a contextual missiology of the spirit - eTheses Repository ...

the global culture of Charismatic Christianity. 53 The impact of globalization of
Pentecostalism on the local Pentecostals will be discussed further in chapter five.
Finally, the term ‘missiology’ is to be defined. As Jan Jongeneel observes, today a
broad interpretation of the term ‘missiology’ is generally accepted in both Roman
Catholic and Protestant circles, to include a wide range of studies ‘appropriate to
the understanding of mission, its context and practical application.’ 54 Although
terms like apostolology were used by theologians, Jongeneel states that he prefers
to use the term ‘missiology.’ He mentions three arguments to support his
preference for the term ‘missiology’: the biblical argument, the historical
argument and the secular argument. 55 ‘Intercultural theology’ is a significant term
preferred to ‘missiology’ by many contemporary western theologians. While
discussing the cultural context of the origin of intercultural theology, Werner
Ustorf observes that ‘the term [intercultural theology] has not only been widely
accepted in Western theology, but in many instances, it completely replaced the
terms mission or missiology.’ 56 However, in this study, I have chosen the term
‘missiology,’ and along with the three arguments Jongeneel mentions for his
53
Simon Coleman, The Globalization of Charismatic Christianity: Spreading the Gospel of
Prosperity (Cambridge: CUP, 2000), 6.
54
Jan. A.B. Jongeneel, Philosophy, Science, and Theology of Mission in the Nineteenth and
Twentieth Centuries: A Missiological Encyclopedia, part I: The Philosophy and Science of
Mission, 2 nd rev ed. (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2002), 63.
55
The Biblical argument explains that like apostolology, the term missiology is also rooted in the
Bible (in the Latin translation). The historical argument explains that ‘missiology’ is an older term,
‘the logical end’ of a discussion began in the sixteenth century, firstly among the Roman Catholics
and then among the Protestants. The secular argument explains that the term ‘missiology’ is used
and understood even in non-religious terms. For example, ‘diplomatic mission,’ ‘parliamentary
missions,’ and ‘commercial missions.’ Therefore, Jongeneel views that it is not strange to speak
about missiology as an academic discipline which researches ‘missions’ in general and Christian
missions in particular. For more details of the discussion, see Jongeneel, Philosophy, Science, and
Theology, 64-65.
56
Werner Ustorf, ‘The Cultural Origins of “Intercultural Theology,”’ Mission Studies 25, no.2
(2008): 233. For more details of the discussion on intercultural theology, see pp. 229-51.
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