One Gospel for All Nations

Brad Vaughn

Description

The Bible tells us what to believe––the gospel. Did you know it also shows how to contextualize the gospel? In One Gospel for All Nations, Jackson Wu does more than talk about principles. He gets practical. When the biblical writers explain the gospel, they consistently use a pattern that is both firm and flexible. Wu builds on this insight to demonstrate a model of contextualization that starts with interpretation and can be applied in any culture. In the process, he explains practically why we must not choose between the Bible and culture. Wu highlights various implications for both missionaries and theologians. Contextualization should be practical, not pragmatic; theological, not theoretical.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Missions
• Christian Ministry
• Philosophie et théologie
• Minister (Christianity)
• Growth
• Christian Church
• Adult

Informations

• Publié par: William Carey Publishing
• Date de parution: 14 décembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781645081180
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

One sign of an excellent book is the number and variety of people with whom one is eager to share it. Again and again as I read One Gospel for All Nations , names of colleagues came to mind-pastors, Bible teachers, evangelists, seminary faculty, missionaries, heads of agencies, missions mobilizers, and cross-cultural workers in many different fields. In short, I would commend this book to anyone who wants to understand the Bible more fully or to communicate its message more clearly to others, locally or internationally. For those working in honor/shame cultures in particular, Vaughn s work is essential reading.
David W. Bennett, DMin, PhD chief collaboration officer and teaching pastor The Lausanne Movement
The context of missions has changed. The pivot from the Gutenberg galaxy into the digital galaxy has taken place. How do people from different cultural worldviews make sense of the one true Gospel? A deep examination of the Scripture is required. Vaughn s book calls us into a serious reflection in the work of contextualization and meaningful presentation of the Gospel. Vaughn offers a timeless perspective that is both theological and practical. I highly recommend your attention to One Gospel for All Nations .
Rev. Samuel E. Chiang executive director, International Orality Network
Many studies talk about contextualization in theory, but Brad Vaughn wants to help equip missionaries and Christian workers to do it well. Vaughn gives his readers a model for contextualization that seeks to let the whole biblical narrative speak with a specific cultural accent, while at the same time interpreting and critiquing contemporary contexts through the lens of Scripture. But the real strength of this book comes when Vaughn shows us how his model works out in practice, as he beautifully retells the biblical story for Chinese people. Brad Vaughn deserves thanks for a balanced and engaging contribution to our understanding and practice of contextualization.
Dean Flemming, PhD professor of New Testament and Missions, MidAmerica Nazarene University author of Contextualization in the New Testament
With honor and grace, Vaughn tackles the tough question of how the gospel may be understood and communicated to every culture. In this spirited and creative work, Vaughn begins with a biblical foundation, using the framework from the Scriptures to develop a clear and practical method for understanding the gospel and understanding cultures. He challenges narrow and short-sighted models, encouraging theologians, missionaries, and all Christians to get practical. In One Gospel for All Nations , he forms a clear, relevant, and timely challenge to communicate truth to every people. Throughout, he proposes a model that remains biblical faithful and culturally meaningful, so every nation can hear and understand the gospel.
Mark M. Overstreet, PhD vice president of T4 Global
It is easy to announce that all theology is contextualization or that contextualization is complicated, but it is another to do the actual work of contextualizing. In Vaughn s book, we get not only theory about contextualization but a practical model for working out the most significant theme in the Bible: gospel. Entering into this book is to enter into recent biblical discussions about the gospel and missiology s theories about contextualization. Vaughn even takes us to the heart of the matter when he shows what gospel looks like in the Chinese culture.
Scot McKnight, PhD professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary author of The King Jesus Gospel
A practical book by a practical theologian who takes seriously the integration of biblical theology and missiology in relation to the gospel so that proclamation remains biblically based yet culturally calling.
Tom Steffen, PhD emeritus professor of intercultural studies Cook School of Intercultural Studies, Biola University

One Gospel for All Nations: A Practical Approach to Biblical Contextualization
Copyright 2015 by Brad Vaughn
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise-without prior written permission of the publisher, except brief quotations used in connection with reviews in magazines or newspapers.
Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from the ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ), copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Italics within scripture quotations indicate emphasis added.
Published by William Carey Publishing
10 W. Dry Creek Cir.
Littleton, CO 80120 | www.missionbooks.org
Melissa Hicks, editor
Brad Koenig, copyeditor
Hugh Pindur, graphic design
Rose Lee-Norman, indexer
William Carey Publishing is a ministry of
Frontier Ventures
Pasadena, CA 91104 | www.frontierventures.org
Printed in the United States of America
27 26 25 24 23 2 3 4 5 6 IN
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Vaughn, Brad.
One gospel for all nations : a practical approach to biblical contextualization / Brad Vaughn.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-87808-629-0 -- ISBN 0-87808-629-3 1. Missions. 2. Christianity and culture.
3. Witness bearing (Christianity) 4. Evangelistic work. I. Title.
BV2063.W8 2015
261--dc23
2015001107
Special thanks is given to Enoch Wan who granted permission to use four previously published articles, which have been revised for the sake of this book. Chapter two uses We Compromise the Gospel When We Settle for Truth-How Right Interpretations Lead to Wrong Contextualization, Global Missiology , vol. 2, no. 10 (Jan 2013). Select portions of chapters three and four draw from Contextualizing the One Gospel in Any Culture: A Model from the Biblical Text for a Global Context, Global Missiology , vol 3, no. 10 (April 2013). The main arguments of chapters eight and nine first appeared, respectively, in Biblical Theology from a Chinese Perspective: Interpreting Scripture through the Lens of Honor and Shame, Global Missiolog y, vol. 4, no. 10 (July 2013) and The Gospel with Chinese Characteristics: A Concrete Example of Cultural Contextualization, Global Missiology , vol. 1, no. 11 (October 2013).
Contents
Foreword
Introduction: Biblically Faithful and Culturally Meaningful?
Section I: Contextualize or Compromise
1. Context Is King: A New Perspective on Contextualization
2. A Common Problem: Compromising the Gospel by Settling for Truth
Section II: A Firm and Flexible Model for Fluctuating Cultures
3. Pattern: How Does the Bible Frame the Gospel?
4. Priority: What Questions Does the Gospel Answer?
5. Perspective: What Is an Implicit Gospel ?
6. Process: How Do We Move from Biblical Text to Cultural Context?
Section III: The One Gospel in Many Cultures
7. A Jewish Gospel among Gentiles: Using Acts 17 as a Test Case
8. A Chinese Biblical Theology: An Example of Exegetical Contextualization
9. The Gospel with Chinese Characteristics: An Example of Cultural Contextualization
Section IV: A Practical Perspective on Contextualization
10. Contextualizing Our Ministry: Implications for Strategy and Training
11. Cultural Lenses: Can We Use Contemporary Culture to Interpret Scripture?
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Notes
Bibliography
Index
Scripture Index
Figures
Figure 1: Distinguishing True-false and Primary-secondary
Figure 2: Overlapping Contexts
Figure 3: Lenses for Reading Scripture
Figure 4: Gospel Presentations Answer Four Questions
Figure 5: Contextualization Wheel: Framework, Themes, and Culture
Figure 6: Framework Themes
Figure 7: Explanation Themes
Figure 8: A Firm, Flexible, and Fluctuating Model
Figure 9: Ferris Wheel
Figure 10: Three Biblical Circles
Figure 11: Kingdom, Covenant, and Creation
Figure 12: Three Chinese Circles
Figure 13: Authority, Relationship, World
Figure 14: Stage Three Summary
Figure 15: Stage Four Summary
Figure 16: The Contextualization Process
Figure 17: What Kind of Lens to Use?
Figure 18: Jesus Life, Death, Resurrection, and Return
Figure 19: Two Cultural Trees
Figure 20: Deep Historical Roots
Foreword
It is not a matter of whether we will contextualize the gospel. It is only a matter of whether we will do so faithfully or unfaithfully. Although the word contextualization is recent, coming into popular usage over the past three or four decades, its practice and reality have always been present as essential to the Christian faith. Unlike the Qur an, which sees truth as timeless divine oracles, or the Western Enlightenment tradition that believes truth to be found in unchanging and eternal ideas, the Bible understands truth to be the mighty acts of God in history, authoritatively narrated and interpreted in Scripture, as the true story of the whole world in which all people are invited to find their place.
The mightiest act of God and fullest revelation of himself and his purpose for the creation has been disclosed in the person and work of Jesus the Christ, especially in his death and resurrection. Truth is a person along with the historical events surrounding him that have irreversibly changed the course of universal history. Sin and evil, death and demonic power, sickness and injustice, poverty and pain-in fact all that corrupts the very good creation of God-have been defeated at the cross of Jesus. A new world has begun in his resurrection. This is good news that must be made known to all peoples. Communicating these events in life, word, and deed in the various cultures of the world demands contextualization, a message faithful to what God has accomplished in Christ and relevant to the various contexts so that it is seen and heard as good news.
The cross-cultural contextualization of the gospel took place very early as the gospel moved from its Jewish home into