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St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 4 | August 2012 doctrine of the full divinity of Christ by borrowing from Greco- Roman thought are empty and indefensible. THE ORIGINS, DEVELOPMENT AND FUTURE OF THE C5 / INSIDER MOVEMENT DEBATE © Matthew Sleeman, 1 2012 Abstract: This article provides a comprehensive literature review of the C5 / insider movement debate, with particular focus on writings between 1998 and 2010. The review analyses the literature within four chronological periods (1998; 1999-2002, 2003-2007, 2008-2010), examining both proponents and critics of the C-Scale articulated by Travis (1998a). In looking beyond these publications to the ongoing debate and deepening controversies, this article identifies eight areas where the issues need to advance in the future. It concludes with a call for more careful consideration of the C-Scale, both with regard to what built its original claims and in what its reception or non-reception means for missiology and ecclesiology. Key Words: Contextualization, Insider Movement, Islam, missionary, MBB, C-scale, C5 1 Introduction The debates surrounding C5 contextualization and “insider movements” within Islamic settings are now well over a decade old. Given Acts 2:11, though, arguably these matters predate Islam and extend back to the Day of Pentecost (Medearis 2008: 62) and, even, into the earlier Jewish Diaspora’s relations with host cultures. More recent discussions within the missiological sphere, however, 1 Matthew Sleeman teaches New Testament and Greek at Oak Hill College, London. He has PhDs in human geography and in New Testament studies, and has a particular research interest in the book of Acts. This interest has brought him to the debates examined in this article, with an eye to how those engaged in these debates engage with Acts. He hopes to pursue that question further in subsequent publications. St Francis Magazine is a publication of Interserve and Arab Vision 450
St Francis Magazine Vol 8, No 4 | August 2012 have generated as many questions as answers (Tee 2007), and there remains a lack of an easily-available overarching survey of the literature informing these discussions. 2 Covering the period 1998-2010, this article provides such a survey and makes an assessment of these opening years in what is very much an ongoing development within mission practice and theorisation. This, together with its bibliography, will help us to understand and locate these debates, especially for readers unfamiliar with the topic. Indeed, to anticipate one of my conclusions, this contested area of theory and practice will benefit from ongoing and more sophisticated cross-disciplinary interactions, which will require an introductory survey such as this. This is important since, at the time of writing (in 2012), there is no sign of any resolution or consensus among evangelicals in the debates surrounding the reception of C5 and insider movements. Instead, “Evangelicals are increasingly divided over how to conduct ministries among Muslims.” (Johnson 2011: 50) Also, if anything, the geopolitical challenges and restructuring within the 2011 ‘Arab Spring’ heighten the need for ongoing and maturing debate (cf. Herrera and Bayat 2010). Even if it is not exhaustive, this literature review is intended to be comprehensive, at least regarding the differing sides of the debate. 3 I have focused on published written material, deliberately omitting blogs and unpublished conference papers with their surrounding conversations; nor do I examine the policy statements drawn up by particular mission agencies. 4 2 In the final stages of preparing this manuscript for publication, I came across an unpublished PhD thesis which addresses the period here under review and reaches similar conclusions to mine, and advances the debate in a number of significant ways (Wolfe 2011). Although not making a formal literature review, Wolfe engages with the same body of literature addressed here: see, especially, pp.29-97 regarding the development of insider movement methodology and pp.98-169 regarding its biblical and theological foundations. 3 If anyone feels some important literature or perspective has been omitted from the period here under review, please inform me via matthews.@.oakhill.ac.uk. 4 The exception is a statement by Arab World Ministries (2007), since it was published in St. Francis Magazine [SFM] and discussed by Corwin (2007: 53-54). St Francis Magazine is a publication of Interserve and Arab Vision 451
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