April 19, 2024

The SEND U Blog

Reflections and Resources for Lifelong Learning for Missionaries

Author: Gary Ridley

Education: BA Gordon College 1973; M.Div. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 1977; DMiss Trinity Evangelical Divinity School 1990. Ministry: SEND Missionary 1977-present. Faculty at Alaska Bible College 1978-2013. SEND U Missiologist 2013-present. Family: Married, 3 children, 6 grandchildren.
Biblical Theology of Missions: OT
Missiological Issues, Missiology, Theology

Biblical Theology of Missions: OT

If we are to understand the mission of God (Missio Dei, see last month’s post), we need to study what God has said about it. God has revealed himself, his purpose and plan in the Christian Scriptures. As Christopher Wright observes, “The only concept of mission into which God fits is the one of which he is the beginning, the center and end. … And the only access that we have to that mission of God is given to us in the Bible.” (The Mission of God, 2006, 534). Biblical theology is not a practice of trolling through the Bible until one hooks a text to prove a point. Rather, Biblical theology seeks to follow the storyline of Scripture as God reveals himself and his plan. (See earlier post reviewing What is Biblical Theology?).… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Islam, Resources, Training, Book Reviews, Contextualization, Missiological Issues

Review: From Seed to Fruit, 2nd Edition

The Second edition of From Seed to Fruit: Global Trends, Fruitful Practices, and Emerging Issues among Muslims, edited by J. Dudley Woodberry contains reports and analyses of the Global Trends and Fruitful Practices Consultation in 2007. The consultation included almost 500 people from around the globe involved in outreach to Muslims. The book is a tremendous resource for anyone involved in Muslim ministry. Many of the fruitful practices would find application among other people groups as well. The tone was upbeat and realistic. The Introduction reports:           Muslims are following Jesus throughout the spectrum of types of contextualization – from those in traditional churches using non-indigenous language to secret believers. A majority of the fellowships are in what is called the C3 to C5 range – that is, from using the Muslims’ language and non-religious indigenous cultural forms and calling themselves Christians to “Messianic Muslims” who… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
Missio Dei
Missiological Issues, Missiology, Theology, Revelation

Missio Dei

This Latin phrase emerged “in Protestant missiological discussion especially since the 1950s, often in the English form ‘the mission of God'” (The Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, p 631). The term sought to anchor missions in the Triune God of the Bible. David Bosch defines it as: God’s self-revelation as the one who loves the world, God’s involvement in and with the world, the nature and activity of God, which embraces both the church and the world, and in which the church is privileged to participate. Missio Dei enunciates the good news that God is a God-for-people. (Transforming Mission, Kindle loc. 592) The term became prominent in ecumenical circles at the 1952 meeting of the International Missionary Council in Willigen, Germany.… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
The ‘Same God Question’ Revisited
Theology, Christ, Missiological Issues, Islam, Missiology

The ‘Same God Question’ Revisited

In the December issue of Themelios  Fred Farrokh (a Muslim-background Christian who currently serves as an international trainer with Global Initiative) has written an article looking at how Muslim scholars view the question, “Do Christians and Muslims worship the same God?”(subsequently referred to as SGQ). The article is available online at this link. Farrokh points out that Muslim scholars answer the SGQ with an emphatic and unequivocal “NO“. At most they would say that we share the concept of a creator God.… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
So what if they have their own sacred books?
Islam, Missiology, Theology, Contextualization, Revelation, Bible, Missiological Issues

So what if they have their own sacred books?

Revelation is the foundational theological issue in contextualization (see my “Contextualization: Theological and Cultural Issues in Evangelical Models” on the SEND U wiki). Evangelical Christianity maintains that the Bible is God’s unique self-disclosure. Our SEND statement of faith says, “that it is the only infallible Word of God, and the supreme and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct” (italics added). How does this commitment to the uniqueness of the Christian Scriptures guide our contextualization in the presence of competing revelational claims such as the Qur’an, the Book of Mormon, or the Hindu Scriptures?… Read the whole post
Gary Ridley1 min read
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