Propitiation as the Ground for Christus Victor

The "Christ the Victor" approach is a helpful way to present the Gospel to Muslims because, among other things, it goes straight to many Muslims' felt needs- a fear of Satan, demons, and jinn.  Many Muslims in the world live in constant anxiety of the unseen world, so sharing Jesus as the one who has defeated Satan can be helpful starting point for talking about the cross.  Interestingly, the Christus Victor theme appears first in the Biblical storyline of the Messiah (Gen. 3:15).

But it is important to relatize how Jesus' victory over Satan relates to Jesus' substitutionary death for our sins.  "Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8).  How does Jesus' death constitute a victory over Satan? Keep reading.


Propitiation as the Ground for Christus Victor: "
John Murray:

Redemption from sin cannot be adequately conceived or formulated except as it comprehends the victory which Christ secured once for all over him who is the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air . . .

[I]t is impossible to speak in terms of redemption from the power of sin except as there comes within the range of this redemptive accomplishment the destruction of the power of darkness.

(Redemption—Accomplished and Applied, p. 50)

Colossians 2:14-15 is a key verse in this regard.

Paul lists two results of Christ’s work on the cross: (1) Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities, and (2) he publicly shamed them.

How? By triumphing over them in himself.

So how does Christ bearing God’s wrath for sinners, taking their sin as a substitute, constitute a victory over Satan?

George Smeaton (1814–1889), Professor of Exegetical Theology at New College, Edinburgh, provides the answer.

Sin was (1) the ground of Satan’s dominion, (2) the sphere of his power, and (3) the secret of his strength; and no sooner was the guilt lying on us extinguished, than his throne was undermined, as Jesus Himself said (John 12:31). When the guilt of sin was abolished, Satan’s dominion over God’s people was ended; for the ground of his authority was the law which had been violated, and the guilt which had been incurred. . . .

[A]ll the mistakes have arisen from not perceiving with sufficient clearness how the triumph could be celebrated on His cross. (The Apostles’ Doctrine of the Atonement (Edinburgh, T. & T. Clark, 1870), 307–308; my emphasis and numbering)

In other words, Satan’s power is based on sin and guilt; Christ’s death meant the ultimate death of sin, guilt, and death itself; and thus Satan was ultimately defanged by Christ’s atoning work.

As Smeaton says, “it was on God’s part at once a victory and a display of all God’s attributes, to the irretrievable ruin, dismay, and confusion of satanic powers.”

So it’s not Christus Victor (Christ defeating his enemies) instead of propitiation (Christ bearing God’s wrath)–rather, it’s Christus Victor because of propitiation. Both are gloriously important, but only in that order."

What are the other benefits of the "Christus Victor" approach in sharing the Gospel with Muslims?

Followers of Jesus in Islamic Mosques, Tennent IJFM Fall 2006

Last night I posted an article on C5 contextualization that I liked, only to realize tonight after reading Followers of Jesus (Isa) in Islamic Mosques: A Closer Examination of C-5 "High-Spectrum" Contextualization that what I liked about it was the C4 parts!

The article was written by Timothy Tennent and is now a chapter in a book he later published. I encourage you to read the whole article (15 pages). Here are Tennent’s conclusions from the Biblical/Exegetical section (pg. 109):

In conclusion, this survey demonstrates that the key texts and the commentaries/expositions about these texts in C-5 literature fall into two general categories: 1. Texts and commentary which actually support C-4 and are not germane to the C-5 discussion. 2. A wide-spread use of proof-texting whereby a pre-determined conclusion has already been reached and then texts are found which provide some kind of vague support for the idea.

From the Theological section (pg. 111-112):

In conclusion, an examination of the current evidence of the theological content of C-5 believers in Jesus as well as the general theological framework of the advocates of C-5 reveals the following. First, C-5 writings tend towards theological reductionism by tacitly embracing a narrow, minimalistic view of salvation. If these new believers are not encouraged to unite their fledgling faith with the faith of the church, then it is unlikely that these new believers will be able to properly reproduce the faith, which is the whole reason the C-5 strategy exists; namely, to reduce every possible barrier so that the gospel can more easily reproduce among Muslims. Second, the theological framework and analysis present in C-5 writings has been overly influenced by Western individualism and the privatization of faith which tends to keep the doctrines of soteriology and ecclesiology at arms length. Joshua Massey concedes this point when he observes that “C-5 nomenclature was quickly adopted by those whose theology of mission is more Christ-centered than church-centered.” While Massey is quite correct in criticizing an ecclesiology which merely extends a Western, structural form of Christianity into the Muslim world, we must not forget that we cannot have a Christ-centered theology of mission which does not place the church at the center of Christ’s redemptive plan. Rejecting this old “proselyte-model” does not and should not necessitate a rejection of a proper ecclesiology. Indeed, as Lesslie Newbigin has pointed out, “true conversion involves both a new creation from above…. [and] also a relationship with the existing community of believers.” To encourage Muslim believers to retain their self-identity as Muslims and to not find practical ways to identify themselves with the larger community of those who worship Jesus Christ reveals a view of the church that is clearly sub-Christian.

Finally, the separation of the ‘personal’ from the ‘propositional’ in the Muslim world can only lead to a dangerous separation of the person of Christ from the church’s proclamation about Christ. This separation fails to attend to the proper connection between our personal testimony (however thrilling and exciting) and the Apostolic proclamation of the gospel. This is not just a hypothetical concern, as this dichotomy has already begun to emerge in such articles as, “Proclaiming a ‘Theologyless’ Christ” by Herbert Hoefer, a leading proponent of ‘high spectrum’ contextualization. Hoefer writes, “Can we look upon the church as a house with many doors? It doesn’t matter which door you use to enter. As you explore the house, you will come to the fullness of truth. The key to each door in the house is the acceptance of Jesus as Lord of one’s life. How one explains that is a matter of freedom and creativity, in consultation with the others in the house.” The unintended result of this view is that personal experience can be used to ignore the specifics of the Apostolic proclamation. Or to put it in the popular terminology of post-modernism, the Apostolic ‘meta-narrative’ takes a back seat to the personal narratives of those who come to Christ. However, our personal faith in Christ must be brought into resonance with the Apostolic proclamation about Christ. Undoubtedly, millions of people come to Christ every year with a deficient theology. But it is central to the task of discipleship to help new believers conform their faith to the faith of the church. Pragmatism and cultural accommodations can never be allowed to trump the theological integrity of the gospel message. This is not to raise questions about the justification of any of these new believers, but rather it is a commitment to make sure that from the very beginning we are committed to raising up believers whose personal faith resonates with the “faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints” (Jude 3).

From the Ethical Issues section (pg 113):

In short, one’s religious identity with Jesus Christ creates a necessary rupture with one’s Islamic identity or our identity in Jesus Christ would mean nothing. It is unethical to pretend this discontinuity does not exist or to act as if it is merely a matter of cultural forms. Rather, as I have often been told by missionaries who work in the Islamic world, it is more like a ‘fifth column’ inside Islam which, when discovered by Muslims creates such a strong negative reaction that it inadvertently damages the credibility of Christians and feeds further distrust towards those who follow Christ. A more open witness in a straightforward, but contextually sensitive way seems to hold the greatest promise for effective and ethical Christian penetration into the Muslim world.

From the Conclusion (pg. 113):

I think that the best approach is to see C-5 as a temporary, transitional bridge by which some Muslims are crossing over into explicit Christian faith, hopefully to one of a C-3 or C-4 character. On the one hand, a wide number of C-3 and C-4 church movements have long and distinguished track records showing that they are sustaining faith in the lives of MBBs without major cultural disruption and yet maintaining historic Christian orthodoxy.

Phil Parshall said this in response to the article (pg. 125):

Thorough, thoughtful and respectful. Dr. Tennent has done a masterful job of incisively disecting the major issues that differentiate the C’s. Of all the writings on the subject, this is the work that goes deeper and broader in setting forth the problems many are experiencing with C5 or as it is also known, the “Insider Movement.”

I so appreciated the theological focus. It is interesting how both C4 and C5 utilize the same Scriptures to bolster their positions. The exception is I Cor. 7:20, which I have never understood as a C5 apologetic. These verses are clearly on another track.

Tennent more than adequately discounts the comparison of First Century Jewish converts to Christianity being aligned with 21st Century C5 “Insiders.” The differences loom too large to ignore.

I would also agree that “Muslim Believer” would be a more appropriate term for C5 believers than “Muslim Background Believer.” However, some C5ers advocate only the identity of “Muslim” with no qualifier.

One of my frustrations has been that the Insider Movement uses the same arguments to bolster their position as C4 folk do, and then make it sound like it originated with them. We C4 missionaries, for 30 years, have been an Insider Movement—have always advocated MBBs remaining in their culture, job, family, and sociological circle. Our strong position is to avoid what we consider to be theological and/or ethical compromise. I do recognize that we come out on different sides of the fence as to what comprises compromise!

YES to C5 as a starting point, but always with a laser beam focus on going down the scale to C4 within an appropriate timeframe. And always with a focus on keeping MBBs maximally within their own sociological structures.

Let me be clear. I have high esteem for my colleagues who are engaged in the “Insider” approach to Muslim ministry. I do not consider them to be ultra-pragmatists or purposefully deceitful. They long for the Kingdom to be extended. Our methodologies may, at times, be in conflict, but not our hearts’ desire that Muslims come to explicit faith in Christ.

May our Lord be glorified as we seek to proclaim the “only name whereby men may be saved.”

Messianic Muslim Followers of Isa, Travis IJFM Spring 2000

Here is the conclusion of the 7 page article Messianic Muslim Followers of Isa: A Closer Look at C5 Believers and Congregations in the Spring 2000 issue of IJFM by John Travis:

Some Muslims who receive Christ as Savior deliberately choose a C5 [Christ-centered Communities of "Messianic Muslims" Who Have Accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior] expression of faith, not for their own sake (e.g., Soleh was prepared to join a church), but for the sake of the lost who would be far less likely to receive truth from outsiders (i.e., "Christians"). Others, like Taufik and Achmad, love Jesus, but simply see staying in the Muslim community as something natural.

There are surely points at which C5 believers must reject the theology of non-Messianic Muslims. Clearly, one can't affirm two completely opposite statements as true (e.g., "Jesus died on a cross," and "Jesus didn't die on a cross"). Therefore, C5 believers will be found to have "aberrant" beliefs. However, when confronted by family and friends with their deviance from Islamic orthodoxy, we have seen the Holy Spirit empower C5 believers to reply with amazing answers (Col. 4:6; Mt. 10:19, 20). They often present reinterpretations of particular Qur'anic verses, bringing much glory to Jesus.

Furthermore, it should be noted that the "aberrance" of C5 Messianic theology almost pales in comparison to the "aberrance" of numerous folk beliefs and shamanistic Muslim practices that saturate popular Islam in our context. Therefore, the way in which C5 believers are received by the larger Muslim community will depend on a variety of factors such as tolerated Islamic heterodoxy, country, ethnicity, local politics, size of the local mosque, and so on. C5 may be appropriate in certain milieus, but not in others. Again, we need to affirm the diversity found throughout the C1-C6 spectrum.

It is possible that C5 may only be a temporary option. Few case C5 studies have been documented, and none go back far enough to watch C5 dynamics across several generations of time. C5 may prove to only be a transitional stage, ending when believers choose, or are forced by the Muslim community, to leave Islam, thereby moving to another point on the C1-C6 spectrum. The first century Jews gathered regularly in the temple with non-Messianic Jews, and in homes with fellow Messianic Jews (Acts 2:46-47). However, in time Jewish authorities began expelling any Jew who believed Jesus was the Messiah. It is noteworthy that this separation of the two communities was not initiated by Jewish believers. Still, many Jews and Jewish leaders came to faith in the intermittent years. The same sequence of events could eventually happen to today's Messianic Muslims. Meanwhile, MBBs like Soleh who stay in their community may be used of God to usher millions of Muslims into His Kingdom.

While we must be careful to guard against syncretism, we must also be mindful that ascent to perfect theological propositions is not the apex of the coming Kingdom that Jesus proclaimed. All our work must be judged according to Scripture. So let us pray for these infant, emerging C5 congregations. In particular, please join us in praying for Taufik, Achmad, Abdul, Soleh and all the people whom their witness touches.

Report: Nearly 1 in 4 people is Muslim

Report: Nearly 1 in 4 people is Muslim: "(CNN) -- Nearly one in four people worldwide is Muslim -- and they are not necessarily where you might think, according to an extensive new study that aims to map the global Muslim population.

Nearly two out of three of the world's Muslims are in Asia, stretching from Turkey to Indonesia.

India, a majority-Hindu country, has more Muslims than any country except for Indonesia and Pakistan, and more than twice as many as Egypt.

China has more Muslims than Syria.

Germany has more Muslims than Lebanon.

And Russia has more Muslims than Jordan and Libya put together.

Nearly two out of three of the world's Muslims are in Asia, stretching from Turkey to Indonesia.

The Middle East and north Africa, which together are home to about one in five of the world's Muslims, trail a very distant second.

There are about 1.57 billion Muslims in the world, according to the report, "Mapping the Global Muslim Population," by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. That represents about 23 percent of the total global population of 6.8 billion.

There are about 2.25 billion Christians, based on projections from the 2005 World Religions Database.

Brian Grim, the senior researcher on the Pew Forum project, was slightly surprised at the number of Muslims in the world, he told CNN.

"Overall, the number is higher than I expected," he said, noting that earlier estimates of the global Muslim population have ranged from 1 billion to 1.8 billion.

The report can -- and should -- have implications for United States policy, said Reza Aslan, the best-selling Iranian-American author of "No God but God."

"Increasingly, the people of the Middle East are making up a smaller and smaller percentage of the worldwide Muslim community," he told CNN by phone.

"When it comes to issues of outreach to the Muslim world, these numbers will indicate that outreach cannot be focused so narrowly on the Middle East," he said.

"If the goal is to create better understanding between the United States and the Muslim world, our focus should be on south and southeast Asia, not the Middle East," he said.

He spoke to CNN before the report was published and without having seen its contents, but was familiar with the general trends the report identified.

The team at the Pew Forum spent nearly three years analyzing "the best available data" from 232 countries and territories, Grim said.

Their aim was to get the most comprehensive snapshot ever assembled of the world's Muslim population at a given moment in time.

So they took the data they gathered from national censuses and surveys, and projected it forward based on what they knew about population growth in each country.

They describe the resulting report as "the largest project of its kind to date."

It's full of details that even the researchers found surprising.

"There are these countries that we don't think of as Muslim at all, and yet they have very sizable numbers of Muslims," said Alan Cooperman, the associate director of research for the Pew Forum, naming India, Russia and China.

One in five of the world's Muslims lives in a country where Muslims are a minority.

And while most people think of the Muslim population of Europe is being composed of immigrants, that's only true in western Europe, Cooperman said.

"In the rest of Europe -- Russia, Albania, Kosovo, those places -- Muslims are an indigenous population," he said. "More than half of the Muslims in Europe are indigenous."

The researchers also were surprised to find the Muslim population of sub-Saharan Africa to be as low as they concluded, Cooperman said.

It has only about 240 million Muslims -- about 15 percent of all the world's Muslims.

Islam is thought to be growing fast in the region, with countries such as Nigeria, which has large populations of both Christians and Muslims, seeing violence between the two groups.

The Pew researchers concluded that Nigeria is just over half Muslim, making it the sixth most populous Muslim country in the world.

Roughly nine out of 10 Muslims worldwide are Sunni, and about one in 10 is Shiite, they estimated.

They warned they were less confident of those numbers than of the general population figures because sectarian data is harder to come by.

"Only one or two censuses in the world ... have ever asked the sectarian question," said Grim.

"Among Muslims it's a very sensitive question. If asked, large numbers will say I am just a Muslim -- not that they don't know, but it is a sensitive question in many places," he said.

One in three of the world's Shiite Muslims lives in Iran, which is one of only four countries with a Shiite majority, he said. The others are Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain.

Huge as the project of mapping the world's Muslim population is, it is only the first step in a Pew Forum undertaking.

Next year, the think tank intends to release a report projecting Muslim population growth into the future, and then the researchers intend to do the whole thing over again with Christians, followed by other faith groups.

"We don't care only about Muslims," Grim said.

They're also digging into what people believe and practice, since the current analysis doesn't analyze that.

"This is no way reflects the religiosity of people, only their self-identification," Grim said. "We're trying to get the overall picture of religion in the world."

Report: Top 10 Muslim countries, by population

1. Indonesia: 202,867,000 (country is 88.2 percent Muslim)
2. Pakistan: 174,082,000 (country is 96.3 percent Muslim)
3. India: 160,945,000 (country is 13.4 percent Muslim)
4. Bangaldesh: 145,312,000 (country is 89.6 percent Muslim)
5. Egypt: 78,513,000 (country is 94.6 percent Muslim)
6. Nigeria: 78,056,000 (country is 50.4 percent Muslim)
7. Iran: 73,777,000 (country is 99.4 percent Muslim)
8. Turkey: 73,619,000 (country is about 98 percent Muslim)
9. Algeria: 34,199,000 (country is 98 percent Muslim)
10. Morocco: 31,993,000 (country is about 99 percent Muslim)"

Islam In Focus

Here is a popular book about Islam written by a Muslim.  Just browsing the Table of Contents below is educational.  Notice how little "theology" there is compared with "law."  In my understanding, Islam assumes people are good by nature, yet forgetful.  Therefore the goal of Islamic spirituality is to give humankind constant reminders of how to live a life acceptable to God.

You don't need to download the book from the link below- it is here.  (But if you do download it from the link below Dustin recommends software like Zipeg for the rar file.  I use WinRAR.)  Unfortunately the formatting of the PDF makes for a very difficult read.

Islam In Focus: "

Hammudah ‘Abd al ‘Ati Language: English Format: PDF Pages: 118 Size: 1.5 MB

Newest available publication of this now famous book, thoroughly updated and edited, approved for sale by the Abdulati family. Published by amana publications. This book is the most popular written document on Islam. With its living and resourceful style, the book addresses both the young educated and the adult intellectual in a scholarly yet fresh and simple mode of thinking and presentation.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER – ONE

THE IDEOLOGICAL FOUNDATION OF ISLAM ………..4
Allah (God)…………..4
THE MEANING OF ISLAM ……………………8
THE FUNDAMENTAL ARTICLES OF FAITH IN ISLAM………11
REMARKS……………..19

CHAPTER – TWO

THE BASIC CONCEPTS OF ISLAM …………………..20
The Concept of Faith (Iman) ……………………20
THE CONCEPT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (BIRR)…………..22
THE CONCEPT OF PIETY (TAQWA) …………….22
THE CONCEPT OF PROPHETHOOD……………..23
THE CONCEPT OF LIFE ………………….24
THE CONCEPT OF RELIGION……………….25
THE CONCEPT OF SIN…………………….26
THE CONCEPT OF FREEDOM…………………..28
THE CONCEPT OF EQUALITY…………………….29
THE CONCEPT OF BROTHERHOOD…………30
THE CONCEPT OF PEACE…………………….30
THE CONCEPT OF COMMUNITY…………………..31
THE CONCEPT OF MORALITY………………..33
THE CONCEPT OF THE UNIVERSE …………….39

CHAPTER – THREE

THE APPLICATION OF FAITH……………43
THE PURPOSE OF PRAYER…………………..44
THE CONDITIONS OF PRAYER ………………45
THE KINDS OF PRAYER ……………………46
THE TIMES OF PRAYER ……………………46
THE PARTIAL ABLUTION (WUDU’) ……………47
NULLIFICATION OF THE ABLUTION ………48
COMPLETE SUBSTITUTE FOR THE ABLUTION (TAYAMMUM)……48
SPECIAL FACILITIES IN ABLUTION …………….49
THE COMPLETE ABLUTION (GHUSL/BATH) ……..49
THE PRAYER CALL (ADHAN) ………..49
ENTRANCE INTO PRAYER (IQAMAH)………………50
THE PERFORMANCE OF PRAYER …………..50
THE EARLY MORNING PRAYER (SALATU-L-FAJR) ………….50
THE NOON PRAYER (SALATU-Z-ZUHR) ……………52
THE MID-AFTERNOON PRAYER (SALATU-L-’ASR)…………52
THE SUNSET PRAYER ( SALATU-L-MAGHRIB) ……………52
THE EVENING PRAYER (SALATU-L-‘ISHA’) ……..52
THE CONGREGATIONAL (JAMA’AH) PRAYERS……..54
THE FRIDAY PRAYER (SALATU-L-JUMU’AH) …….55
THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THE FRIDAY PRAYER………55
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ‘EED PRAYERS …………56
THE PERFORMANCE OF ‘EED PRAYERS (SALATU-L-‘EED) …….58
SHORTENING OF THE PRAYER ………………………60
TIMES WHEN PRAYER IS FORBIDDEN…….60
MAKING UP FOR DELAYED PRAYERS ………….60
THE TARAWEEH PRAYERS …………..60
INVALIDATION OF PRAYERS………..61
THE FUNERAL PRAYERS (SALATU-L-JANAZAH) …………61
GENERAL REMARKS ON PRAYER …………..63
The Fatihah (The Opening or Al-Hamd)……… 64
THE FIRST PART……………………64
THE SECOND PART ………………65
SHORT PASSAGES OF THE QUR’ AN ………….65
THE FASTING (SAWM) ………………66
FASTING IN COMPARATIVE PERSPECTIVE ……..68
THE PERIOD OF FASTING………………69
WHO MUST FAST? ……………….70
EXEMPTION FROM FASTING…………..70
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS …….71
THE ALMS (ZAKAH)………..72
THE RATE OF ZAKAH………..73
THE DUE RECIPIENTS OF ZAKAH ……….74
THE PILGRIMAGE (HAJJ)………………..75
CONCLUDING REMARKS ABOUT THE HAJJ …….77
FINAL REMARKS CONCERNING THE APPLICATION OF FAITH………..78

CHAPTER – FOUR
THE APPLICATION OF ISLAM TO DAILY LIFE ……….79
THE SPIRITUAL LIFE ……………………79
THE INTELLECTUAL LIFE …………………79
THE EXTERNAL NATURE…………….81
THE PERSONAL LIFE ……………………81
Purity and Cleanliness ……………81
Diet……………….81
Clothing and Adornment ……………..82
Sports and Amusements…………. 83
THE FAMILY LIFE ……………………..84
The Meaning of Marriage ……………….85
THE PERMANENCE OF MARRIAGE……………..86
THE HUSBAND – WIFE RELATIONSHIP………..87
THE WIFE’ S RIGHTS: THE HUSBAND’ S OBLIGATIONS ……87
COMPONENTS OF MAINTENANCE………..87
NON-MATERIAL RIGHTS………88
THE WIFE’ S OBLIGATIONS: THE HUSBAND’ S RIGHTS …….88
THE CHILD’ S RIGHTS : THE PARENTS DUTIES …………88
THE CHILD’ S RIGHTS : THE PARENTS DUTIES …………89
THE CHILD’ S DUTIES: THE PARENTS RIGHTS ……….90
OTHER ASPECTS OF THE FAMILY LIFE ………….91
THE SOCIAL LIFE ……………….92
THE ECONOMIC LIFE…………………95
THE POLITICAL LIFE ………..98
THE INTERNATIONAL LIFE………………..104

CHAPTER – FIVE

DISTORTIONS ABOUT ISLAM ………..107
THE HOLY WAR ( JIHAD ) ……………107
JESUS, SON OF MARY ………………..117
POLYGAMY (PLURALITY OF WIVES) ….125
MARRIAGE AND DIVORCE……….137
THE STATUS OF WOMAN IN ISLAM ……….141

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“What do missionaries do?” by Michael Griffiths « Until All Have Heard

From : “What do missionaries do?” by Michael Griffiths « Until All Have Heard

"THIS SEEMS A GLARINGLY obvious question, but I have found from experience that even Christians who ought to know better give a variety of vague answers that fall short of a biblical answer. To do good, to preach the gospel, to save souls, to heal the sick, to baptize bodies are all good and true answers, but fall short of what stands out a mile in the New testament account in Acts. What did those first apostolic missionaries like Paul, Barnabas, Silas and Timothy actually do? Certainly they did preach and teach, heal and serve – but why? For what purpose? Not just to save individual souls. Acts is absolutely clear. They planted churches.

Now this is something that needs emphasizing. We live in a day of techniques, methodologies and specializations. Enthusiastic individuals found new movements and organizations specializing in evangelizing young people, students or hospital patients; or provide useful services by translating the Bible, flying airplanes, relieving famines, broadcasting, helping refugees, printing and distributing literature, or making a host of other excellent and worthy contributions to the Christian cause. We should note that most of these movements have arisen first in countries where there is already an existing network of local churches of various denominations. But we must never lose sight of the fact that such organizations are only auxiliary, ancillary, secondary and supplementary to the chief task of missions, which is to plant new churches.

Unless we see this clearly, we shall be misled about the nature of missionary work. It is obviously excellent that the gospel should be preached by every possible means to all sorts of people, and that tracts should be widely distributed and every opportunity taken for witness. But we should not think that by doing so we have necessarily accomplished anything permanent and lasting. We know that for every thousand tracts distributed, only a few will be read and only a very few of those read in such a way as to bring people to faith in Christ. Again only a relatively small portion of non-Christians ever get into Christian meetings at all, and only some of those get converted.

While all these specialized groups do a worthy work, then, they need to do it in such a way as to assist a solid church-planting work so that the growing church can nurture and build up those who may be reached by such methods. In recent years there has been a fresh realization that the local churches are the best soul-winning agencies there are.

This biblical emphasis on a church-planting will also warn us of the grave limitations of short-term outreach in which young people spend a few weeks or months “blitzing” an area with the gospel. This kind of service is excellent for training, for enabling young people to see the immensity of the need; but on its own it is an inadequate means of planting churches. Church-planting requires the patient work and steady slog of preaching, teaching disciples and building them together into viable self-propagating congregations. This requires the ability to speak and teach clearly in the local language, to understand and respond to problems created by the local culture, and that knowledge of people, places and situations that make a Christian worker not only devoted, but relevant to the situation of people where they are. Above all, the church-planter needs to work in one place for an extended period of time.

So quite unequivocally I want to stress that missionary work must always center on the local church –and that means that in pioneer areas, the primary, long-term task of missionaries must be to plant churches… Church-planters are the infantry of God’s army: there may be more colorful groups of cavalry, commandos, artillery, signals, engineers and ordinance, but they all exist to serve the main body so that they can win battles.

Michael Griffiths “What on Earth Are You Doing?” (1983)"

Related: Church Planting or Development? Word and Deed in Biblical Balance

talk of "the Christian West"

My friend and quasi-professor "KM" (I will link to him when he starts his blog!) sent me this quote from D.A. Carson, Christ and Culture Revisited, p. 195-6, emphasis added:

From a Christian point of view, it is unhelpful to speak of "the Christian West" or of "our Christian nation" or the like. In America, this is not only because of the legal force of the First Amendment (however that is interpreted) but also because nowadays the numeric shift in numbers of Christians, from West to East and from North to South, is so dramatic that such expressions sound increasingly parochial and out of date. Still more important, talk of "the Christian West" actually stifles the advance of the gospel in parts of the world where countervailing religions and ideologies want people to believe in the stereotype of the Christian West so that Christian claims can be dismissed as merely western. Above all, Christians who wish to be faithful to the Bible will remind themselves of their heavenly citizenship. Not to understand this is to identify too closely with the kingdoms and orders of this world, with disastrous results both materially and spiritually. As Peter Swift has put it, "If a Muslim becomes a Christian, the civilizational cost is self-evident; he becomes estranged from his roots, and those he leaves behind are dismayed at the civilizational defection their loved one has undergone. The cost of becoming a disciple of Jesus is to leave behind the civilizations of this world and find one's identity within the Kingdom of God. What a tragedy if that cost is cheapened by being perceived as a move westward rather than heavenward!" Of course, the complementary truth is that we do live here and now in some particular country [and culture], and as Paul can declare himself to be a Roman, so I may declare myself to be Ugandan, or Canadian, or Australian, or French, or Japanese. Certainly there ought to be no confusion for Christians as to where their primary identity lies, even while they remember that the Christian Scriptures themselves enjoin us to submit to the authority of the state except where doing so involves believers in disobedience to the God in whom all authority is finally grounded.

One of the reasons why we should be very careful using the word, "Christian."  We want to be identified with King Jesus, not the "Christian West."

What is a church? Evans Definition

From Wendell Evans, Church Planting in the Arab-Muslim World (Upper Darby, Pa.: Arab World Ministries, 1986), p. 2:

A local church is a grouping of members of the universal church, with sufficient structure to demonstrate its corporate identity, within its given social and cultural context, and to carry out its corporate functions of worship, edification, and outreach.

We have defined what we believe to be the essential elements of an autonomous functioning local church as:

• Baptized believers.
• Christian families.
• Scripturally qualified and locally recognized leaders.
• Meeting place(s) independent of the expatriate church planter.
• Assumption of responsibility for finances and ministry by the local group.

Source: EWI pg. 382