Missions: A Day Of Opportunity
Understanding Church Growth, by Donald McGavran (Eerdmans, 1970, 382 pp., $7.95), is reviewed by John T. Seamands, professor of Christian missions, Asbury Theological Seminary, Wilmore, Kentucky.
Understanding Church Growth is written against the backdrop of pessimism and confusion that now prevails in many mission circles. It grows out of Dr. McGavran’s deep conviction that “this is the day par excellence to reconcile men to God in the Church of Jesus Christ,” and that “we must not be limited by the small expectations of our forebears, nor measure tomorrow’s advances by yesterday’s defeats.” He contends that today’s paramount imperative and opportunity in missions is to multiply churches in the increasing numbers of receptive peoples of the earth.
Part I deals with the theological basis of church growth. Since God as revealed in the Bible has assigned the highest priority to bringing men into living relationship to Jesus Christ, mission is defined as “an enterprise devoted to proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, and to persuading men to become His disciples and dependable members of His Church.” Though the Church must certainly be engaged in many “good works,” its primary task is evangelism. Redeemed men are necessary for a Christianized social order. The Church must not be satisfied with mere seeking that is neutral as to results. It must seek until it finds. And the Church must not be content with discipling a few scattered individuals. It must endeavor to disciple the multitudes.
In Part II the author discusses various types of “fog” that prevent us from seeing church growth and then describes the kinds of facts and statistics that are urgently needed to reveal where and how the Church is growing throughout the world. Guidelines are given for evaluating these facts.
Part III deals with the complexity of church growth and the many ways in which God multiplies his churches around the world. Such vital issues as the relation of quality to quantity, discipling to perfecting, and evangelism to social action are discussed with candor and clarity.
In Parts IV and V, McGavran examines the social and anthropological milieus in which churches multiply and shows how an understanding of social structures is essential for the planter of churches. Effective missionary strategy calls for careful study of the intricate mosaic of cultures, peoples, and ethnic units and demands the wise selection of methods to fit each piece of the mosaic. The author contends that the common people around the world, in both rural and urban areas, are the segment of society most receptive to the Gospel and should, therefore, be the prime object of missionary activity. He also believes that “people movements” within distinct class and ethnic groups are the most natural and effective means for church growth.
Those who have followed the writings of Dr. McGavran in recent years will welcome this new one as his most definitive work on church growth thus far. It shows a noticeable degree of maturity of thought. Several questions formerly left unanswered are here discussed boldly and clearly. The arguments are logical and persuasive and well documented with case studies from all parts of the world.
Some of McGavran’s ideas may appear highly controversial, but they demand careful consideration by all who are sincerely concerned about the world mission of the Church. Applying the principles he discusses might well lead us out of the present confusion into a new era in world evangelization.
Digging Into Palestine’S Past
The Archeology of the New Testament: The Life of Jesus and the Beginning of the Early Church, by Jack Finegan (Princeton University, 1969, 273 pp., $20), is reviewed by Edwin M. Yamauchi, associate professor of history, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.
Jack Finegan has produced what will undoubtedly remain for many years the definitive work on New Testament archeology in Palestine. As the subtitle indicates, the work does not cover the ministry of Paul in Anatolia, Greece, and Italy. We earnestly hope Dr. Finegan will devote another volume to these areas.
After a short section on John the Baptist, the largest portion of the book deals with the life of Jesus and associated sites in Palestine. The last quarter of the book is devoted to a detailed discussion of tombs in Palestine and to an evaluation of the signs of the cross that appear on ossuaries and elsewhere.
Discussions of the various sites are at a scholarly level with citations of inscriptions and traditions in the original Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and Aramaic, together with their translations into English.
As every new traveler to the Holy Land needs to be forewarned, the authenticity of the holy sites varies considerably—from the indubitably genuine site of Jacob’s Well to the misplaced site of the wedding miracle at Kafr Cana (instead of at the less convenient Khirbet Cana). The various traditions cited by Finegan will enable the reader to judge for himself the degree of certainty attached to any site.
Most helpful—in fact, invaluable—are the 296 photographs and diagrams of the various sites and objects. Many of these have appeared only in scattered scholarly journals that are virtually inaccessible to the lay public.
The references to excavations are quite up to date and include, for example, some information from the 1968 excavation by Jerry Vardaman at Machaerus, the scene of John the Baptist’s execution, and the 1968 excavation by Benjamin Mazar in the temple area of Jerusalem.
It should be noted that subsequent work by Mazar has removed any doubt that Robinson’s Arch is the beginning of the bridge connecting the Upper City to the temple (p. 131). Another correction that may be noted is that the ossuary of “Simon the builder” of the temple (pp. 127, 237) was not found south of the temple area but in East Jerusalem. The burial cave containing the ossuary, a limestone box for the bones of the dead, was accidentally exposed by a bulldozer clearing a site for a housing project.
Finegan reports on recent excavations by Kathleen Kenyon in the Muristan area of walled Jerusalem that prove the site of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre lay outside the so-called second wall of Jesus’ day. There is therefore no reason to doubt that the traditional site is the authentic site of Calvary and of the tomb of Jesus. The alternative sites of Gordon’s Calvary and the Garden Tomb, favored by many Protestants, have no archeological evidence in their favor. The “eye-sockets” of Gordon’s Calvary were evidently formed after the seventeenth century A.D. (cf. R. A. S. Macalister, “The ‘Garden Tomb,’ ” Quarterly Statement of the Palestine Exploration Fund, 1907, p. 231).
The section on the tombs and the sign of the cross includes some important first-century archeological evidence for Christianity in Palestine. The discussion is quite complete, but one misses any reference to the cross signs in the Sanhedriyya tombs.
The cost of the volume may deter many from buying it, but this magnificent work is worth many times its price.
‘Israel’ And The Church
Israel in the Apostolic Church, by Peter Richardson (Cambridge University, 1969, 257 pp., $12.50), is reviewed by E. E. Ellis, associate professor of biblical studies, New Brunswick Theological Seminary, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
The relation of Israel to the early Church has been associated both with an alleged anti-Semitism of New Testament writings and with a long-standing debate between dispensational and covenant theologies. This book, a dissertation written under the supervision of Professor C. F. D. Moule, comes closer to the latter theme, but it forges its own careful, exegetical path within the context of a specific historical problem: Why is the term Israel explicitly applied to the Church for the first time only in Justin’s Dialogue in the middle of the second century?
Dr. Richardson believes that Justin represents the culmination of a process of estrangement of the Church from Judaism in which the Church increasingly viewed itself as “the heir of all of which Israel once possessed.” To establish the thesis, he traces the development in the patristic writings and, book by book, within the New Testament itself. The crux at Galatians 6:16 (“Israel of God”) is interpreted, with considerable plausibility, as “the faithful in Judaism whom God will assuredly save.” The polemic in Philippians 3 marks the beginning of the “transposition” of Israel’s attributes to the Church. This process is accelerated in Ephesians, in which there appears a new designation of the Church as the temple, and in First Peter. On the other hand, Hebrews and John represent not so much a transposition as an identification of “Christians” as the Israel of God or as a nucleus in Israel. In conflict with the pharisaic synagogue making the same claim, Matthew similarly works toward a theory of the Church as “true Israel.” But these tendencies could reach full flower only when, after A.D. 135, the break with Judaism was complete and the Church could flatly deny that Judaism post Christum stood in continuity with Israel.
Richardson’s thesis is intriguing and his discussion at individual points often well thought out. Certainly, the concept of a Judaism that is “on the way” to Messiah admits of no simple dichotomy between the people of God and unbelieving Judaism. Nor does it allow any simple identification of the “people” and the Church.
If as a whole the thesis fails to convince, the weakness may lie more in the issues not addressed than in those specifically argued. For example, if Jesus had no intention of constituting a remnant, must one not find a better explanation for his relation to the Baptist and his other acts (such as the choice of the Twelve) that are open to such an interpretation? The same question applies to the (probably pre-Pauline) Church’s application to itself of such significant concepts as people/temple (2 Cor. 6:16; 1 Pet. 2:5–10). In the light of Qumran’s contemporaneous claim to be the faithful remnant, fully discussed here, the author proceeds all too easily on the assumption (Justin’s?) that the “Church” and “Israel” are separate entities. He does not take sufficient account of the difference between Justin’s concept of transferral (metetethē, Dial. 82:1) and Paul’s concept of identification (Rom. 2:28, 29; Gal. 3:29) and inclusion (eiserchomai, Rom. 11:25). There also appears to be a confusion of two issues that must be kept separate: (1) the Church’s understanding of itself vis-à-vis the Jewish nation, and (2) the rationale of the Gentiles’ entry into the Church.
In spite of unclarified assumptions regarding the nature of the Church, the author has posed and illuminated an important question: Why is the term Israel applied in the New Testament to Christians so rarely, if at all? The terms Jew (Rom. 2:29), Hebrew, and Israelite (2 Cor. 11:22) also are rarely appropriated, apparently because they were identified with unbelieving Jews and with Jewish-Christian sectarians. It may be that in some circles “Israel” also carried a polemical content or a historical association that inhibited its use as a title among Christians. This possibility offers at least an alternative approach to the provocative question in which Richardson has so interestingly engaged us.
A Thorough, Solid Commentary
The Epistles of Peter and of Jude, by J. N. D. Kelly (Harper & Row, 1969, 387 pp., $8), is reviewed by Ralph Earle, professor of New Testament, Nazarene Theological Seminary, Kansas City, Missouri.
This is the thirteenth volume to appear in the series of “Harper’s New Testament Commentaries” (“Black’s” in Britain). Half a dozen more are yet to come.
Kelly, principal of St. Edmund Hall at Oxford University, had already written on the Pastoral Epistles (1963). But here he writes at greater length than before. In fact, this volume is one of the most thorough treatments in the series. The reader finds a close exegesis, with considerable attention given to literature which sprang up around the Greek vocabulary and grammar (as the author says, this is unavoidable if the meaning is to be brought out).
Kelly has been a lecturer in patristic studies at Oxford, and his ample references to the early church fathers enrich the exegesis. The treatment shows real depth of scholarship.
The introduction of First Peter is comprehensive. Against the popular idea that this epistle is either a sermon or a baptismal liturgy, Kelly insists that it is “a piece of genuine correspondence.” He thinks the persecution mentioned was “private and local, originating in the hostility of the surrounding population.” For the time of writing he favors “a relatively early date, just conceivably even a date before 64, rather than one towards the end of the 1st cent.” He leaves the matter of authorship uncertain. The epistle was probably written at Rome.
What about the Second Epistle? Kelly notes that “scarcely anyone nowadays doubts that 2 Peter is pseudonymous.” After surveying the various arguments, he writes: “We must therefore conclude that 2 Peter belongs to the luxuriant crop of pseudo-Petrine literature which sprang up around the memory of the Prince of the apostles.” It was probably written about A.D. 100–110. The Epistle of Jude might have been written by the brother of James and Jesus in the seventies, says Kelly. But he prefers “a rather later date such as 80–90, or even nearer the end of the century.” In that case, of course, it would be pseudonymous.
While there will be differences of opinion on these introductory questions, no careful student can fail to find the commentary itself both solid and satisfying.
One point that particularly interested me was the author’s discussion of the double greeting, “grace and peace” (the same as in Paul’s epistles). It is commonly assumed that “grace” (charis) is a modification of the usual Greek “greeting” (chairein). All agree, of course, that “peace” is Hebraic. But Kelly argues that “grace” means “the loving favour which God shows to sinners,” and so “in fact reproduces the pious wishes conventional in Jewish letters.” He also says about “peace” that it “does not simply denote inner tranquility or repose in the psychological sense. Rather it is the objective condition of being right with God.” The serious student of these three epistles will find this volume invaluable.
Book Briefs
A Variety of Catholic Modernists, by Alec R. Vidler (Cambridge University, 1970, 232 pp., $8.50). A study of some of the churchmen involved in the “modernist” movement within Roman Catholicism between 1890 and 1910.
The Spring Wind, by Gladis DePree (Harper & Row, 1970, 112 pp., $3.95). This personal account describes the life and ministry of an American missionary family serving in Hong Kong.
Give Up, God, by Bryan Jay Cannon (Revell, 1970, 192 pp., $4.50). This fresh look at the Christian life states age-old Christian truths in simple and contemporary language.
The Holy Vessels and Furniture of the Tabernacle, by Henry W. Soltau (Kregel, 1970, 148 pp., $4.95). This first American edition of an 1851 British work explains how the Tabernacle furnishings pointed to Christ.
Episcopacy in the Lutheran Church?, edited by Ivar Asheim and Victor R. Gold (Fortress, 1970, 261 pp., $12). Nine scholars describe the office of church leadership from its New Testament beginnings to its present state as practiced by the various Lutheran churches throughout the world.
Holy War: With Apologies to John Bunyan, by Ethel Barrett (Regal, 1969, 234 pp., paperback, $1.95). A modern-day version of John Bunyan’s classic allegory.
Communicating Christ in the Inner City, by Wayne Willis (Sweet, 1970, 128 pp., $3.95). A handbook, including lesson plans, for those who seek to reach disadvantaged children in the inner city.
Albert Camus and Christianity, by Jean Onimus, translated by Emmett Parker (University of Alabama, 1970, 159 pp., $6.50). A French Roman Catholic offers a critique of Camus’s thought.
Well, What Is Teaching?, by Dale E. Griffin (Concordia, 1970, 79 pp., paperback, $1.25). One of four titles in the “Church Teachers Library.” Other titles: The Subject Is Persons, What Has God Done Lately?, and New Ways to Learn.
The Christian Home, by Charles A. Matthews (Standard, 1970, 96 pp., paperback, $1.75). Designed for use in a study course.
Three Letters from Prison, by John H. Schaal (Baker, 1970, 151 pp., paperback, $2.95). This first release in the newly projected “Layman’s Bible Study Series” covers Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon in a format designed for classroom or study groups.
The Cross and the Bo-Tree, by Piero Gheddo (Sheed and Ward, 1970, 368 pp., $7.95). An Italian priest-journalist contends that any viable solution to the Viet Nam crisis must take into account the religious “force”—the Buddhist and Catholic populace whose religious commitment runs much deeper than their loyalty to any political regime.
Out of This World, by Lee Fisher (Logos International, 1970, 173 pp., $3.95). A staff evangelist of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association writes about his godly father.
Anguished Men of God, by Wesley Shrader (Harper & Row, 1970, 145 pp., $4.95). Through the use of a series of letters exchanged by two imaginary clergymen, one a Roman Catholic and the other a Presbyterian, this volume explores the personal crises faced by many modern men of the cloth.
Shakespearean Tragedy: Its Art and Its Christian Premises, by Roy Bettenhouse (Indiana University, 1969, 466 pp., $15). An English professor at Indiana University argues thoughtfully and thoroughly from Shakespeare’s tragedies that the artist had a Christian world view.
Studies in Methodology in Textual Criticism of the New Testament, by Ernest C. Colwell (E. J. Brill, 1969, 175 pp., 28 guilders). The New Testament scholar will value this series of eleven scholarly essays on textual criticism.
Easy to Live With, by Leslie Parrott (Beacon Hill, 1970, 128 pp., paperback, $1.25). Sees successful interpersonal relationships as the real test of Christian maturity.
Time and Event, by John R. Wilch (E. J. Brill, 1969. 180 pp., 32 guilders). A helpful technical study of the Old Testament concept of time.
Far Above Rubies, by Audrey J. Williamson (Beacon Hill, 1970, 128 pp., paperback, $2). The revised edition of six meditations written especially for the minister’s wife.
The Holy Bible: The New Berkeley Version in Modern English, Gerrit Verkuyl, editor-in-chief (Zondervan, 1969, 1235 pp., $8.95). The latest revision of the Berkeley Version of the Bible.
Christianity: The Witness of History, by J. N. D. Anderson (Tyndale, 1969, 110 pp., paperback, $1.95). A lawyer investigates the evidence for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Once Caught, No Escape, by Norman Grubb (Christian Literature Crusade, 216 pp., paperback, $2.25). The life story of author Norman Grubb.
Unafraid to Be: A Christian Study of Contemporary English Writing, by Ruth Etchells (Inter-Varsity, 1969, 128 pp., paperback, $1.50). An analysis of contemporary English literature from a Christian perspective.
The Oratory of Negro Leaders: 1900–1968, by Marcus Hanna Boulware (Negro University, 1969, 312 pp., $12). A concise history and analysis of the development of Negro oratory in the first two-thirds of the twentieth century.
