2010 is a year of global mission review. World level gatherings in centennial celebration of the 1910 Edinburgh World Missionary Conference are happening from Capetown to Tokyo. Mission leaders are studying the indicators of change and envisioning new directions for the 21st century. History attests to the role of such global gatherings in revising how we understand our priorities in mission. Small seeds planted on a world stage can reap broad changes across the mission of the church.

In the spirit of cooperation with AFMI efforts in Asia, I’d like to take a few paragraphs to review how the International Society for Frontier Missiology-North America (ISFM) and the Int’l Journal for Frontier Missiology (IJFM) have tried to respond to this year of global conferences. Indeed, the complexity of many new mission agendas and priorities creates new questions, and probably some new opportunities, that can challenge and expose our own missiological assumptions. Our response to these 2010 gatherings can be outlined in four areas of missiological inquiry, which have provided an orientation to our articles and meetings this past year.[1](All IJFM articles referenced below are available on our website, www.ijfm.org, and all unpublished addresses may soon be published in the journal.)

The Impact of Globalization on the Ethnicity of Peoples

Globalization is dramatically impacting unreached peoples, pushing-and-pulling at their cultures and ethnic identities. Some demographers and anthropologists are forecasting the erosion of traditional ethnic identities across the world, while others are assessing just how ethnic boundaries are being transformed. This relationship between global forces and local peoples has generated a new “glocal missiology”. It’s a perspective that tries to discern just how these forces are redirecting the hearts and minds of those within unreached peoples, and to determine how mission efforts should respond. The second issue of our journal this year used this “glocal” perspective in selecting articles on South East Asia.[2] And we spent our entire ISFM meetings this past month reassessing the impact of globalization on people groups.[3]

In their IJFM article on the “mobile revolution,” Williams and Gray relate a story that perhaps best illustrates this impact. Among one nomadic Muslim people new technology is changing time-honored patterns of behavior.[4] Williams tells how cell phones are shifting the way these sophisticated global nomads make decisions as fundamental as where to set up camp. The question for these nomads is no longer, “Where can we find water for our animals?” Instead, they are asking, “Where can we find coverage for our phones.” That’s globalization.

If a centuries-old customs can change, how much more can globalization reshape the traditional identities of peoples? We brought the “globalized Japanese” into our conversation at the ISFM meetings to better understand how global forces can transform the identity of a large and relatively homogenous people. Gary Fujino explained how global forces are fracturing the traditional Japanese sense of self into multiple identities.[5] We also looked at the over 40 million Muslim Pushtun of South Asia and how their ethnic sense of “being Pushtun” determines their use of both political (national) and religious (Islamic) aspects of their identity.[6] Modern institutions and global technologies are able to lift people out of their normal set of loyalties without their having to take one step out of their locale. To understand this loosening of local ties, mission needs a glocal perspective that distinguishes the transformation of ethnicity from the actual erosion of ethnic ties.

Probably the most dramatic impact of globalization is the increasing migration of peoples, creating vast “ethnoscapes” which link ethnic identity across the globe. Each ethnoscape is made up of many glocal contexts which shape and add dimensions to the traditional culture of a people. While many mission books are talking about these phenomenal movements of migration, one particular mission book, Power and Identity, was highlighted by the IJFM and provides useful insight into how context impacts culture.[7] The variety of these contexts, each with its own contextual realities, provide different access points for engaging what in the past was a people in only one specific region.[8] Globalization can grant us more effective access to an unreached people if we give special attention to the ways in which global conditions shape their culture.

The Religious Frontier

Globalization would seem to reduce religious walls between people. Religious allegiances should be diminishing in the face of secularization. But, to the contrary, religion seems more reactionary than even a few decades ago. Indeed, the walls seem to grow, creating almost a “hyper-religious” frontier.[9] Over the last decade the IJFM has consistently addressed these religious frontiers even more than purely ethnic realities. The journal’s on-going attempt to grapple with the phenomenon of “insider movements”[10] within religious spheres has not taken place in a social vacuum. Global forces push down on religious belief systems, causing adherents to grip ever more tightly the religious aspect of their identity.

These religious borders seem especially “radioactive” in places where you have minority populations nested within a majority population that holds an opposing religious allegiance. How does one interpret the surprising increase in Muslim women wearing the veil in minority communities in the West? Or the attempt by governments to legislate the use of religious language and symbols in public? In a globalized world, different ethnic identities seem more able to join and use their common Muslim symbols to mark the borders of their faith community. In the case of Islam, religious identity becomes almost a “neo-ethnic” category. At the ISFM 2010, Johnston spoke to this phenomenon within Europe, where a non-politicized form of Muslim “neo-fundamentalism” is arising. It’s a new ‘religiosity’ of individual choice, where a Muslim can express a more personalized Islamic faith in the place of the more politically mobilized Islamism.[11] There are also efforts to bridge these religious communities and create a place where Christian and Muslim can effectively communicate, especially among the religious leadership. The “Common Word” efforts have set the pace for this approach, establishing a manner of witness among “the gatekeepers” that helps to overcome fear, insecurity and misunderstanding between religious communities.[12]

I have been challenged personally this past year by some new contributions on the Buddhist-Christian frontier.[13] Certain of our ISFM discussions, and then my recent trip to Japan, have attracted me to the questions surrounding how we enter the Buddhist religious sphere. John Ridgway’s approach to Japanese Buddhist-Shinto life, which he presented at ISFM 2009, is centered on his interpretation of I Corinthians 8-10, the place where the Apostle Paul addresses temple idolatry and partaking of sacrificial meat. Ridgway suggests that Paul’s precedent allows us to make a critical distinction between association with vs. participation in a family’s Buddhist-Shinto temple ritual.[14] Biblical interpretation, spiritual discernment and indigenous sensitivity can free us to associate around a heavily ritualized Buddhist world, yet limit our participation in idolatrous practice.

At this year’s ISFM, Kang-San Tan also addressed the Buddhist-Christian frontier. He called for a more sensitive understanding of ‘multi-religious belonging’, especially amidst the social and cultural pluralism created by increasing globalization in the Buddhist world.[15] Tan’s studies in the theology of religions represent his own personal discovery of how to approach inter-religious boundaries within his Malaysian homeland. Stepping into the Buddhist world demands an orientation he calls “inreligionization”, a contextual sensitivity that sorts through aspects of another religious world and determines what can be accepted biblically, what might be transformed by the gospel, or what must be confronted as demonic. His presentation was especially helpful to us North Americans and one which we hope to soon publish in our journal.

From the standpoint of ministry to the Hindu world, H. L. Richard pointed us to the unfortunate impediment of “Hindu” religious identification.[16] According to Richard, this form of religious reductionism was introduced and used by the colonial powers. That single identification makes it difficult to objectively discern the variation and potential openness to the gospel among those of certain high castes who, because of these religious labels, will not move an inch toward anything “Christian.”. Parimal Roy’s historical study of the upper caste Manilal Parekh,[17] as well as Timothy Paul’s contemporary study of the minority Hindus in North America, [18] both clarify the consequences of this unfortunate religious reductionism that stretches across the entire Hindu-Christian frontier.

Emerging frontier missiology

As one of the four major global mission gatherings, Tokyo 2010 was an unprecedented event run by the majority world mission leadership. It especially represented the emerging Asian leadership in frontier missions. The many branches of majority world mission are racing ahead and establishing new pathways through the frontiers. Indeed, the early efforts of the AFMI are a welcomed contribution of new insight. John Kim’s article in IJFM 27:2 is clear evidence that together we are gaining greater contextual insight as to how God is leading new movements to Christ in South East Asia.[19] The annual SEANET conferences are also contributing majority world perception at the grassroots of the Buddhist world.[20] Chong Kim’s appeal in IJFM 27:2 is that we would all continue to work with a greater freedom and creativity on these frontiers, especially in a rapidly changing, globalized world.[21] And it’s our hope that our Asian brothers will continue to bring keen innovation where we often have struggled with outworn models of ministry.

But new frontier missiology might emerge from other more surprising directions. Anthropologist Edwin Zehner has warned us of a one-directional flow in missions, a singular flow that has historically inhibited indigenous mission thinking.[22] His study of emerging mission in Thailand indicates that we have not been sensitive to the voice of emerging indigenous mission. He points to the power differentials and hierarchies that can subtly control what happens in mission strategy. The resourcefulness of those of us sponsored in mission often determines the mission strategy, and more often discourages a true partnership with emerging indigenous mission. Partnership with purse strings attached can often discourage true indigenous thinking.[23] But, to the contrary, Gravelle’s article outlines how a new partnership is actually taking place in Bible translation across the globe, with indigenous translators being empowered more and more to bring their insight to the translation process.[24] We Americans can often be surprised (maybe more often unsurprised) at the ‘Americaness’ of emerging mission across the world. Sometimes it happens because we are in direct leadership, but it also seems to happen where we are not controlling anything at all. Mark Noll, the preeminent American religious historian, suggests that the American style of Christianity of the 19th century grew out of historical conditions similar to what globalization creates in non-Western societies today.[25] It’s these conditions that are determinative, according to Noll, and create a style of individual self-fashioning, of choice and personal freedom, of voluntary organizations, of creating new institutions, of merited leadership, and of pushing beyond locally determined identities. It’s a style that characterizes much of emerging mission and missiology in the non-Western world. Where we might expect to find a truly indigenous mission perspective we may discover to our surprise a more globally saturated mission perspective. It’s a surprising development, but very genuine and more authentic than any mere mimicking of the Western world. To understand these impulses one needs a sensitive, learning ear, one that Chong Kim suggests is critical for creative mission in an ever accelerating 21st century.[26]

Our journal has also incorporated the African voice this past year, an arena of missiology that is rethinking that old frontier between African primal religions and the Christian gospel from a century ago.[27] The reflections of these African missiologists are mature and seasoned as they return to the question of their religious conversion, to their own essential “Africaness”, and to how much of their identity they may have surrendered as they assimilated Western forms in coming to Christ. Their thinking moves us beyond our contextualization for others to a contextualization by others for themselves. Their insights encourage us to restudy the issue of conversion and the cross cultural transmission of the gospel.[28]

Historical studies like these are invaluable to us who are now seeing Christward movements on newer frontiers, where common suspicions of religious syncretism exist. History can inform the highly contentious “insider” debate within mission circles in North America, a debate we actually have allowed to surface on the pages of our journal this past year.[29] While an honest and open debate that challenges our assumptions can always profit missiology, this journal has also seasoned the debate with reviews of biblical and historical books that deepen our perspective.[30] An interdisciplinary approach that studies the past can refine our missiology on present frontiers.

Finally, any orientation towards new and emergent missiology must bring a balance to all our ideas and exploration. We have launched the Fruitful Practices Series, the global mission research network that is methodically surveying the effectiveness in Muslim ministry.[31] It substantiates what many of us have suspected about our ventures in frontier ministry.

The Kingdom of God, Frontier Mission and the coming year

Finally, we had hoped to address the emerging emphasis on Kingdom Mission at this year’s ISFM meetings, but we have only just begun this important discussion. The fourth issue of our journal this year will focus on how Kingdom Mission was developed by our previous editor, Ralph Winter, before he passed away in 2009. We cannot ignore or postpone what he had initiated, for new paradigms of “missional”, “emergent”, “transformation” and “multicultural” are all trying to embrace this Kingdom dimension. And the younger generation of Christians in America seems more instinctively attuned to this broader Kingdom agenda, whether it’s sex-trafficking, healthcare, the environment, poverty, or AIDS. It’s a generation that locates their frontier across a broad front of evil, injustice and suffering. This subtle yet profound reorientation to the frontier can directly impact our recruitment of candidates for frontier regions, and compels us to examine the relationship between frontier and Kingdom. This Kingdom theme adds further evaluation to almost three decades of critique to our focus on seeing movements to Christ among the unreached peoples of the world. Hawthorne framed and responded to some of these critiques at this year’s ISFM.[32]

The ethical demands of Kingdom transformation seem to call us in every direction and cloud a clear sense of the task Jesus gave his disciples. And Graham gave a synthesis of biblical material on how the Kingdom of God deepens the foundation of our mission to the nations, drawing out principles which echo E. Stanley Jones’ emphasis on the “Unshakable Kingdom and the Unchanging Person.”[33] But time did not permit us to proceed. We were unable to examine the difficult subject of how the Kingdom of God confronts the Hindu caste system.[34] But again and again Kingdom Mission was referenced as a call to both sensitive indigenous ministry (‘the indigenous principle’) as well as to the transformation of unjust systems of humanity (the ‘pilgrim’ principle).[35] But, again, we will need to explore this through articles and addresses over the coming year.

The ISFM (North America) and the IJFM both look forward to continuing our partnership this next year, and especially to your continuing AFMI publications and to your upcoming meetings is Malaysia.(AFMI)

Endnotes

[1] All footnotes on IJFM articles are accessible on the journal’s website, ijfm.org.
[2] For articles on South East Asia, see Towards Contextualized Creeds: A Perspective from Buddhist Thailand, Larry Dinkins, IJFM 27:1; The“Thinning” Revisited: Dependency and Church Planting in Cambodia, Jean Johnson, IJFM 27:2; One-Way Missions in the Age of Global Christianity: A View from Thailand, Edwin Zehner, IJFM 27:2; The Antoc Story, Continued: The Role of Group Dynamics in Insider Movements, John Kim, IJFM 27:2;; Book Review, Family and Faith in Asia, SEANET series, IJFM 27:2, p 108.
[3] “Reassessing the Frontiers: Ethnicity, Globalization and the Kingdom of God”, ISFM North America, Sept 21-23, 2010, Charlotte, NC, USA.
[4] Keith Williams and Leith Gray, The Little Phone That Could: Mobile-Empowered Ministry, IJFM 27:3, p 139
[5] Unpublished Address, ISFM 2010, Gary Fujino, “Contextualized Urban Identity for ‘Glocal’ Japanese: a missionary perspective on paradigmatic shifts in contemporary Japanese worldview and lifestyle.”
[6] Unpublished Address, ISFM 2010, Len Bartlotti, “Negotiating Pushtun Identity: Islam and Ethnicity on the Afghan Frontier”
[7] Book Review, Power and Identity in the Global Church: Six Contemporary Case Studies, ed. Howell and Zehner (reviewed by Brad Gill) IJFM 26:3, p 147
[8] Refining Our Strategies for “Engaging” All Peoples, Len Bartlotti, IJFM 27:3, pp 135-137
[9] Book Reviews: Inside the Revolution: How Followers of Jihad, Jefferson & Jesus are Battling to Dominate the Middle East and Transform the World, by Joel Rosenberg (and) God’s Battalion’s: The Case for the Crusades, by Rodney Stark (both reviewed by Harvey Talman) IJFM 27:1
[10] Over the last decade the IJFM has offered articles on the “insider” phenomenon. Muslim and Hindu collections of these articles are now available through missionbooks.org.
[11] Unpublished Address, ISFM 2010, David Johnston, “Globalization, Sociology and Islam”.
[12] IJFM 26:4 Grace and Truth: A Behind the Scenes Look, by Rick Love (and) Grace and Truth: Toward Christlike Relationships with Muslims
[13] Book Review, From Buddha to Jesus: An Insider’s View of Buddhism and Christianity, by Steve Cioccolanti (reviewed by Larry Dinkins) IJFM 26:3, p 145.
[14] John Ridgway, IJFM 26:4, his comments in Exploring the Process of Contextualization: A Panel Discussion, p 185,186. Also his unpublished papers, Best Practices in the Buddhist and Shinto Worlds (and) Insider Movements in the Epistles.
[15] Unpublished Address, Kang-San Tan, “The Religious Dimension of Ethnicity and Globalization: The Buddhist-Christian Frontier”, ISFM 2010
[16] Unpublished Address, H.L.Richard, ISFM 2010
[17] Parimal Roy, Religious Conversion in Hindu India: The Complicated Case of Manilal C. Parekh, IJFM 26:4
[18] Timothy Paul, Impacting the Hindu Diaspora in North America, IJFM 26:3
[19] John Kim, The Antoc Story, Continued: The Role of Group Dynamics in Insider Movements, IJFM 27:2
[20] Book review, Family and Faith in Asia: The Missional Impact of Social Networks, SEANET series, IJFM 27:2 p 108
[21] Chong Kim, Empowering Creativity: A Look at How We Discover and Recover Our Creative Selves, IJFM 27:2
[22] Edwin Zehner, One-Way Missions in the Age of Global Christianity: A View from Thailand, IJFM 27:2
[23] Christopher Little, Partnerships in Pauline Perpective, IJFM:2, (and) Jean Johnson, The “Thinning” Revisited: Dependency and Church Planting in Cambodia, IJFM 27:2.
[24] Gilles Gravelle, Bible Translation in Historical Context: The Changing Role of Cross-Cultural Workers, IJFM 27:1
[25] Book Review, The New Shape of World Christianity: How American Experience Reflects Global Faith, by Mark Noll (reviewed by Brad Gill) IJFM 26:4, p 200
[26] Chong Kim, ibid.
[27] IJFM 27:1, “Echoes from an African Frontier”. The editorial and articles reflect issues from the conversion of Africa a century ago, and prominent African missiologists are quoted throughout the issue.
[28] James Bultema, Muslims Coming to Christ in Turkey, IJFM 27:1
[29] Dick Brogden, Inside Out: Probing Presuppositions Among Insider Movements; Rebecca Lewis, The Integrity of the Gospel and Insider Movements, IJFM 27:1
[30] Book Reviews: Reformed and Always Reforming: The Post-Conservative Approach to Evangelical Theology, By Roger Olson, IJFM 26:4 p201 (reviewed by Rick Love); Heresy: A History of Defending the Truth, by Alister McGrath, IJFM 27:1, p 53 (reviewed by Brad Gill); Christians and Public Life in Colonial South India, 1863-1937, by Chandra Mallampalli, IJFM 27:2 p106 (reviewed by H.L. Richard); Paul and the Creation of Christian Identity, by William S. Campbell (and) Dynamics of Identity in the World of the Early Christians, by Philip A. Harland (and) Protestant Empire: Religion and the Making of the British Atlantic World, by Carla Gardina Pestana, all in IJFM 27:3 (reviewed by Brad Gill)
[31] Describing Fruitful Practices: Relating to Society, by Gene Daniels, IJFM 27:1; Describing Fruitful Practices: Communication Methods, by L.R.Burke, IJFM 27:3; for background on this research philosophy see Stewards of Experience, by Leon Torkko, Laura and Eric Adams, IJFM 26:4
[32] Unpublished Talk, Steve Hawthorne, “The Missiological Dimension: Ethnicity Globalization and the Kingdom of God”, ISFM 2010
[33] Unpublished Talk, Bruce Graham, “Kingdom Mission in Biblical Narrative”, ISFM 2010
[34] Dr. Sam Kamaleson, who was originally asked to speak on “The Culture of the Kingdom’, was unable to come to ISFM 2010 due to sickness. We distributed the unpublished manuscript of Dr. N.J. Gnaniah, “Caste, Christianity and Cross-Cultural Evangelism Revisited.”
[35] Unpublished address, Todd Johnson, “Ethnicity and Globalization: The Macro-Trends”, ISFM 2010.