The Gospel Coalition

I didn't just give way to the temptation to let pastoral ministry become my identity. I fell into two other temptations as well.

I let biblical literacy and theological knowledge define my maturity. This is related to the identity temptation but requires its own attention. It is quite easy in ministry to give into a subtle but significant redefinition of what spiritual maturity is and does. This definition has its roots in how we think about what sin is and does. Many pastors carry a false definition of maturity that results from the academic enculturation of seminary.

Since seminary tends to academize the faith, making it a world of ideas to be mastered, students easily buy into the belief that biblical maturity is about precision of theological knowledge and biblical literacy. But spiritual maturity is not something you do with your mind (although that is an important element). Maturity is about how you live your life. It is possible to be theologically astute and immature. It is possible to be biblically literate and in need of significant spiritual growth.

I was an honors graduate of a seminary. I won academic awards. I assumed I was mature and felt misunderstood and misjudged by anyone who failed to share my assessment. In fact, I saw those moments of confrontation as persecution that anyone faces when he gives himself to gospel ministry. At root I misunderstood sin and grace. Sin is not first an intellectual problem. (But it does affect my intellect, as it does all parts of my functioning.) Sin is first a moral problem. It is about my rebellion against God and my quest to have, for myself, the glory due to him. Sin is not first about the breaking of an abstract set of rules. Sin is first and foremost about breaking relationship with God. Because I have broken this relationship, it is then easy and natural for me to rebel against God's rules.

So it's not just my mind that needs to renewed by sound biblical teaching, but my heart needs to be reclaimed by the powerful grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. The reclamation of my heart is both an event (justification) and a process (sanctification). Seminary, therefore, won't solve my deepest problem---sin. It can contribute to the solution, but it may also blind me to my true condition by its tendency to redefine maturity. Biblical maturity is never just about what you know but always about how grace has employed what you have come to know to transform the way you live.

Think of Adam and Eve. They didn't disobey God because they were intellectually ignorant of God's commands. They knowingly stepped over God's boundaries because they quested for God's position. The spiritual war of Eden was fought on the turf of the heart's desires. Consider David. He didn't claim Bathsheba as his own and plot to get rid of her husband because he was ignorant of God's prohibitions against adultery and murder. David acted because at some point he didn't care what God wanted. He was going to have what his heart desired no matter what.

Or think what it means to be wise. There is a huge difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is an accurate understanding of truth. Wisdom is understanding and living in light of how that truth applies to the situations and relationships of your daily life. Knowledge is an exercise of your brain. Wisdom is the commitment of your heart that leads to life transformation.

Even though I didn't know it, I walked into pastoral ministry with an unbiblical view of biblical maturity. In ways that now scare me, I thought I had arrived. So when my wife, Luella, would lovingly and faithfully confront me, it was not just that I was being defensive. By definition I thought she was wrong. And I became convinced she was the one with the problem. I used my biblical and theological knowledge to defend myself. I was a mess, and I had no idea.

Success Is Not Necessarily an Endorsement

I confused ministry success with God's endorsement of my living. Pastoral ministry was exciting in many ways. The church was growing numerically, and people seemed to be growing spiritually. More and more people seemed to be committed to be part of a vibrant spiritual community, and we saw people win battles of the heart by God's grace. We founded a Christian school that was growing and expanding its reputation and influence. We were beginning to identify and disciple leaders.

It wasn't all rosy; there were painful and burdensome moments, but I started out my days with a deep sense of privilege that God had called me to do this ministry. I was leading a community of faith, and God was blessing our efforts. But I held these blessings in the wrong way. Without knowing that I was doing it, I took God's faithfulness to me, to his people, to the work of his kingdom, to his plan of redemption, and to his church as an endorsement of me. My perspective said, "I'm one of the good guys, and God is behind me all the way." In fact, I would say to Luella (this is embarrassing but important to admit), "If I'm such a bad guy, why is God blessing everything I put my hands to?"

God did not act because he endorsed my manner of living, but because of his zeal for his own glory and his faithfulness to his promises of grace for his people. God has the authority and power to use whatever instruments he chooses in whatever way he chooses. Ministry success is always more a statement about God than about the people he uses for his purpose. I had it all wrong. It took credit that I did not deserve for what I could not do. I made it about me, so I didn't see myself as headed for disaster and in deep need for the rescue of God's grace. I was a man in need of rescuing grace. Through Luella's faithfulness and the surgical questions of my brother, Tedd, God did exactly that.

What about you? How do you view yourself? What do you regularly say to you about you? Are you different from those to whom you minister? Do you see yourself as a minister of grace in need of the same grace? Have you become comfortable with discontinuities between the gospel you preach and the way that you live? Are there disharmonies between your public ministry persona and the details of your private life? Do you encourage a level of community in your church that you do not give yourself to? Do you fall into believing that no one has a more accurate view of you than you? Do you use knowledge or experience to keep confrontation at bay?

You don't have to be afraid of what is in your heart. You don't have to fear being known. Because nothing in you could ever be exposed that hasn't already been covered by the precious blood of your Savior King, Jesus.

"We will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word" (Acts 6:4).

Prayer is vital pastoral work. But it doesn't make for a conventionally attractive conference topic today like leadership techniques, growth strategies, and cutting-edge programs. And that's just the idea behind Basics---now in its 12th year at Parkside Church. Well-intentioned efforts to improve ministry can actually distract from the pastor's foundational calling to prayer and the ministry of the Word. These tasks are not basic as in simple but basic as in vital.

This week's Basics 2012 conference featured TGC Council members Alistair Begg, Voddie Baucham, and Mark Dever, while drawing pastors and Christian workers from 40 of the 50 United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Pakistan, and more. These men all addressed prayer: Begg began by surveying the first six chapters of Acts, Baucham continued by examining Paul's pastoral prayers, and Dever concluded by addressing Jesus' prayer in John 17. Click the links to watch and be challenged to pray.

The Pattern of Church History

The Example of the Epistles

The Heart of our Lord and Savior

Thirty Three Things (v. )

1. Your View of Scripture and Your View of God

When you encounter a present-day view of Holy Scripture, you encounter more than a view of Scripture. What you meet is a total view of God and the world, that is, a total theology, which is both an ontology, declaring what there is, and an epistemology, stating how we know what there is. This is necessarily so, for a theology is a seamless robe, a circle within which everything links up with everything else through its common grounding in God. Every view of Scripture, in particular, proves on analysis to be bound up with an overall view of God and man.

J. I. Packer, "Encountering Present-Day Views of Scripture," in The Foundation of Biblical Authority

°°°°°°2. Seven Key Ideas from C. S. Lewis

°°°°°°3. Interview with a safecracker

Q: Do you ever look inside?
A: I NEVER look. It's none of my business. Involving yourself in people's private affairs can lead to being subpoenaed in a lawsuit or criminal trial. Besides, I'd prefer not knowing about a client's drug stash, personal porn, or belly button lint collection.

When I'm done I gather my tools and walk to the truck to write my invoice. Sometimes I'm out of the room before they open it. I don't want to be nearby if there is a booby trap.

°°°°°°4. You were loved into existence.

°°°°°°5. Christianity and the rise of western science

In spite of this widespread view on the historical relations between science and religion, historians of science have long known that religious factors played a significantly positive role in the emergence and persistence of modern science in the West. Not only were many of the key figures in the rise of science individuals with sincere religious commitments, but the new approaches to nature that they pioneered were underpinned in various ways by religious assumptions.

°°°°°°6. A Scholar's Prayer by Thomas Aquinas

°°°°°°7. Weird News of the Week: Egypt Funeral Turns Happy After Dead Man Awakes

The funeral of a 28 year-old waiter in southern Egypt turned into a celebration when he woke up after being declared dead.

Hospital officials had pronounced dead Hamdi Hafez al-Nubi, who came from the village of Naga al-Simman in the southern province of Luxor, after he suffered a heart attack while working.

°°°°°°8. 10 Unhealthy Foods You Think are Healthy

°°°°°°9. Fact of the Week: Earning a Bachelor's degree entails listening to an average of 1,500 hours of lectures. The average average 70-year-old New England churchgoer of the eighteenth century listened to some 15,000 hours of sermons in his or her lifetime.

°°°°°°10. Dante's Circles of Hell, Redesigned in LEGO Form

°°°°°°11. Quote of the Week: "The essence of the Christian religion consists in this, that the creation of the Father, devastated by sin, is restored in the death of the Son of God, and recreated by the Holy Spirit into the kingdom of God." -- Herman Bavinck, Gereformeerde Dogmatiek

°°°°°°12. Animal Image of the Week: The World's Most Menacing Bird

A forgetful photographer had the shock of his life when this soaring golden eagle made off with his knife. Dutch snapper Han Bouwmeester had been using the utensil, in Västerbotten, Sweden, to carve up chunks of meat in a bid to attract the birds of prey. But, busy with the task in hand, the wildlife aficionado clumsily dropped it in the snow.

°°°°°°13. The anthropology of trash

Going back 100, 150 years, American cities were disgusting -- and New York City was notorious as the filthiest and stinkiest. . . .

The money set aside for street cleaning was going into the pockets of the Tweed and Tammany politicians. Eventually, it got to be that it was so dirty for so long, no one thought that it could be any different. Imagine, on your own block, that you can't cross the street, even at the corner, without paying a street kid with a broom to clear a path for you, because the streets were layered in this sludge of manure, rotting vegetables, ash, broken up furniture, debris of all kind. It was called "corporation pudding" after the city government. And it was deep -- in some cases knee-deep.

°°°°°°14. Why Disco Happened

°°°°°°15. A History of Buttermilk

What we call buttermilk today has nothing at all to do with butter. In fact, the stuff known as cultured buttermilk at your local supermarket---i.e. milk that has been deliberately soured---is a 20th-century invention, and the product of a health-food diet craze dating back to the flapper era.

"As long as people have made butter there's been buttermilk," says Anne Mendelson, a culinary historian and the author of Milk: The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages. Careful: Here, she's talking about a byproduct of churning whole milk or cream---the thin, white liquid that Wilder wrote about.

°°°°°°16. Improve Your Handwriting by Writing With Your Shoulders, Not with Your Fingers

°°°°°°17. Printed books existed nearly 600 years before Gutenberg's Bible

It is a little-known but undisputed historical fact that Johannes Gutenberg did not invent the printing press. Though the Gutenberg Bible was certainly the first mass produced printed work, it was hardly the first printed book --- nor was it even the first made using movable type. Chinese and Korean inventors had been producing printed books for centuries before Gutenberg was born.

°°°°°°18. Amazon.com Announces the Most Well-Read Cities in America

°°°°°°19. Genetic evidence reveals that polar bears originally came from Ireland

Every polar bear alive today shares a common maternal ancestor, and it isn't even a bear from the same species. Their mitochondrial DNA reveals a 100,000 year story of interbreeding and hybridization...and the story is far from over.

°°°°°°20. Train Yourself to Properly Judge Risk by Tracking Estimates Like a Gambler

°°°°°°21. The physics of seeing someone who can't see you

Everyone's seen the police shows in which they shuffle suspects into a room with a mirror on the side. How do the police see in while the suspect doesn't see out?

The mirror is covered with a light silver film. This film acts as a kind of grating. It lets about half of the light that hits it go through, while sending half back. From then on, it's just the lighting. Inside the interrogation room, the lights are bright. That sends a flood of light to the mirror, half of which gets turned back on the people in the room. Outside the interrogation room, the lights are dimmed. Only a trickle of light makes it to the mirror, and half of that comes back.

°°°°°°22. 100 Ideas That Changed Graphic Design

°°°°°°23. What Is Church Membership?

Answer: It's a declaration of citizenship in Christ's kingdom. It's a passport. It's an announcement made in the pressroom of Christ's kingdom. It's the declaration that a professing individual is an official, licensed, card-carrying, bona fide Jesus representative.

More concretely, church membership is a formal relationship between a local church and a Christian characterized by the church's affirmation and oversight of a Christian's discipleship and the Christian's submission to living out his or her discipleship in the care of the church.

°°°°°°24. What Employers Look for in Entry-Level Job Candidates

°°°°°°25. Kodak confirms it had weapons-grade uranium in underground lab

Kodak -- the company known for decades for its cameras and film -- this week confirmed it used weapons-grade uranium in an underground lab in upstate New York for upwards of 30 years.

A company spokesman and a former scientist for the firm say there was not enough material to sustain a nuclear chain reaction.

°°°°°°26. 31 Sculptures Made From Books

°°°°°°27. Coffee Drinkers May Live Longer

Your morning cup of coffee may start to taste even better after a major government study found that frequent coffee drinkers have a lower risk of dying from a variety of diseases, compared with people who drink little or no coffee.

°°°°°°28. How-To of the Week: Nail the "Tell Me About Yourself" Job Interview Question

°°°°°°29. Where Did the Taco Come From?

The origins of the taco are really unknown. My theory is that it dates from the 18th century and the silver mines in Mexico, because in those mines the word "taco" referred to the little charges they would use to excavate the ore. These were pieces of paper that they would wrap around gunpowder and insert into the holes they carved in the rock face. When you think about it, a chicken taquito with a good hot sauce is really a lot like a stick of dynamite. The first references [to the taco] in any sort of archive or dictionary come from the end of the 19th century. And one of the first types of tacos described is called tacos de minero---miner's tacos. So the taco is not necessarily this age-old cultural expression; it's not a food that goes back to time immemorial.

°°°°°°30. The Best Ways to De-Stink Your Stuff

°°°°°°31. The 250th Anniversary of the Sandwich

The British town of Sandwich is staging a dramatic re-enactment of the moment when the town's earl was said to have invented the sandwich, to mark the 250th anniversary of the bread-based meal.

°°°°°°32. The Happy Mom Manifesto

°°°°°°33. Some Infinities are Bigger Than Other Infinities

Looking forward to your 28th birthday? Or remember what you did? Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg will never forget his special day. Today, four days after his 28th birthday, Facebook open to public investors and begin trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. It's expected to be worth $100 billion.

Twenty-somethings could respond to this in at least two ways. Either they can be inspired by his entrepreneurial spirit and hard work or discouraged that they will never reach the heights of his success.

Most will be discouraged. By age 28, many face what's called a "quarter-life crisis," thanks to the two great lies our culture promotes among children in school, students in college, and professionals in the business world. The first great lie is, "If you work hard enough, you can be anything you want to be." It is often sold as the American Dream, expressed in sayings such as, "In America, anyone can grow up to be President."

The second great lie is like the first one, yet possibly even more damaging: "You can be the best in the world. If you try hard enough, you could be the next Zuckerberg."

These lies are accepted by many Christians as well as non-Christians. They have catastrophically damaged our view of work and vocation, because they have distorted our biblical view of success.

The Idol of Success

Success, defined as being the master of your own destiny, has become a cultural idol. In Counterfeit Gods, pastor Tim Keller describes the idol:

More than other idols, personal success and achievement lead to a sense that we ourselves are God, that our security and value rest in our own wisdom, strength, and performance. To be the very best at what you do, to be at the top of the heap, means no one is like you. You are supreme.

If we will rediscover the biblical doctrine of work and correctly understand our vocational calling, we must recognize a more timeless, faithful definition of success.

The late John Wooden, the most successful college basketball coach in history and a committed Christian, was once asked how he would define success. He replied:

Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.

The New Testament defines success in a similar way in Jesus' Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30). This parable offers profound insight not only into the definition of success, but also into the purpose of our call to work. Jesus teaches that the kingdom of heaven is like a man going on a long journey. Before leaving, he gives three servants different amounts of money, denominated by talents. Whatever its exact value, in the New Testament a talent indicates a large sum of money, maybe even as much as a million dollars in today's currency.

The man gives five talents to the first servant, two talents to the second servant, and one talent to the last servant---each according to his abilities. Upon his return the master asks what his servants did with the money. The first and second servants doubled their investments and received the master's praise. The third servant, who was given one talent, safeguarded the money but did nothing to increase it. The third servant was condemned by the master for his inactivity.

God Provides the Tools We Need

Whatever they represent---natural abilities, spiritual gifts, or other resources---talents in this parable at least represent tools God gives us to carry out his mandate in the Garden to "take dominion" over the earth---to reweave shalom into creation---and to fulfill Jesus' Great Commission to make disciples. In this context, we can assume two things from the parable:

1. God always gives us enough in order to do what he has required.

2. Whatever the Lord gives us now, he will ask us about later, expecting us to diligently work with these resources to further his kingdom.

Therefore, we base our definition of success on whether we have cultivated and invested our God-given talents and, by faith, taken advantage of divine opportunities to use them---whether we have been given one, two, or five talents.

This definition should convict. We are called to greater heights of stewardship then we ever before realized. But it's also relieving: we are only called to steward our own talents and opportunities, not those allotted to people like Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs.

It is up to us whether the Master will respond, "Well done, good and faithful servant. . . . Enter into the joy of your master," or, "You wicked, lazy servant!" Love of the Master drives and inspires our work. We're not working to become the next Zuckerberg, though some may be called to such influence. We're simply working to receive the Master's praise.

We give thanks to God for great gospel ministry happening across the ocean in the UK. Carrie Sandom, who lives near London and recently published Different by Design: God's Blueprint for Men and Women, embodies this encouraging movement and gives us a first-hand account. Anticipating Carrie's role as a plenary speaker for TGC's fast-approaching women's conference, I hope you'll be delighted as I was to get to know her a bit better before you meet her in Orlando.

She serves generously in a number of contexts, including ministries that train up biblically literate women who can then lead others in learning the good news of the Scriptures. That's clearly Carrie's heart, which you'll read here and hear for yourself next month. It's a heart for the Word, but also for the process of personally mentoring others in the Word, as believers lovingly did for her. Carrie shows how these two parts always work together. She has a lot to teach us that we can then teach others.

How did God find you and bring you along your path of ministry?

I grew up in a church-going family but didn't come to know the Lord personally until I was a teenager. My maternal grandparents and youth leaders were major influences and showed me what living for the Lord Jesus means in practice. They prayed for me and kept urging me to turn to Christ for the forgiveness of my sins---which I did, finally, on a youth weekend away. The church I attended had a good discipleship program, and I was nurtured by two youth leaders who met with me and five other teenagers every Saturday afternoon for more than three years! We looked at the Bible together, and they taught me so much. I'm very grateful to the Lord for their commitment, their example, and their prayers.

As for how I got into Bible teaching ministry, I trained as a teacher and taught math in a high school for a while, but my real passion was the Bible class I ran after school for 11- to 16-year-olds. After a couple years my pastor approached me and suggested I should go to Bible college and learn how to teach the Bible more formally. It took him two to three years to persuade me, but I eventually went to Oxford and studied there for three years, thinking that I would return to teaching in a high school afterward. Needless to say, the Lord had other plans and for the last 20 years has opened up various opportunities for me to teach the Bible to women of different ages and stages---mostly in local church contexts.

What might you be found doing on your day off?

I love reading whodunnits but rarely guess who has actually committed the crime before all is revealed at the end of the book! I enjoy watching football (soccer!) and support Chelsea FC---possibly the best football team in London (at least)---and love walking the coastal paths around the UK, preferable with a friend so we can have a good catch up as we walk.

What are the different components of your ministry? How would you sum up the joys and the challenges of what you do?

There are three components to my ministry. Most of the time I am based at a church in Tunbridge Wells, 25 miles south of London, where I teach the Bible to women of all ages in small group and one-to-one contexts. One day a week I teach and train women students at the Cornhill Training Course in London, and roughly three times a year I am involved in running and speaking at Proclamation Trust conferences for other women in ministry.

The joys and challenges of what I do are closely related. It is always thrilling to see the Word of God at work in the lives of the women I have the privilege of teaching---whether through bringing them to new life at the very start of their journey with the Lord, or by transforming them more and more into his likeness through all the highs and lows of life in this broken world. The challenges come when people resist the Lord's call upon their lives, or walk away from him because the pleasures of this life seem more attractive. I guess it's inevitable for some women, but seeing them walk away because of the promise of a satisfying relationship with an unbeliever is especially hard.

How would you describe the cultural climate in which you minister?  

We have all the usual challenges of living in a postmodern, multicultural society where tolerance is the name of the game. In practice this means that Britain is becoming increasingly secular and intolerant of anyone who holds firm convictions about anything! The government is currently trying to pass legislation that redefines marriage so as to include same-sex partnerships. This would have been unthinkable even ten years ago, which gives you some idea of how quickly things are changing. The Church of England is also seeking to pass legislation allowing for women bishops, not on any theological grounds, but merely because women should be able to do anything men can do. Sadly, the church, as well as society, is becoming more and more biblically illiterate.

Why did you write Different by Design: God's Blueprint for Men and Women, and how would you sum up its message?

A few years ago, I spoke at the London Women's Convention from Genesis 1-3 about the role of men and women in the family, and where it all went wrong. Shortly afterward I was asked to write a book that would look more broadly at the role of men and men in the family, society, and the church---and how the steady feminization of our culture has moved us further away from the biblical ideal. The book traces the pattern of God's design from Genesis to Revelation and shows how God himself provides the template for our design. If we are to enjoy relationships as he intended, we need to understand why he made men and women equal before him and yet distinct---and how each needs to play his or her part in maintaining the created order. Ultimately, restoration is only possible through the Lord Jesus himself. We will not be able to enjoy healthy and lasting relationships with one another until we are first reconciled with our loving heavenly Father.

We're so glad you're part of TGC's inaugural women's conference! What are you looking forward to in your part, and in the conference as a whole?  

I am thrilled to be part of this women's conference and think it will be a very strategic few days. I'm grateful for the opportunity to teach the Bible in a number of contexts and especially to get women thinking about how they can study it for themselves and then teach it to others. We live in difficult times, and the growing tide of secularism is having a devastating effect on both sides of the Atlantic. We need to lift up our heads and our hearts and allow the God of the Bible to re-envision and inspire us. Without him we can do nothing. With him we can share in his sovereign plans and purposes that stretch beyond our wildest imaginings and into eternity! I am praying that we will all deepen our love for the God who has rescued us through his Son and then commit ourselves to serving him wholeheartedly in the various contexts where he has put us.

When the Saudi Grand Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz Bin Abdullah, recently said it is "necessary to destroy all the churches in the region," I wondered: Does that include our church here in Dubai?

The Grand Mufti, Saudi's highest Islamic authority, was in nearby Kuwait, supporting legislative attempts to eliminate the churches there. He invoked an ancient hadith, an official Islamic teaching saying "there are not to be two religions in the Peninsula" and concluded, "Kuwait is a part of the Arabian Peninsula and therefore it is necessary to destroy all the churches in it."

The sheikh may threaten to destroy churches here, but Jesus, the Sheikh of sheikhs and Lord of lords, promised to build them, and he is doing just that. There are encouraging signs among English- and Arabic-speaking congregations in Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and elsewhere. In view of the massive ministry needs and opportunities here, more followers of Jesus should move to Arabia to plant their lives, build solid churches, preach the gospel and reach the nations.

Why haven't you moved to Arabia? Here are some mistaken perceptions preventing people from moving into the Grand Mufti's neck of the woods.

1. There are no churches on the Arabian Peninsula---so why plant my life there?

Actually, there are local congregations in all of the Gulf states, including places like Aden, Yemen, Muscat, Oman, and Dubai, U.A.E. Many of these are English-language congregations since English, as much as Arabic, is the medium of business in many of the Gulf states. These churches are demographically diverse, reflecting the culture at large. In our church in Dubai there are people from more than 60 nationalities.

To be sure, most of the church-going folks are expatriates (foreigners) and not locals. And many of the churches here are weak in their doctrine and living. But the best way to reach the nations is to build healthy churches where Christians are growing and increasingly motivated to reach out with the good news. And you can do that even in the most resistant regions of the world.

The crying need here is for stronger churches and pastoral training. In most of the large cities of this region, expatriate churches already exist, but they are woefully underequipped. The Bible is not central in their gatherings, the gospel is not clear in the people's minds, and their witness is weakened as a result.

By training pastors we can change the ecclesiastical landscape in a generation. At our church, we have trained church leaders from Syria, Egypt, India, Kashmir, Kazakhstan, and other nearby closed countries. We have also planted Redeemer Church of Dubai, a thriving congregation reaching people on the other side of the city.

More opportunities are coming. Just recently, the Sheikh of the northern-most emirate in the U.A.E. (just 60 miles from Iran) granted land for an evangelical church building in his emirate. So we need to gather a church there, and then we need to establish a visible presence that makes sense to the locals, who compose half the population there.

2. It could be dangerous out there---better to stay at home.

True, church buildings in this part of the world are exposed for all to see. They stand out like an island in an ocean of neighborhood mosques. But that's the idea---a city set on a hill, a visible community of people who know Christ and live in counter-cultural obedience, serving the people and investing in relationships for the long run. The local people here typically appreciate genuine Christians, and many of them are interested in learning more about Christ. We want to be as public as we can be.

It's true that "proselytizing" is illegal in the Gulf countries, and that the blanket distribution of tracts will get you arrested and deported quickly. But, actually, I find it's much easier to talk to a Gulf Arab about Jesus than it is to talk to another American about Jesus. Muslims claim to revere Jesus as one of their prophets, and their culture and language are infused with religion, so it's simple to talk with them about religious things, correct misunderstandings, and proclaim the good news.

It's also true that some Western believers were recently murdered on the Arabian Peninsula, but this is the exception, not the rule, for life in Arabia, because it is in the best interest of governments to protect expatriates. Local believers, of course, risk their lives to follow Christ. We must count the cost, too.

The opportunities for gospel advancement afforded by vibrant church life in unreached areas far outweigh any risk. Realistically, Western believers who reach the local people with the gospel will probably face only threats or deportation; others may lose their lives. The indigenous people who follow Christ will suffer more. But even if Arabia gets more hostile, even if believers begin shedding more blood for the sake of the kingdom, Christ is worthy of being proclaimed, especially to people groups who, like the Gulf Arabs, have not yet responded to him. As I tell our people, our church being closed down by the government is not the worst thing that could happen to us. No, the worst thing is that we would be a non-factor in the advancement of the kingdom here.

3. Churches don't reach the unreached people---they only get in the way.

It is true that many "international churches" have the reputation of being irrelevant, tepid communities more interested in replicating their culture back home than in penetrating the indigenous people with the gospel. It's also true that many nominal Christians scandalize the indigenous people by living more in step with Hollywood than with Jesus, thereby confirming the common Muslim perception that Christianity equals worldliness. But that's just more reason to move out here---to reform existing congregations or plant new ones: Preach the Word, administer baptism and the Lord's Supper, exercise church discipline, love one another, and reach out with the gospel.

The church is the ordained instrument for reaching the nations, and any missions strategy that forsakes the existing church is misguided. Don't think of frontier missions as only one-to-one, cloak-and-dagger evangelism. No, the church is already here, publicly making inroads among the local people. Local assemblies are already meeting in places like Doha, Dhahran, and Dubai, and many churches in this region are looking for pastors. The church is the means, or as Charles Bridges put it, "the mirror that reflects the whole effulgence of the Divine character. It is the grand scene, in which the perfections of Jehovah are displayed to the universe."

When Samuel Zwemer came to Bahrain in 1890, he first established a church---consisting of the believers on his team---and began reaching out to the locals with the good news. That church still gathers today, and local people of Bahrain are becoming eternal beneficiaries of the faith-filled work of Zwemer and the generations that followed.

We're looking for faithful, humble men and women to come and join us in the effort to penetrate the region with the presence and power of the gospel, and we're holding out the local church as the bridgehead for operations. But these churches desperately need to be reformed, new ones need to be planted, and this will take the investment of many lives. Pray with us. Come and join these churches, strengthen them, support pastoral training here, plant your life in Arabia for a few decades. Come and plant a church or reform an existing one. Even in frontier missions contexts, the church remains "the manifold wisdom of God" (Eph 3:10).

The Story: The Houston Chronicle notes that Ed Young, a best-selling author and megachurch pastor in Texas, has launched a website---PastorFashion.com---to "motivate and empower pastors and church leaders to not only set the standards in faith, but the trends in fashion as well."

The Background: The website, says the Chronicle's Ken Chitwood, provides "fashion tips for the faithful, videos on how to tie a tie and answers to vexing questions about pant rolls and hoodie etiquette." For instance, the most recent video on the site deals with "skinny jeans, testosterone and how to deal with both."

"This is a site where pastors can go to get tips on looking their best," Young told the newspaper. "Pastors represent and communicate the message of Jesus, we ought to look as good as we can," he said. "When you look good, you feel good and when you feel good, you stand up and stand out in the world."

Young says the emphasis is on "relating to the world, being 'in' but not 'of' it, and seeking to set the trends as a means of connecting with, and changing, culture."

Why It Matters: When I first stumbled across PastorFashion.com in February I assumed that it was obviously---obviously---an elaborate parody of pastors who confuse what it means to be in, but not of, the world. But, no. This is for real. Young's focus on fashion provides a prime example of Carter's Law of Pastors and Prepositions: As the celebrity of an evangelical pastor increases, the risk of confusing the prepositions "in" and "of" rises exponentially.

Should pastors care about their clothes? Of course they should. As Abraham Kuyper said, "In the total expanse of human life there is not a single square inch of which the Christ, who alone is sovereign, does not declare,'That is mine!'" C.J. Mahaney, in applying Kuyper's claim, says, "there is "not a square inch" of our lives---including our closets---with which God is not concerned." But as Mahaney adds, "Even more, he cares about the heart behind what you wear, about whether your wardrobe reveals the presence of worldliness or godliness."

The line between worldliness and godliness isn't always apparent, though it becomes clearer when we spend more in the Word than in the pages of GQ. For while it's not a sin for a pastor to arraign himself in Armani, it's infinitely more important that he adorn himself with the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11).

Editor's Note: Recently, CNN's Belief Blog discussed the significance of James Cone's theology in an article, "America's 'angriest' theologian faces the lynching tree." Today, on the anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, we describe the nature and influence of Cone's theology---not to commend his project but to promote understanding.

One of the most significant days in the history of the United States was May 17, 1954, when the nation acknowledged oppressing its own people. Brown v. Board of Education was more than a legal case to be tallied in law books; it intended to close a hideous chapter in our history, marked by slavery, bigotry, boldfaced discrimination, violence, and terror. The verdict in Brown v. Board of Education was not just a decision---it was the beginning of a revolution.

The civil-rights movement of the past generation began with black Americans but spread, with major consequences, to a variety of groups in American society. The revolution has not only changed the political environment and social history of the country but also the concept of constitutional law and the role of courts.

Thomas Sowell writes,

The very meaning of the phrase "civil rights" has changed greatly since the Brown decision in 1954, or since the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Initially, civil rights meant, quite simply, that all individuals should be treated the same under the law, regardless of their race, religion, sex or other such social categories. For blacks, especially, this would have represented a dramatic improvement in those states where law and public policy mandated racially separate institutions and highly discriminatory treatment.

Two prominent black leaders, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (an integrationist) and Malcolm X (a segregationist), gained academic, social, and political attention for the movement. Theologian James Cone (b. 1938) followed in the Black liberation trend with a Black theology of freedom. Cone, who serves today as the Charles A. Briggs Distinguished Professor of Systematic Theology at Union Theological Seminary, borrowed from Paul Tillich in his attempt to balance a biblical community of faith and the contemporary social situation. Tillich argued that theology "is supposed to satisfy two basic needs: the statement of the truth of the Christian message and the interpretation of this truth for every new generation."

Cone explained the appearance of Black theology as "due primarily to the failure of white religionists to relate the gospel of Jesus to the pain of being black in a white racist society." Cone argued that white theology has basically been a theology of the white oppressor, sanctioning genocide, enslavement, and brutality. Because American white theology has been "patriotic," it has become a servant of the racist state and "can only mean death to black people." Cone wrote:

American theology . . . has largely ignored its domestic problem on race. It has not called the Church to be involved in confronting this society with the meaning of the Kingdom in the light of Christ . . . [American theology] has virtually ignored the task of relating the truth of the gospel to the problem of race in America.

He contended that the lack of relevant and "risky" theology suggests that theologians are unable to free themselves from the oppressive structures of society and proposed an alternative:

It is evident, then, that the main difficulty which most whites have with Black Power and its relationship to the Christian gospel stems from their own inability to translate traditional theological language into the life situation of black people. The black man's response to God's act in Christ must be different from the white's because his life experiences are different.

Beyond this emphasis on the "black experience," Cone suggested that a significant message of biblical theology is liberation from oppression. He wrote, "The God of the biblical faith and black religion is best known as the Liberator of the oppressed from bondage. . . . To resist evil is to participate in God's redemption of the world." The task of Black theology, then, is to analyze the nature of the gospel of Jesus Christ in the light of "oppressed black people" so they will realize the inseparability of the gospel and their humiliated condition. Cone explained that this realization will bestow upon them the necessary power to "break the chains of oppression." Cone viewed Black theology as "a theology of and for the black community, seeking to interpret the religious dimensions of the forces of liberation in that community."

Reconciliation or Liberation?

Cone's liberationist theology is not the only approach taken in Black theology. Black theologian J. Deotis Roberts offered reconciliation, rather than Cone's emphasis on liberation, as a valid theme for the framework of theology. According to Roberts, "Christians are called to be agents of reconciliation. We have been able to love and forgive . . . The assertion that all are 'one in Christ Jesus' must henceforth mean that all slave-master, servant-boss, inferior-superior frames of reference between blacks and whites have been abolished."

Roberts also commented on the "black experience" motif of many Black theologians, arguing firmly that a person is not automatically "heaven bound" due to being black, poor, or oppressed. Neither is a wealthy white person barred from heaven on the basis of financial status.

It is not that Cone has overlooked reconciliation. The point of disagreement is that Cone contends that only black people can define the terms on which reconciliation with white people can be achieved. To this point Roberts believed that blacks must hold up the possibility of interracial cooperation and fellowship. Cone's response to Robert's reconciliation thesis was not favorable on many counts: "[Roberts's] assumption is unbiblical and unhistorical. Indeed, in black history, reconciliation and liberation on white terms have always meant death for black people." However, both agreed that "liberation is a proper precondition for reconciliation in the area of race relations."

In a sense, Roberts and Cone mirror Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X; the fundamental objective of freedom from oppression is agreed---the difference becomes apparent in the method of obtaining the common goal.

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For more on Black theology, liberation, reconciliation, and Scripture you can read this free chapter: "Scripture in the African-American Christian Tradition" (pages 282-299) from Christian Theologies of Scripture, edited by Justin S. Holcomb.

Editors' Note: Christians didn't discover the need for missions in the Muslim world on September 11, 2001. The Middle East is the homeland of our faith, too, the site of many great acts of God's miraculous redemption. Long before the Twin Towers fell in Manhattan that clear fall day, Christians debated why the church has struggled to gain a hearing for the gospel where the call once sounded freely. Yet in the last decade, debate has intensified as we agonized over the depth of many Muslims' hostility toward Christianity. Missionaries and academics have wondered aloud whether the problem extends beyond Western politics, military intervention, and spiritual bondage to the very way we present the gospel. Could our methods be to blame? Could more sophisticated contextualization unlock many more hearts for Christ?

These are the questions we asked experienced pastors and missionaries to answer this week. Whether you're planning to take the gospel overseas yourself or supporting those who do, we hope these articles will help you make wise, informed decisions about this great missionary challenge of our generation.

Previously:

• Leading Muslims to Jesus: Questions to Consider by L. D. Waterman
• How Islamic Can Christianity Be? by J. T. Smith
• How to Share the Gospel with Muslims by J. T. Smith
• Piper Responds to the Insider Movement by Collin Hansen

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"He is very close to becoming a Muslim!"

"What do I say to this dear coworker who is using the Qur'an so much in his attempts to share the gospel that the local Muslims believe he (and the rest of us, by implication) are interested in becoming Muslims?"

This problem was posed to me as the missions pastor by one of our local missionaries. This missionary had joined a group of other local missionaries to start an English as second language ministry among the hundreds of Muslim immigrants in our neighborhood. It was opening some significant doors in building relationships with these Muslim neighbors. They started meeting in the recreation room of the apartment complex across the street from our church. The apartment manager eventually decided to close the recreation room to this kind of gathering, so they agreed to meet at our church across the street---something they would never have agreed to do a few years ago.

But a new challenge arose shortly before Easter in 2003. One of the local missionaries sought to explain to the Muslim students what the Easter holiday was all about. This particular missionary had recently received some training in reaching Muslims on the basis of the common ground that Christians and Muslims share in matters of faith. This training taught him how to use portions of the Qur'an in an attempt to build a bridge to biblical truth.

The Muslim students came away from the missionary's Easter message excited. In small group discussion afterward, one missionary asked his group, "What did you like about that message?" He was not prepared for the answer. One of the Muslim participants said, "We are happy to hear that the teacher is so close to becoming a Muslim!" They were impressed that he had such knowledge, respect, and interest in the Qur'an. It seemed to boost their confidence in the power of their holy book and in their Muslim faith. This was not the message the missionaries hoped to communicate.

So the missionary from our church finally came to me asking, "What is our church's position on gospel contextualization among Muslims? Are the pastors and elders comfortable with this kind of a presentation of the gospel at our church?"

Contextualization and the Insider Movement

This launched me into a study of the contextualization debate, particularly among Muslims, for the next several years. I investigated the local "insider" training, interviewed Muslim-background believers (MBBs) and veteran missionaries in Muslim fields, and read numerous books and articles on the subject. I read about the arguments on the issue with great interest and examined all the biblical texts that I could find in relation to their arguments.

This informal researched motivated me to write a position paper for the leaders of Bethlehem Baptist Church. I gave the paper to some veteran missionaries working among Muslims and some MBBs for their feedback. I received both glowing affirmations and notes of alarming concern. The concerned felt that the paper made the issue too "black and white"---oversimplifying the challenge. I agreed.

So after thinking, praying, and talking with trusted missionaries and ministry colleagues, we came up with the idea of turning our previous statement of boundaries into questions with biblical considerations.

Questions for Mission Candidates

We now ask all of our missionary candidates seeking to reach Muslims for Christ to answer these questions and to offer their biblical rationale for their answers. We find that this allows the missionary candidates to think through the issues before accepting (uncritically) a packaged training on Muslim evangelism with claims of amazing results.

So far, those who have answered these questions have found them helpful in developing their position. They have given us an opportunity to enter into dialogue with our missionaries about the issues in question, rather than simply laying down a law. We realize that every context for ministry among Muslims is different. So we want to avoid a one-size-fits-all approach. At the same time, we want to be careful that we are not unwittingly affirming Islam or diminishing the true nature and work of Jesus Christ.

We have also sent these questions to our missionaries working among Muslims in other parts of the world. One of our supported missionaries in Central Asia gave copies of the document to some of his coworkers. Most of the responses that he relayed back to me were very positive. He reported that one missionary said, "I have been out here for several years now and must admit that I have never been asked to articulate answers to such questions."

In the end, the various evangelistic approaches being promoted to reach Muslims in our neighborhood have forced us to articulate questions and biblical considerations that we may never have felt the need to do otherwise. I hope and pray that this document written by and disseminated for Bethlehem Baptist Church will help our sent-ones think, act, and speak among Muslims in such a way that Jesus Christ is clearly exalted, embraced, or rejected as "the only name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

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Questions and Biblical Guidelines for Missionaries among Muslim Peoples

I have become all things to all people that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings (1 Cor. 9:22-23).

But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God (2 Cor. 4:2).

It brings us great joy to see God raising up laborers from our midst to enter into his harvest among the millions of unreached Muslims throughout the world. As we interact with other missionaries and agencies at work among Muslims, we are encouraged by the praise-worthy progress of the gospel through many creative and culturally relevant means. At the same time, we also recognize the potential for dangerous misunderstandings as a result of certain contextualization strategies. Therefore, we believe that it is of strategic importance for our missionaries to articulate the biblical values that guide their missiological practices, particularly as it relates to gospel contextualization among Muslims.

We believe that the Bible both governs and fuels missiological practice. Our strategies, therefore, must stem from a biblical-theological understanding rather than pragmatic considerations. Our ultimate aim in contextualization is to spread a passion for the supremacy of God, through the exaltation of Jesus Christ, for the joy and deliverance of all peoples in bondage to Christ-denying religions---particularly the millions in bondage to Islam. We long to see members of our body establish missiological strategies that fly the banner of this glorious aim.

General Theological Presuppositions Regarding Culture and Contextualization

We believe that some level of contextualization is necessary for the gospel to be effectively proclaimed and understood across ethno-linguistic cultural barriers (e.g. Jesus' use of parables in the Gospels; Paul's use of redemptive analogies and indigenous pagan poets---Acts 17:28-29; Titus 1:12-13). We believe that the ultimate goal in contextualization ought to be the exaltation of Christ to the glory of God (as revealed in the Bible) for the transformation of peoples from all former Christ-denying practices and into the image of Christ (Rom. 12:2; Eph. 4:12-15, 20-24; Col. 3:9-10). We believe that God created all languages on earth (Gen. 11:1-10) and that he is gathering worshipers from every tribe, people, and language to exalt the risen Christ through their mother tongues (Acts 1:8; 2:1-5; Rev. 5:9; 7:9). And while language and culture are intimately linked, we believe that the gospel aims to transform culture, rather than to simply redeem culture.

As regenerate men and women seek to bring their lives into conformance with Christ, social behaviors, local customs, and religious practices radically change (Col. 2:18-23; Acts 19:18-20). Everything once done in ignorance is now to be made obedient to the will of God (1 Peter 1:13-18; Rom. 12:1-2). Some cultural practices must be abandoned as they are examined in light of the Scriptures---especially those practices that are identified with a local Christ-denying religious system (Acts 15:28-29; 19:17-20). Other cultural practices may be identified as biblically permissible and be reoriented to clearly magnify the greatness of God so that all things are done to the glory of God in Christ (1 Cor. 10:28-31).

The following questions aim to help our missionaries consider how to most faithfully and clearly communicate the gospel in their respective contexts. We consider these biblical considerations to be the key texts and issues that should help inform your answers. As a cross-cultural minister of the gospel joyfully called to make disciples of Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18-20) among a particular people (particularly Muslim people groups), we ask:

1. How will you help a new believer express his identity in Christ within his community?

Biblical guidelines to consider: The person who trusts in Christ is a new creation (2 Cor 5:17-18). He is one whom God has miraculously rescued out of the darkness of idolatry and rebellion and into his own family (1Peter 2.9) that they might be to the praise of his glory in Christ (Eph. 1:12). The new believer's personal identification with Christ is a declaration of this change of allegiance (1 Thess 1:9, cf. 1 Kings 18:21). Ethnic, social, economic, gender, and class distinctions no longer primarily define a new believer (Gal. 3:28-29, 6:15). Rather, for those who are in Christ, their identity is organically tied to Jesus himself and those elect for whom he died (2 Cor. 6:14). Thus, the new believer's identity is not to be understood in purely individualistic terms, nor simply hidden within former religious community terms, for he is part of the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:13-27).

Sub-questions to consider:

What aspects of the culture and former religion should be considered "darkness," from which new believers in Christ should repent and walk in "newness of life"?

When does the missiological goal of "staying within one's community," as new believers in Christ, violate Christ's warnings in Matthew 10:32-39 of loving family more than him?

2. In your ministry context, what aspects of the local culture may be retained, and which aspects must be rejected?

Biblical guidelines to consider: While "culture" is a morally neutral term, there are positive potentials and intrinsic vulnerabilities in every culture. In a culture intimately tied to a religious system, discerning what should be retained and what should be be rejected is crucial for the clear communication of the gospel---both in the lives of new believers and through their lives to the larger community. The new birth, allegiance to Christ alone, identification with the local and global expression of Christ's church, and the implications of persecution and suffering will deeply affect answers to this question (Acts 19:17-20). Our emphasis must be the clear communication of the gospel and a clean conscience. We must encourage what cultivates faith and removes confusion (2 Cor. 4:2; Heb 12:1-2). We must also be careful not to advocate liberties or adherence to former religious practices that would violate the consciences of new believers and miscommunicate/confuse the gospel message within his/her community (Romans 14, 1 Cor 8:1-13).

Sub-question to consider:

What terminology (or terms of identity) of the surrounding culture is so closely tied to the predominant non-Christian religion that, if the new believer were to continue using them, would cause the non-Christian community to believe that the so-called new believer still adheres to the non-Christian religion?

3. As a minister of the gospel, how will you communicate your identity in Christ to those whom you seek to minister among?

Biblical guidelines to consider: While there is no biblical mandate to call oneself a "Christian," our aim is to communicate in a way that honestly and clearly identifies us with the Christ of the Bible (2 Cor. 4:5-6). Language is important (Psalm 19:14; Matt. 16:15-18; 2 Cor. 2:17). We must reject any community-dominant religious terminology that would bring reproach upon Christ or leave our identity with the God/Christ of the Bible in question (Daniel 3; 2 Cor 4:2)

4. How will you communicate the identity of Jesus in the language and culture of the context in which you minister?

Biblical guidelines to consider: The identity of Jesus is at the center of the gospel (Mt. 16:13-18; Acts 4:12). The Gospel writers go to great lengths to show the significance of Jesus' unique and historically significant titles. Jesus, in fulfillment of prophecy, is the Messiah, the one-of-a-kind Son of God (a title for the Savior, Jesus, used 37 times in the New Testament), and the divine Son of Man (a title for the Savior, Jesus, used 43 times in New Testament, 29 times in Matthew's Gospel alone). Jesus is the one by whom, and for whom, all things were created (Col. 1:13-20). The resurrected Christ taught his disciples that only through an understanding of the Old Testament will the deep significance of his death, resurrection, and global proclamation be seen as the apex of all of redemptive history (Lk. 24:44-49). From the beginning of the church age, the apostles' task was to communicate these deep realities in different cultures and contexts---even when the concepts themselves were highly offensive (or ridiculous) to their hearers (1 Cor. 1:18-31).

The confession that Jesus is the Christ, Son of the living God, first ventured by Peter at Caesarea Philippi (Mt 16:16), is the heart of the Christian faith. This confession makes one a Christian, and all Christian theology is thinking in the light of this confession. The first major theological decision of the church resulting from such believing thought was the affirmation of the essential deity of Jesus as the Son of God. As such he was declared to be of one essence with the Father and the Spirit (the dogma of the Trinity promulgated at Nicaea, AD 325).

5. What will cross-bearing look like for new believers in your context? And in what ways are the new believers to be "salt and light" in their communities? Are new believers truly ready to suffer for Christ? How will you prepare them?

Biblical guidelines to consider: While there are many places in the world where visible persecution on account of Christ does not occur, the Bible anticipates suffering as part of every believer's experience (Phil. 1:27-28, 1 Pet. 4:12-19). The apostle Paul experienced great persecution as a missionary and reminded fellow believers that anyone who desires to live for Christ will also be persecuted (2 Tim. 3:12). Jesus taught that his followers would experience suffering and persecution on account of him, sometimes coming from their own friends and family (Matt. 10:16-33). When persecution occurs, there must be prayerful discernment whether to stay and endure persecution or to flee from it (Matthew 10:23; Luke 21:21; Acts 9:24-25). The all-surpassing pleasure to be found in Christ enables and drives radical self-denial in the life of the believer (Lk. 9:23-26).

Sub-questions to consider:

When does "salt lose its saltiness" in your host community? How is the light of Christ shining, or hidden under a bushel in your host community (Mark 9:42-49)?

How are God's "chosen ones" proclaiming the excellencies of him who called them out of darkness and into his marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9)?

6. How will you present the gospel in such a way that Jesus is the stumbling block (not cultural practices, leadership style, dress, customs, habits)?

Biblical guidelines to consider: Paul strove to communicate the gospel clearly and compellingly both in his speech and his lifestyle. When his financial support was an obstacle, he made tents to support himself (1 Thes. 2:5-9). His aim was to orient his life in such a way that the only stumbling block to faith was the message of Jesus crucified (1 Cor. 1:18-31). He rejected the notion of avoiding persecution by adhering to former religious practices (Gal. 6:12-14). Paul's evangelism was grounded in the reality that, though Paul planted and Apollos watered, only God could give the growth (1 Cor. 3:6-7). Because of this precious reality, there was no impetus for Paul to impress people with flawless oratory or esoteric knowledge (1 Cor. 1:17, 2:1-5).

7. How will you proclaim the gospel with gentleness, respect, and with all boldness in your host context (especially in highly restricted areas)?

Biblical guidelines to consider: The apostle Peter teaches that in a hostile environment we should communicate the gospel with gentleness and respect (1 Peter 3:15-16). Yet when Peter is dragged before local leadership, beaten, and told not to preach the name of Jesus, he declared "we cannot but tell all that we have seen and heard." This was followed by fervent prayer with the body of Christ for greater boldness as the Word of God was fulfilled (Acts 4:29-30).

As ministers of the gospel, we are being sent out as sheep in the midst of wolves (Lk. 10:3). Jesus exhorts us to be "wise as serpents and innocent as doves" (Matt. 10:16) in our gospel-ministry. When we are dragged before religious authorities and secular governors we will have opportunity, in the midst of persecution and physical suffering, to communicate his supremacy. We find confidence in the Father's promise to give words to speak by his Spirit (Matt. 10:19-20).

8. What role will the predominant holy books of the people (like the Qur'an) have in your ministry? How will you demonstrate the supreme and exclusive authority of the Bible among peoples whom revere other so-called sacred texts as the supreme authority?

Biblical guidelines to consider: While the New Testament indicates that there is a place for using brief quotes from local religious or cultural literature as a pointer to Christ (Acts 17:23, 28; Titus 1:12), the apostles were exceedingly careful to show that God's Word alone is the ultimate and authoritative truth (2 Tim 3:16-17). The ongoing comparative study of the Bible with any other religious book is unheard of in the New Testament and runs the risk of subtly affirming the other religious book as equally authoritative to the Bible. We must be careful in our discipleship to distinguish the supreme authority of the Bible above every other "holy book," striving to understand the uniqueness of the Word of Christ and its purpose in redemptive history (Jn. 17:17; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Romans 10:17).

Sub-questions to consider:

Will using extensive quotes or studying local "holy books" (like the Qur'an), in an attempt to point to the supremacy of Christ, serve to undermine or confirm one's faith in its divine inspiration?

If the local "holy book" is regarded as "divinely inspired" (even in part) by the missionary, how does he explain the canonicity and ultimate authority of the Bible? (A 1995 survey of national C5 MBBs, representing 68 congregations from 66 villages, revealed that 96 percent still believed that the Qur'an was divinely inspired; 66 percent said that the Qur'an was the greater than the Bible; and 45 percent felt peace or close to Allah when listening to the reading of the Qur'an.)

9. How will you instruct the new believer in Christ regarding his/her involvement in former institutions of worship (like the mosque)?

Biblical guidelines to consider: The new believer's understanding of his/her identity in Christ and the implications of being a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17) and a member of Christ's body (1 Cor. 12:7, 27), will affect his view of former institutions of worship (Eph. 19:18-20, 26-27). There are significant redemptive-historical differences between the interaction of early church believers with the Jewish temples and synagogues, and the believer's interactions with other religious institutions (mosques, temples, shrines, etc.). Jesus himself declared, "salvation is from the Jews" (John 4:22). Jesus and the apostles preached a gospel that has the power to save all who believe solely from the Hebrew Scriptures (Lk. 24:44-49; Rom. 1:16).

Therefore, we must be careful not to assume that any religion or religious writings that bear similarities to Judaism (like Islam) be essentially equated with Judaism. Salvation is not from any other people or religion, nor do any other religious writings have the power to save. New believers who are truly repentant and growing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ will eventually and inevitably feel compelled to sever all connections with their former Christ-denying religion and way of life. (Acts 19:18-20; 2 Cor. 5:17). Therefore, we should be careful not to violate the teachings of our Lord Jesus, or the consciences of new believers, by instructing them to remain cultural/religious "insiders" (Mt. 10:21-25; Lk. 9:59-62).

Sub-questions to consider:

For Muslim fields, will saying the shahada (explicitly or implicitly by being in a mosque at prayer times) be understood by the local community as your adherence to Islam?

What are other Muslim phrases or practices that could give the false impression to the community that you are a Muslim?

Does the academy pose a threat to the faith? Peter Williams (right), warden at Tyndale House, Cambridge, and Simon Gathercole (center), senior lecturer in New Testament Studies at Cambridge University, have reached the highest levels of scholarship and maintained evangelical faith. But how?

Justin Taylor sat down last month with these two accomplished scholars in Louisville and discussed the challenges of maintaining robust orthodoxy in academia and the importance of the local church. He kicked off the conversation by asking Williams to offer a short explanation for why we should take note of Gathercole's research on the Gospel of Thomas.

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