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M
oderator Ben Sells: Lcts go to thc qucstion:
Vas Paul a missionary: Prcscnting on that
qucstion is r. Ralph Vintcr, thc gcncral
cditor ol thc Vorld Christian Foundations curriculum.
Ralph Winter: Tis qucstion is only a kind ol tcascr
to bring in thc idca that many things that arc scttlcd
undcrstandings do not always turn out to bc rcally truc.
Tis is cspccially truc ol ancicnt matcrials. Unlortu
natcly, it is possiblc lor truth, somcwhat out ol thc nor
mal circulation, which is rclcrrcd to again and again, to
gradually gravitatc away lrom thc rcality.
Prcviously, ! mcntioncd thc ancicnt classical catcgorics
ol philosophcrs, thc dicrcnt kinds ol scholars and
lcadcrs. Takc thc Stoics lor cxamplc. Vc think ol stoi
cal as a vcry spccic thing in nglish. 8ut thc Stoics
wcrc not rcally stoical. Vc spcak ol cpicurcan tastcs,
but thc picurcans did not havc cpicurcan tastcs. Vc
think ol things that arc platonic, but Plato was not
ncccssarily platonic. vcn il you gct out ol thc world
ol socallcd sccular thinkcrs into thc Christian world,
you nd similar misundcrstandings about kcy words.
! rcmcmbcr bcing shockcd somc ycars ago rcading
Latourcttcs account ol Pclagius. Towards thc cnd hc
says, Vcll, rcally, Pclagius was not a Pclagian. !n
othcr words, what wc spcak ol as a thcological conccpt,
Pclagianism, is not somcthing that Pclagius himscll
would idcntily with, ccrtainly not complctcly. Accord
ing to Latourcttc, thc bcst you could say is that hc was
a scmiPclagian. Pcoplc havc cvcn said that Calvin was
not a Calvinist. Ccrtainly thc truth is that thc Puri
tans did not ncccssarily havc puritanical tastcs. Many
words, tcrms, and conccpts, in thcir popular usc, do not
corrcspond to thc rcality. So wc should not bc too sur
priscd il, whcn wc look closcly at Paul, wc do not rcally
nd what wc normally think ol as a missionary.
Many dicrcnt phcnomcna cxist in missions today.
Almost nothing is not missionary, thc way thc word is
strctchcd and uscd all ovcr thc world. 8ut it is truc that
mission clds ol thc world oltcn turn up bicultural pcoplc
that arc vcry valuablc to thc missionarics. Missionarics
arc unwisc il thcy do not makc good usc ol thcsc bridgc
pcrsonalitics. Paul was bicultural. Hc did not cvcn grow
up in thc missionscnding land, il that is Palcstinc or
Judca, hc grcw up on thc mission cld itscll. Nativc born
into thc Grcck languagc and culturc, Paul did not go to
languagc school. Ncithcr did hc havc to worry about what
thc pcoplc rcally mcant by what thcy said. Going through
a monolingual linguistic contortion in ordcr to gurc out
what thcir languagc mcant was not part ol Pauls proccss.
Vc normally associatc thc missionary rolc with that ol
crossing cultural boundarics lrom thc known to thc un
known. Paul did not cross to thc unknown. Not only was
hc wcll acquaintcd in thc Grcck culturc, but also hc was
a Roman citizcn himscll. So, immcdiatcly, wc do not scc
thc ordinary missionary charactcr ol that situation.
Anothcr lactor that is momcntous and truly dicr
cnt lrom most missionary situations is cvidcnt in this
pcriod. Long bclorc Paul cvcr vcnturcd lurthcr wcst
lrom his location in what wc now call Asia Minor or
Turkcyccnturics bclorcthcrc wcrc othcr Jcws that
wcnt ahcad. Tcrc wcrc so many that Pctcr could rclcr
to thc lact that Moscs was prcachcd in cvcry city (Acts
15:21). Although probably a gcncral statcmcnt, it is
rcmarkablc and a vcry signicant lact that Paul lor thc
most part wcnt to pcoplc who alrcady kncw thc 8iblc
(thc 8iblc at that point in history bcing a littlc morc
than thc ld Tcstamcnt, lor thc Scptuagint includcd
additional matcrials).
So hcrc you havc a massivc diaspora, which is just a
Grcck word lor dispcrsion. 8ut that dispcrsion was not
Issues in the New Testament Church
Panel: Ralph Winter, James Emery
Adaptcd with pcrmission lrom Vintcr, Ralph ., cd., ct al. (2006) Global Civilization, Classical World: Lesson Overviews, Filth dition. Pasadcna, CA: Vil
liam Carcy Library, pp. 190195.
+6 !ssivs ix :nv xvw Tvs:~:vx: Cnivcn
rcally a voluntary dispcrsion. Tc northcrn tribcs wcrc
lorcibly rclocatcd. Tc prcssurc ol tradc and nancial
problcms and thc dcmands ol commcrcc and cconom
ics also dispcrscd thc Jcws to a major cxtcnt. Scvcral
rcmarkablc points arc cvidcnt about this dispcrsion.
Tc Jcws lcarncd othcr languagcs, likc Paul and his
parcnts. 8ut thcy kcpt thc laith. nc rcason lor thc
dispcrsion in thc rst placc was that thc Jcws had not
kcpt thc laith. Timcs comc to mind pcrsonally whcn
! livcd in a lorcign land whcrc nglish was not thc
normal mcans ol communication. ! would scc pcoplc
maybc oncc cvcry thrcc or lour months who wcrc
probably Amcrican tourists. ! could just lccl wclling up
within mc thc dcsirc to gurc out somc rcasonablc ap
proach to thosc pcoplc so ! could talk nglish to thcm.
Now in this country ol nglish spcaking, ! would not
cvcn think ol stopping and convcrsing with thc avcr
agc pcrson on thc strcct. 8ut whcn you arc in a strangc
situation, thc dicrcnccs in your homcland grow vcry
much smallcr. Tc dicrcnt points ol vicw within thc
Jcwish background probably wcrc smallcr in thosc out
posts likc northcrn ngland, lor cxamplc, whcrc syna
gogucs wcrc to bc lound. Tis contcxt which happcncd
many ycars bclorc Paul was a vcry spccial missionary
advantagc, cvcn il you insist that Paul was a missionary.
Most missionarics cannot go whcrc thcrc arc ycars and
ycars ol 8iblc study and dcvout pcoplc.
Tcn a sccond considcration rclatcs to thc lact that not
just thc Jcws kcpt thc laith. Tcrc wcrc Gcntilcs also
attractcd to thc laith. !n onc scnsc, this was cvcn morc
signicant to Pauls ministry lor thcrc cxistcd a prc
prcparcd situation into which hc wcnt. !l Paul was a
missionary, hc was a lucky missionary to havc that kind
ol outrcach situation! Tis rcality was an intcrcsting
tcstimony to thc powcr ol thc rcvclation in thc Vord ol
God. !n thc ld Tcstamcnt, no lcss! !n addition, it tcsti
cd to thc opcnncss ol thc Gcntilcs comparcd to thc
Jcws. Tc lact, howcvcr, that thc Jcws opcncd up thcir
worship scrviccs to pcoplc who camc is instructivc.
Two kinds ol pcoplc camc. Somc had totally cmbraccd
thc Jcwish tradition. Tcir background was still thcrc.
Tcy could still spcak Grcck, thcir own rclativcs pcr
haps wcrc Grcck and had not cmbraccd thc Jcwish tra
dition. Tcsc wcrc callcd proselytes. Tis word is kind ol
a lunny word in thc Ncw Tcstamcnt. Tat thcrc wcrc
lots ol prosclytcs and that thcsc pcoplc wcrc in cvcry
synagoguc is important. Such provcs thc opcnncss ol
thc Jcws to othcr pcoplc coming into thcir world. Tcy
might not havc bccn rcally cxcitcd about thcir daugh
tcrs marrying a prosclytc boy, but thcy at lcast allowcd
thcm in thc church, and thcy rcspcctcd thcm.
n thc othcr hand, thcrc wcrc othcr Gcntilcs who camc
into thc situation, who had not quitc madc up thcir
mind to bccomc prosclytcs. Tcy wcrc also rcspcctcd.
Tc normal tcrm lor thcm is God-fearers, or dcvout pcr
sons. Again, lor Pauls missionary carccr, thc cxistcncc
ol such pcoplc was a vcry signicant lact. A missionary
docs not normally havc a situation with truly dcvout
pcoplc who know thc Vord ol God and havc studicd it
lor ycars. Tcy nccdcd a corrcctivc and additional insight
that was not casy to cxplain and was rcvolutionary, but it
was not thc wholc story. Tc word gospcl rclcrs to that
additional rcvclation or undcrstanding which took so
long lor Paul to undcrstand, and it probably took a long
timc lor his hcarcrs to undcrstand.
Tc lcllowships that gravitatcd out ol thc Jcwish
synagogucs into thcsc Grcck lcllowships apparcntly
consistcd ol both prosclytcs and maybc cvcn somc
Jcws. Ccrtainly thcrc wcrc both prosclytcs and God
lcarcrs bccausc thcrc was that dclicatc problcm ol what
do you do with pcoplc who havc cmbraccd Christ but
who comc with Jcwish customs and conccrns. Tis is
addrcsscd in 1 Corinthians 9:1923 whcrc Paul says:
! go as a Jcw to thc Jcws, a Grcck to thc Grccks, and
hc is talking about dicrcnt kinds ol pcoplc. 8ut in
Romans, cspccially Romans 14, hcs saying: You dont
havc to bc circumciscd, you dont havc to bc Jcwish to
bc acccptcd by God. Hcrc hcs saying: Ncvcrthclcss,
thosc who carry into thc Christian laith thcir Jcw
ish culturc, Jcwish traditions, Jcwish idcas and who
arc vcry conscicntious about this, arc pcoplc that wc
should takc scriously. !l lor thcm mcat ocrcd to idols
is unthinkablc and atrocious, horriblc and sinlul, thcn
dont brandish your scnsc ol lrccdom in cating mcat
ocrcd to idols. !l your laith is strong cnough to allow
you to digcst that kind ol mcat, do not lorcc that in
thc lacc ol thcsc othcr bclicvcrs who may havc bccn
prosclytcs or cvcn Jcws, and who still continuc to kccp
thosc traditions vcry scriously.
So hcrc wc havc a situation whcrc Paul had vcry di
cult and complcx pcoplc to dcal with in thc lcllowships
which wcrc callcd ecclesias. Vc oltcn think ol Paul as a
churchplanting missionary. ! qucstion il that phrasc
applics to Paul, bccausc hc did not crcatc churchcs. Hc
wcnt dclibcratcly, systcmatically, to synagogucs, which
wcrc clustcrs ol houscholds. Tosc houscholds wcrc
Winter, Emery +
built around cxtcndcd lamilics, but thcy had slavcs
and scrvants and othcr pcoplc that thcy gcncrously
involvcd. All ol thcm wcrc govcrncd, you might say, by
cldcrs. Somc ol thosc houscholds wcnt with Paul, somc
staycd with thc synagoguc. Tc houscholds that wcnt
with Paul wcrc Paulinc Christian lcllowships. Tcy
wcrc no morc ecclesias than thcy wcrc bclorc. Tc word
ecclesia is in thc Grcck 8iblc, which gocs clcar back to
thc ld Tcstamcnt and mcans fellowship. A synagoguc
is a clustcr ol ccclcsias. Paul did not rcally establish
ccclcsiashc converted ccclcsias. Hc gavc thcm a ncw
insight, hc gavc thcm thc gospcl. 8ut hc did not havc
to tcll thcm how to opcratc. !nstructions wcrc not
givcn on how to havc a worship scrvicc within thcir
own lcllowship. Hc rclcrrcd to thc church that is in
thy housc whcn hc wrotc to Philcmon, who was an
cldcr ol onc ol thcsc houscholds. !t was obviously a
lcllowship that was alrcady opcrating bclorc Paul cvcr
camc into thc situation.
Again, it is not my purposc to dctract lrom Pauls minis
try, but simply to prcscrvc and protcct thc othcr kind ol
mission: going where there are no biculturals. And cvcn il
thcrc arc, thc missionary himscll is not a bicultural pcr
son. !n thc world in which wc livc wc still nccd pcoplc
who arc willing to bccomc that kind ol a missionary.
!l you wish to call Paul a missionary, you can call
cvcrybody a missionary in onc scnsc or anothcr, which
is okay by mc. 8ut thc lact is that Pauls ministry was
vcry distinctly dicrcnt lrom thc ordinary mission
ary conccpt. Tis mcans wc cannot ask thc qucstion
Roland Allcn asks scriously in his book, Missionary
Methods, St. Paul s or Ours:unlcss wc answcr: Right!
Paul had his mcthods lor his situation, but wc cannot
usc thosc mcthods. Vc can lcarn a grcat dcal bccausc
hc was involvcd in a proccss ol contcxtualization which
is always a constant. !n his situation, thcrc wcrc lots
ol biculturals who had lcct in both worlds. Tcrc was
not thc abscncc ol 8iblical loundations that havc bccn
such a hcadachc to most missionarics.
Vc rcally nccd to stop and think whcn wc think ol an
cicnt tcrminology. Tc words missions and missionary,
likc Socratic or platonic or stoic or puritan or Pclagian,
may not actually bc what wc think thcy arc, il wc look
morc closcly a sccond timc.
Moderator Ben Sells: Prcscnting lor thc sccond qucs
tion is r. Jim mcry, our curriculum consultant. As
churchcs arc cstablishcd in othcr cultural contcxts,
many conicts arisc rcgarding cthics and morality.
How does one decide if a given custom in that group is
moral or immoral?
Jim Emery: First ol all, do you know what is moral:
o you know what is cthical: Vc havc a lot ol con
icts, lor instancc, in thc dcbatcs in our govcrnmcnt
about cthics. Most ol us probably havc a dicult timc
stating what is rcally moral and what is cthical. ! was
conlrontcd with this somc timc back in thc Latin
Amcrican contcxt. ! kncw thcy had vcry dicrcnt vicws
on ccrtain issucs ol morality and cthics. 8ut all ol a
suddcn ! rcalizcd thcy scparatcd thc two, cthics and
morality, as two distinct idcas.
Vc nccd to rcalizc that anywhcrc wc go around thc
world, in any cultural group, thcrc arc charactcristics
and activitics that arc approvcd and things that arc dis
approvcd. Tcrc arc activitics according to thc customs
ol this particular group which arc all right to do, cvcn
considcrcd to bc lavorablc. thcrs that arc not and
that arc complctcly proscribcd.
Vhat, thcn, is moral: Vhat is cthical: Vc nccd to
look at this in dctail, not only lrom a Christian stand
point, but also lrom thc standpoint ol thc pcoplc in
dicrcnt placcs ol thc world. Vhat ! would say is that
what is right in Gods sight is moral, what is not right
in Gods sight is not moral. 8ut scc, this is coming
lrom a vcry particular pcrspcctivc. Tis comcs lrom an
assumption that thcrc is a God and that this God has
crcatcd a moral univcrsc in which wc livc. Tcrclorc,
sincc wc arc rcsponsiblc to him, hc is thc onc who scts
thc critcria.
Many pcoplc do not acccpt thcsc critcria and dcprccatc
Christian valucs. Rcccntly, ! had a lcttcr lrom a pcrson
who was running down a particular group ol Chris
tians bccausc ol thcir valucs. Tc pcrson writing this
lcttcr was trying to indicatc that hc was rcally abovc
and bcyond valucs. Vhcn you bcgin to probc, how
cvcr, all pcoplc havc valucs bccausc thcy arc all making
judgmcnts. Tcy makc judgmcnts against Christians
lor doing ccrtain things, and thcsc judgmcnts comc
lrom thcir own sct ol assumptions.
Vhat, thcn, is moral: Vhat is cthical: !n somc placcs,
cthics would bc considcrcd to bc a kind ol philo
sophical background, whcrcas morality has morc to
do with pcoplcs daytoday actions. Vhcn wc look
at this lrom a Christian standpoint, it lcads us to thc
Tcn Commandmcnts and thcn thc Two Grcat Com
+8 !ssivs ix :nv xvw Tvs:~:vx: Cnivcn
mandmcnts. Tc Tcn Commandmcnts (xodus 20) lay
down strict dircctivcs: Tou shalt havc no othcr gods
bclorc mc, Tou shalt not murdcrall cxprcsscd in
a ncgativc scnsc. Yct thcsc comc to bc thc basic critcria.
nc problcm wc havc whcn wc movc to othcr worlds
and to othcr pcoplcs is how do wc dcnc thcsc: !s it
murdcr, lor instancc, to kill somcbody lrom anothcr
tribc: r is it murdcr only il wc kill somcbody within
our own group: !s it adultcry il ! takc thc wilc ol
somcbody lrom anothcr tribc: Vhcn wc go out and
raid a villagc, wc kill thc mcn and takc thc womcn. !s
this adultcry:
!n latcr timcs, thc Jcws actcd dicrcntly, but in xodus
and in Lcviticus thcrc arc many passagcs that tcll thc
Jcws that thcy arc to trcat thc Gcntilcs among thcm
thc samc as thcy trcat thcir own pcoplc. Most pcoplc
around thc world opcratc with an ingroup/outgroup
pcrspcctivc. Vithin your ingroup, you havc to bc vcry
moral, you havc to uphold vcry strict standards. Vith
rcspcct to thc outgroup, howcvcr, you havc morc
lrccdom to do what you wish. Vc know that in latcr
ycars, this ingroup/outgroup modc was practiccd in
Judaism. !n thc Middlc Agcs, and cvcn latcr, thc Jcws
could providc loans at intcrcst, whcrcas thc Gcntilcs in
thc Roman Catholic and astcrn rthodox churchcs
wcrc not allowcd to. So pcoplc would go to thc Jcwish
moncylcndcrs to gct lunds. Tcy nccdcd it, and othcrs
would not givc it to thcm bccausc thcy did not gct any
intcrcst lor it. Hcrc again you havc this ingroup/out
group picturc.
!n many placcs around thc world, many ol what wc
considcr to bc basic moral issucs arc dcncd accord
ing to vcry dicrcnt standards. Vc nccd to bc awarc
ol thcsc. Vhat do wc do with such standards: bvi
ously in ccrtain arcas, somc ol thcsc contcntions havc
bccomc cxtrcmcly hot topics. A topic ol conccrn in
thc U.S. and in somc othcr countrics has to do with
homoscxuality. !s it moral: !s it cthical: !s it immoral:
Takc timc to cxaminc thc dicrcnt passagcs in thc
8iblc rcgarding homoscxuality. As you rcad, bc carc
lul to notc thc logic ol thc argumcntation. Arc thcir
argumcnts cogcnt: From what assumptions do thcir
discussions ow:
Vc also nccd to look in thc 8iblc to scc what it mcans
to worship idols. Vhat is idolatry: !n phcsians 5:5,
lor instancc, grccd or covctousncss is considcrcd idola
try. Yct in how many ol our churchcs is thcrc cvcr any
condcmnation ol grccd:
Vhcn ! workcd in Ccntral Amcrica, churchcs thcrc
lrcqucntly put pcoplc undcr disciplinc il thcy vio
latcd ccrtain catcgorics ol activitics. Somc ol thosc, ol
coursc, wcrc vcry straightlorward biblically. !l thcrc
was a casc ol lraud or thclt or adultcry, thcy wcrc con
dcmncd and put undcr disciplinc. !n many othcr cascs,
howcvcr, somc ol thc cldcrs ol thc church wcrc using
disciplinc lor vcngcancc on othcr pcoplc. Qucstion
ablc cvidcncc was bcing uscd. Tcsc cldcrs wcrc not
conlronting nor bringing lorth cvidcncc as to whcthcr
thcsc accusations actually happcncd. So you may havc
many dicrcnt motivations lor disciplinc. Vhat, thcn,
is cthical: Vhat, thcn, is moral in a situation:
As a missionary going into othcr culturcs, onc can
mcct numcrous situations that do not t our prc
lormcd catcgorics. Vhat do wc do with thcsc: n thc
onc hand, wc do havc thc clcar rcadings ol thc 8iblc.
8ut cvcry statcmcnt ol thc 8iblc has to bc intcr
prctcd. Vhat docs it mcan to lic: n onc occasion !
was working with a pcrson in \cnczucla conducting
a scminar. Hc rcally had to havc a projcctor lor his
prcscntation. Hc askcd thc lcllow who was running
thc scminar, Vill you gct mc an ovcrhcad projcctor:
Tc lcllow said, Surc, surc. Vill you havc it hcrc lor
mc tomorrow: Surc, surc, no problcm. Hc showcd
up thc ncxt day lor thc scminarno projcctor. Tis
guy licd, it was a atout dcccption. Hc didnt havc any
intcnt ol gctting mc an ovcrhcad projcctor!
Now, what did thc Latin mcan: !n all probability, hc was
saying, Ycs, !ll scc what ! can do to gct an ovcrhcad
projcctor. !l ! cant, thcrc wont bc onc, but !ll do what !
can. Now, thc onc giving thc scminar was purcly North
Amcrican monoculturc. Hc had no way rcally to adjust
to this situation, and lrom thcn on hc always condcmncd
thc pcrson as a liar. You cant trust thcsc pcoplc. Tcrcs
no way you can dcal with thcm. Complctcly immoral! !
workcd with many ol thcsc samc pcoplc latcr and had no
problcms. icrcnt rcasons probably, but this is a typical
kind ol conlrontation which occurs.
Vhat is thc intcrprctation ol a lic: Vhat constitutcs a
lic: ocs it involvc thc cxpcctations that pcoplc havc:
! undcrstand that in Japancsc thcy ncvcr usc thc word
no. Tcy havc a varicty ol ways to movc around it. Tc
ncgativc comcs through, but a atout, No! is ncvcr
uscd. Arc thosc dcccptions: Arc thcy lics: r within
thc cultural contcxt, do you undcrstand thcsc contor
tions: Hcrc is a placc whcrc wc nccd to look at our
undcrstanding ol morality and ol cthics.
Winter, Emery +
Moderator Ben Sells: Tis concludcs our two prc
scntations. Lct us turn to somc rccctions and nal
thoughts by our prcscntcrs.
Reection Session
Moderator Ben Sells: Lct us rccct lurthcr on thc
qucstion, Was Paul a missionary? r. Vintcr is go
ing to comc and listcn to your rccctions, and sharc
somc ol his as wcll.
Ralph Winter: Vas Paul a missionary: ! did want to
stir up our thinking by my carlicr rcsponsc.
Student: Romans 15:20 says: !m not going to build
on anothcr mans loundation. o you rcstrict that
to thc synagogucs: ! mcan, is hc only talking about
Jcwish outrcach:
Ralph Winter: ! bclicvc Paul totally rcstrictcd his
ministry to synagogucs. Tc only apparcnt mcaning thc
Romans passagc could havc is that thcrc wcrc othcr
rcncwal tcachcrs likc Paul who wcrc tclling pcoplc
that a lcgalistic lulllmcnt ol Gods will was not good
cnough, and that thc powcr ol thc Holy Spirit and thc
gospcl had a lar morc vibrant, cxubcrant, dynamic lilc
to ocr. Paul did not want to go whcrc any ol thosc
tcachcrs had bccn. !m not going to build on anothcr
mans loundation. 8ut all thc lollowcrs ol Paul in thc
busincss Paul was in wcrc building on loundations that
wcrc thcrc ycars ago. ! bclicvc that Paul would ncvcr
stay scvcn ycars in onc placc. Ncithcr would a modcrn
missionary who had thc loun dations upon which Paul
was building. Paul was building on loundations ol 700
ycars, or 200 ycars, or 100 ycars, or 70 ycars, not just
7 ycars. bviously hc could movc on, bccausc hc was
csscntially intcrprcting lor thc pcoplc somcthing that
had a strong loundation that alrcady cxistcd.
Student: ! likc your dcnition whcn you said Paul
was a bridge pcrsonality bccausc hc was traincd in
both Jcwish and Grcck culturcs.
Ralph Winter: Vould that all missionarics had thc
knowlcdgc ol thc targct culturc that Paul had, but thcy
dont. So thc parallcl rcally is not vcry hclplul. Tcrc
arc many marvclous parallcls to draw, but it is not salc
to lccl thc parallcl should bc complctc.
Spcaking ol this loundation, not only did Paul rcspcct
thc laith ol thc Jcws who wcrc alrcady thcrc, but hc
rcspcctcd thc rcsponsc ol thc pcoplc who wcrc not Jcws.
Probably as Christians today rcad thc Ncw Tcstamcnt,
thcy tcnd to undcrcstimatc thc incrcdiblc advancc ac
complishmcnt ol thc Jcwish iaspora. Tc tcndcncy is
to bclicvc that thcsc Jcws rcally had nothing. Vc likc
to bclicvc that Paul brought cvcrything to thc situation,
sort ol likc a supcrchargcr. Vc tcnd to undcrcstimatc
and undcrstatc, maybc cvcn intcntionally, thc powcr ol
thc Vord ol God. Tc Vord had bccn working in thc
livcs ol thc Jcws to makc thcm cxcmplary pcoplc who
would attract othcrs into thcir vcry culturc as wcll as
into thcir laith. thcrs would at lcast comc through thc
door and listcn and hcar thc Vord ol God. Vc undcr
cstimatc and undcrratc all ol that loundation simply
bccausc wc would likc to bclicvc that Christianity is
totally ncw, somcthing thcy did not havc anything ol at
all. Yct that rcally is not thc situation.
Stop and think: thc rcsponsc ol thc Gcntilcs was gcnu
inc. Tc Scptuagint was no doubt produccd by Jcws
lor Jcws, to a grcat cxtcnt. 8ut as soon as it got into
thc Grcck languagc, watch! Tat book was practically
pullcd out ol thc hands ol thc Jcws, thc Gcntilcs ran
with it. Tc Gcntilcs in a way wcrc morc intcrcstcd in
thc 8iblc than thc Jcws wcrc. Tcn stop to think: Vho
wrotc most ol thc Ncw Tcstamcnt: !t was a Gcntilc!
Tc largcst body ol wording in thc Ncw Tcstamcnt
by any onc pcrson was writtcn by Lukc, and hc was a
Gcntilc. Vho was it in thc Ncw Tcstamcnt who did
thc most carclul rcconstruction ol thc cvcnts ol Jcsus
lilc, ol Pauls lilc, cvcn though hc was not thcrc in thc
carlicr pcriod ol Pauls ministry: !t was a Gcntilc. So
wc nccd to rccognizc that whcn Gods lovc is shcd
abroad to all pcoplcs, it isnt that wcrc thc good pcoplc.
Just sincc wc havc bccn rcsponsivc, wc cannot cxpcct
rcjcction and hardncss ol hcart on thc part ol othcr
pcoplcs. !l thc Ncw Tcstamcnt says anything, it says
that thc pcoplc who did not havc thc Vord wcrc morc
rcsponsivc than thosc who did.
Roberta Winter: Vould you say that at Lystra and at
Athcns, in thosc two situations whcrc Paul was not
involvcd in a synagoguc but was spcaking to pagans on
thc onc hand and intclligcntsia on thc othcr hand, that
hc was acting as a rcal missionary thcrc:
Ralph Winter: !n thosc two situations, hc did not havc
bclicving pcoplc to wrcstlc with and to talk totruc.
8ut thcy wcrc Grccks. Hc did not havc to lcarn thcir
languagc. Likc most missioncld Christians, thcsc
pcoplc did not havc to wrcstlc with what is thc mis
sionary saying now: ltcn it can bc hilarious thc
troublcs and dicultics that missioncld pcoplc hcar,
+o !ssivs ix :nv xvw Tvs:~:vx: Cnivcn
not just thc Christians, but cspccially thc pcoplc who
arc not acquaintcd with thc missionarics damaging ol
thc languagc. Paul ncvcr laccd that problcm.
Roberta Winter: xccpt that at Lystra, hc had a rcal
culturc clashwhcthcr hc was a god or not. vidcntly
it didnt bothcr thcsc pcoplc that hcrc was a god who
had comc among thcm.
Ralph Winter: Ycs, but hc wasnt surpriscd. Hc undcrstood
pcrlcctly thcir rcaction. Tc avcragc missionary would bc
abbcrgastcd! Vhat do ! do now: Hc would look in
thc book to scc what hc should do now. Vc havc a grcat
dcal to lcarn lrom Pauls cxpcricnccs, but wcrc not going
to bc ablc to match thc pattcrns. ! think a missionary who
would go to Grcccc and dcal with rthodox Christians,
to try to turn thcm on to thc vibrant rcality ol dynamic
laith, would bc a closcr parallcl to Paul today than a pio
nccr lronticr mission cld would bc.
Henrietta Watson: Vhat about thc pcoplc, maybc not
Christians, but who havc bccn vcry scnsitivc to thc voicc
ol thc Holy Spirit lrom thc vcry bcginning ol what thcy
havc hcard: !vc sccn things likc that happcn.
Ralph Winter: ! think thats cxactly what !m trying to
say. Tc Scptuagint was actually torn out ol thc hands
ol thc Jcws. !t was uscd so widcly by Gcntilcs that thc
Jcws thcmsclvcs distanccd thcmsclvcs lrom it cvcn
though thcy produccd it. !t took thc Jcws 800 ycars to
comc out with thcir own Hcbrcw cdition. Tcy havc
blamcd thc Scptuagint lor all kinds ol twisting ol
vcrscs, and so lorth, and maybc thcy havc twistcd thc
vcrscs in thc Hcbrcw.
!m only saying that its astounding that thc pcoplc who
didnt havc a chancc wcrc morc rcsponsivc in many ways
than thosc who had bccn undcr thc blcssing lor ccntu
rics ol thc rcvclation ol God. Tat, ol coursc, is not just
an indictmcnt ol thc Jcws. !ts an indictmcnt ol Chris
tians, who havc had thc Vord lor ccnturics. Tcrc arc
morc 8iblcs in Amcrica pcr houschold than any placc in
thc world, but vcry lcw ol thcsc 8iblcs arc rcad. So wc
oursclvcs arc lacing a similar situation.
Moderator Ben Sells: Lct us movc on to thc ncxt
qucstion. As churches are established in other cultural
contexts, many conicts arise regarding ethics and moral-
ity. How does one decide if a given custom in that group
is moral or immoral? r. mcry.
Jim Emery: Tis is truly a rccction qucstion. ocs
anybody havc a rcsponsc to this:
Roberta Winter: ! think thc wholc problcm ol what
do you do is vcry intcrcsting. For cxamplc, whcn your
lamily is pagan with cxpcctations, how arc you sup
poscd to act at a luncral: Tis is a dicult mattcr
with no casy answcrs. nc considcration is that thc
Christian community should bc brought in to hclp you
dccidc what to do. o not makc a dccision on your
own. Vhcn you makc it on your own, two things may
happcn. You could compromisc your own standing in
thc community as a Christian. Tc othcr is that thc
community itscll may disciplinc you to thc cxtcnt that
you lall away cvcntually.
Jim Emery: Any othcr commcnts:
Student: Prctcnd that you arc lisha, and you hcalcd
Naaman. Naaman says, kay, ! now rcalizc that you,
lisha, arc thc scrvant ol thc truc and living God.
8ut !vc got to gct along with my boss. !ll havc to
go in whcn hc gocs in to worship in thc tcmplc ol
agon. Vould this bc okay: Vhat should ! do:
Jim Emery: lisha had thc advantagc. Hc staycd in thc
back room and scnt his scrvant out. l coursc, that
may bc what ! would likc to do also: scnd my scrvant
out and avoid thc situation. Tis, incidcntally, is what a
lot ol missionarics do at this point.
Student: Vhat ! was rcally altcr: Arc thcrc any
guidclincs that wc can usc that givc us any indica
tions as to thc dircction wc should go in this:
Jim Emery: !n thc casc ol Naaman and his boss, ! think
thcrc arc somc things that might bc usclul. nc is
obvious lrom a Christian standpoint. Vc nccd to start
o lrom thc 8iblc, particularly thosc principlcs that
God has laid down as vcry clcar, which to my mind is
cxprcsscd in thc Tcn Commandmcnts. !l ! intcrprct
thc Tcn Commandmcnts corrcctly, and also thc Two
Grcat Commandmcnts, what God is rcally conccrncd
about is our rclations with othcr pcoplc and what our
actions do to othcr pcoplc.
Vith rcspcct to this wholc issuc ol idolatry, as !
mcntioncd carlicr, Paul says in phcsians: grccd is
idolatry. !s thcrc a scnsc in which thc thing, activity, or
pcrson to which wc pay most attcntion is an idol: !n
othcr words, wc arc taking our locus o ol God, and
putting it on somcthing clsc, bc it a crcaturc or our
sclvcsthis is idolatry. !ts what wc do to God in our
rclationship with him. !n thc othcr commandmcnts,
it is what wc do to othcr pcoplc. Tc issucs that comc
Winter, Emery ++
up do not havc anything to do with what wc touch or
tastc, or placcs wc go. Arc you violating thc Christian
tradition il you go into a bar: Many would say, ycs. !s
it violating tradition il Naaman gocs into thc tcmplc
with his boss: ocs that imply that hc is ncgating his
own laith: Hcrc wc comc into thc ambiguity. Maybc,
maybc not. Vhat did pcoplc intcrprct that to bc:
Hcrc arc thc critcria ! considcr. Tc rst onc is an
undcrstanding ol thc Vord ol God and its application.
Tc sccond rclatcs to whcthcr it harms thc rclation
ships that wc havc with othcr pcoplc. An old mission
ary that workcd with us in Guatcmala was rccognizcd
as a truc Christian gcntlcman. How docs a gcntlcman
livc: Vhcrcvcr hc gocs, hc rcspccts othcr pcoplc. Can
wc bc rcspcctlul ol othcrs and not hurt thcm: Tis
would bc my othcr critcrion. Tc third onc maintains
thc intcgrity ol thc group in that socicty. !n othcr
words, dont do things which rcally damagc that group
ol pcoplc. Takc thc issuc ol polygamy in Alrica, lor
instancc. !l you lorcc a pcrson to gct rid ol all his othcr
wivcs on bccoming a Christian, thc only rccoursc thc
lormcr wivcs havc is to go into prostitution. !n othcr
words, am ! brcaking up thc intcgrity ol this socicty:
nc thing ! rcgrct, and its common to almost all
missionarics. Vhcn ! wcnt to thc cld, ! did not takc
onc mans advicc. Vhcn hc wantcd to lcarn anothcr
languagc, hc wcnt and sat down whcrc pcoplc wcrc
and listcncd. ! did not spcnd cnough timc listcning.
Moderator Ben Sells: Tis concludcs !ssucs in thc
Ncw Tcstamcnt Church. Tank you.