Reflections of a New Missionary - Lutheran Society for Missiology

MISS10 

APOSTOLICA 

EDITORIAL OFFICE: 

801 DeMun Avenue 

St. Louis, MO 63105 USA 

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: 

Robert Roegner, Chairperson 

Michael Hackbardt, Vice Chairperson 

Paul Mueller, Secretaly 

Bonnie Hazen, Treasurer 

Eugene W. Bunkowske, Advisor 

BOARD OF DIRECTORS: 

Martin Barlau (01) 

Joe Boway (02) 

Bernice Bunkowske (01) 

Melvin Franke (01) 

Fred Hall (01) 

Richard Latterner (02) 

Dharathula Millender (01) 

Robert Newton (02) 

Elaine Richter (02) 

Robert Scudieri (02) 

Lois Watkins (02) 

PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE: 

Robert Scudieri, Chairperson 

Sandra Hall 

Won Yong Ji 

Paul Heerboth 

Kurtis Smith 

Robert Scudieri, Publisher 

REG~ONAL CORRESPONDENTS: 

Prof. Dr. Volker Stolle, Gennany 

Dr. Eshetu Abate, Ethiopia 

Rev. Craig L. Molitoris, Hong Kong 

Editor's Note 

Readers of this issue of Missio 

Apostolica will quickly notice in the 

following pages a preponderance of 

missionary representation among the 

contributors. Of these, one is a mission 

executive, two are fresh-out-of-the-field 

expatriate missionaries, and Glenn 

Fluegge is a missionary novice with his 

young wife and two infants barely 

adjusting to a life of service away from 

home. They bring to focus the 

challenges and opportunities Christians 

face as they witness the Gospel in 

traditionally non-Christian cultures. 

Douglas Rutt presents a historical 

overview of Christian mission in Latin 

America and its influence on that part 

of the globe since the Spanish presence 

there. Carl Rockrohr engages us on the 

Christian encounter with the culture of 

folk-religion based on his experiences 

in Ghana. Anthony Steinbronn reflects 

on Martin Luther's views on the religion 

of Islam in the context of the 

Reformation by way of preparing us to 

share the Good News with our presentday 

Islamic friends and neighbors. 

Imbedded among the above is a 

discourse by Jacob Preus on the Gospelcentered 

nature of Lutheran worship. 

These, the Mission Observer, and the 

Book Reviews, we hope, enrich our 

mission vision and empower us to 

further God's mission in God's world.

54 Missio Apostolica 

Editorial 

The Movable Property of God 

A. R. Victor Raj 

The people of Israel are called in Exodus 19 'a treasured possession, a kingdom of 

priests and a holy nation.' Expounding on the same text in his book on Mission in the Old 

Testament, Walter C. Kaiser Jr, writes that the Hebrew word usually translated 'treasured 

possession' "referred to property that could be moved as opposed to real estate that could 

not be moved. Accordingly, Israel was to be God's . . . special treasure above aLl his other 

possessions. But they were to be treasures that he could move around and disperse as he 

pleased." (p.22). 

No doubt a dominant theme in the book of Exodus is God redeeming his covenant 

people from their oppressors and leading them to a land he promised their forefathers. 

Kaiser explains that throughout their history, including their life away from home among 

foreigners and their wanderings in the wilderness, Israel was destined to be a missionary 

people. Those who would know them would also, through them, know the only true God. 

Several such descriptions of God's people in the Exodus text above are reflected also 

in the New Testament. Of particular interest for our present purposes is the second 

chapter of the apostle Peter's first letter. There the apostle builds on the Old Testament 

description of God's redeemed as a spiritual house, a royal priesthood, and a people 

belonging to God (literally a people that has become God's possession or property). 

According to Peter, the unique purpose of this treasured possession, this 'movable 

property of God, is to declare among the nations the praises of him who called them out 

of darkness to his marvelous light. And for the sake of accomplishing that divine intent 

God is, as he has been, moving them around and dispersing them as he pleases. 

Mobility is very much at the heart of God's engagement with humankind and 

everything God created for them. Of utmost significance among the various movements 

of God toward mankind is God's own incarnation as Jesus Christ in a fallen world bereft 

of love and harmony as a consequence of human sin. Moved by compassion for his 

creation, in a specific point in human history God chose to live and move and have his 

being among people, so that by his death and resurrection he would bring life to those 

whose destiny it is to die eternally. 

As the time-tested historical witness of Jesus Christ's resurrection and as a living and 

wimessing community delegated by her Lord, the church of all ages has been called to go 

out into the world and make disciples. The church's going out with the Gospel of Jesus 

Christ to the unreached peoples therefore is God's way of reuniting them with his 

household. Accordingly, a church that is rooted and established in God's word and 

nourished by the sacraments is on a pilgrimage in this world, shedding the light of

salvation to those who are groping in the swarming darkness of sin and lost in the thicket 

of broken relationships. Empowered by his Spirit and motivated by his desire, albeit as 

strangers and aliens in the present age, Christians press forward inviting the estranged to 

God's kingdom and extending to the alienated the endearing word of reconciliation. 

As much as the God of Israel was drawing all people to himself by setting his chosen 

people up as a light to the nations, he was also sending them out to make known among 

the nations his salvation. Similarly, God continues to move hls priced possessions of our 

time around as individuals and as communities within one nation and, not infrequently, 

beyond their own comfort zones into the communities and nations, and into linguistic, 

social, and religious situations totally strange to them. As his very own movable property 

God places in the midst of strangers his children as preachers, teachers, volunteer 

missionaries, peace core officers, medical professionals, translators, and similar laborers 

for Christ. And in a rapidly changing world order he is also, in an unprecedented manner, 

pleasantly surprising his people by offering them wonderful opportunities for witnessing 

by bringing into their neighborhood peoples of a variety of religious, cultural, and 

linguistic orientations. 

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has been set in motion. His witnesses therefore do not 

settle in one place, but walk with their Lord, and, in fact, run restlessly the race set before 

them until the full number of the nations have come under the reign of God. During that 

journey they will continue their life of witness with everyone around them so that their 

fellow sojourners shall also, with them, enter that final place of rest with joy and 

celebration.


Articles 

Christian Missions in Latin America: 

the Challenge of the 21" Century 

in Light of the Past 500 Years 

Douglas L. Rutt 

Discovery, Conquest, and "Evangelization." 

The centavo (one-cent piece) of Guatemala bears the image of Fray BartolomC de 

Las Casas, thereby according him the recognition and honor granted to almost no other 

Spaniard-heroe national. The story of the discovery and conquest of the New World by 

the Spanish and Portuguese is a subject of controversy and debate to this day, with 

interpretations running from one extreme to the other. Some see a noble cause in the 

conquista, in which men, motivated by the Great Commission, sought to bring the 

Gospel of Jesus Christ to a people living in darkness. Others-caliing it, as the people of 

Guatemala do, an invasidn-see it as the height of human wickedness and injustice in 

which the Spaniards inflicted great harm and destruction upon their weaker fellow human 

beings for the sole purpose of pecuniary gain. 

Dr. Justo Gonzalez has pointed out that there were inany pious Roman Catholic 

priests and monks who fought tirelessly to protect the Native Americans, who advocated 

teaching and preaching and gentle persuasion rather than the sword as a means of 

evangelism, and who condemned the practice of enslaving andlor killing off the native 

population (Gonzalez 1998). However, one of the most fascinating and important 

characters in the conquest of the Americas was Bartolome de Las Casas. 

Las Casas: The "Protector" of the Indians 

As with the variety of interpretations with respect to the conquista itself, Las Casas 

has been construed and judged in diverse ways, both favorably and harshly. The people 

of Guatemala call him the Procurador de 10s Indios (Protector of the Indians), and the 

Apdstol a 10s Indios (Jones, 122): one who, as a Dominican monk and for a time the 

Bishop of Chiapas, labored tirelessly for more than fifty years as a crusader for the rights 

Douglas L Rutt is a professor at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne and is 

the Area Director of Latin America for the Board for Mission Services for The Lutheran 

Church-Missouri Synod. This essay was first presented to the annual meeting of the 

LSFM in St. Louis, April 2000.

Christian Missions in Latin America 57 

of Native Americans (Jenks, 12). He advocated the evangelization of the native 

population of the Americas by peaceable means. He was against the Franciscan practice 

of baptizing everyone and anyone with few questions asked, or even at the point of the 

sword, but rather advocated that baptism of the Indians should take place only after 

careful instruction in the doctrines of the Christian faith. 

Las Casas was a contemporary of Martin Luther, and it is quite interesting to note 

several parallels to the life of Luther in his life. For example, both visited Rome (Las 

Casas in 1507, Luther in 15 10) and were scandalized by their visits; both underwent 

"first" and "second" conversion experiences, which would leave long-lasting impressions 

upon them; both sought the protection of political authorities; both were idealistic in their 

outlook; both were brave and bold; both were prolific writers and used the printing press 

to their advantage; both took part in historically important debates; both were influenced 

by the humanist, Erasmus (Keen, 9); both studied law; and both became monks as a 

result of a traumatic experience.' 

But for the purposes of our topic it is interesting to note one of the most intriguing 

stories that Las Casas would later recount. Las Casas wrote a work entitled: La Brevkima 

Relacidn de la Destruccion de Las Indias (in spite of the title it is 1,119 folios long in 

three volumes!). He tells the story of the execution of a cacique who had dared to take up 

arms against the Spaniards: 

While he was in the midst of the flames, tied to a stake, a certain 

Franciscan Friar of great piety and virtue, took it upon himself to speak 

to him of God and our religion, and so explain to him some articles of 

the Catholic faith, of which he had never heard a word before, 

promising him eternal life if he would believe, and threatening him 

with eternal torment if he continued obstinate in his infidelity. Hatiiey, 

reflecting on the matter, as much as the place and the condition in 

which he was would permit, asked the friar that instructed him, 

whether the gate of heaven was open to the Spaniards; and being 

answered that those who were good men might hope for entrance there, 

the cacique, without any further deliberation, told him he had no mind 

to go to heaven, for fear of meeting with such cruel and wicked 

company as they were, but would much rather choose hell, where he 

might be delivered from the troublesome sight of such kind of people 

(from Las Casas, quoted in Jenks, 19). 

According to Las Casas, such was the methodology and result of the Spanish 

evangelization of the West Indies. 

I For more about Las Casas and how he has been interpreted see also Femandez, 1971; Gutierrez, 1993; 

Hanke, 1952 and 1959; Malo, 1992; Pennington, 1970; Rand-Parish, 1992; and, Stevens-Arroyo, 1992.

5 8 Missio Apostolica 

500 Years Stili Present 

You might ask, why talk about someone who lived 500 years ago What has that to 

do with Latin America today Well, I would suggest that what took place 500 years ago 

has much to say about the status of Christianity in Latin America today, and it can and 

needs to inform our strategies as we th~nk about the mission of God to Latin America. 

The events of 500 years ago are still very much present in the minds of most Latin 

Americans. 

Indeed, every year the Guatemalan military honors all soldiers in the history of the 

country who have lost their lives in service to their homeland. They have their own sort 

of memorial day, and on that day they read a list of all soldiers in the history of 

Guatemala who have died in battle. When the military officials are all assembled, before 

the president and other officials on the parade grounds, the first name read is Tecun 

Uman, the Quiche Indian chief who was killed by the Spanish conqueror Pedro Alvarado 

during a decisive battle when the Spaniards finally dominated. Tecun Uman's figure is 

also on the Guatemalan one-dollar bill. You will not see any Spanish conqueror honored 

in any way like that, with the exception of Las Casas, least of all, Christopher Columbus. 

What Kind of Evangelization 

Now, let us fast-forward some 500 years, to 1992, the 500* anniversary of the 

voyage of Columbus. To observe the 500' anniversary the Roman Catholic Church 

erected large concrete crosses all over the country, especially along the highways at 

every major intersection. The crosses were painted white, and bore the inscription: "500 

years of evangelization in the New World." Interestingly, next to one of those crosses, a 

large billboard was put up by a Guatemalan Indian group. The billboard was huge, and it 

said not "500 years of evangelization," but rather, "500 years of passive resistance," and 

included a quote from an ancient Mayan writing, the Popol Vuh, that would translate 

roughly, "Let every man that is able rise up." One must ask, with Las Casas, what kind of 

evangelization took place 

Now, even more recently, there is great tension in the city of Coroa Vermelha, the 

location where the Portuguese explorer Pedro Alverez Cabral first touched terra firma in 

what is now known as Brazil. The first mass was said there in the year 1500. Brazilian 

president Cardoso recently had a huge iron cross erected at that location, and has 

dedicated it in commemoration of that event of 500 years ago. Even the president of 

Portugal and the king of Spain were there. On the other hand, the people living in the 

area, the surviving Pataxo Indians, had their own commemoration for the 18-22 of April, 

and they have erected their own monument right next to the iron cross. This monument is 

to commemorate 500 years of resistance. Unfortunately, the military police have already 

destroyed their monument two times, but they just keep rebuilding it.


Christianity or Christendom 

If you were to read the statistics David Barrett publishes on the status of Christianity 

around the world, you would be led to believe that really, Latin America is 90 or 95% 

Christian. Even some of our own LC-MS missions publications have listed similar 

statistics. The idea basically is that to be born in Latin America is to be born a Christian. 

Such an assumption is based upon what is called the "Chnstendom model." 

The Latin American theologian, Rene Padilla, has written about two models for the 

existence of Christ's church in Latin America: he speaks of the "Christendom model," 

and the "Church model" (Padilla, 175). Here, Padilla follows Pablo Richard, who says 

that when we speak of the Christendom model we are talking about a relationship 

behveen the church and civil society in which the state is the principal mediator. This is 

the system that functioned in Latin America for 500 years. This means that the church 

has been able, one way or another, through the history of Latin America, to find its 

existence, dominance and sustainability through its unique relationship with the state, 

whether that relationship be merely implied or blatantly institutionalized. Perhaps a 

simpler way to say it is that Christendom is what you get when you use worldly power, 

instead of the power of the Gospel, to try to convert people to the Christian faith. 

Padilla-and rightly so, I believe-states that this era is finally over: 

If there is anything especially difficult for the Roman Catholic Church 

hierarchy in general to accept, it is that the unity of colonial 

Christendom, imposed in Latin America by the force of arms, is past 

history and that this continent is no longer, if it ever was, a Roman 

Catholic continent (Padilla, 169). 

He goes on to point out that the Spanish conquest was a political-religious project 

inspired by the ideal of establishing in the New World a Christian kingdom under the 

power of the Catholic sovereigns and the power of the pope. This was the conquerors' 

dream, and in order to realize it, they relied on the military support of the Spanish Empire 

(Padilla, 169). 

The Sword and Popular Religiosity 

What Padilla advocates is essentially, I believe, the same thing that Bartholome de 

Las Casas advocated: that people cannot really be evangelized through worldly power, 

but that evangelization must take place through the Gospel, through the Word. The 

genuine kingdom of God is established in that way, and only in that way, and the result 

of any other method of evangelization or attempt to institute the church through the 

power of the sword will not, and, as Padilla stated above, has not, brought about the 

genuine evangelization of Latin America, but rather has resulted in what he calls 

"popular religiosity" (Padilla, 164). In a nutshell what he means by popular religiosity is 

a strange mixture of some elements of Christianity with all kinds of animistic beliefs and 

practices


It is interesting to note that even the Roman Catholic Church is aware of the need for 

a "nueva evangelizacion" and has launched such programs around Latin America. 

However, and unfortunately, this new evangelization is seen, especially by the hierarchy, 

as a way to try to regain lost ground and go back to the old days. In other words, the 

purpose of the nueva evangelizacibn has changed from no doubt what was the vision of 

some Catholic leaders-a preaching of the Gospel-to attempts by the hierarchy to use 

its power and worldly influence to tear down the competing religious movements, 

insisting that they are "foreign religions" that came "from outside." I think you can see 

that for many Latin Americans the arrival of the first conquerors 500 years ago, 

accompanied by their monks and priests, might as well have been last year or even 

yesterday. The Catholic Church, too, must recognize that in the mind of many Latin 

Americans it is just as much an implant as Protestantism, neo-evangelicalism, or 

Mormonism or Islam, for that matter. 

Perhaps I have said too much about this, but I have often been asked why we are 

doing mission work in Latin America. In the history of our own church body it is a 

known fact that President H.C. Schwann, who lived in Brazil from 1843 to 1850 before 

he immigrated to the United States, was against mission work in Latin America. 

Although there were many calls to begin in Brazil it was not until Franz Pieper became 

president of the LC-MS in 1899 that our first missionary, Christian Broders, was sent to 

Brazil in 1900. 

The reports of David Barrett notwithstanding, I believe that the proclamation of the 

Gospel in Latin America is still of urgent necessity. At the risk of overstating the point, I 

must agree with Rene Padilla, that Latin America is no longer a Christian contment, if it 

ever was. 

Materialism, Consumerism and Secularization 

Besides the proliferation of animistic religious beliefs, the popular religiosity that 

Padilla talks about, in many respects Latin America is also now under the same kinds of 

influences that we experience here in the U.S. The secularization of society, the rampant 

materialism and consumerism that form our core values, the relativism, the postmodernism 

that characterizes our culture-all these things are influential in Latin 

America too, besides other problems of injustice, poverty, and corruption in government. 

Christ Will Establish His Church 

What will the 21" century see in terms of the role and place of Christianity in Latin 

America Of course only God knows, but there is every reason to believe that Christ will 

establish His church (note, I said "His church" and not "Christendom") in Lam America, 

and it will take on ever increasing responsibility and initiative in the spread of the Gospel 

around the world.


In that regard we have wonderful opportunities to participate in the extension of 

God's kingdom in Latin America and beyond, but it must be done in "partnership" with 

our brothers and sisters in Christ of Latin America. 

"Partnership" is an important word that we use often, and it needs to be carefully 

defined. In our LCMS World Mission strategy statement for Latin America we need to 

talk about ~t because a faulty kind of partnership is not what God desires between 

Christians. We make five basic points to be in partnership with fellow Christians: 1) 

entering into it freely; 2) agreeing about in what God's mission consists; 3) respecting 

each other as equals; 4) maintaining an on-going dialogue, and 5) working together 

(Strategy Statement for Latin America, 6). It recognizes that in God's kingdom, as Dr. 

Hintze noted in his work on the subject, there are no "haves" and "have-nots" (Hintze, 

187). God has given gifts to all. We must recognize that God has given great gifts to the 

church of Latin America, and we must recognize those gifts and make use of them. In 

partnership we can do much more.* I am convinced that the 21" century will be a time of 

more and better partnerships. 

Latin American TheoIogicalMissiological Reflection 

Another issue that will become more significant, related as it is to the matter of 

partnership, is the leadership role that Latin Americans will begin to take, not only in the 

actual practice of missions, but also in missiological and theological reflection. For that 

reason it is essential that we do what we can to enable and empower Latin Americans to 

take on leadership roles in both the theory and practice of missions. 

Challenges 

There are challenges to be sure. Urbanization is one of them. Four of the ten largest 

cities in the world are in Latin America. How do we reach people living in the great 

urban centers Much of our mission work has been done in rural areas. The challenges of 

reaching people with the Gospel in urban areas include the isolation of people, social 

disintegration, the difficulty in perceiving networks, a society that is complex and multilayered, 

and, of course, the high rate of crime and high cost of living. 

Another challenge I would describe with three words: U.S. altruism, globalization 

and dependency. How can we carry out mission strategies in a way that promotes the 

development of healthy communities of believers that have not learned to become 

dependent upon outside agencies for their continued maintenance and growth Many 

parts of Latin America have become or been made dependent as nations. It is a challenge 

Missiologists have predicted that the two most tmportant missionary-sending nations of the 2lS' century will 

be Brazil and Korea. Examples of partnerships to cany out mission work in other parts of the world are an 

LCMS World Miss~on-Evangelical Lutheran Church in Brazil project to provide theological education to a 

small Portuguese-speaking Lutheran church in Angola and a partnership between LCMS World Mission and 

the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Argentina to open mission work in Spain.

62 Missio ApostoIica 

to avoid creating unhealthy dependencies, while still partnering in ways that truly 

promote the extension of the kingdom. 

Although it may seem strange to list the generosity of people from the U.S. as a 

challenge, in some cases U.S. charity can overwhelm a small church and rob it of any 

self-respect or self-esteem it may have. This happens when well-intentioned Christians 

from the U.S., in part due to the ease of travel and communication around the world 

(globalization), can end up smothering a small church or mission station with their love, 

thereby creating dependencies and robbing local Christians of the satisfaction of doing 

things for themselves. Mission stations and small churches can become almost 

overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of well-intentioned people from our churches who 

want to carry out "mission work" during a 1-2 week visit to the field. 

Faithful Proclamation of the Gospel 

The greatest challenge to mission strategies in Latin America is the same challenge 

that BartholomC de Las Casas was concerned with when he wrote The Only Way to Draw 

All People to the True Religion. It is the challenge of preaching the Word faithfully. In 

the word "faithfully" I include the concept of meaningfulness, or relevance. How do we 

preach the Word in cultures and to the worldviews of the people of Latin America in a 

meaningful way that cuts to the heart Many Latin Americans are Christian in name only. 

Moreover, there is a 500-year history to deal with. Animistic religious beliefs and 

practices dominate worldviews. Christian proclamation must confront the predominant 

religious system and show that the one true God is involved in all aspects of life, and that 

he is not a foreign God, but the Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier, as Paul said, "in whom 

we live and move and have our being."


References Cited 

Fernandez, Manuel Gimenez. 1971. Fray Bartolome de las Casas: a biographical sketch. In 

Rartolome' de las Casas in History: Toward an Understanding of the Man and His Work, ed. Juan 

Friede and Benjamin Keen, 67-126. DeKalb, Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press. 

Gutierrez, Gustavo. 1993. Las Casas: In Search of the Poor of Jesus Christ. Maryknoll: Orbis 

Books. 

Hanke, Lewis. 1952. Bartolome de las Casas: Historian. Gainseville, Florida: University of 

Florida Press. 

. 1959. Aristotle and the American Indians: A Study in Race Prejudice in the Modern World. 

Gaga: Henry Regnery Company. 

Hintze, Otto C. 1980. Complementarity: A Mature Interrelationship Between Partner Churches for 

Berter Egecting God's Mission. Dissertation, Lutheran School of Theology, Chicago. 

Jenks, David. 1930. Six Great Missionaries of the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. 

Milwaukee. The Morehouse Publishing Company. 

Jones, Chester Lloyd. 1966. Guatemala: Pasf and Present. New York: Russell and Russell. 

Keen, Benjamin. 1971. Approaches to Las Casas, 1535-1970. In Bartolomi de las Casas in 

History. Toward at7 Understanding of the Man and His Work, ed. Juan Friede and Benjamin Keen, 

3-66. DeKalb, .Illinois: Northern Illinois University Press. 

Staregy Slatentent for Latin America. 1999. LCMS World Mission, St. Louis 

Malo, M~quel Concha. 1992. El uso alternativo del derecho en Bartolome' de las Casas. In 

Dominicos en Mesoamerica: 500 Atios, supplement of journal, Analogia Filosdfica, 57-76. 

Santiago de Mexico. 

Padilla, C. Rent. 1999. The Future of Christianity in Latin America: Missiological Perspectives 

and Challenges. In Mission at the Dawn of the 21" Century: A Vision for the Church, ed. Paul Varo 

Mart~nson, 164-182. Minneapolis. Kirk House Publishers. 

Pennington, Kenneth Jr. 1970. Bartolome de las Casas and the tradition of medieval law. In 

Church History 39:2 (June 1970): 149-161. 

Rand-Parish, Helen (ed.). 1992. The Only Way. New York: Paulist Press. 

Stevens-Arroyo, Anthony. 1992. Review of Bartolome' de las Casas: Dominikaner-Bischof- 

Yerterdiger der Indios, by Thomas Eggensperger and Ulrich Engel, and Qui&n Era Bartolome' de 

Ins Casas, by Pedro Borges. In Calholic HisroricalReview, 78:2 (April, 1992): 335-337.


Luther On Islam 

Anthony Steinbronn 

Introduction 

What were the views of Dr. Martin Luther on the religion of Islam What was his 

advice concerning the emerging presence of Islam into the European continent What 

missiological insights and implications can be derived from Luther's missiological theory 

and practice Finally, what missiological errors did Luther commit which should be 

avo~ded by God's people today as they seek to bear Christian witness toward those who 

adhere to the Islamic faith 

As early as 1518, Dr. Martin Luther had identified the Islamic faith as the "scourge 

of God." For the rest of his life Luther believed that the Muslims were God's punishment 

upon a sinful Christendom who had, among other sins,' tolerated the papal abomination.* 

The Muslim was Germany's schoolmaster who must correct and teach the German 

people to repent of their sins and to fear God. 

By 1541, Luther's burning question is "how can God be patient any longer" Just as 

God had punished the generation of Noah for its wickedness, God must now protect His 

honor and divinity by punishing the thankless and ungrateful German people.' 

Biblical References Concerning the Origin and Mature of the Islamic Faith 

Martin Luther, having spent most of his life lecturing on the Old Testament, derived his 

Biblical understanding of the origin and nature of Islam from Daniel 7 and Daniel's 

dream concerning the four beasts. In Daniel's vision, each beast represented a kingdom 

with the last beast signifying the Roman Empire. In fulfillment of Daniel 7:20, Luther 

identified the Islamic faith with the small horn which had displaced the kingdoms of 

Egypt, Greece, and Asia and who makes war against God's people. Moreover, the human 

eyes represented Islam's sacred book, the Koran, which contained only human wisdom. 

The mouth signified the many blasphemies that the prophet Mohammed uttered against 

the Christian faith. 

Rev. Anthony Steinbronn is pastor of ImmanueI Lutheran Church, South ~akota, and 

was formerly a missionary in South Africa. 

' Luther observed many sins among the German people which warranted His wrath and punishment such as 

the: (1) sln of ingratitude towards God who had enlightened the Gennans with the true Word of God and had 

freed Them from the papacy; (2) toleration of wicked sects and heresies such as Muntzer, Zwingli and the 

Anabaptists; (3) worship of the god Mammon, along with drunkenness and greed; and (4) the split within 

Christendom which had provoked His wrath. 

Mark U. Edwards Jr., Lulher's Lasf Battles: Politics and Polemics 1531-46 (Ithica: Comell University Press, 

1983). p.98. 

' Martin Luther. Lufher's Works (St Louis: Concordia, 1955-1986). 43:223. Luther's Works will hereafter be 

abbreviated as LW.

Luther On Islam 65 

Furthermore, in a letter to Nicholas Hausmann, Luther made the identification of 

Gog with the Muslim and Magog with the pope, the former being the external or worldly 

enemy of God's people and the latter being the spiritual or ecclesiastical enemy of Christ 

and His church. 

The Historical Origin of the Islamic Faith 

Luther traced the historical origin of the Islamic error to Arius, who, in uniting 

spiritual with physical persecution of the church, led to Mohammed and ultimately to the 

papacy.4 Subsequently, shortly after the suppression of Arianism by the early church 

fathers, Mohammed came from the Arian heresy. 

Later, in 1538, Luther held that the establishment of the papacy in 606 A.D., with 

Phokes' granting the primacy of the papacy to Boniface 111, corresponded with the 

appearance of the Muslims; thus, Gog and Magog possessed the same common origin in 

time. 

lslamic Errors 

Luther believed that the Islamic faith was a patchwork faith which had been 

"patched together out of the faith of the Jews, Christians, and the heathen."' These errors 

manifested themselves in the following ways: 

A False System of Righteousness 

For Luther, it is foolish and unwise to place one's hope of salvation upon a religious 

system which had no calling or promise from God. Consequently, all of the Muslim's 

fastings, alms-giving, zeal, spirituality, and self-chosen worship count for nothing before 

God (LW 24:229). 

By his false pretense of religion, the Muslim believer usurps the office of Christ by 

his labor to obtain a gracious God; that is, he aspires to the work of Chst alone (LW 

23:196). In doing so, he rejects the true Ladder appointed by God in His Son and 

constructs his own ladder to heaven (LW 22:334). 

The reason the Muslim believer engages in these labors, suggests Luther, is that his 

false understanding of God's nature and will leads him to view God as an angry God who 

must be won by humility, fasting, sacrifice and good works (LW 22:336). As a result, the 

Muslim bears fruit that is natural and temporally good, but it is not Christian and 

everlasting since its source is not found in the true Vine who is Christ (LW 24:214). 

In summary, the Islamic faith is simply that "if you are pious and just, and if you 

perform good works, you are saved" (LW 22:501). The prayer of the Muslim is "may 

God spare my life that I may atone for my sin" (LW 24:349). Thus, the Muslim possesses 

' Headley, John M. "Luther's View of Church Hisfory" New Haven, Yale University Press, 1963. 

Martin Luther. "Works ofMartin Lurher: with Introduction and Notes" Henry E. Jacobs, ed. (Philadelph~a: 

Muhlenberg Press, 1930-1943). 5:95. Works of Martin Luther is hereafter abbreviated as PE.


a false righteousness that strives to be holy, not through faith in the merits of Christ but 

through his own self-chosen works (LW 24:243) and to "do good according to the light 

and understanding of reason and to be saved in this way" (LW 24:372). 

A False Source of Theological Knowledge 

The second major error of the Islamic faith is its refusal to remain with the simple 

Gospel but instead, to create a new bible, the Koran (LW 24:69), and a system of 

salvation which can be comprehended by and which conforms to reason (LW 22:301- 

302, LW 23:79). Thus, the tenets of the Islamic faith are in marked contrast to the beliefs 

of the Christian faith, which are based on the mysterious and are beyond human reason6 

(LW 22:302) smce it is the nature of the Christian faith to transcend human reason (LW 

23:79). 

A Christological Heresy 

According to Martin Luther, the chief strategy of Satan, and of all heresies, is to 

deny Christ's incarnation, rob humankind of God and His Word, and to fabricate a new 

god. This is the way the devil goes to work: 

He attacks Christ with the three storm-columns. One will not suffer 

Him to be God; the other will not suffer Him to be man; the third 

denies that He has merited salvation for us. Each of the three endeavors 

to destroy Christ. For what does it avail that you confess Him to be 

God if you do not also believe that He is man For then you have not 

the entire and the true Christ but a phantom of the devil. What does it 

avail you to confess that He is true man if you do not also believe that 

He is true God What does it avail you to confess that He is God and 

man if you do not also believe that whatever He became and whatever 

He did was done for you Surely all three parts must be believed, 

namely, that He is God, also, that He is man, and that He became such 

a man for us.. .If one small part is lacking, then all parts are lacking 

(Bente 1965: 14). 

The Muslims believe, like their ancestor Nestorius, that Jesus was only ,Mary's son 

and not the Son of God (LW 22:35 1). They hold Christ to be an excellent prophet and a 

great man,' but Christ is not as great as Mohammed (LW 22:18; 23:82), who is to be 

"Our lheology is certain," wr~tes Luther, "for it places us outside ourselves" (Ebeling, Gerhard. "Luther: An 

Inrr-oduclion 10 His Thought". Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1970. P. 260). "For articles of faith must not grow 

on earth, by means of the councils, as from new, private inspiration, but they must be given and revealed from 

heaven by the Holy Spirit" (PE 5.178-179) 

Mohammed d~d not believe that Christ is the Savior of the world but that Jesus preached to His own time and 

that He completed His work before His death just like any other prophet. Therefore, the Muslims readily


worshiped and adored in Christ's stead (LW 22:137). Thus, the Muslims storm against 

the teaching of Christ as true God (LW 22:395) and refuse to accept the testimony of 

Jesus Himself, and of the Holy Spirit (LW 23:377) that He is true God and true man (LW 

22:468; PE 5:94). 

Therefore, the real stumbling block for the Muslim is "acknowledging [that] Christ 

is the Son of God and His message is the Word of God" (LW 22:476), since it is the 

nature of all schismatic spirits to assert that Jesus' Word must be ignored and discarded 

(LW 23:357) and to sever and separate God, Christ, and His Word from one another and 

debate about God (LW 24:67). As a result, the Muslim believer is not able to know God 

because he seeks to know Him without Christ,' the true path and ladder (LW 23:56). 

Consequently, instead of finding God here on Earth in Christ (LW 23: 117), they search 

for God in heaven and fail to find Him here in the flesh of Christg (LW 23: 123 & 170). 

The Islamic Faith Destroys Temporal Authority 

A final tenet of Islam which Luther condemns is its teaching about the proper role of 

govenunent. That is, the Muslim is not concerned, like regular rulers, with the 

maintenance of peace, the protection of the good, and the punishment of the wicked, but 

uses government, after he has murdered men's souls with his Koran, to murder their 

bodies" (PE 5:96). 

Sir Christian - The First Man 

Luther's Advice Concerning the IsIamic Faith 

The advice of Luther concerning the Islamic threat in Europe during the Sixteenth 

century was not the crusades, for to advocate a Christian cmsade against the Muslims 

was to mix spiritual authority with temporal authority." Instead, the Muslims were to be 

fought spiritually by Christians with repentance, the amendment of one's life and with 

prayer. 

concede that Jesus was sent by God but they believe that His office terminated with the advent of Mohammed 

(LW 22:476; PE 5:94). 

For Luther, no matter how sincere and faithful one's quest is for God, to seek God outside of Christ is sheer 

foolishness for "God designated a special place for Himself where He wants to be found, and identified 

Himself with a definite Person, so that it is impossible not to be aware of Him. And this Person is none other 

than Christ Himself' (LW 24:23). 

Human reason, the ground and source of Islamic belief, rejects the belief that "eternal life inheres In this 

flesh and blood" (LW 23:139). 

lo In Luther's judgment, the rule of the Muslim is the most terrible, dangerous and horrible punishment that 

could possibly happen to a nation, for its "lies destroy the spiritual estate, murder the temporal, disregard for 

marriage the estate of matrimony" (PE 5:lOO). It was the observation of Luther that "all fanatics, when the 

spirit of lies has taken possession of them ... have followed the lie with murder and taken up the sword as a 

sign that they were children of the father of all lies and murder" (PE 5:97). 

'I The consequences of such a mixture and a confusion of the two kingdoms would be to draw God's wrath 

and Insure the success of Islam.


In order to achieve this spiritual posture, Germany's pastors were to admonish the 

papists to stop blaspheming God and to admonish the ungrateful, wanton German people 

to improve their behavior, to honor God's Word and to call on God in prayer. Germany's 

pastors were to be God's prophetic voices, calling God's people back to Himself through 

genuine repentance, faith and prayer. 

The Emperor - The Second Man 

The second man whose place it was to fight against the Muslim was Emperor 

Charles. It was his office to war against the Muslim because of their threats towards the 

Empire's subjects and the Empire itself. It was Charles' duty, as a ruler appointed by 

God, to defend his own people and land (PE 5:102). If there was to be war against the 

mus slim, 

It should be fought at the Emperor's command, under his banner, and 

in his name.. .[why]. . .Because then everyone can assure his own 

conscience that he is obeying the ordinance of God, since we know that 

the emperor is our true overlord and head, and he who obeys 

him.. .obeys God also, while he who disobeys him disobeys God also 

(PE 5:102-103). 

Therefore, advises Luther, the emperor and the princes should be exhorted concerning 

their office and their duty to God not to let their subjects be ruined, but rather to be 

reminded that Germany and its people are "given you and committed to you by God, that 

you may protect, rule, counsel, and help it, and you not only should, but must do this on 

pain of losing your soul's salvation and God's favor and grace" (PE 5: 106). 

Concluding Remarks 

Just as in the days of Noah, so also in Luther's life people lived as Epicureans and 

skeptics. As a consequence of their thankless hearts, God was just in punishing Europe. 

For Luther, the Muslims were simply God's scourge and schoolmaster, permitted by God 

to be the servant of the devil, who not only ruins land and people with the sword but also 

lays waste the Christian faith and our dear Lord Jesus Christ. 

The consistent resolve and advice of Luther was to appeal to the two governments 

instituted by God, namely, spiritual and temporal authority. Sir Christian, as the Body of 

Christ, was to fight with the Word of God, prayer, and a reformed life. Then the Emperor 

was to carry out his office and defend his people and land. For "if our kings and princes 

were to agree, and stand by one another and help one another, and the Christian man 

were to pray for them, I should be undismayed and of good hope; the Muslim would 

leave his raging and find in Emperor Charles a man who was his equal" (PE 5:122).


Missiological Insights and Implications 

One of the significant contributions of historical theology is that it permits the 

universal church to derive missiological insights and implications from those who have 

gone before us. 

How much longer can God be patient with us 

This timeless question of Luther must be asked of every generation in light of the 

reality that God continues to use the nations as His instruments of judgment and 

correction so that: (1) His honor and divinity is protected; (2) unbelief and wickedness is 

punished; and (3) I-Iis people might be brought closer to Him through repentance, faith 

and prayer. 

God continues to rule His creation through two governments 

The Christian recognizes that God rules His creation through two governments and 

that each government has its own proper sphere of influence and authority. Most 

importantly, Sir Christian is not to use the sword unless called upon by those in temporal 

authority but, instead, is to devote himself to using those weapons ordained by God such 

as faith, God's Word, prayer and an evangelical witness. 

He who has an ear, let him hear 

A people must cling to and treasure the Gospel while they have the opportunity to 

hear it: because no one knows how long the Gospel and Spirit will remain. As Luther 

correctly observed, at one time Asia Minor and Northern Africa were the centers of the 

evangelical faith but now the Gospel was (and is) rarely heard there. 

The chief attack of Satan is Christological in nature 

The chief attack of Satan, and of all heresies, is to deny Christ's incarnation and its 

benefits. The Islamic error of rejecting Christ's incarnation means rejecting not only the 

One who was sent but also the Sender Himself. If one is to meet God, he must come to 

Christ (LW 22:249); for in Christ God is found, and outside of the Person born of Mary 

He is not to be found (LW 5: 130). 

In contrast to this fatherly appearance of God in the Son's incarnation, the "harlot at 

the gate" looks for more attractive externals, such as the five pillars of Islam, which 

appeal to reason and human eyes (LW 3:110). 

How is one to stand before God 

The Muslims see themselves as the true church because of their reverence for Allah 

and their works of humility and service. Sadly, the Muslim believer, by seeking to 

become holy, not through Christ, but through hs own self-chosen works, rejects the 

Biblical witness that Christ alone is the Ladder and the Way.


Luther, in his treatise on good works in 1520, sought to instruct God's people in the 

Biblical teaching concerning what kind of life is pleasing in His sight. It is only those 

works which have been commanded by God that are good works. It is the natural 

tendency of unregenerate man to view works by considering their appearance, size or the 

number of works themselves (LW 22:23). God, however, does not have regard for either 

the magnitude or the quantity or even the value of the work, but simply the faith of the 

individual (LW 1:258), for God is interested in faith alone and reliance on His mercy 

through Christ. 

For Luther the first and highest work is faith in Christ (LW 44:23). Aside from faith 

we can do no greater work than to praise, preach, sing and in every way laud and 

magn~fy God's glory, honor and name (LW 44:39). Just as faith constitutes the proper 

relat~on of the Christian person to God, so good works and love exercised in vocation 

define a man's relation to his neighbor, for a true Christian lives and labors on Earth, not 

for himself, but for his neighbor (PE 3:239). Thus, the Christian life is composed of two 

parts: faith in the Triune God and love toward one's neighbor. 

Missiological Misdemeanors 

One must be careful to put no stumbling block in anyone's path 

One of the weaknesses of Martin Luther in his writings against Islam and against the 

Jews is his frequent use of language that, in our modem period, would be viewed as 

demeaning and counter-productive to a winsome witness of the Christian faith. For 

instance, Luther called Muslim believers a "sheer stench before God." It is important, in 

any missionary endeavor, to heed the advice of the apostle Paul when he said that we are 

to 

put no stumbling block in anyone's path, so that our ministry will not 

be discredited. Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in 

every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and distresses; in 

beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and 

hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy 

Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; 

with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and left (2 Corinthians 

6:3-8). 

The need for an accurate understanding of other religious beliefs and actions 

Luther, at various times, makes statements that reveal a lack of clarity and 

understanding concerning the teachings of Islam. For example, Muhammed is not 

"worshiped and adored" by the Muslim believer, even though he is held to be the last 

great prophet of Allah. Luther also erred when he accused Islam of not respecting the 

role of government to "forbid evil and foster good." This kind of description goes against 

the express intention of Islam that temporal authority is to "forbid the evil and encourage 

the good."

Luther On Islam 7 1 

John Stott, in Between Two Worlds, presents a powerful model for missionary 

encounter and proclamation when he challenges Christians to a lifetime of: (1) studying 

God's Word, (2) studying one's target culture, and (3) discerning and constructing 

missiological bridges which communicate the apostolic message to the hearts and minds 

of the receptor because faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes by the 

preaching of Christ (Romans 10:17). As we actively share and proclaim the Gospel, we 

do so realizing that the greatest bridge is love. 

Unmasking the powers and telling the story 

One of the great strengths of Martin Luther was his ability to engage in what Lesslie 

Newbig~n called "unmasking the powers" as he sought to identify theological error in 

respect to sin, righteousness and salvation. One of the perceived weaknesses of Luther, 

and the Reformation in general, was a lack of balance in unmasking the powers and 

telling the story to the ends of the Earth. 

Missions As Doxology 

A closing piece of advice, in seeking to overcome the human tendency of 

committing missiological misdemeanors, was offered by Lesslie Newbigin several years 

ago when he wrote that missions is a test of our faith12 and an expression of our hope and 

of our love. In other words, missions is an acted-out doxology and its purpose is that God 

may be glorified as the One who saves the lost and that the lost might be saved through 

our caring proclamation and witness. 

Martin Franzmann gave expression to this kind of missionary commitment and 

activity when he wrote: 

0 God, 0 Lord of heaven and earth, 

Your living finger never wrote 

That llfe should be an aimless mote, 

A deathward drift from futile birth. 

Your Word meant life triumphant hurled 

In splendor through your broken world; 

Since light awoke and llfe began, 

You made for us a holy plan. 

0 Spirit, who did once restore, 

The Church that it might yet recall 

The bringer of good news to all: 

Breathe on your cloven Church once more 

That in these gray and latter days 

There may be those whose life is praise, 

Each life a high doxology 

Unto the holy Trinity. 

(Lutheran Worship, #3 19, stanzas 1 &4) 

l2 The Christian story is belief about "what is true and is therefore hue for everyone and for all time" 

(Newbig~n, Lesslie The Gospel in a Pluralist Sociery Grand Rapids: Eerdmans; Geneva. WCC, 1989. 244 

pates. Page 92) It IS, therefore, the truth about the meaning of the whole human story. Consequently, this 

bel~ef is held with universal intent and the "proof of this is that I seek to share it with all human beings in all 

times and places, and to test it against every situation that confronts me; only if I am so committed is it 

genuine belief7' (Kewbigin, 92).

What's Lutheran About Worship: 

Theology From the Inside Out 

Jacob A. 0. Preus 

Introduction 

W-hat is Lutheran about worship Immediately two prior questions arise: What is 

Lutheran What is worship That inevitably leads to a more fundamental inquiry: What 

is the relationship between theory and practice And how do we resolve the problem of 

the relationship between the theory (theology) and practice (worship) 

There is an understandable tendency to dichotomize theology and practice as though 

distinctively separable, when in reality they cannot meaningfully be abstracted from each 

other. Practice, either consciously or unconsciously, will be informed by theology of 

some sort. It will be Lutheran or not, but it won't just be nothing. Theory and practice are 

inseparable. 

The second problem is that some fail to see the difference between the theology of 

worship and its practice, that is, the difference between what worship is and how it 

should be done in the human, historical, and cultural contexts within which God's people 

have worshiped throughout the history of the church. Theology for us is an absolute, but 

practice is not. Our practice, while guided and informed by our theology, will change 

from time to time, and from place to place, as indeed it must. Theory and practice, while 

inseparably connected, are yet clearly distinct. 

So, let's think this through. As a seminary student, I was taught that worship had two 

perspectives: sacramental and sacrificial. The sacramental elements are primary: those 

that God does (through preaching, baptism, the Lord's Supper, absolution, etc.); the 

sacrificial elements are the secondary, i.e., what we do (in praise, witness, confession, 

prayer, etc.). The scheme is familiar. The question might be asked, "Is there a better 

way" 

To begin at the beginning with what gives rise to worship and makes worship what it 

is, keep in mind that since theory determines the practice, we do well to start at that point 

and proceed to the questions of how it should function and how to organize these 

functions. We begin at the center. 

Dr. J.A.O. Preus, President of Concordia University, Iwine, presented this paper to the 

Mission Planters Institute at Irvine on July 22, 2000.

What's Lutheran About Worship 73 

Theology From the Inside Out 

Our Lutheran understandig of worship is inextricably related to our understanding 

of the church, and the doctrine of justification' is the article upon which the church 

stands or falls ("articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae"). This is more than simply a 

theological statement, having implications merely for the formulation or articulating of 

our theology. It has tremendous implication for the practice of our theology-especially 

also for our understanding of and the practice of worship. In such an understanding, the 

Gospel is definitive, identifying the church. The Gospel (in its various forms, that is, 

written, spoken or visible) is the church's mark. Where the Gospel is, there is the Holy 

Spirit, bringing sinners to faith in Jesus Christ. Where the Gospel is, even if it is partially 

denied or contradicted by error, there is the church. 

This means that the Lutheran understanding of the church is fundamentally 

evangelical in a narrow theological sense. That is, the church must be understood, first 

and foremost, as a theological reality, a reality that God brings about through his Word 

and Sacraments. It is a top-down reality (coram deo), brought about by the Holy Spirit, 

through the Means of Grace. The true essence of the church may be understood fully 

only with this as the starting point. All else that we say and must say about the church 

radiates out from this center, from the inside out, as it were. 

To "think church out from its center in the Gospel" is not mere "theologizing." It is 

rather "theological thinking." Nor is this mere theoretical speculation. "Thinking church 

from the inside out" has tremendous implications for how we live and act as a church, 

particularly for our worship. When we know that "the church is most church" (that is, it 

is most recognized as church) where the Gospel is (that is, where the Means of Grace are 

administered), then we know the proper beginning point for talk of the church and all her 

activities, including worship. Thus, articulating a Lutheran understanding of the church is 

the first step towards articulating a Lutheran understanding of the church's worship. 

Remember, practice inescapably flows from theology. And the church's theology of 

worship flows from its theology of the church. 

The Church as a Theological Reality 

Lutheran theology begins with reflection upon the church, at the locus upon which it 

is centered, at the article upon which it stands. It begins with the evangelical core of 

Lutheran theology. In a secondary, though important sense the church is also a sociopsychological 

organism, and so we view group dynamics, personal relations, systems 

theory, and so forth as very important. Yet we do not begin there. Rather, this is where 

the cultural model of the church seems to begin, that is, with the church as people, 

defined socio-psychologically, and only secondarily works its way back to a theological 

understanding of the church. This is its rni~take.~ The church is first a theological reality, 

'please note hat I 

am using the phrase, "doctnne ofjust~ficat~on," in a way that is virtually synonymous with 

what we otherwise call the Gospel (in the narrow sense). 

'Please note carefully: My questions concerning the cultural model flow from my assessment of ~t as

and only secondarily a socio-psychological reality, its structure and life must fust be 

determined theologically. 

The ordering of the articles in the Augsburg Confession is very instructive in this 

regard. Following Article IV, on Justification, which the Apology calls the "main article 

of the entire Christian teaching" (and which Luther in the Smalcald Articles termed "the 

first, fundamental article,") flows the article on the means of grace and worship. It was 

for the sake of justification, "so that we may obtain such faith," that God instituted the 

ministry of preaching the Gospel and administering the Sacraments. Then, following the 

article on the new obedience (AC VI), the Augsburg Confession defines the church as 

"the assembly of all believers in which the Gospel is preached purely and the holy 

sacraments are administered according to the Gospel." 

The Augustana, therefore, begins its exposition of the church with the doctrine of 

justification and the means of grace. According to the Augsburg Confession the church is 

believers in Christ, to be sure. But it is not only that. (TO say only that is to speak only 

half the truth, and the lesser half, at that.) The church is believers who are gathered 

around the Gospel and Sacraments. To speak of the church only as believers is to speak 

in terms of the result. But what if we think "out from the center," with the Augustana, in 

terms, not of the result, that is, believers, but of the cause, that is, the doctrine of 

just~fication How might our understanding of church change and how might that 

changed understanding lead to an understanding of worship that has a distinctively 

Lutheran look (that is, Gospel-centered) 

A Gospel-Centered Church 

An ecclesiology with the Gospel at its heart would understand itself primarily in 

reference to the Means of Grace. The things that most define the church are its marks, the 

gifts of Christ around which Christ gathers his holy people: Baptism (Mt. 28:19; 1 Pet. 

3:21), Holy Absolution (Jn. 20:23), the Lord's Supper (Mt. 26:28), and the Word 

proclaimed (Jn. 17:20; Rom. 10:14-15). These are the things that give definition to the 

church. For it is in, with, and under these visible and audible elements that the Christ 

whose church it is has promised to be salvificly present for us. To these he has attached 

his promises of forgiveness. Through them he bestows his Holy Spirit. None of this is 

possible wlthout the Means of Grace. They are central. They are defming. 

"Where the Gospel is purely taught and the Sacraments rightly adrmnistered," (AC 

VII) there is the church. If you don't have these, you cannot be sure that you have the 

church. This principle does not allow for a purely socio-psychological understanding of 

the church. Kor does it permit us to treat the Means of Grace as merely the 

presuppositions, or as a preamble to a discussion of the church. Christ has placed His 

gifts, the means through which He by his Spirit bestows his grace, at the center. This is 

what makes us a sacramental and Lutheran church. Only by maintaining this centrality 

may we continue to be Lutheran, i.e., sacramental, today. 

theolog~cally m~staken, not, as is so often asserted, from some sort of fear of it. I am not afraid of the model. I 

simply believe it is off-center in its approach to what the church most fundamentally is and what it is to be 

about in the world.


According to this view, what would be the central, organizing principles of the 

church Baptism, the Real Presence of the Lord's Body and Blood in the Lord's Supper, 

public preaching based on Scripture, spoken absolution. Full integration into the church 

would not be measured by activity on church boards or involvement in small groups, but 

by contact with the life-giving and church-defming Means of Grace. This must be the 

church's chief concern-not merely whether a person is on a committee or involved in a 

church activity, but whether he or she attends worship and receives Communion 

frequently, or regularly studies Scripture and prays. 

A Gospel-Centered Church and the Ministry of the Gospel 

Christ not only gave his church the Means of Grace, but he also did not leave its 

administration to chance. He initiated the public ministry as a means for the Means of 

Grace, as Augustana V states. Since the doctrine of justification is at the center of our 

doctrme of the church, any talk of church cannot really take place without talk of the 

public ministry. God has built his church upon the apostolic confession of Jesus as "the 

Christ, the Son of the Living God" (Mt. 16:16). Jesus instituted the ministry when he 

breathed on his apostles and gave them the Holy Spirit and the Office of the Keys (Jn. 

20:22-23). The public ministry was commissioned to cany out the church's task of 

making disciples of all nations by baptizing and teaching all things he commanded (Mt. 

28: 19-20). 

The Confessions understand the public ministry to be that office (Amt) in the church 

that has its source in the apostolic ministry, which was instituted by Christ himself. The 

public ministry 1s not a human invention for the purpose of smoother administration of a 

congregation or to facilitate socialization. The one who holds the office is not just a part, 

or even the leader, of a team. There is a lot of talk today about the role of the pastor 

being one who leads the priesthood of all believers into their proper "ministry." 

The Confessions, however, assign to the public ministry a much higher role, one 

more intimately related to the essence of the church and of worship. Christ instituted it, 

they say, precisely so that those for whom He died might have, through the Means of 

Grace, the faith that justifies them before God. The public ministry therefore bears an 

essential relationship to the Gospel. It was given in the service of the Gospel; to give the 

gifts; to administer the Word; to be Christ's hands and mouth to his people. In other 

words, it was instituted by Christ to apply the gifts of grace, not merely to point others to 

them. 

The relationship between church and ministry is another discussion in itself, one 

fraught with controversy in our circles. I don't bring it up here in order to distract us 

from our focus on worship. Rather, I do so to show that one cannot speak completely 

about what the church is and what it is supposed to do without at the same time speaking 

about the office our Lord instituted within the church. This is because both of them 

fundamentally concern the Gospel and the provision our Lord has made to ensure that 

sinners might have the faith that justifies them before God. They are complementary to 

each other in the Gospel and, thus, both are necessary for a proper understanding of 

worship.

-- 76 Missio Apostolica- 

P 

A Gospel-Centered Church and Worship 

Finally, we come to a specific discussion of worship itself. A Gospel-centered 

understanding of the church places worship at the heart of the church's life. It is there 

that the gifts of Christ are distributed (Mt. 18:20); there that the life-giving Word is 

proclaimed; there that the Lord's Supper is given and eaten; there that the absolution is 

spoken. Worship is the primary place where Christ does his saving work in the Spirit. It 

is certainly not the only place, but it is the primary place where that upon which the 

church stands and falls is given, where that around which the church is centered is 

administered. 

Worship, therefore, is primarily defined as God's service, God's work. It is the locus 

of God's church-creating and sustaining activity. To some degree Lutherans have 

adopted an understanding of worship that comes from foreign theological soil, which is 

truly harmful. So many of us thlnk of worship as what we do, as if we are the actors and 

God is the audience. That our theology is Gospel-centered, however, that we are 

evangelical Lutherans, implies just the opposite. Worship is the place primariIy where 

God gives and where we receive. It is only secondarily what we do: what we say back to 

God, what we give back to God. 

Of course, there are so-called sacrificial elements in worship. They include 

doxology, stewardship, prayers, etc. Nevertheless, our posture before worship is similar 

to our posture before the Gospel: we are passive participants, active recipients of the 

grace of God. Worship is not in the first instance the occasion for the process of 

socialization or celebration to occur. It is not the place to build us up psychologically and 

make us feel good about ourselves, or about our congregation or about the world. It is a 

theological, a Christological, a Gospel event. It is the place or event wherelwhen God 

does hls saving work, the place from which all other activities in the church flow, and 

toward which they lead. It is, simply, central. What we stand upon as church and 

everything that flows from that, including our response, is given there. 

What does a church that sees worship as the primary locus of God's saving work 

look like What does Lutheran worship look like It teaches the liturgy and treats what 

has been passed down from previous generations with respect, avoiding both mindless 

repetition and careless innovation. It is not idiosyncratic in its use of the liturgy and the 

sacraments. It does not treat worship as entertainment, or as the place to salve our 

battered psyches.3 Nor does it become a forum for the sterile preservation of the past. It 

seeks always to showcase the Means of Grace in forms and categories that are 

meaningful to the people of a given social context. 

'one detects within the cultural model circles an over-emphasis on the Word (Gospel) as preached or 

~ntrllectually articulated. This subtle form of rationalism could well be part of their problem with giving the 

Sacraments the central place they should be given within the Divine Service.


A Gospel-Centered Church and the Priesthood of All Believers 

h'ow that we are properly "centered," we are able to speak of the church as the 

"people of God." This is because a Gospel-centered understanding of the church and of 

worship leads naturally (necessarily!) to an understanding of the church as the people of 

God, who are mightily active in doing good works and living lives of service to God and 

our fellow human beings, that is, Christians who incarnationally, sacramentally live out 

the implications of the means of grace in their lives. 

Like the "good trees" that we have by the Gospel been declared to be, we bring forth 

"good fruit" (Lk 6:43-45). Like the "body of Christ" that we have been brought into by 

the Gospel, we have been given a "still more excellent way" (1 Cor. 12:31). Having been 

"buried with Jesus by baptism into death, we walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). 

Having been saved by grace alone, apart from works of the law, we know that "we are 

God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before 

hand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:s-10). 

Say it how you will-and the Scriptures provide a marvelous variety of ways of 

saying it-the Gospel brings forth in those whom it claims works pleasing to God. We to 

whom the blessings of justification have been given cannot keep our works to ourselves 

precisely because the Gospel is central in our understanding of ourselves as church. For 

we know that our works do not avail before God, that we have the superabundant works 

of our Lord as our own through faith in him. We don't need our good works for God or 

for ourselves. We have as our own through faith the superabundant works of Jesus 

himself. So we are free to give our good works away to our neighbor, who does in fact 

need them, and to spend our lives in the service of those for whom Christ spent his life. 

What would a church mightily active in good works look like It's hard to say, 

because sanctification cannot be dictated according to form or custom. There would be 

no necessarily Christian "life-style," no rigid application of the law to bring conformity 

In areas of Christian freedom. Rather there would be a wonderful diversity in Christian 

living, a blessed pluralism of good works, whereby Christians do works pleasing in 

God's sight as they fulfill their vocations and incarnate the love of Christ in the places 

where God has located them: at home, at work, at school. 

They bring others to Christ through outreach, witness, evangelism, and by their own 

proper participation in the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations. Worship 

has its fulfillment-it reaches its objective-when sinners and seekers are brought into 

contact with Christ through his gifts of grace. The question, so often asked, of whether 

the primary purpose of worship is for inreach or outreach is a false question. It is for 

both. And the centrality of the Gospel in our understanding of worship betrays the lie in 

it. The purpose is that all might be forgiven and incorporated more fully into their Lord 

through the means of grace.

Conclusion 

What have we accomplished here We have gone back to the beginning, to the 

center, to answer our question. We have examined two questions: What is Lutheran 

What is worship We have discovered that both questions have the same basic answer. 

The Gospel of our Lord's free grace for sinners through faith apart from works defines 

both what it means to be Lutheran and what it means to be about worship. 

Language, cultural forms, meter, tune and rhythm, movement, architecture, 

clothing-none of these are the main things: and, as good Lutherans, surely we want to 

keep the main thing the main thing. The real question for Lutheran Christians never 

changes: What are the best means of conveying the saving Gospel to people of a given 

time and place The Gospel, the precious Word and Sacraments-these lie at the heart of 

the matter; these are what make worship Lutheran or, for that matter, Christian. The 

cuLtural forms are only the means, not the end, of Lutheran worship. 

But for that very reason, there is no question that cultural forms and language and 

tune and rhythm and architecture, and so forth, do make a difference. As instruments of 

the Gospel, they are the means through which the justifying Gospel reaches sinners-an 

awesome responsibility for mere means. The means are not ever totally separated from 

the ends they serve. They can alienate, or they can attract; they can drive people off, or 

they can draw them in. They can dignify the message or they can detract from it. For 

these reasons, I think, they are infinitely important, for our choices of cultural forms can 

affect the eternal well-being of the people whom we serve. They are both nothing and 

everything, so that by all means we might save some. 

And so we come to the final point. It's people that we serve. That's where theory and 

practice come together. And that's a good thing to keep in mind as we think through the 

thorny thicket of worship forms. In a way the whole problem comes from the difficulty 

we have dealing with diversity. For a long time I have thought we need to develop a 

"zheology of difference" which would enable us to sort out which kinds of diversity are 

bad and which are good, which diversity we should avoid and which we should rejoice 

111. 

Yet I am sure of this much: when the diversity is presented to us in the form of 

people, the question of what is Lutheran about worship becomes less abstract. Because 

then, we can't see it merely as a problem to be overcome, nor as a challenge to be faced, 

nor even as an opportunity to be grasped. Instead it may be seen as a blessing to be 

received by a gracious Lord who is honored by all the world's cultural forms and all the 

world's languages when they are directed to him in faithful worship based upon the 

unchanging Gospel. Then the Gospel is served. Then God's people are served. Then our 

worship is Lutheran. Because that's what's Lutheran about worship.

A Note for Contributors 

We welcome your participation in writing articles for Missio Apostolica. 

Here are a few guidelines: 

Articles should be related to mission and rnissiology, taking up theological, 

historical, social and practical questions relating to the missionary 

dimension of the Church, or dealing with missiological issues of our day. 

Language should be clear, informative, and stimulating. We try to avoid 

redundancy, overly pedantic style, pejorative terminology, and over-use of 

professional jargon. Language and content should reflect logical coherence 

not to be too oral in style if it has been delivered as a conference paper. We 

try to avoid controversial and polemical issues in writing, for our journal 

has very limited space to share. 

We appreciate carefully documented notes and references based on 

research. 

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Length: about 12 double-spaced, typewritten pages (about 3,000 

words). If possible, submit your article on computer disk-preferably 

IBM compatible. 

The Editorial Committee of the Journal will examine the manuscript. 

Lire regret that we are unable to provide a monetary honorarium. We 

will send you five copies of the issue in which your article appears. 

Some helpful websites with good writing tips are: 

hrrp:~icomp9.~svch.cornell.ed~ddbem/n article.htm1 

I I ~ ~ D : www.suitel01 .com'article.cfmichristian writing126223 

hrrp://www.bmi.com/advice/2.html 

We also encourage you to contribute to our "Mission Observer" section of the 

journal: about 500 words, preferably one thematic thought or accent in a brief 

presentation. All writings should include a brief biographical note. 

-ed. 

..................................................................


Reflections of a New Missionary 

Rev. Glenn Fluegge 

There are many articles and books which discuss the "science" of mission work, 

with topics ranging from mission methodology to the Biblical theology of mission to 

cross-cultural training and formation. In contrast, this article is an attempt to provide a 

glimpse into the daily life of a new missionary adjusting to a new land. My goal is to 

show how the above topics on mission work mesh together, take shape, and finally come 

to llfe through the first-hand experiences of a novice missionary. What follows are 

entries pulled from my personal journal during the fust twenty-two months of missionary 

servlce. 

The context is as follows: Susan (my wife) and I, along with our two children, 

Samuel and Abigail (ages 21 months and 6 months when we first arrived), flew into 

Lome, Togo on Jan. 7, 1999. On Jan. 10, three days later, we arrived by vehicle in 

Dapaong, Togo. Dapaong is a rather large town in northern Togo and is the heart of a 

large area dominated by the Moba people. The national language of Togo is French, but 

in the villages surrounding Dapaong most people only speak Moba. Our first assignment 

was to learn French and complete an on-field missionary training program called 

"Pathways." 

[A beg~nning note] ". ..My journal and devotional notebook are combined because I 

cannot divide the two. Only through reality do so many of the passages come to life. 

There are three things that make the theologian: 'Meditatio,' 'oratio,' and 'tentatio' 

(meditation, prayer, and t~ibulation). Well, the 'tentatio' started on a large scale the 

moment we landed in Africa. God help us!! It is His Mission. We are His." 

[Jan. 7-3 1, 19991 "My world is a mess. Must get settled. Everything I've known is no 

longer ... will start journal later!" 

[Feb. 3, 19991 "Yesterday was okay ... but the day before we almost packed up and 

went home. I lost all sense of control, patience, and any peace that I may have had. Most 

of this was brought on by trying to integrate a full-time training program (French & 

Pathways) into a life which was already overworked with simple survival skills. We still 

do not know how to live here. It, however, is coming.. . ." 

"Recently we visited a church in one of our outlying villages. I must be honest and tell 

you that the reality of God's Mission is not always like the idealistic picture painted in 

missionary newsletters. In fact, thus far I have been a little disappointed in the churches 

that we have visited. They are small, comprised mostly of children, meeting in mud huts 

or under trees, and I sometimes wonder about how much they know about what they are 

Rev. Glenn Fletlgge is a recent graduate of Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and is 

curl-ently serving as missionary in Togo, Africa.

Reflections of a New Missionary 8 1 

doing and whether their motivation is nothing other than wanting to be with the big, 

white, rich American. 

"And yet, how wrong of me to judge the church in such a way. For what may seem 

small, insignificant, straggled, disorganized, and confused is mighty beyond belief. 'Get 

behind me Satan! ' May God protect me from the petty doubts which pervade my mind 

with regard to His mighty Church on earth. Deliver me from evil, 0 my God!" 

[Feb. 4, 19991 "I cannot get used to the constant flow of people coming to me to ask 

for money or for any other number of items. They ask for pens, shirts, shorts, rags to 

wear as clothes, money, food, whether we want to buy their cat or to buy their bike. They 

ask us to invite them over for lunch, to hire them or their family member to clean or 

guard the house, etc. The scary thing is that most of these people really do need it.. .." 

[Feb. 8, 19991 "Two days ago we left our abode here in Dapaong and traveled an 

hour over rough dirt roads to fmally arrive at Lokpano, a village where one of our 

missionaries, Mike Squires, lives. It was the monthly get together of all the Lutheran 

missionaries and we were to have an English service and communion. The church is 

incredible-'where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there with them'-and it 

is true. That time of fellowship meant a lot to me. Thank you, Lord, for small breaks and 

re-energizing moments. We went American that day ... and withdrew into our 4x4 Toyota 

with the tape player playing the whole way out there! 

[Feb. 9, 19991 "Last night was a bit of a scare. Samuel woke up crying around 2:00 

in the morning with what appeared to us at fust touch a high fever. He was not acting 

right. We took a painstaking anal temperature and were a bit relieved to see that his 

temperature was only 101.1 F. It was not too high ... but he was running a fever. The 

reason we are fearful of fevers is because of the constant threat of malaria. We are new at 

all of this and not really sure how to recognize malaria or how to treat it." 

[Feb. 11, 19991 "Yesterday the rubber hit the road, so to speak! All the books say we 

must interact with the people we live amongst ... both we and our children. It's simple, 

right 'Sure I can do that ... it just takes a little desire and a love for the people whom 

you're working amongst.' The problem is that each missionary finds himself between a 

very big rock and a solid hard place: to interact with those around us has put our children 

Into health danger since our kids are not used to the same diseases and dangers (such as 

street foods, well water, lidless wells, etc.). I do not know what to do. As a missionary I 

have a deep desire and responsibility to adapt to this culture and to learn how they th~nk 

and act so that my ministry in the future may be effective. As a father I have a deep 

desire and responsibility to protect and care for my family physically, mentally, and 

spiritually. I am tom! 

"Culture affects more than philosophical and 'pie in the sky' kinds of things. It is 

something we completely take for granted and don't even know exists. That is, until it is 

challenged and every bone in our body strains against this new way of doing things. 

Should I give up trying to keep us from being isolated so that we can adapt better Or


should I ensure the health of Samuel and Abigail, their health which already seems be 

affected by our new environment Is this what God would have us do Where does my 

ultimate responsibility lie Is the threat as serious as it appears, or is my fear simply a 

result of growing up in a different culture What is being safe and smart and what is 

being paranoid I have so many questions and so few answers. If I have learned one 

thing so far it is that the clash between two cultures does not just touch us, it strikes hard 

at our very hearts." 

[March 5, 19991 "Yesterday we celebrated Samuel's second b-day. It was somewhat 

amazing. We partied hard with a home-made cake, a few odds and ends of candles, and, 

of course, a proper 'Happy Birthday' song. Samuel had a blast. Re got candy for a 

present. We did not know what else to get him. Toys are hard to find here in Dapaong 

and very expensive, yes, even for us rich Americans. We are also leery of him having so 

much more than all the other boys and girls around here. They have nothing. Samuel is 

seen as belng very lucky and extremely rich.. . ." 

[March 11, 19991 "Ephesians chapter three is an incredible chapter of reassurance to 

the one who suffers for the sake of the cross-the stumbling block, the mystery that 

makes no sense to those without the Spirit, the unbelievable massiveness of God's love, 

the unsurpassable power and indescribable mercy by which we have been saved. Hence, 

my suffering here in Africa, my painful adaptation to this new and strange culture, my 

blunders, my frustrations, my struggles, the dangers and the diseases are simply my 

privilege. For to me, who am obviously less than the least of all the saints, this grace was 

given, that I should preach among the Africans of Northern Togo the unsearchable riches 

of Christ." 

[March 18, 19991 "It is two weeks until Easter and one cannot even tell that this allimportant 

holiday is coming up. I barely even knew it was approaching. The church year 

really ~sn't reflected in the church because it is too young right now and the society 

around here knows nothing of Easter bunnies and candy. I miss the cultural packaging 

that went with this day of Easter. I am also yearning for the Saturday when all the 

missionaries get together. I hope we do something Easter-ish, like sing a couple of good 

'01 Easter songs. 

[March 20, 19991 "Every Sunday I take four or five students from the Lutheran 

Theological Center here in Dapaong out to the village of Nagbeni. The Center was just 

started two years ago with the purpose of training pastors for the Lutheran Church of 

Togo. In five weeks the first 'batch' of students will 'graduate,' return to their villages, 

and begin preaching and teaching the 'Good News.' In order to prepare them for this 

time, however, they go out every Sunday to put into practice what they are learning. And 

so we head out about an hour into 'the bush."' 

"Two things stand out during these trips to the village. First, I am so utterly clueless, 

because of my vastly limited French (not to mention not knowing but two words of 

Moba) and my vastly limited knowledge of this culture, that I am forced to watch others

Reflections of a New Missionary 83 

do the ministering. I cannot explain how glorious it is to see these students answer 

questions about the faith, pray for the sick, encourage lost members to come back, and 

pastor their 'flocks.' Secondly, I am forced to see the 'small picture.' I see a church 

without tall steeples and loud organs, and yet it is decked out in glory. I see Moba saints 

from Northern Togo praising the Risen One. I see small children, not in their Sunday 

best, but in the only pair of clothes they have, clapping in His presence. I see His children 

lined up with bowed heads to take His Supper. I see my brothers and sisters in Christ 

who have burned their own household idols and fetishes in order to embrace the Risen 

Lord. Yes, I see a part of His mission being done in His way and His time. Hence, the 

'small pictures' give me hope!" 

[March 24, 19991 "Over the past couple of days I have worried ceaselessly about 

how we are going to survive here. How are we going to learn this language with two 

kids How are we going to evangelize a country so infested with Islam How are we 

going to be able to adapt to this totally strange and bizarre country How are we going to 

get a new fridge and one that works (our fridge had been fried a month earlier by an 

accidental surge of electricity). I find myself wanting, guilty, at fault. Forgive me, 0 

Lord. Teach me to hust in your promises. Teach me gently, Lord. Keep your promise 

Lord ... carry me as a father carries his son. I am in your hands!!!" 

[April 8, 19991 "The church was packed on Easter. We walked there and came a 

little late-you know, African-style-and could barely find a place to sit. The service 

was powerful. We sang, confessed, rejoiced, and danced. Danced!! Yes! After the 

service was over, Batoute got up and suggested that we sing a little more; 'If we sing real 

loud the sweat won't bother us!' We started singing. Then a few began to dance African 

style up to the front of the church, shuffling the feet and wiggling the hips to the rhythm 

of the clapping and drums. Soon about half the people were dancing in a large circle at 

the front of the church-children, adults, and, yes, myself. I couldn't resist the urge and 

took Abigail up to join the throng of those rejoicing and celebrating that 'He is risen!' 1 

finally felt Easter in the air. I must say, it was the first time that I actually 'danced' in 

church. And I daresay that it probably won't be the last!" 

[April 21, 19991 "Being here in Dapaong and not knowing the language or the 

culture has been the most humbling experience in my entire life. I am sure Susan would 

agree. We are here as God's personal messengers, chosen by Him through His Church to 

come to this place and to announce to this people that 'He is risen!' And yet if someone 

were to look at us from the outside, we would probably appear as the least fit for such a 

noble task-blubbering, faltering, frustrated, at times sick and ravaged by culture shock. 

I can understand only too well what Paul was talking about in Colossians 3:3 when he 

says our lives as Christians are 'hidden.' 

"Hidden Yes, definitely! At times, I feel I am very, very well concealed from the 

eyes of the world and especially from the eyes of my African friends around me. Entire 

tribes have not fallen to their knees on account of my message (so much for the dreams 

of my youth!). Part of this, no doubt, is due to the painhI fact that I can barely speak


their language. The other part, however, is that the message we proclaim is also hidden. 

We preach an Almighty God who sent His Son to die. We proclaim a clear path and then 

throw in a 'stumbling block' for them to trip over. In many ways it would be easier for 

me to go into the local graveyard and to shout 'GET UP!' at the top of my lungs than to 

proclaim the hidden message of the Gospel to the Africans living in northern Togo. No 

wonder the whole heavens rejoice when one who is dead in sin is made alive in Christ. 

The greatest miracle in heaven and on earth has just occurred. 

[iMay 6, 19991 "This week I was brought low so as to see who is the Lord. I was 

shattered with headaches, overcome with aches, and overrun with diarrhea starting 

Friday ... my frst case of the dreaded malaria. By Monday I was taking enough medicine 

to make a grown horse sick. The quinine still makes my ears ring and stomach turn flipflops. 

It is perhaps strange in the ears of the non-child of God, but we, his children, seem 

to be able to see him better when we are lying flat on the ground with no where to go. 

The view from down here is much clearer, and much more comforting. Thank you 

Lord." 

[June 16, 19991 "Today, David Maffett, a long time missionary in these parts for 

over ten years, will leave the field. I suppose I am here to fill his shoes. What an 

impossible task! I still struggle with French. He was fluent in French and also Gangham 

(an African native tongue). And yet the mission continues.. .not because it is ours, but 

because it is the same God who oversees all things and controls all things.. . . 

". . .. KO MORE EXCUSES NOW!!! I will start speaking and using French no 

matter what. 

[July 14, 19991 "I am now in the process of examining this culture. I literally sit in 

on a store porch in the market and just look and take notes. Today I will do this for about 

an hour. I am enabled to see many things that I would otherwise miss. All of which may 

enable me to better witness to these people and understand where they are coming from. 

As is the work of a prophet, to proclaim God's word TO A CERTAIN PEOPLE IN A 

CERTAIN TIME, so I am called to do. Lord, help me in this task." 

[Sept 22, 19991 "I think every missionary fights a battle in his heart over how to 

judge his success and whether he is doing his job. Too often it is by how many come to 

church, or read the Bible, or show spirituaI zeal.. .. This attitude, in its extreme, can only 

lead to failure and despair. My battle continues and will for a long time. 

"In fact, at the moment I feel as if very little is getting done on my part. I sit and see 

a young church, struggling with so many things that I wish I could discuss and help them 

with and entering into dangerous decisions which I desperately want to warn them about. 

Two things keep me from talking. First, I can't talk about such delicate things in my 

brutal French. Second, what may appear to me to make sense may appear folly to them. 

"And so I spend every morning studying French tape cassettes, concentrating for 

four hours with eyes shut and hands on my head, every nerve poised to capture and make

Reflections of a New Missionary 85 

sense of every possible word in order to give the correct response. Lord, let the French 

come.. .!" 

Dec. 24, 19991 "Wednesday I taught another TEE course in Nagbeni. It went well. I 

am starting to realize that I love teaching, or, perhaps more than that, I love trying to 

share the riches of Christianity with these new Christians. This involves me trying to 

'discover' their culture which is profoundly different from ours. We discussed this last 

time the difference between 'Our Father' and 'Our Creator.' They saw them as the same 

thing. We could just as well pray 'Our Creator' as Our Father,' and since all Moba, 

Christian and non-Christian, believe in a Creator God, everyone can pray to God. 

"I finally sensed something was not getting through and we began to talk about the 

Moba family. It finally came out after a while that all agreed that a Moba father would 

not die for his child (take a fatal snake bite to save his child's life). Although I think 

Christianity is changing the Moba concept of family, the traditional concept of 'father' is 

still central and goes against the picture of 'Father' that God paints for us in the Bible, 

that is, the picture of God becoming human and dying to save us. This is bizarre to their 

ears. We had a great discussion. I learned more than they did I'm sure." 

[Dec. 28, 19991 "Christmas Day we went to church here in Dapaong. I video-taped 

the service, wlch was a good thing because they danced and sang much of the time like 

only Africans can. I had tears in my eyes as seventeen adults and several children were 

baptized into the Christian faith during the service. I pray that these individuals stay in 

the church and don't get pulled out again by Satan. The service lasted 3-4 hours. 

Afterwards they served a meal of rice and sauce. The baptizees had paid for it, and one of 

the husbands had donated and killed a goat. It tasted great, especially eaten with the 

hands along with a calibasse of 'tchokpah.' 

"When I got home from that party we began to prepare for our own party. I gave the 

turkey one final kiss and then ... slit its throat. Tchirnianja helped me pluck it with the 

help of some hot water and also remove all the "unwanted stuff' such as head, feet, and 

intestines, which he took home to eat (he said he did not want anything else.. .only the 

"good stuff'-head, feet, and intestines!). We had turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, 

pineapple, mango, gravy, apple pies, pecan pie, and mango desert bars. 

"The next day the whole family traveled to Kong where we partied again. I gave the 

sermon in front of a crowd of probably hundred people shoved like sardines in a tiny 

school building built of clay with one tiny window. With the help of Yaya, a leader in the 

church and our translator, I thlnk my message got across that we celebrate Christmas 

because our savior was born to defeat Satan and save us from him." 

[Feb. 25, 20001 "I hit a definite milestone today. A year and a half after first starting 

French I taught my first class in French at the Center. This morning from 7:30-9:OO. 

There are 18 students at the Center. Mark that one in the books. I have been waiting a 

long time for that. But I have a long way to go to master French and be able to be 'free' 

in speaking it. I feel both relieved and motivated to continue my studies. Even though I 

don't think I will ever stop 'learning' French, I think there comes a time for every


language learner when he realizes all of a sudden that he actually does 'know' the 

language. Perhaps that's what happened this morning. Thank you Lord. May it contmue 

to come!" 

[April 13, 20001 "Sunday was spent in the villages of Kong and Nagbeni where I 

have been working for over a year. I drove there all by myself since all the students from 

the Center, six of which usually accompany me, have now returned home on break. It 

was my last Sunday down there so the day was a bit sad, but also joyful. I gave a short 

sermon in French which actually turned out pretty decent even though I had not had the 

time to write it out and give it a ton of thought. The French thing is coming along better 

every week. Now Kong and Nagbeni are under the supervision of Lamboni, the national 

missionary. He will do a much better job than I. He is Moba." 

[Aug. 12, 20001 "Well, after studying the French FSI course (over 200 tapes!) for 

over a year and half (as well as spending 4 months in Quebec at Lava1 University) I have 

officially finished my French studies! This last week was dedicated to finishing up the 

last 2 '/z units of the 24 unit course. Yesterday I spent seven hours locked in a small room 

on a hard wooden chair (good for keeping one awake) to frnish the last unit. I am 

officially done with French. However, I don't ever plan on being finished unofficially. I 

have a long way to go, more fluency to develop, more words to add to my vocabulary, 

more quaint little phrases to learn how to use, and a deeper comprehension of what 

people say to me. 

"Now that I am done 'officially' with French, Monday I start on the Moba language. 

I will first spend a couple days reading up on how to learn a tribal language. Then I will 

be biking everyday out to 'my office' in a nearby village (that is, a mud hut with a straw 

roof.. .I hope they have a hole in the ground for a toilet.. .I'd prefer that to the bush 

outside). I will spend a couple hours with Tchirnbiandja, a church member here in 

Dapaong, in rehearsing certain exercises and then spend the rest of the morning talking to 

everyone and their dog in Moba. Each afternoon will be spent preparing for the next 

day's language lesson. That will be my life in a nutshell for the next year. 

"Susan will continue her French studies this Monday. She is also becoming more 

fluent." 

[Oct. 17, 20001 "Looking back on some of the journaling that I did the frst six 

months after arriving here has made me reflect a bit on how far we have come ... and all 

of it seems to be clearIy by the hand of God. As I write this, it has been twenty-one 

months and ten days since we first landed in Togo the evening of Jan. 7, 1999. We 

suffered culture shock severely from the very beginning. I am not sure why, but we did. 

When we first came, we were in the midst of young infants, new sicknesses, countless 

diarrhea diapers, water problems, limited language, fridge problems, and a plethora of 

other little things. We now have two grown kids (or so it seems ... sometimes!). Our 

language ability has gotten better to the point we can almost always get our point across. 

We have a repaired fridge which is working well (Thank you God!). And malaria and 

other 'running' sicknesses are just another part of life which come and go (like the flu in 

the states). In my Moba studies I am beginning to better understand the culture and now

Reflections of a New Missionaly 87 

have a better knowledge base from which to react to certain circumstance-like beggars. 

We are also starting to get to 'know' our neighbors which means our house is now 

starting to become 'our' home inside of 'our' neighborhood. 

"In short we are content here more than we have ever been before. We are 

accustomed to our surroundings, the friendships we have developed, and the Call the 

Church has given us.


Review Essay 

Premise 

Are Lutherans Ready for 21" Century Ministry 

and Mission 

Understanding Folk Religion 

Carl Rockrohr 

The Lutheran Confessions specifically addresses a contemporary belief system found 

throughout the world, "folk religion." Our theological task includes identifying the 

worldview, beliefs, and practices of the local folk religion, so that the Gospel worldview 

of the Lutheran Confessions can be better taught, preached, and applied to the specific, 

local situation. 

Understanding Folk Religion 

One finds that every group of people has distinctive beliefs, traditions, and daily 

activities which reflect a particular view of the world and their place in it. The members 

of a Lutheran congregation In rural Nebraska are quite distinct from the members of its 

sister congregation in Miami, Florida. The local beliefs and practices concerning animal 

sacrifices of the Konkomba people in rural, north-eastem Ghana, West Africa, may 

sound quite strange to the urban Ghanaian living in the capitol of Accra. The notinfrequent 

practice in the St. Louis area of burying a statue of Joseph in the front Iawn of 

a house to get a quick sale of that house is quite surprising to this writer, whose ministry 

in Africa included Christian admonition and discipline of Lutheran church members who 

slipped back into similar "juju" practices in Ghana. 

Understanding Folk Religion: A Christian Response to Popular Beliefs and 

Practices (Paul G. Heibert, R. Daniel Shaw and Tite Tienou, Grand Rapids: Baker 

Books, 1999) is a book which is a helpful resource to understand that the people whom 

one serves have very specific, and perhaps very syncretistic, beliefs. Whether the local 

majority belief is classified as Christianity or Hinduism or an African Traditional 

Religion, it is important to try to understand the specifics of local beliefs and practices so 

that the Gospel preaching and teaching can also address those local beliefs and practices 

specifically. Understanding Folk Religion helps the missionary and pastor hone his 

ability to recognize and analyze the local beliefs and practices in both non-Christian and 

Rev. Carl Rockrohr is a graduate student at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, and is a 

former missionary to Ghana, West Africa.

Are Lutherans Ready for 21'' Century Ministry and Mission 89 

Christian people. In the process of its analysis and conclusions of "folk religion," it 

becomes evident that confessional Lutheranism is well equipped to evangelize and 

minister to arguably the world's largest belief system, folk religion. Saying all this, this 

study does have some weaknesses in its theological presuppositions and logical 

arguments which should be noted. 

What is Folk Religion 

Folk religion, as defmed by Understanding Folk Religion is the mixing of belief 

systems. This mixing might take place in the beliefs and practices of any large religious 

belief system. Thus, there is Muslim, Hindu and Chstian "folk religion," to name but a 

few. These beliefs and practices are often contrary to the orthodox beliefs of that faith, 

but often these beliefs and practices are evident in the majority of various populations 

(77). For example, "folk Hindus" make blood sacrifices-against the Hindu tenant of 

killing (9) and "folk Christians" go to soothsayers, offer sacrifices to ancestors or consult 

horoscopes. The primary concern of the authors is "folk Christianity," that is, addressing 

the problem of Christian people mixing non-biblical beliefs and practices into their lives. 

The book excels in helping the reader begin to recognize and analyze the 

presuppositions and worldviews underlying folk beliefs and practices. Often the folk 

religion is addressing an area of life which the person believes is not considered in the 

orthodox teachings of that religion (p. 76). Some common major concerns of folk 

religion frequently cited in the book's analysis are the concerns about making decisions, 

e.g. trying to know the hture (Chap. 7); the question of suffering and pain-why did this 

happen to me at this time and not to another (Chap. 6); and the concern and fear of the 

"middle zone" such as angels, demons, ancestors, spirits, witches, etc. (p. 79). One 

helpful aspect for the U.S. pastor is the study's occasional analysis of North American 

secularized folk religion, including materialism, evolution, astrology, and "good luck" 

behaviors by sports stars (pp. 267ff). 

Unfortunately, the authors have decided to explain the above shortcomings in 

Christianity with the terms "split-Christianity" and "two-level" Christianity. These terms 

sound suspiciously like a "Jesus is Savior but not Lord" approach. And indeed, the 

authors' theological positions of faith as a process and conversion as a rational decision 

explain such terminology (pp. 25, 42, 44, 279, 388). The rationale and explanation of 

"spilt-level" Christianity appears immediately in the first chapter and is one of the 

motives for the writing of the book. Regardless, the data and analysis of "folk religion" 

provlded is useful enough to keep reading. 

Some Folk Religion Insights 

The presentation in Understanding Folk Religion is convincing documentation that 

merely separating areas of the world into Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Shinto, etc. regions 

of belief is not an adequate understanding of what the majority of people in the world 

believe and practice. One of the first premises of the study is that missions is about 

particulars, not universals (p. 13). By the end of the book, the reader starts to become


convinced that indeed he should double check and make sure he really understands what 

the people to whom he is ministering believe, and how they practice these beliefs after 

the Sunday worship service. The reader may also fmd himself checking his own 

presuppositions and worldview. The discussion of the Indo-European Myth and its great 

difference to the cross of Jesus Christ (pp. 270-278) should be read at one time or another 

by all seminary and church work students, as this myth arguably influences much of W.S. 

culture, and through the entertainment industry, much of the world. (It is surprising how 

many war and martial arts videos are shown publicly in remote villages of Ghana, West 

Africa.) 

Another helpful consequence of reading Understanding Folk Religion is an 

appropriate leveling of all human cultures as all having a logic to their presuppositions, 

needs, desires, fears, and beliefs. Rarely is anybody purely "superstitious" for no reason. 

There is a "logic" to one's beliefs and practices even if they are in error. If the Christian 

can begin to identify the underlying concerns, logic, worldview, and fears of the 

unbeliever, a more appropriate Gospel presentation might be made. For instance, to 

alleviate fear of witchcraft in the case of illness by arguing against the existence of 

witches requires Western modem presuppositions which an African does not hold (not to 

mention such presuppositions might not align with Scripture!). But to proclaim Jesus as 

Victor over sin, death and the devil (including all witches) is good news straight from the 

Scriptures, whether or not witchcraft is actually involved in any given case. 

Many of the underlying concerns in folk religion revealed by this study is related to 

the theodicy issue, i.e., why do bad things happen to good people, or, why do bad things 

happen to me This topic is well known in Christian circles, but traditionally missionaries 

have not addressed this topic very well. Thus, the convert's reliance on the old beliefs 

and ways to solve problems and answer questions. This topic, Christian problem solving 

and decision making, still remains a shortcoming in our seminary and missionary 

training. "Counseling" has become a Western professional sphere into which many 

pastors fear to tread, not to mention the hazards of "counseling" in another culture (in 

Africa one may need to involve much of the extended family to solve marriage problems 

because the marriage belongs to the whole family). Moreover, the contemporary trend to 

rush psychologists into every disaster zone does reveal the West's reliance upon this 

profession to reassure the disaster victims that the Western worldview still holds in times 

of great stress. However, the ability to assist a person to make godly life decisions, cope 

with disasters, deal with oppression, etc. out of faith and without fear of failure, on the 

basis of Scripture, is a skill desperately needed by Christian leaders and has still not been 

addressed appropriately. Understanding Folk Religion makes a call for such holistic 

theology (p. 372). 

Some Shortcomings 

There are occasional leaps in logic and dissonant pairing of ideas in Understanding 

Folk Religion whlch are disconcerting. On page 23 "sending church" is contrasted to 

"younger church." This pairing seems to mix unusual missiological ideas, and even 

implies the "young" church does not or cannot send. While most of the many charts and

Are Lutherans Ready for 21" Century Ministry and Mission 91 

diagrams are usehl, some are not. The chart on page 289 is overly generalized. Lutheran 

clergy would be categorized as ministering in sacraments and not Word because they 

wear albs and stoles. For all the authors' awareness of post-modem ideas, it was also 

surprising that the book claims that a "position of detachment" can be achieved by 

constructing a metacultural grid which enables one to stand outside of two different 

viewpoints to compare and test them for truth. The word "objective" is qualified in the 

text and the study's position is said to be a "new perspective," but the foundation for 

reliable analysis should seem to rest on better rationale than when two viewpoints are 

used instead of one (note 3, p. 33). This might just reflect the state of flux in 

contemporary ontology. However, a great portion of chapter 12 (pp. 331ff) seems to be 

particularly weak by the book's own standards. Throughout most of the study, data is 

offered from around the globe, bolstering the credibility of the analysis. However, in the 

discussion "Religious Leaders and Institutions" Ernst Troeltsch's model (also Max 

Weber and Howard Becker's) is offered to analyze leaders and institutions from around 

the world of all religious organizations and movements. These models are taken as 

authoritative without any of the usual global examples. This is surprising since these 

models will clearly be from a Western perspective. Even more baffling is that in chapter 

1 the authors have rightly disavowed analysis of religions which use an evolutionary 

scheme, which would include Ernst Troeltsch's viewpoint of the history of religions. In 

fact, if we accept the authors' contention that "folk religion" belief systems are the most 

prominent form of religious beliefs today, Emst Troeltsch's contention and theory that 

Christ~anity is overtaking traditional religions because of its higher development' is 

ent~rely overthrown. 

Lutheran Ministry and Mission Among People of Folk Religion 

Are Lutherans ready to minister and evangelize in such a scenario as is described in 

Understanding Folk Religion We should be. There is evidence that our Confessions 

arose in part as a reaction to the "folk religion" of 16h century European Catholicism. A 

brief reading of the Augsburg Confession, Apology and the Smalcald Articles shows that 

the Lutheran reformers were very much aware of the popular folk beliefs and practice^,^ 

which were not discouraged, but rather encouraged by Rome's doctrine. (See AC 21, 24, 

26, 27; Ap 15, 21, 24,27; SA I1 ii-The Mass.) The reformers made and confessed 

changes in theology and practice to align the teaching and practice of and for the 

common Christian with God's Word. 

Even more, the Small and Large Catechisms give strong evidence of Luther's 

intention to teach a different, Biblical, worldview into the people. The Saxon Visitations 

helped reveal where people and reformation-minded priests were in their theology and 

practice. The catechisms were written to align the people's thinking with God's Word 

'Ernsr Troelrsch, "The Place of Christianity Among World Religions," Christian Thoughl: Its Hislory and 

Applicnrion, Baron F. Von Hiigel, trans., (New York: Meridian Books, 1957), especially pages 55-56. 

'See Charles Arand, "And Use of Satanic Arts": Another Look at Luther's Explanation of the Second 

Commandment", W 24:219-224.


and with His perspective. As the new translation of the Book of Concord will remind us, 

Luther actually wrote "Was ist das", "What is that" not "What does it mean" The 

catechism expresses actual facts, not interpretations, of the Christian faith.3 Creator God 

is not distant (as is a common theme of folk religion). Rather He is the Father, who 

creates and provides for all believers as His chldren; with no need for intermediary 

saints, ancestors or spirits. Jesus Christ is victor through His sacrificial death and 

resurrection over sin, death and the devil. No evil spirit in the woods, no witch, nor any 

other spirit, can overpower Jesus. Not even consequences in daily life which might lead 

to death need be feared, because death itself is no fear; no need for magical protection 

charms or indulgences. The Holy Spirit calls, gives life and identity to God's people, His 

family, which is the church. He enables them to live as children of God. These are but a 

few of the applicable themes of the Small Catechism to the worldview of folk religion. In 

addition, the Laxge Catechism is a veritable treasure trove of comfort for the soul coming 

out of folk religion. For example, Luther is quite firm about Christ's rout over sin, death, 

and the dew1 in the explanation of article two of the Apostle's Creed. 

The Lutheran Worldview 

What we rarely, if ever, speak about is the commitment to a specific worldview that' 

unconditional subscription to the Lutheran Confessions involves. Very specific beliefs 

(see "belief systems," p. 39) about God, man, sin, salvation, sacraments, life, death, 

heaven, hell, etc., all of which guide practice, are put forward by the Confessions. 

Unconditional subscription means promising not to adopt or mix in another worldview in 

doctrine and life. A conditional subscription, or a viewpoint which holds the Confessions 

as historical documents with which one may or may not agree, is likely caused by 

scruples based on enlightenment or evolutionary models of society, religion, history and 

the like. These models are the very Western presuppositions which Understanding Folk 

Religion complains provided underpinnings for missionary theology and practice to 

weaken the Gospel message and allowed the syncretization of public Christianity and 

private paganism (Chapter 1). The Confessions were written by the reformers for 

themselves and for their fellow Christians coming out of folk religion into God's 

marvelous light, and they did not understand God's light as bound to their time. 

Lutheran Theology Is Prepared, Are We 

A little more evidence from Understanding Folk Religion of how the Lutheran 

church ought to be prepared to minister to souls in folk religion: The authors bemoan the 

typical evangelical smorgasbord of theology, and suggest the "overlooked" use of 

catechisms (p. 253). Confessions are recommended to standardize beliefs for longer 

periods of time (p. 253). It is even argued that catechisms and confessions can provide a 

foundation for the next generation's revival. Standardized "rituals" (liturgy) is profitable 

'See Gottfried G. Krodel, Append~x of "Luther's Work on the Catechism in the Context of Late Medieval 

Catechet~cal Literature," CJ25:364-404.

Are Lutherans Ready for 21" Century Ministry and Mission 93 

for "creating and renewing religious beliefs" (catechesis). The belief and conviction of 

the reality of evil spiritual powers are a necessity for working with people of folk religion 

(p. 371). Development of a theology of suffering is urged by the authors as vital for folk 

religion missLon work (p. 377). 

The authors also urge theology to be done on a global level, with theologians of 

different cultures interacting with the Scriptures and with one another (385). Worldwide 

Lutheranism also has this potential. 

Despite the apparent ignorance of confessional Lutheranism in Understanding Folk 

Religion, almost every suggestion made throughout the book for evangelization and 

ministry to people of folk religion rea&ly can be or has already been addressed by 

Lutheran theology. 

Are Lutherans ready to minister and evangelize to people of folk religions Too 

often we have resorted to the latest theories based on business and sociology models as a 

bass or strategy for ministry and mission-all too often ignoring the Gospel wealth of our 

own Confessions. Understanding Folk Religion is yet another call for Lutherans to 

closely examine both their own specific ministry situation and their own theology and 

practice. It is "Lutheranly" inadequate either to merely apply TLH to every situation as it 

is to simply apply a "successful strategy" from Africa to the United States. Every 

ministry situation calls for theological study and reflection in order to proclaim the 

Gospel specifically, and the Confessions greatly aid us in this task. Without a clear 

announcement of the victory of Christ, the people of folk religion, whether in the bush of 

Africa or in suburbia of America, will again trust on the local traditions. 

The authors of Understanding Folk Religion state that when people perceive that 

Christianity does not address their fears and beliefs, they will adopt the local non- 

Christian beliefs and practices. Their study is one useful tool for the missionary and 

pastor to diagnose this problem. Lutherans have the opportunity to use our own solid 

theological resources which tirelessly emphasize our complete salvation in Christ Jesus, 

in all of life, in every life.


Mission Obsewer 

What Can Truly Power God's Mission 

After speaking in 549 congregations of our Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, and 

after traveling to 63 countries to visit and film missionaries, there are a number of 

observations that can be brought into prospective. The fist is, "we can't continue to 'Do 

Mission' the way we have always done it!" By that I mean, we can't simply ask our 

people to give to a line item in their congregational budget. In visiting with 

congregations and people throughout the United States, I have observed a sincere desire 

to (a) want to know where their gift is going (b) to feel more involved more directly (c) 

feel that they are a part of a specific effort (d) to hear some feedback from where their 

misslon Interest is directed and (e) to explore the possibility of actually going and seeing 

the work. 

When these items are addressed, there can be a giant explosion in mission 

involvement. People are suffering from information overload. Pastors are suffering from 

information overload. When I visit pastors' offices I see stacks and stacks of unopened 

items on their desks and shelves. We can't keep sending letters and information. Our 

individuals are getting too many letters, too many telephone calls, and they have become 

"desensitized" to the avalanche of information that is coming from all agencies. 

When individuals and congregations and organizations adopt a specific ministry, and 

get feedback, some interesting things happen. I have seen congregations 'wake up' and 

get excited about their church again. Congregations and individuals feel that they have a 

'purpose' in this life. Repeatedly I have seen major changes in congregations that have 

been somewhat 'dead' to missions, and then suddenly they are talking mission, hearing 

mssion, and doing mission. The key to the 'delivery system' is the oldest type of 

communication. It's called one-on-one. This is the hardest type of work, and requires the 

most time, commitment and energy. 

We live in a society today where everyone is looking for the 'labor saving way'. 

Sometimes there is no answer to that, and we must fully understand that Our Heavenly 

Father made each of us special, and we are to go and tell that Good News of our Lord 

Jesus. It is our responsibility and we can't truly find a 'labor saving way' to accomplish 

this! If we are truly looking for that harvest, then the words of Paul in his letter to the 

Galatians remind us, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we 

will reap a harvest if we do not give up! (6:9)" Our society today is losing zeal for 

working hard and looks for an easy way. I see people trapped by their computers, assured 

that the unchurched will "simply walk into their clubhouse". Mission is always propelled 

by the word "GO" and that's what still has to be done today. We have to get on our feet 

and go out and still do it the hard way . . . one on one! Telling people the Good News of 

our Lord Jesus, who lives in our hearts.

Mission Observer 95 

There are miracles happening all around, and the news media today doesn't carry 

that kind of information. Therefore, we must go and tell the story. Dr. Glenn O'Shoney, 

Executive Director of LCMS World Mission has said over and over again, we just need 

to get to the people to tell the story. I have found time and again those words coming 

from families, "Gary, we wouldn't have known about this unless you came in person to 

tell us!" It is hard work, but what joy to bring the exciting news of not what we are doing 

in mission, but what Our Heavenly Father is doing to reach out to the lost all over the 

world. There are special people that God has a plan for, but they just don't know quite 

what to do unless some one comes in person and tells them. 

As our society advances everything is becoming more impersonal. Many businesses 

no longer use people. They use machines to select items for purchase and it is even 

difficult to get a live person to answer a phone anymore. Banks have automated teller 

machines, eliminating the need for personal contact, and it is all the 'labor saving way'. 

When Jesus gave us all that great commission to tell others, we all were given that 

'marching order'. He didn't give that order to machines, letters, phones, or labor saving 

devlces. He spoke to us personally. We need more people praying, telling the story, 

exciting others, and organizing to 'tell the story'. 

Gary Thies 

Mission Development Counselor

96 Missio A postolica 

Book Reviews 

MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN RELATIONS: Past, Present, Future. By Ovey N. Mohammed. 

Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1999. 160 pages. $16.00. 

Ovey N. Mohammed, author of Muslim-Christian Relations: Past, Present, Future, 

was a high school principal before joining the Society of Jesus in Canada in 1969. He is 

currently a professor at Regis College of the University of Toronto and is actively 

involved in Muslim-Chstian dialogue. 

In this monograph, Fr. Mohammed's primary goal is finding a way forward in 

Muslim-Christian relations that will encourage collaboration between the two faith 

communities. Perhaps the fullest description of his vision can be seen in his own words 

when he states: 

this shift [from a static view of revelation to a dynamic, relational 

view] makes interreligious dialogue not only possible but even 

necessary in today's world. It can enable people with dLfferent 

revelations to learn how others perceive their own views, to perceive 

views other than their own as a source of knowledge and insight, to 

adapt elements from other revelations that they find enriching, to face 

the challenge of new questions generated by dialogue, to work for 

social justice for all, and to focus on building a consensus on a global 

ethic as we face the problems of the twenty-first century. (55) 

To work toward this vision of Christians and Muslims assisting one another to develop 

answers to current and developing social problems, Fr. Mohammed breaks his book into 

four primary sections: an introduction to the faith of Islam for Christians; a brief account 

of Muslim history and prior Muslim-Christian interactions; a section on theological 

issues between the two communities; and a forward-looking chapter dealing with future 

opportunities. He ends each section with suggestions for future reading and questions for 

discussion to facilitate small-group use of this book. 

The introductory section on Islam concisely deals with basic Muslim beliefs 

including sections on Muhammad, the Qur'an, Islamic law, the Sunni-Shi'ite division, 

and Sufism. Here we find the faith of Islam sensitively handled by Fr. Mohammed, and 

he frequently draws parallels between the Islamic faith and Christianity. He dwells for a 

time on the Sufi (mystical) movement in Islam and uses this as a handy bridge between 

Christianity and Islam by making many comparisons with Christian mystical practice, 

especially mysticism within Roman Catholicism. 

In briefly describing Islamic history, Fr. Mohammed emphasizes the pluralistic 

nature of early Islam in accepting the "People of the Book-Christians, Jews and 

Sabeans-wlthin the lMuslim community as protected minorities. He opposes this 

tolerant treatment of Christians by Muslims with Byzantine intolerance, mentioning

Book Reviews 97 

Byzantine aggression against heretical Christian groups like the Nestorians and 

Monophysites that all but forced many Christians into the Muslim fold. While this 

section is well handled, Fr, Mohammed tends to idealize Islamic history by neglecting to 

treat the inter-Muslim strife the followed the early Caliphate. Keeping in mind that this 

book was written for Christians, his methodology of focusing on the positives of Islamic 

history serves well his goal of overcoming Christian prejudice against Islam, thereby 

increasing appreciation for Islam. 

The third section on theology is the core of the book dealing with the main 

confessional issues that separate Christians and Muslims. Fr. Mohammed rightly points 

out that one of the primary differences between Christianity and Islam is their view of 

humanity. Christianity sees the human as being dead in sin needing salvation from 

outside while Islam sees sin as being a correctable mistake and the human being as being 

able to follow the will of God as revealed in the Qur'an and Sunna (sayings and actions 

of the Prophet) and codified in Islamic law. Fr. Mohammed goes on to propose a 

d~fferent understanding of original sin as being human finitude where he positively 

quotes Irenaeus as saying that the Fall in the Garden of Eden was: "not presented as 

damnable revolt, but rather as calling forth God's compassion on account of their [Adam 

and Eve's] weakness and vulnerability." (63) Fr. Mohammed then proposes a view of 

Christ's crucifixion that would be more palatable to Mush sensibilities where rather 

than dying as a propitiation for sin, Christ died to show His love for us. He says: 

"whatever criticism may be leveled against this understanding of the Atonement, it is free 

from crude ideas of ransom, satisfaction, substitution, and so on, and it casts no shadow 

on the character of God." (63) Fr. Mohammed also proposes that it may be possible to 

understand Islam as being a genuine Abraharnic faith in the same vein as Christianity and 

Judaism. The goal of this understanding would be to create a "Christian theology of 

Islam" where: 

Islam could come to be seen as the general or extraordinary way of 

salvation for those who, through it, have access to divine 

transcendence; as one of the best expressions of the worship of God by 

way of total submission to its own revelation; or, as the historical 

mediation, granted in God's mercy, of access to grace, through 

Abraham, the forefather of Jews, Christians and Muslims. (59) 

The purpose of this section is to create a Christian theology that establishes Islam as a 

legitimate path of salvation so that Christians and Muslims can work together without 

suspicion. Fr. Mohammed relies heavily upon papal statements and Vatican documents 

throughout this section to provide support for his claims. 

The final section looks forward to the possibilities of productive Christian-Muslim 

engagement that would ultimately result in improving the world in whlch we live 

because: "the kingdom of God must come on earth as it is in heaven." (73) Here Fr. 

Mohammed urges a shift from an "exclusive Christocentric paradigm of salvation to a 

more pluralist model in the interest of interreligious dialogue and collaboration." (75) 

This model would be a theocentric model that takes: "the doctrine of the Trinity

98 Mirsio Apostolica 

seriously, and this doctrine teaches that both Christ and the Holy Spirit play a role in the 

economy of salvation. Salvation is not through Christ alone." (75) Christian missionary 

activity that aims toward conversion and proselytization should be abandoned in favor of 

interreligious dialogue and collaboration on social projects and developing a global 

theocentric ethic. It is to this goal that Fr. Mohammed points. 

It is difficult to recommend this book to pastors, missionaries or lay discussion 

groups who are interested in Christian mission that aims at conversion-that is, creating 

faith in Christ-since this is the exact view Fr. Mohammed argues against. Advocating a 

view of Christianity where human beings are no longer in need of salvation from sin and 

claiming that salvation is not through Chnst alone, Fr. Mohammed directly contradicts 

the Confessions of the Lutheran Church and the clear teachings of the Bible. However, 

Fr. Mohammed's sensitive approach to Islam is commendable, and the first two sections 

on the Islamic faith and Muslim history are well done and could serve as a good 

introduction to Islam. Additionally, Fr. Mohammed includes some very useful addresses 

of organizations that are currently engaged in Christian-Muslim interaction at the end of 

the book. 

Scott Edward Yakimow 

PRACTICING TRUTH: Confident Witness in Our Pluralistic World. Edited by David 

W. Shenk and Linford Stutzman. Scottdale, PA: Herald Press, 1999. 253 pages. Paper. 

No Price Given. 

Somehow the warning has gone out, and the attention of the theological world 

gravitates increasingly toward the somewhat amorphous phenomenon, variously labeled 

as pluralism or post-modemism. This is another in the series of attempts to defme and 

document what that phenomenon is, to place it in its historical and ideological context 

(how this came to be today's fixation), and to explore its implications for the tasks of 

Christian faith and life, theology and mission. 

This book is a collection of essays presented at a 1998 consultation (same theme as 

the book title) at Eastern Mennonite Seminary. A few words from the consultation 

statement summarize well the intent of the consultation (and book): 

"we hope to offer insights of the Anabaptist heritage to the larger 

Christian family which is struggling with the same issues. We believe 

this perspective offers an alternative to both a mainline Protestantism 

troubled by the demise of establishment Christianity and a type of 

Evangelicalism that dreams of restoring the church's social 

dominance." (27) 

These essays, then, are (mostly) Anabaptists in conversation with fellow 

Anabaptists. At one level, that allows for some instructive eavesdropping. We hear 

refrains, for instance, that occur with such constancy (reinforcement) that they are

Book Reviews 99 

clearly central to an Anabaptist self-identity: living rather than merely articulating 

theology, counter-cultural, anti-Christendom, voluntary. In a summary David-against- 

Goliath-type image, Wright (250-251) describes the Anabaptist tradition as distinct from 

and persecuted by "Rome, Wittenberg, Geneva, and Zurich," just as the New Testament 

church was distinct from and persecuted by "the combined world of Jerusalem and 

Rome." At the same time that self-identity is reinforced, however, we also hear 

Anabaptists challenging each other to avoid truncating the full mission of the church, e.g. 

Wright's critique (250) that "sometimes Mennonites don't preach what they practice," an 

inside-out version of the criticism often leveled at Lutherans. 

There is more here than merely eavesdropping, however, at an in-house 

conversation. These essays present some very substantive and incisive discussions of 

theology and mission. As designed by the consultation, there is a wide range of topics: 

biblical (OT, NT), Anabaptist missions and the critique of Christendom, religious 

(Hinduism, Islam) and geographical (Africa, North America) contexts, cultural 

transformation, global and local perspectives. This spectrum of essays was sandwiched 

nicely between two particularly insightful essays: Gerald Anderson's programmatic 

essay, "Christian Mission in Our Pluralistic World," and Chris Wright's summary essay 

(for both consultation and book), "What Difference Does Jesus Make" The editors, 

further, provide a brief but helpful four-page bibliography of resources, both theological 

and philosophical, for more intensive study of topics related to this book. 

As in any anthology, there is a wide range of styles and disciplines, which means 

some essays will resonate more with some readers than other. Further, when essays of an 

anthology stem from a common religious heritage, there is inevitable repetition of 

themes. One somewhat startling divergence from that commonality, however, was 

Stutzman's commendation of a Christian "cultural hegemony," a plea quite distinct from 

the Anabaptist norm-and tweaked gently in Wright's summary essay. 

As a contribution to the broader Christian discussion of theology and mission in a 

pluralistic world, this is a very helpful book. Its Anabaptist spirit gives it particularity and 

bite. Ckristians from other traditions have the unique privilege of seeing ourselves from 

another's eyes, which brings focus and clarity to our own discussions-and the implicit 

invitation to share also our commitment with the wider Christian family, so that the 

church of Jesus Christ is enriched in its mission of proclaiming the Gospel to all nations. 

Henry Rowold 

A BFUEF HISTORY OF THE CHINESE LUTHERAN CHURCH. By Andrew Hsiao. 

Hong Kong: Taosheng Publishing House, 1999. 182 pages. Paper. No Price Given. 

Aside from a few very specialized studies, e.g. doctoral dissertations, the only 

resources concerning the history of the Lutheran Church among Chinese people have 

been bits and pieces here and there, usually incidental to larger topics. That dearth of 

mater~als makes this book a long-overdue and much treasured resource.


Who better to author this book than Dr. Andrew Hsiao, one among very few Chinese 

rightfully called "Mr. Lutheran" Born on the China mainland, but living most of his 

adult life in Hong Kong, Hsiao knows the Chinese Lutheran churchles as well as any 

person alive. He served as president of Lutheran Theological Seminary in Hong Kong for 

some 24 years (1971-1995), where he still serves an active ministry as president 

emeritus. He also served as vice-president of the Lutheran World Federation, which 

deepened his acquaintance with Chinese churches outside Hong Kong. A few years ago, 

he wrote a multi-volume Chinese work, Understanding the Lutheran Church, which 

introduced the doctrines, history, ethos, and practices of the Lutheran Church. The 

present volume is an extension of the historical section of that work. In three brief 

chapters, Hsiao provides a reliable, current summary of Lutheran ministry in the Chinese 

world. 

In the form of the eccentric Karl Giitzlaff and hls furtive attempts to enter China, 

Lutheran ministry in China can be said to have begun as early as 1831. In a more 

prolonged and institutional sense, Lutheran ministry began about 1850 with the coming 

of missionaries from three German mission societies. 

Over the coming century, upwards of a dozen other mission societies began ministry, 

many at the turn of the century, and others, including the LCMS, within another decade 

or so. By treating each of these in turn, in terms both of the founding mission agency and 

of the counterpart Chinese churches/synods, Hsiao brings order to a bewildering variety 

of agencies: Denmark (I), Finnish (I), German (4), Norway (3), Sweden (I), USA (5), 

mixed (1). His patient retelling of this history (the first chapter, approximately half of the 

book) documents remarkable dedication by Lutheran Churches to the task of mission in 

the face of difficult and recurring crises (natural disasters, overthrow of dynasty, foreign 

incursions, anti-foreign and anti-Christian movements, and civil war). One of the better 

kept secrets of the history of this era is the fact that by 1951 Chinese Lutheran churches 

had a membership upwards of 100,000, which represented more than 10% of the 

Protestant population at that time. 

One of Hsiao's sub-themes as he recounts this history is the story of the Lutheran 

Church in China, founded in 1920. Begun as a form of cooperative ministry (e.g. 

theological education, literature) by many diverse Lutheran societies, the LCC developed 

~nto a strong national church. Unfortunately, though the title of this chapter is "Lutheran 

Churches in Mainland China," the account is focussed exclusively on the Lutheran 

Church in China. This means that a non-LCC Lutheran church is not part of that story, 

e.g. the LCMS and its counterpart church. What bits and pieces of that history there are, 

appear only as historical background in the entry on the Lutheran Church-Hong Kong 

Synod. 

The second chapter of Hsiao's survey covers "Chinese Lutheran Churches outside 

Mainland China." The major part of this chapter presents the history and ministry 

(structure, evangelism, education, social services, theological education, church 

cooperation) of the seven Lutheran rnissions/synods in Hong Kong, the six major 

missionsisynods in Taiwan, and the two major missions/synods in Malaysia-Singapore. 

Much briefer word is given about Chinese churches in the Western world (Australia, 

Europe, and North America). This is a much more widely diverse history, difficult to pin

Book Reviews 10 1 

down because it is still living and changing. Understandably, this is the section where 

more minor errors occur, especially in churches that Hsiao perhaps deals with less 

intimately. For example, in the entry for the China Evangelical Lutheran Church (LCMS 

partner church in Taiwan), the names of some of the church presidents are wrongly 

given, as is the attribution of work among Hakka people. Again, the Wisconsin Synodrelated 

ministry in Taiwan is by-passed, though it has had an interesting history of some 

fifteen years. If there is one area that needs significant updating (perhaps a separate 

study!), it is the story of the rapidly expanding Chinese ministry in North America across 

a range of denominational groups. 

As much impetus as there was toward united ministry in the mainland era, it seems 

striking that there has been little similar activity since 1950. Perhaps that history was too 

fragmented by world and civil wars and by enormous movements of refugees. What 

cooperative efforts emerged seem to have been channeled in two directions, namely 

formation of Lutheran councils in various countries, and affiliation with the Lutheran 

World Federation. The story of the latter is the subject of the third chapter, and it is a 

fascinating history. The role of the LWF in adopting "orphaned" missions during World 

War 2, in providing supplies and transport for Lutheran missionaries/churches during that 

war and the following years of the communist take-over, and in providing haven and care 

for refugee populations after the take-over can hardly be overestimated. Those early 

leaders provided heroic, often unsung service. In subsequent years, the LWF has 

continued to serve the region by providing leadership training and service ministries, 

including also non-member churches. Surely, the highlight of recent LWF presence in the 

China region was the convening of its Ninth Assembly in Hong Kong, only weeks after 

Hong Kong reverted to Chinese sovereignty. 

There is always more that could be told, however, and, as is true of any good 

presentation, Hsiao's book heightens curiosity and raises a myriad of questions. If there is 

one underlying, bewildering question, however, it is why the Lutheran tradition in the 

Chinese dispersion has seemingly not been able to maintain the vigor it had in China, as 

reflected in 1951 statistic that Lutherans represented upwards of 10% of the Protestant 

community there. That, however, is the subject of another work. 

Given the importance of this book, one hopes that a second edition will allow editors 

to catch the many petty glitches in the book, e.g., typos, inconsistencies in spelling and 

romanization, contradictory facts (the LCHKS missionary to Australia is listed correctly 

on p. 103 as Mark Lai, but incorrectly on p. 148 as Titus Lee). In addition, the book 

would also be well served with an index, as well as with Chinese characters for person 

and church names, especially given the varying systems of romanization. 

For anyone interested in the Lutheran chapter of the history of the Christian church 

in the Chinese world, this is a unique and very helpful resource. We owe deep thanks to 

our elder brother, Andrew Hsiao, for whom this book is the latest of capstones to a long, 

gracious, loving ministry in China. 

Henry Rowold


INSIDE OUT: Worship in an Age of Mission. Edited by Thomas H. Schattauer. 

Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1999. 227 pages. Paper. $20.00 

One of the sad and bewildering realities of today's church is the "worship wars." 

Incredibly, despite the strong testimony of the worship book of the Scriptures, namely 

the Psalter, not only are worship and mission pitted against each other, but, to hear some 

speak, one threatens the integrity of the other-and both are impoverished without the 

other. 

If nothing else, this book suggests that no one church has a monopoly on such 

tensions or on attempts to move productively beyond them. In 1997 the worship staff of 

the ELCA invited the professors of worship in ELCA seminaries to discuss together the 

state and future of liturgical worship in North America-that has become an annual 

conference. The book presents the essays, each written by one such professor (including 

also one from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada), addressing various issues 

that have triggered the worship wars: Liturgical Assembly as the Locus of Mission, 

Proclamation, Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, Liturgical Year, Liturgical Space, 

Music, Ritual Practice, Occasional Services, and a summary article on Liturgy and 

.Mission in the North American Context. 

As is inevitable in an anthology, some articles seem more strlking to the reviewer 

than others. Hawkins' presentation, for instance, on occasional services seemed 

particularly positive, identifying liturgical opportunities for ministering at the borders of 

the church. At a more fundamental level was Michael Aune's concern about people who 

"operate with ... (an) essentially acultural and ahistorical approach" to the liturgical 

tradit~on of the church. Perhaps most provocative was Paul Westermeyer's essay on 

4lusic, which contained both a blistering critique of church growth thinking and a 

perspective whlch perhaps triggered the book in the first place: "the gathered church is 

not primarily about missionary activity." True, perhaps, though need mission be reduced 

to mission activity, and need worship be separated categorically from mission, since both 

are works of God 

There is much substance in this book, driven by strong commitment to the integrity 

of the church's worship tradition. The strength has an inherent weakness, however, 

namely that this book on worship and mission was written by and largely for liturgical 

scholars. The perspectives, concerns, challenges, critiques, and questions of missionaries 

and missiologists were strikingly absent. At the very least, however, the conversation has 

begun-by the shapers of the next generation of (ELCA) church leaders. That in turn 

defuses wars, and transforms them into creative opportunities for growth and sharing. 

Hopefully, other denominational traditions will have the courage and foresight to defuse 

wars before they get too ugly. 

Henry Rowold

fie Lutheran Society for Missiolbgy 

1s pEasedto announce the recent pu6fication amfavaihbifity of 

the secondin t h 13SFN 6oo(.sehs 

fie Lutherans in Mission 

P 'Ifestschnft published in honor of the 

ministry of the first editor of the LSFM 

joumac Nissio~postoCica, cDIWon Ybng .)'I. 

lie Lutherans in M.lission is a colictwn of 

essays w&ten @ Lutheran scholhrs a d 

chosen 6y a. JIfor incliancm in i&~ wohme. 

FOI f%n, each of these &&B 

important aspect 

Mission 

sbd some 

of Th Ltftksls in 

Fz& hard cover copies srgmd by Dr. JI are 

avaih6b for sai as commmorative issues for 

$100 each. @'apeduck copies am availh6i for 

$12 plus $2 shippng adhandfing eack 

lo order a COD 

or to receivefirther information, plkase contact: 

Dr. victor Raj 

Luthran Society for Missiolbgy 

801 DeMun Avenue 

St. Louis Missouri 631 05 

(%fa&e checkpaya6h to the ~ uthran Society for Missiolbay.)


Index of Volumes 4-8, 1996-2000 

Articles 

"An Asian Urban Ministry Model: The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod Thailand Field 

Strategy" Jeff Ehlers. Special Issue I, 47-54. 

"Authority, Power, and Polity in the Church in the Light of the Lutheran Confessions" 

Luther Meinzen. Vol. 7, 120-127. 

"The Autobiography of the New Believer: Shaping Personal Confession of the Faith for 

the Newborn Children of God" Robert Kolb. Vol. 7, 94-101. 

"Biblical Cures for Assimilation Ministry" Dean Nadasdy. Vol. 6,27-37. 

"Bringing Souls to Christ: Every Christian's Desire and Duty" C.F.W. Walther. Vol. 6, 6-17. 

"The City to Come: Challenges and Hope for Christian Witness in the City in the 2 lS 

Century" Timothy May. Special Issue I, 21-27. 

"Christian Missions in Latin America: the Challenge of the 21'' Century in Light of the 

Past 500 Years" Douglas Rutt. Vol. 8, 56-63. 

"Christian Worship in a Cross-Cultural Setting" Todd Roeske. Vol. 5, 19-33. 

"Christians in Mission" Paul Heerboth. Vol. 4, 5-10. 

"Church and Theology in Germany Today" Gerhard Maier. Vol. 8, 13-18. 

"The Concept of Life and Death in Christian Martyrdom in Japan" Chizuo Shibata. Vol. 

7, 11-20. 

"Conversion in a Post-Soviet Society" Guntis Kalme. Vol. 7, 74-76. 

"The Creed of Nicea as a Paradigm for Mission" Robert Scudieri. Vol. 5, 66-77. 

"The Cross in the Call to Mission Along the Way" Duane Olson. Vol. 4, 83-88. 

"Cross-Cultural Communication and Biblical Language" Paul Raabe. Vol. 4, 79-82. 

"Cross-Cultural Keynotes for Mission and Ministry in the U.S. HispaniciLatino 

Communities" Alberto Garcia. Vol. 8, 4-12, 

"The Doctrine of the New Birth: From Bullinger to Edwards" Paul Hinlicky. Vol. 7, 102-1 19. 

"The Effects of the State Church System as the Context for Evangelistic Proclamation in 

Germany!' Volker Stolle. Vol. 5, 34-42. 

"Expatriate Missionaries Today" Eugene Bunkowske. Vol. 6, 101-1 10. 

"The Fourth Vow: A New Society of Jesus" John Heinemeier. Special Issue I, 55-60. 

"In the City for Good: Leaving the Monastery for the World" Richard Bliese. Special 

Issue I, 13-20. 

"LCMS World Mission's Volunteer Strategy" Rick Blythe. Vol. 5, 84-91. 

"Luther on Islam" Anthony Steinbronn. Vol. 8, 64-7 1. 

"Luther's Commentary on the Third Article as a Clue to His Theology of Other 

Religions" Edward Schroeder. Vol. 7, 4-10. 

"A Lutheran Response to the Church Growth Movement" Robert Scudieri. Vol. 4, 89-94. 

"Lutheran Schools-Our Missionary Outposts" Paul Mueller. Vol. 8, 19-26. 

"Messianic Judaism and Mission Opportunity" David Schmitt. Vol. 5, 92-97. 

"Ministry at the Fringes: The Missionary as the Marginal Person" Henry Rowold. Vol. 6, 

70-76.

Index of Volumes 4-8 105 

"A Ministry of Friendship to Those at Our Doorstep" Carl Selle. Vol. 6, 18-26. 

"Missiological Bridge-Building Based Upon an Emic and Etic Understanding of Culture 

as Derived From Music" Tony Steinbronn. Vol. 7,34-41. 

"Mission in Today's World: Implications for the Congregations" Robert Kolb. Vol. 4, 

95-102. 

"Missionaries Walking Together with Indigenous Churches: From Jerusalem to Antioch" 

Karl Reko. Vol. 6, 91-100. 

"The Missionary Role in the Formation of the Lutheran Church in Korea: With an Eye to 

the 'Indigenous Church"' Maynard Dorow. Vol. 6,7744. 

"A Model for Urban Church Planting The First Phase: From Preliminary Investigation to 

First Worship Service" James Tino & Paul Brink. Special Issue I, 40-46. 

"A ModeliStrategy for North America Mission Fields: Lasting Principles" Roosevelt 

Gray. Special Issue I, 28-33. 

"Musica Contrafacta: Can Secular Music be Recycled for New Hymn Texts" James 

Brauer. Vol. 6, 38-46. 

"New Creation in Paul" Vilson Scholz. Vol. 7, 87-93. 

"Kew Creeds for Today's Needs" Philip Bickel. Vol. 4,25-34. 

"Pastoral (Theological) Training On the Mission Field" Ernst Wendland. Vol. 4, 67-78. 

"Pastors and People in Evangelism: A Study in Acts" Ken Schurb. Vol. 8, 32-39. 

"Reflections of a New Missionary" Glenn Fluegge. Vol. 8, 80-87. 

"Response to Charles Arand's 'The Vitality of the Historic Creeds"' Philip Bickel. Vol. 

4,40-44. 

"Ritual and Animism: Liturgical Symbols and Ritual in an Animistic Context-What Do 

They Mean" Douglas Rutt. Vol. 5,4- 18. 

"The Role of the Expatriate Missionary in the Twenty-First Century" Paul Muench. Vol. 

7, 21-33. 

"Shared Ministry: Meeting the Challenge of the New Millennium Realities" David 

Belasic. Vol. 8, 27-3 1. 

"Some Missionary Moments I Remember" Shirley Dorow. Vol. 6, 85-90. 

"Tag Team Evangelism" Robert Kolb. Vol. 4, 11-18. 

"Teaching English as Ministry" Henry Rowold. Vol. 5, 98-105. 

"Thinking, Living, and Working with Missions" Won Yong JI. Vol. 5, 78-83. 

"Thoughts on Urban Mission and Governmental Authority" Frank Zeidler. Special Issue 

I, 34-39. 

"Urban Ministry" Samuel Goltermann. Special Issue I, 6-12. 

"The Vitality of the Historic Creeds: A Response to Philip Bickel" Charles Arand. Vol. 4, 

35-39 

"What is Ethnicity" Robert Scudieri. Vol. 4, 19-24. 

"What's Lutheran About Worship: Theology from the Inside Out" Jacob Preus. Vol. 8, 

72-78. 

"Why Are Christians Persecuted in India: Roots, Reasons, Responses" Herbert Hoefer. 

Vol. 7,7746. 

"The Work Goes On" David Berger. Special Issue I, 61-66.


Features, Reports, and Missionary Profiles 

"Ambassador on the Yangtse" Henry Rowold. Vol. 4, 52-53. 

"Are Luthearans Ready for 21" Century Ministry and Mission" Carl Rockrohr. Vol. 8, 

88-93. 

"First-Ever Worship Drama in Korea" Shirley Dorow. Vol. 4, 54. 

"Mission Visit to China" Shirley Dorow. Vol. 4, 5 1-52. 

"Perseverance in Evangelism: A Study in Acts" Ken Schurb. Vol. 7,42-48. 

"Reflections On My Retirement" Juan Berndt. Vol. 4, 130- 106. 

"Reflections on 'Leaving the Mission Field"' Henry Rowold. Vol. 4, 107-1 10. 

"Report on Ninth Assembly of Lutheran World Federation Hong Kong, China, July 8-16, 

1997" Samuel Nafzger. Vol. 5, 106-1 16. 

"Sight for the Haitians" Dan Schlensker. Vol. 5,41-45. 

"Witnesses . . . Where The Four Arenas of Mission Involvement" Steve Hughey. Vol. 7, 

49-56. 

Editorials 

"Belief in a Personal Creator Cannot be Taken for Granted" Robert Kolb. Vol. 7, 2-3. 

"Can Expatriate Missionaries Begin Indigenous Churches" Robert Scudieri. Vol. 6,68-69. 

"Facing the Missionary Challenge" Robert Kolb and Victor Raj. Vol. 4, 62-63. 

"Getting the Word Out, Still!" Victor Raj. Vol. 7,72-73. 

"The Gift that Keeps on Giving" Victor Raj. Vol. 5, 62-64. 

"In the City for Good" Robert Scudieri. Special Issue I, 4-5. 

"In the Lord's Century" Robert Kolb. Vol. 8, 2-3. 

"Mission Thinking in a Post-Modem Era" Won Yong JI. Vol. 4, 63-65. 

"The Movable Property of God" Victor Raj. Vol. 8, 52-53. 

Robert Kolb. Vol. 5, 2-3. 

Robert Kolb. Vol. 6,2-4. 

Victor Raj. Vol. 6, 66-67. 

Robert Scudieri. Vol. 4,2-3. 

"Urban Mission: A Perspective" Robert Kolb. Special Issue I, 2-3. 

Mission Observer 

"The 1" Annual Congress on Confessional Lutheran Missiology" Joel Okamoto. Vol. 4, 

117-120. 

"The 1999 Parliament of the World's Religions" Joel Okamoto. Vol. 8,40-41. 

"Asian Mosaic" James Voelz. Vol. 5, 1 19-120. 

"Christian Witness and God's Gift of Academic Disciplines" Robert Kolb. Vol. 7, 128-129. 

"A Church Planter' Institute for the North American Mission Field" Richard Behnke. 

Vol. 5, 120-121.


"The Flip Side of the Open Mind" Victor Raj. Vol. 4, 46-48. 

"Hong Kong-Quo Vadis" Henry Rowold. Vol. 5, 117-118. 

"Intentional Linkages-Lutheran Stateside Congregations & Foreign Mission Fields" 

Erhart Bauer. Vol. 8, 42-43. 

"Japan Lutheran Church Celebrates 5oh Anniversary" Paul Heerboth. Vol. 6, 113- 114. 

"Missionary Orientation" Jennifer O'Neal. Vol. 4, 114-116. 

"New Missiological Challenge and Opportunity" Won Yong JI. Vol. 5,47-48. 

"One Pastor's Journey Into Missions" Mike Malinsky. Vol. 6,47-51. 

"The Real Who of the Great Commission in Matthew 28" Robert Newton. Vol. 4,45-46. 

"Theologizing and Missionizing" Won Yong JI. Vol. 5,46-47. 

"What Can Truly Power God's MissionGary Thies. Vol. 8,94-95. 

"What is Really Lutheran about the Lutherans'Paul Heerboth. Vol. 6, 111-112. 

"Witnessing in Our Vulnerability" Robert Kolb. Vol. 4,48-50. 

"The Word in the World" David Berger. Vol. 4, 112-113. 

Book Reviews 

African Religion: The Moral Traditions of Abundant Life. By Laurenti Magesa. 

Reviewed by Douglas Kasten. Vol. 6, 120-122. 

American Missionary Eyewitnesses to the Nanking Massacre, 1937-1938. Edited by 

Martha Lund Smalley. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 6, 57-61. 

Anthology of World Scriptures. Edited by Robert Van Voorst. Reviewed by Henry 

Rowold. Vol. 6, 62-64. 

The Apostolic Church-One, 

Holy, Apostolic and Missionary. By Robert Scudieri. 

Reviewed by David Belasic. Vol. 5, 124-125. 

Bearing the Witness of the Spirit: Lesslie Newbigin's Theology of Cultural Plurality. By 

George Hunsberger. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 7, 136-137. 

Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions. By Gerald Anderson. Reviewed by Won 

Yong JI. Vol. 6, 115-1 16. 

A Brief History of the Chinese Lutheran Church. By Andrew Hsiao. Reviewed by Henry 

Rowold. Vol. 8, 99-101. 

The Buddhist Religion. By Richard Robinson and Willard Johnson. Reviewed by Henry 

Rowold. Vol. 6, 62-64. 

A Christian Theology of Religions: The Rainbow of Faiths. By John Hick. Reviewed by 

Joel Okamoto. Vol. 4, 56-59. 

Christianity in China: From the Eighteenth Century to the Present. Edited by Daniel 

Bays. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 6, 57-61. 

Church for the Unchurched. By George Hunter 111. Reviewed by Paul Mueller. Vol. 5, 

54-56. 

A Community of Joy: How to Create Contemporary Worship. By Timothy Wright. 

Reviewed by Paul Mueller. Vol. 5, 56-57. 

The Conversion of Missionaries: Liberalism in American Protestant Missions in China, 

1907-1 932. By Lian Xi. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 6,57-6 1.


Downtown Church: the Heart of the City. By Howard Edington. Reviewed by John 

Nunes. Vol. 6,52-54. 

Eerdrnans' Handbook to the Word's Religions. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 5, 50-53. 

Es Begannin Halle . .. Missionswissenschaft von Gustav Warneck bis Heute. Edited by 

Dieter Becker and Andreas Feldtkeller. Reviewed by Robert Kolb. Vol. 8, 46-47. 

Generating Hope: A Strategy for Reaching the Postmodern Generation. By Jimmy Long. 

Reviewed by Paul Mueller. Vol. 7,66-67. 

The Global God: Multicultural Evangelical Views of God. Edited by Aida Spencer and 

William Spencer. Reviewed by Won Yong JI. Vol. 7, 138. 

Global Gods: Exploring the Role of Religions in Modem Societies. By David Shenk. 

Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 5, 50-53. 

Go Home and Tell. By Bertha Smith. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 4, 121-122. 

God's Final Envoy: Early Christology and Jesus' Own View of His Mission. By Marinus 

De Jonge. Reviewed by Jeffrey Gibbs. Vol. 7, 61-63. 

A History of Christianity in Africa: From Antiquity to the Present. By Elizabeth Isichei. 


A History of Christianity in Asia, Vol. I. By Samuel Hugh. Reviewed by Won Yong JI. 

Vol. 6, 123-124. 

Inside the Soul of a New Generation. By Tim Celek and Dieter Zander. Reviewed by 

Paul Mueller. Vol. 5, 57-58. 

Inside Out: Worship in an Age of Mission. Edited by Thomas Schattauer. Reviewed by 

Henry Rowold. Vol. 8, 102. 

The Japan Mission of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. By Richard Meyer. 

Reviewed by Won Yong Jl. Vol. 6, 122-123. 

LCK 40' Anniversary Pictorial History. By D. B. Choo et, al. Reviewed by Won Yong 

JI. Vol. 7, 60-61. 

The Liberating Gospel in China: The Christian Faith Among China's Minority Peoples. 

By Ralph Covell. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 6, 57-61. 

Living Religions. By Mary Pat Fisher. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 5, 50-53. 

Make Disciples, Baptizing: God's Gift of New Life and Christian Witness. By Robert 

Kolb. Reviewed by Robert Weise. Vol. 6, 54-56. 

Make Room for the Boom ... or Bust: 6 Models for Reaching Three Generations. By 

Gary McIntosh. Reviewed by Paul Mueller. Vol. 5, 53-54. 

Mangoes or Bananas The Quest for an Authentic Asian Christian Theology. By Hwa 

Yung. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 6, 126-127. 

Ministry 8: Theology in Global Perspective: Contemporary Challenges for the Church. 

Edited by Don Pittman, et. al. Reviewed by Won Yong JI. Vol. 5, 130-130. 

Missiology: An Ecumenical Introduction-Texts and Contexts of Global Christianity. 

Edited by F.J. Verstraelen. Reviewed by Won Yong JI. Vol. 4, 55-56. 

Missiology: An Ecumenical Introduction: Texts and Contexts of Global Christianity. 

Edited by F.J. Verstraele, et al. Reviewed by Philip Bickel. Vol. 5, 123-124. 

Mission in the New Testament: An Evangelical Approach. Edited by William Larkin and 

Joel Williams. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 7, 63-64.


M~ssions: Biblical Foundations and Contemporary Strategies. By Gailyn Van Rheenen. 

Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 7,65-66. 

Missionstheologie bei Wilhelrn Lijhe: Aufbruch zur Kirche der Zukunft. By Christian 

Weber. Reviewed by Robert Kolb. Vol. 8,44-45. 

Muslim-Christian Relations: Past, Present, Futue. By Ovey Mohammed. Reviewed by 

Scott Yakimow. Vol. 8, 96-98. 

Die "Mutter der Dirchen" im "Haus des Islam": Gegenseitige Wahrnehrnungen von 

Arabischen Christen und Muslimen im West - und Ostjordanland. By Andreas 

Feldtkeller. Reviewed by Robert Kolb. Vol. 8, 45-46. 

No Other Gods: Christian Belief in Dialogue With Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. By 

Hendrik Vroom. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 5, 50-53. 

KRK 50Ih Anniversary Essays. Reviewed by Won Yong JI. Vol. 7, 60. 

On Common Ground: World Religions in America. By Diana Eck. Reviewed by Henry 

Rowold. Vol. 6, 117-118. 

One New People: Models for Developing a Multiethnic Church. By Manuel Ortiz. 

Reviewed by Ronald Lehenbauer. Vol. 5, 126-127. 

The Origins of the Anglo-American Missionary Enterprise in China. By Murray 

Rubinstein. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 6, 57-61. 

Out of Silence: Emerging Themes in Asian American Churches. By Fumitaka Matsuoka. 

Rev~ewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 5, 128-129. 

People on the Way: Asian North Americans Discovering Chnst, Culture, and 

Community. Edited by David Ng. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 6, 124-126. 

A Pilgrim in Chinese Culture: Negotiating Religious Diversity. By Judith Berling. 


Practicing Truth: Confident Witness in Our Pluralistic World. Elted by David Shenk 

and Linford Stutzman. Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 8, 98-99. 

A Primer on Postmodernism. By Stanley Grenz. Reviewed by Mary Houser Fox. Vol. 7, 

67-65. 

Religlon In the Japanese Experience: Sources and Interpretations. By Byron Earhart. 


Religion in the Megacity: Catholic and Protestant Pomaits from Latin America. By 

Phillip Berryman. Reviewed by Rudolph Blank. Vol. 7, 130-133. 

Rural Congregational Studies: A Guide for Good Shepherds. By L. Shannon Jung and 

Mary Agria. Reviewed by Paul Biegner. Vol. 7, 139-140. 

The Search for Common Ground: What Unites and Divides Catholic Americans. By 

James Davidson, et. al. Reviewed by Albert Garcia. Vol. 6, 127-130. 

The Story of Fa~th Mission: From Hudson Taylor to Present Day Africa. By Klaus 

Fiedler. Reviewed by Douglas Kasten. Vol. 6, 118-120. 

Toward the Twenty-First Century in Christian Mission: Essays in Honor of Gerald H. 

Anderson. Edited by James Phillips and Robert Coote. Reviewed by Henry 

Rowold. Vol. 5, 129-130. 

Towards an African Narrative Theology. By Joseph Healey et. al. Reviewed by Daniel 

Mattson. Vol. 7, 68-69.

1 10 Missio Apostolica 

Transforming Culture: A Challenge for Christian Mission. By Sherwood Lingenfelter. 

Reviewed by Henry Rowold. Vol. 7,64-65. 

Who Comes in the Name of the Lord By Harold Recinos. Reviewed by Rudolph Blank. 

Vol. 7, 57-59. 

Why Me By Jacob Damkani. Reviewed by Joseph Gudel. Vol. 7, 133-136.

What is the Lutheran Society for Missiology 

The Lutheran Society for Missiology (LSFM) is a society of Lutherans who are 

interested in the Apostolic mission of God in today's world. The society was 

born on October 25, 1991, out of a concern to promote biblical attitudes for 

missions. 

Membership Benefits 

Each member of LSFM: 

Participates in carrying out the purposes of LSFM; 

Receives a subscription to The Communicator, a semiannual mission 

newsletter; 

Receives a subscription to the semiannual mission journal, Missio 

Aposiolica, which provides articles on mission studies and practice; and 

Is invited to attend meetings of the LSFM chapters and the annual 

meeting of LSFM. 

At present, chapters are located in St. Louis, Missouri; Fort Wayne, Indiana; 

Gary, Indiana; and St. Paul, Minnesota. 

----------- & ------------------------------------------------------------ & ------------------ 

Registration Form 

Name 

(Both husband and wlfe, ifapplicable) 

Address 

City State Zip 

E-mail Address 

0 New Membership 

d Visionary ($50 or morelyear) 

0 Regular ($25/year) 

0 Renewal of Membership 

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Church Affiliation: 

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Please make check payable to Lutheran Society for Missiology and send form 

and check to Lutheran Society for Missiology, 801 DeMun Ave. St. Louis, MO 

63105 USA.

Reflections of a New Missionary - Lutheran Society for Missiology

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