Give me that old time Missional Thinking
This sounds like it might be from Ed Stetzers latest book, but I found it in Studies in Acts by William Fallis, which was put out by the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention in 1947. Southern Baptists had a leg up on being missional, according to this.
"Missionary work cannot be done in a vacuum- simply because the lost don't live in a vacuum. They have their own ideas about God and man, their own attitudes towards them. Whether they live in exclusive Heather Heights, or on an Indian reservation, whether they teach in a European University or farm in the African bush, they have some kind of religious inclination, some kind of world outlook.
The missionary on the foreign field and the soul winner in the local home church must become acquainted with the religion and world outlook of those whom they would win to Christ. Until the soul winner becomes somewhat familiar with the thought world of the lost person, he'll not have much success in bringing him to a saving faith in Christ. Christians who are committed to world missions, therefore, must be willing and able to encounter - as in a conflict- pagan culture and sin."
Although I am not so sure about the idea of relating it to conflict when we encounter culture, it is sound advice for all of us today.
"Missionary work cannot be done in a vacuum- simply because the lost don't live in a vacuum. They have their own ideas about God and man, their own attitudes towards them. Whether they live in exclusive Heather Heights, or on an Indian reservation, whether they teach in a European University or farm in the African bush, they have some kind of religious inclination, some kind of world outlook.
The missionary on the foreign field and the soul winner in the local home church must become acquainted with the religion and world outlook of those whom they would win to Christ. Until the soul winner becomes somewhat familiar with the thought world of the lost person, he'll not have much success in bringing him to a saving faith in Christ. Christians who are committed to world missions, therefore, must be willing and able to encounter - as in a conflict- pagan culture and sin."
Although I am not so sure about the idea of relating it to conflict when we encounter culture, it is sound advice for all of us today.
Comments