Communicating Christ in Animistic Contexts

Gailyn Van Rheenen

Description

Whether in New Age mysticism, occultism, Haitian voodooism, Chinese ancestor veneration, or Japanese Shintoism, animistic beliefs are widespread, even today. Gailyn Van Rheenen presents a rigorous, biblical, theological, and anthropological foundation for ministering in animistic contexts.

• Foreword by David J. Hesselgrave
• Preface

 

Part 1 Understanding Animism

• 1. The Meaning of Animism and Its Place in Today’s World
• 2. Tools for Learning Animistic Worldviews
• 3. The Cosmic and the Earthly
• 4. Change in Animistic Societies

Part II Thinking Theology in Animistic Contexts

• 5. Christianity and Animism: Contrasting Worldviews
• 6. Kingdom Theology: Introducing Animists to Christian Perspectives

Part III. Analyzing Animistic Practices and Powers

• 7. Animistic Practitioners
• 8. The Animistic Practice of Divination
• 9. Impersonal Spiritual Forces
• 10. Personal Spiritual Beings

 

• Conclusion: Sin and Salvation in Christianity and Animism
• Works Cited
• Index of Subjects
• Index of Names
• Index of Scripture

Sujets

• Christian Ministry
• Philosophie et théologie
• Evangelism
• Religion

Informations

• Publié par: William Carey Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 juin 1991
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9780878088171
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Copyright 1991 by Gailyn Van Rheenen
All Rights Reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means--electronic, mechanical, photocopy, re­ cording. or any other--except for brief quotations embodied in critical articles or printed reviews, without prior permission of the publisher.
Published by
William Carey Library
P. O. Box 40129
Pasadena, California 91114
[phone]
ISBN 0-87808-771-0
ISBN: 9780878087716 (paperback), 9780878088171 (epub)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Van Rheenen, Gailyn. 1946--
Communicating Christ in animistic contexts/ Gailyn Van Rheenen; foreword by David J. Hesselgrave.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 0-87808-771-0
1. Christianity and other religions--Animism. 2. Animism-Relations­ Christianity. I. Title.
BR128.A26V35 1991
261.2--dc20
91-6909

CIP
Unless otherwise noted. Scripture references are from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright 1973. 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers. Other translations used are the New American Standard Bible (NASB), Copyright by the Lockman Founda­ tion 1960. 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971. 1972. 1973, 1975. 1977; and the Revised Standard Version (RSV), copyright 1946, 1952, 1971, and 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
6 5 4 3 2 1
00 99 98 97 96
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
To Becky my faithful wife and co-worker
We believe that we are engaged in constant spiritual warfare with the principalities and powers of evil, who are seeking to overthrow the Church and frustrate its task of world evangelization. We know our need to equip ourselves with God s armour and to fight this battle with the spiritual weapons of truth and prayer. For we detect the activity of our enemy, not only in false ideologies outside the Church, but also inside it in false gospels which twist Scripture and put man in the place of God.
-From the Lausanne Covenant on Spiritual Conflict, 1989
Table of Contents
Foreword by David J. Hesselgrave
Preface
Part 1 Understanding Animism
1 The Meaning of Animism and Its Place in Today s World
2 Tools for Learning Animistic Worldviews
3 The Cosmic and the Earthly
4 Change in Animistic Societies
Part 2 Thinking Theologically in Animistic Contexts
5 Christianity and Animism: Contrasting Worldviews
6 Kingdom Theology: Introducing Animists to Christian Perspectives
Part 3 Analyzing Animistic Practices and Powers
7 Animistic Practitioners
8 The Animistic Practice of Divination
9 Impersonal Spiritual Forces
10 Personal Spiritual Beings
Conclusion: Sin and Salvation in Christianity and Animism
Works Cited
Index of Subjects
Index of Names
Index of Scripture
Foreword
T his book fills a lacuna in recent missiological literature. Much has been written on the so-called developed religions of the world, but comparatively little attention has been given to animism. Dr. Van Rheenen s work is very important at this particular time because classroom teachers are hard-pressed to find up-to-date textbooks on animism-especially textbooks that reflect a conservative, biblical perspective. Students of missions have little difficulty finding works on the major religions of the world, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam, but they become frustrated in their search for an adequate bibliography on animism. Missionaries representing Christ among tribal peoples often look in vain for materials that lend those insights which will enable them to communicate Christ clearly and, charting a safe course around the quicksand of syncretism, help give rise to mature, New Testament churches.
It would be a mistake to consign this book to the reading list of those concerned with reaching tribal peoples only. The fact is that many of the ideas and practices associated with animism are also reflected in the folk religion that abounds among peoples counted as adherents of the developed religions. Bishop Stephen Neill was of the opinion that the effective religion of some 40 percent of the world s population is of this type. Communicating Christ in Animistic Contexts, therefore, has a much wider application than a reading of the title would suggest.
But this book does more than just fill a lacuna. It fills it in a most adequate and significant way. Dr. Van Rheenen is a careful scholar. He writes out of a thorough comprehension of classical understandings, contemporary thought, and personal experience, and he analyzes the whole in the light of biblical authority. For example, Van Rheenen deals with that intermediate realm of gods, spirits, ancestors, and ghosts, identified by Paul Hiebert as the excluded middle, and with power encounter as highlighted by such missiologists as Alan Tippett and Timothy Warner. He analyzes these phenomena in the clear light of biblical teachings on principalities and powers and of kingdom theology. The result is a lucid and balanced work that is second to none in its field.
There are some books that every missions professor wants to read and use, every mission administrator needs to become familiar with, every student of missions should study, and every field missionary ought to employ. There is not a great number of such books. But this is one of them.
David J. Hesselgrave Deerfield, Illinois
Preface
A nimism, as explored in this book, is not merely the religion of tribal societies. Animism is prevalent in every continent and is part of every culture, although it is more formative in some than others. In Western contexts animistic customs include channeling and magical use of crystals in the New Age movement, ritual practices of the occult, and the reading of horoscopes to perceive how the alignment of heavenly bodies affect the living. Spiritism in Brazil, Santeria in Cuba, voodoo in Haiti, ancestral veneration among the Chinese, Shintoism in Japan, and cargo cult in Melanesia are all types of animistic systems.
There are also animistic undercurrents to all major religions as they are practiced around the world. For example, spiritism is an ideology followed by most Catholics in Brazil. Many Muslims not only worship God at the mosque on Friday but also venerate holy men at their tombs. Hindus not only believe in karma, reincarnation, and samsara, but they also presume that rakasas (evil spirits) and ancestors influence life and, therefore, must be manipulated and controlled.
Paradoxically most of the people coming to Christ in the world are of an animistic tradition, while the missionaries initiating movements and evangelizing in those contexts are of a secular heritage. This book helps equip missionaries from a largely secular background to minister in the animistic contexts of the world.
Many have significantly contributed to this study. My wife, Becky, to whom this book is dedicated, has stood by me throughout the project. She not only has proofed the entire document many times but also has helped rearrange many sentences and paragraphs. Our wonderful children-Jonathan, Rebecca, Deborah, and David-did not always understand the inordinate amount of time required by this project but were supportive nevertheless. Anthony Parker, my graduate assistant, and Delno Roberts have contributed many hours checking and rechecking the document. Many Kipsigis Christians in Kenya, especially Joseph Lang at, have opened my closed universe to the reality of spirit realms. I am deeply grateful to my mentors at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School under whose tutelage the major part of this project was written. Dr. Timothy Warner first encouraged me to undertake the project and then patiently worked with me through each chapter. Dr. David Hesselgrave s incisive critiques helped to refine the content of the materials. Many in the administration and faculty of Abilene Christian University also have given encouragement and direction to the project. Dr. Ian Fair, dean of the School of Biblical Studies, continually exhorted me to finalize its writing. Dr. Ed Matthews, chairman of the Department of Missions, gave me open access to his library and helped direct me to relevant sources.
Gailyn Van Rheenen Abilene Christian University Abilene, Texas
Part 1
Understanding Animism
1

The Meaning of Animism and Its Place in Today s World
Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the L ORD , and because of these detestable practices the L ORD your God will drive out those nations before you. You must be blameless before the L ORD your God. [Deut. 18:10-13]
Glimpses of Animism
Kipsigis tribe, Kenya (1984): The day that Jonathan died was the saddest of days. Jonathan had been a pillar of the church. He had even taken the gospel back home and taught his mother and father to know Jesus Christ. As an effective arbitrator of disputes, he was deeply respected by those in his village. His sudden death had been a shock to the community. As his casket, made from rough-hewn boards, was lowered into the ground, even the stoic old men of the village wept.
In Jonathan s mind his illness could be traced to an incident when one of his neighbors borrowed a cow from another neighbor to provide milk for his family. When the owner came to get the cow, the neighbor concealed that the cow had given birth to a calf and that the calf had been sold. When the owner eventually heard that his cow had calved, he angrily returned to demand possession of the calf. He was told that the calf had been sold but that another would be purchased and given to him instead. While these negotiations were going on, the