology around church-planting movements (CPMs), showing how the concept has developed, stretched, and sometimes changed course over time.
The second group of articles presents practical findings from studies of present-day contexts. Each study examines a particular context and then offers implications for those sharing the gospel in that setting. To start, Robert Holmes and Eunice Hong present the findings from interviews with expatriates who lived in North Korea. They explore perceptions of Juche and offer suggestions for those seeking to explain the gospel to North Koreans. Next, Matthew Aaron Bennett argues that to overcome challenges in communicating Jesus’ crucifixion to Muslims, the starting place must be “why Jesus’ death would matter in the first place” and that the book of Hebrews is a helpful place to begin those explanations. Third, Kelly Michael Hilderbrand presents the results of his study of conversion among Buddhist-background believers in Hawaii. Each of these articles addresses questions of worldview and how best to communicate the gospel in each setting.
Last are two articles focused on mission strategy. First, Phil Zarns delves into communication strategies. He describes how language that “others” people by characterizing them as “in” or “out” becomes an obstacle to sharing the gospel, and uses examples from Jesus’ encounters with people to suggest different ways of talking and thinking. In the current political climate his call to consider language is clearly timely. Finally, Steve Rundle and Min-Dong Paul Lee delve into BAM strategies by developing a typology of BAM practitioners and using quantitative survey data to explore their proposed typology.
The issue closes with a number of book reviews. The editors hope you will find the material presented in this issue informative, challenging, and helpful.
Leanne M. Dzubinski
Editor-in-Chief
