Contextualisation of the Gospel: Towards an evangelical approach in the light of Scripture and the

282 Pages·2017·2.72 MB·English

by  Andrew James Prince

Australian Catholic University
ACU Research Bank
Teses Document Types
6-11-2015
Contextualisation of the Gospel: Towards an
evangelical approach in the light of Scripture and
the church Fathers
Andrew James Prince
Follow this and additional works at: htps://researchbank.acu.edu.au/theses
Part of the Religious Tought, Teology and Philosophy of Religion Commons
Recommended Citation
Prince, A. J. (2015). Contextualisation of the Gospel: Towards an evangelical approach in the light of Scripture and the church Fathers
(Tesis, Australian Catholic University). Retrieved from htps://doi.org/10.4226/66/5a9cc16cb0bac
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Contextualisation of the Gospel: Towards an
evangelical approach in the light of Scripture and
the church Fathers

A thesis submitted to the Australian Catholic University Faculty of
Theology and Philosophy in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of
Doctor of Theology

Andrew James Prince BVSc DipMin BTh MAMin

Graduate Research Office
Australian Catholic University
PO. Box 968
Tenison Woods House
Level 20, 8-20 Napier Street
North Sydney NSW 2060

th
Date of submission: Friday 6 November 2015
i
Certification

I certify that the substance of this thesis of approximately 98,000 words (including footnotes
and excurses but excluding the bibliography and any appendices) contains no material
published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a thesis by which I have qualified
or been awarded another degree or diploma.

No parts of this thesis have been submitted towards the award of any other degree or diploma
in any other institution.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgment in the main text of the
thesis.

………………..………………………….…………..……………………………………
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NAME: Andrew James Prince DATE: 6 November 2015

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ABSTRACT

This work is an attempt to extend and strengthen missiological method from an evangelical
perspective in the area of contextualisation. My thesis is that a missiological methodology
that is governed by Scripture, while also drawing from the church Fathers, the social sciences
and practical theology, is not only consistent with the nature of evangelicalism but also
consistent with the nature of missiology itself. The critical observation that the
contextualisation debate has been predominantly driven by insights gained from the social
sciences (particularly anthropology) and practical theology, with comparatively little insight
drawn from Scripture or the writings of the church Fathers has informed this thesis. The
investigation here challenges the imbalance of the relative contributions of these four
disciplines for contextualisation and offers new ways of thinking about mission, with
implications for future evangelical missiological praxis. My thesis is tested through an
examination of contextualisation from missiological, biblical, and historical perspectives,
seeking to identify and develop contextual principles thata re consistent with the nature of
evangelicalism. A survey of the literature on contextualisation reveals many contextual
principles that have informed missiological praxis overs ince the word was first introduced
into missiological vocabulary in 1972. A biblical examination of representative passages
from the book of Acts of the early church engaged in contextualisation to both Jewish and
Gentile audiences reveals various contextual principles which confirm, critique, or are
unique to those identified in the literature.F ollowing the establishment of the legitimacy of
John Chrysostom informing the contextualisation debate, an examination of representative
homilies of Chrysostom reveals contextual principles which confirm, critique, or are unique
to those identified in the literature or in the study of Acts. The research’s conclusion is that
an examination of contextualisation that draws from biblical studies, the church Fathers, the
social sciences, and practical theology is consistent with the nature of the discipline of
missiology from an evangelical perspective.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Dean Flemming’s monograph, Contextualization in the New Testament, was a revelation to
me. His ability to bring biblical studies and missiology together with such warmth, clarity,
and biblical fidelity opened up new vistas that set me on the path of my thesis topic. Professor
Flemming has been very generous in his encouragement throughout my research, reading
some early chapters, responding to some points of clarification of his book, and making time
to meet with me on two different continents. Professor Scott Moreau has likewise been a
great source of inspiration, and has also graciously met with me a number of times to discuss
my research, and provided support throughout the journey.

That this research has been completed is a tribute to those who have laboured patiently with
me. My supervisors, Associate Professor Bronwen Neil and Dr Raymond Laird, have been
patient guides, exemplary scholars, and a great source of encouragement. The quality of their
feedback would be the envy of many doctoral candidates. I have been very blessed to have
had access to such leading patristic scholars. Without them this research would simply not
have come to fruition. Dr Wendy Mayer has been a further source of encouragementm, aking
suggestions for further resources, and also reading through a draft of the thesis and offering
constructive feedback. Professor Pauline Allen and those part of the Centre for Early
Christian Studies, including Dr. Johan Ferreira, Dr. Geoffrey Dunn, Dr Chris Hanlon, and
Dinah Joesoef, have always been willing to offer advice, wisdom, and resources. Their
warmth and professionalism has been botha dmired and appreciated. Dr Richard Gibson and
Mr John Coulson from the Brisbane Schoolo f Theology have provided feedback on various
chapters of the thesis and have been a wonderful source of friendship ands upport. I am also
grateful to the BST Board for granting me a semester of study leave in 2013, which allowed
me to dedicate myself completely to crucial areas of the thesis. Many others too numerous
to name have contributed their encouragement in the task. A special thanks goes to Verena
Adrian and Witali Klein whose fluent German produced some years ago a far better
translation of parts of Gustav Warneck’s Evangelische Missionslehre than I could have
achieved alone. It would be extremely remiss of me to fail to give tribute to Susan, my wife.
She has been unfailing in her support throughout this whole project and has often carried
other aspects of our lives in order to free me up tou ndertake the research.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page ………………………………………………………………...…………………...i

Certification ………………………………………………………………………………..…ii

Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………iii

Acknowledgements .…………………………..……………………………………………..iv

Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………………….v

Abbreviations ………………………………………………………………………………..vi

Chapter one: Introduction ……...……………………………………………………………..1

Chapter two: The Contextualisation Debate ...……………..……..…………………………40

Chapter three: Contextualisation in Acts …….…..………………………………………….77

Chapter four: Bridging the gap: The case for appropriating the church Fathers for
contextualisation…………………………………………………….………121

Chapter five: Contextualisation in John Chrysostom …...........…………………………....159

Chapter six: Conclusion ……..…………………..……………………………………...…231

Bibliographies: Primary Sources ………………………………………………………….239

Secondary Sources ………………………………………………..…...….241

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ABBREVIATIONS

John Chrysostom

Adv. Jud. Adversus Judaeos
Adv. Jud. et Gen. Adv. Judaeos et Gentiles demonstratio quod Christus sit dues
C. Lud. et theat. Contra ludos et theatra
Bab. Jul. De Babyla contra Julianum et gentiles
De beat. Phil. De beato Philogonio
De Comp. De compunctione
De Incomp. De incomprehensibili Dei natura
De Sac. De sacerdotio
De Sac. Lib. De sacerdotio libri
De Stat. De Statuis
Goth. concin. Homilia habita postquam presbyter Gothus concionatus fuerat
In 1 Cor. In epistulam i ad Corinthios
In 2 Cor. In epistulam ii ad Corinthios
In Acta In Acta apostolorum
In Eph. In epistulam ad Ephesios
In Gen. In Genesim (homiliae 1-67)
In Heb. In epistulam ad Hebraeos
In Joan. In Joannem
In Matt. In Matthaeum
In Rom. In epistulam ad Romanos
In Phil. In epistulam ad Philippenses
In Philm. In epistulam Philemonem
In 1 Tim. In epistulam i ad Timotheum
In 2 Tim. In epistulam ii ad Timotheum
In Titum In epistulam ad Titum
Natal. In diem natalem Christi
Virginit. De virginitate

Ps-Martyrius

Orat. Funeb. Oratio funebris

Socrates/Sozomen/Theodoret

Hist. eccl. Historia Ecclesiastica

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Reference Books, Monograph Series and Other Source Material

ACU Australian Catholic University
ANF Ante-Nicene Fathers
ANTC Abingdon New Testament Commentaries
BDAG Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich
ECNT Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament
ECS Early Christian Studies
EMQ Evangelical Missions Quarterly
FOTC Fathers of The Church
GCS NF Die Griechischen Christlichen Schriftsteller. Neue Folge
HTR Harvard Theological Review
IBMR International Bulletin of Missionary Research
IJFM International Journal of Frontier Missiology
IVP InterVarsity Press
JBL Journal of Biblical Literature
NIBC New International Biblical Commentary
NICNT New International Commentary on the New Testament
NICOT New International Commentary on the Old Testamen t
NPNF Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers
NTCS New Testament Commentary Series
NTS New Testament Studies
PG Patrologia Graeca, ed., J.-P. Migne
RTR Reformed Theological Review
SBL Society of Biblical Literature
TLG Thesaurus Linguae Graecae
TNAC The New American Commentary
WBC Word Bible Commentary
WTJ Westminster Theological Journal
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION

There has been heightened interest in and prolific publication by missiologists about
1
contextualisation since the term was first coined in 1972. Various meanings, methods and
2
models of contextualisation have since been proposed. Contextualisation as a term
originated from the conciliar movement of the World Council of Churches leading to an
initial mistrust amongst some evangelicals in adopting it for fear of syncretism or
3
compromise. Over time, evangelicals in general have increasingly embraced the term as
they have redefined its meaning and contours. There has been ongoing debate, particularly
amongst evangelicals themselves, regarding which of these meanings, methods and models
4
of contextualisation are acceptable to use. The more recent application of contextualisation
to Muslim evangelism as part of the Insider Movement has sharpened the debate, with both
5
proponents and detractors arguing that their voice is the one to be heeded. Differing criteria
for both the practice and the critique of contextualisation practices have further muddied the
waters. There is a need for objective and consistent criteria to be used in the praxis of
contextualisation. Much of the debate has been carried out by academics and practitioners
whose observations and conclusions have been largely shaped by the social sciences and
6
practical theology. In contrast, the disciplines of biblical studies and Christian thought have
not featured significantly in the debate.

1
Theological Education Fund Staff, Ministry in Context: The Third Mandate Programme of the Theological
Education Fund 1970-1977 (Bromley: TEF, 1972), 28; David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm
Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll: Orbis, 1991), 420-432.
2
See David J. Hesselgrave and Edward Rommen, Contextualization: Meaning, Methods and Models
(Pasadena: William Carey, 1989); Stephen B. Bevans, Models of Contextual Theology, rev. ed. (Maryknoll:
Orbis, 2002); Matthew Cook, Rob Haskell, Ruth Julian, and Natee Tanchanpongs, Local Theology for the
Global Church: Principles for an Evangelical Approach to Contextualization (Pasadena: William Carey,
2010); Edward Rommen, Come and See: An Eastern Orthodox Perspective on Contextualization( Pasadena:
William Carey, 2013).
3
Bruce J. Nicholls, Contextualization: A Theology of Gospel and Culture( Vancouver: Regents College, 1979),
21-23.
4
A. Scott Moreau, Contextualization in World Missions (Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2012), 20.
5
For example, see proponent John Travis, “Must all Muslims Leave ‘Islam’ to Follow Jesus?” EMQ 34, no. 4
(Oct 1998): 411-415. For a detractor, see Phil Parshall, “DANGER! New Directions in Contextualization,”
EMQ 34, no. 4 (Oct 1998): 404-410.
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Practical theology includes missiology, evangelism, homiletics, spiritual formation, and pastoral theology.
The social sciences include anthropology, communications, history, linguistics, education, and sociology.
1
The purpose of this study is to establish that biblical studies and Christian thought in general
(and Scripture and the church Fathers in particular) have an essential contribution to make
in the contextualisation debate and should form part of an evangelical approach to
contextualisation of the gospel alongside the social sciences, and practical theology.

The hypothesis of this research is that a missiological methodology that is governed by
Scripture, while also drawing from the church Fathers, the social sciences and practical
theology is not only consistent with the nature of evangelicalism but also consistent with the
nature of missiology itself.

1.1 Questions of definition

The missiological framework for this thesis is based on six concepts: evangelical, mission,
gospel, contextualisation, culture, and syncretism .

1.1.1 Evangelical

The term ‘evangelical’ is one that is used by ma ny Christians from a broad range of
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theological backgrounds and beliefs. Historically, to be an evangelical meant be ing a person
8
whose beliefs and life w ere shaped by the euangelion, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite
the diversity of expression that ex ists amongst evangelicals, there are five theological
9
convictions that they generally use to characterise their evangelical beliefs:

7
David Bebbington, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s (Grand Rapids:
Baker, 1989), 1; John H. Gerstner, “The Theological Boundaries of Evangelical Faith,” in The Evangelicals:
What They Believe, Who They Are, Where They Are Changing, ed. David F. Wells and John D. Woodbridge
(Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1975), 21-37, at 22.
8
Gerstner, “The Theological Boundaries,” 22-23.
9
Bebbington, Evangelicalism, 3. See also Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, “The Lausanne
Covenant,” in Let the Earth Hear His Voice, ed. J. D. Douglas (Minneapolis: World Wide Publications, 1975),
3-9; Mark A. Noll, The Scandal of the Evangelical Mind (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), 8; Gerstner, “The
Theological Boundaries,” 38-67; J. R. W. Stott, What is an Evangelical? (London: Falcon, 1977), 5-14;
Timothy R. Phillips and Dennis L. Okholm, A Family of Faith: An Introduction to Evangelical Christianity,
2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2001), 15-16; Trinity Evangelical School, “The Evangelical Affirmations,” in
Evangelical Affirmations, ed. Kenneth S. Kantzer & Carl F. Henry (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1990), 27-38;
Moreau, Contextualization in World Missions, 19-20.
2