Monday, 21 December 2009

December 2009 Issue - Editor's Note

A huge buzz-word in the missions world is to be “incarnational”. What incarnational means may vary as widely as a person’s definition, but at its core, to be incarnational means to be engaging with an intimate knowledge and love for the culture of ministry. Some organizations and missionaries embody this well, while others don’t. Christmas is a great lesson for missionaries in speaking to their vocational call to missions.

Christ, of course, is the key reason for Christian missions, and advent is a great time of reflection and learning. What does it mean to be like Christ – incarnational – in this local culture? How did Christ become incarnational, and what would that look like in my unique ministry? These two questions can be an instructive meditation and great way to begin the Christian calendar year in ministry. Let the incarnation of Christ be the meditation from which inspires one’s ministry for the new year.

In this issue of the Deep Missional Review read in Ashbrook’s Mansions of the Heart as to how to go deeper into God in order to be sent by God. Read in Mae’s Social Justice Handbook how to be incarnational with those suffering from social injustice. Read the life of Ernie Fowler in Not in Vain, Latin America Mission missionary and martyr in Colombia and see how his incarnational life as well as his incarnational death has been carried on. Finally, read about preparation for incarnational missions by learning how to be incarnational at home in the second section review Global Missions Handbook, by Hoke and Taylor.

Let this new Church year be inspired by Christ’s incarnational work so long ago, and how He is ministering incarnationally through His body throughout the world. Practice incarnation.

"Practice Incarnation" - a poem

Practice Incarnation
by Kevin Book-Satterlee

Once said a mad farmer
in his revolutionary stance
to save simplicity,
“Practice resurrection.”
To practice is to first die,
risk not being revived
and letting it all be, ok.
To resurrect is to come from darkness
emerged still with scars
and to remain with the very people
that sought death.

Practice resurrection.

Forgot, however, did the mad farmer,
in his revolutionary stance
to save simplicity,
to practice incarnation.

Let the soddy shoes of the poor
walk you the dark alleys
where help may be needed.
Find God in their eyes.
Practice incarnation.

Let the sores of the young boy-soldier
be healed by your caring hands
where you risk infection,
and suffer with the consequences of his sin.
Practice incarnation.

Learn the mother tongue of the pastor,
and learn from him
how God moves within his context.
Praise God with him and celebrate in new tongue.
Practice incarnation.

Take the form of a new child in
chilly December months.
Helpless, rely solely on a Father.
Let His breath wash over and warm your heart.
Practice incarnation.

Mansions of the Heart

Mansions of the Heart: Exploring the Seven Stages of Spiritual Growth
R. Thomas Ashbrook
Wiley, John & Sons, Inc., 2009

Reviewed by Kevin Book-Satterlee

Teresa of Avila has again grown in recent notoriety, her spirituality influencing numerous Christians. Perhaps most striking is her growing popularity among Evangelicals. A resurgence and return to mystical theology has cracked open Teresa’s writings among other mystical books. So often the spiritual hunger the modern and post-modern generations suffer from is the lack of true spiritual insight – insight that stems from the deep spiritual connection with God and Jesus.

Avila’s book, the Interior Castle also known as The Mansions is a long treatise on prayer and deepening spirituality. While a classic in spiritual writings, it is unedited and follows a number of rabbit-trails. Some of Avila’s best kept spiritual secrets are found while chasing the rabbit, however it makes for a difficult read.
Ashbrook, on the other hand, has borrowed from Avila her spiritual deepening, entering within oneself to find God who is already at the center, and modernized it. He has made a book accessible to the Evangelical reader, who, by in large, has an infantile understanding of the depths of spirituality that Avila enters. Evangelical readers no longer want to be fed by spiritual milk, but rather wish for the deep loving relationship with God. Ashbrook has helped to bring out Avila’s nuances and set them in Western Evangelical contexts.

One of the most important observations that Ashbrook makes is the nature of the Church stuck in the “Third Mansions” stage of Avila’s seven. Here, one has come to understand God and move away from the distracting sin. The Christian has moved further away from worldly things, but is still in the active stage of spirituality, trying constantly to prove oneself to God. The Christian here is distanced from committing many sins, avoiding sinful behavior as best as possible and has a burden to serve the poor. These, of course, are great things, and I only wish that the Church could even reach this mansion. But the third mansion isn’t even half of the journey that Teresa describes.

Ashbrook guides the reader past the third mansions into the fourth through seventh mansions. These are where spiritual meat is found. No longer proving oneself to God, the Christian understands more the heart of God and that God wants an intimate relationship. The Christian still cares for one’s neighbor as is commanded, but no longer does so to gain approval from God or prove to God one’s value. Here one does it out of the love of God.

And it only gets deeper. Ashbrook continues through each of the mansions encouraging Christians to reach deep into the center to see God already on the throne of one’s life. One purpose of the Interior Castle is to demonstrate who really is at the center. One does not need to displace self from the center, but realize that God is already at the center. To know self is to know God at the center. Ashbrook writes an incredibly instructive and readable book to help push Evangelicals deeper in to Teresa’s Interior Castle.

Global Mission Handbook

Global Mission Handbook: A Guide for Crosscultural Service – Steve Hoke & Bill Taylor

Note: Due to the workbook style of Steve Hoke and Bill Taylor’s Global Missionary Handbook, this review will be one in a series of reviews broken up over multiple issues. See the first review at: http://deepmissionalreview.blogspot.com/2009/11/book-review-global-missions-handbook.html. This review will focus on chapters 2-4, on discovering a ministry identity, gaining exposure to other cultures and issues on schooling and support-raising.

Hoke and Taylor do a great job in grounding the young missionary-to-be in relationship with the church and family. Pre-mission is a crucial time in the development of a missionary, and nothing is more telling about a person’s ability in mission than who they are at home. Hoke and Taylor encourage the budding missionary into active ministry and mission at home, pre-mission. This includes gaining ministry experiences, especially in discovering different fields of ministry to see what suits personality, gifts and experiences. Most crucially, they encourage the missionary to include their home-church and family. Support comes in much more than finances on the mission field, and not engaging in these very basic support-bases from the beginning can be detrimental in the future. Plus, as these support-bases are encouraged, they might pour into the future mission of the missionary.

One of the most valuable articles in this section is the article titled, “Four Building Blocks for Lifetime Service,” by Robertson McQuilkin. McQuilkin gives four basic steps to build into a legacy of ministry. These are, Heart Preparation, Active Involvement in Ministry, Formal Preparation and Basic Education, and Language and Cultural Studies. This article can be a valuable resource in itself, but in the context of the section, it is a great summary that a future missionary can truly learn from.

The next chapter, on gaining exposure to other cultures, provides a myriad of ideas and is another great resource for the development of missionaries. The section on the value of short-term missions as preparation is incredibly enlightening. Taylor does a great job highlighting both the positives and negatives. This serves as a simple article for churches who are interested in preparing future missionaries and cross-cultural ministers.

Chapter four of the Handbook addresses some very critical issues in missions – schooling and support-raising. Missions agencies are increasingly upping the stakes of education for missionaries. While theological education may be important and is often required by missions organizations, this is not the only education that may be necessary. Many organizations are holistic in their approach and have ministries that range from micro-finance lending to health-care issues. Hoke and Taylor compile a number of articles regarding future education and vocation in mission.

This second section of the book is even better than the first. It is proving to be a great first-look into missions for many and would be a valuable resource for basic missions classes at universities or missions preparation through churches. Organizations looking into identifying and developing future missionaries ought to consider sending/recommending this book to people interested in missions and do follow-up with the organizational perspective.
Look for the review of the final section in January.

Calling Reviewers and Advertisers

Interested in writing a review for DMR? Email kevin.satterlee@gmail.com. I’m looking for those interested in reading books and giving an honest and fair assessment of their usefulness to those in missions or in training for missions.

Interested in advertising for FREE with DMR? Email me (address above) and let me know what you want to advertise. DMR promotes organizations or resources that helps engage people in missions, missional living, justice and spirituality. All advertised organizations, programs or resources may be subject to a written review by a DMR writer.

Not In Vain: The Life of Ernie Fowler

Not in Vain
Kenneth D. MacHarg & David M. Howard
Latin America Mission, 2003

(I was asked to review this book by Jack Voelkel of Urbana’s “Ask Jack” column.”)

Reviewed by Kevin Book-Satterlee

Many young missionaries have heard the words of Jim Elliot and not been moved into missions: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” David Howard, Jim Elliot’s good friend and brother-in-law agrees. Yet Howard asks, “Why Jim and not my other friend, Ernie Fowler.” Why have people been moved by Jim’s story, yet not by a similar missionary tragedy in the life and death of Latin America Missionary, Ernie Fowler? To address this question, Howard co-writes, Not in Vain, a tribute to the legacy of Ernie Fowler and the longevity of his missional impact.

This short book is a quick read, largely taken from Ernie’s own journals or that of his friends. The pioneer missionary does nothing short but amaze, especially to the comfortable lifestyle many missionaries have in comparison. The account of one of Ernie’s jungle adventures where two of his co-laborers got sick after hiking in the jungle for a month to find the Yukpa tribe and begin missional work there is a fantastic read in itself.

The story of Ernie’s life reflects the attitude of true pioneers humbled by the Gospel in order to serve, and compelled by the Gospel in order to reach those who have not yet heard of Christ. His humble attitude made him the man who could tamper with mission outpost electricity to get it working all the while being compelled to hike deep into the jungles to love a people relatively unreached and unloved by the rest of the world.

Ernie dies tragically in a high-turmoil time of Colombia’s history. Shot by marauders and guerrillas, Ernie’s legacy of ministry and witness to the Yukpa people did not diminish. The work goes on, as the story relates, and the life of Ernie Fowler was indeed not a life in vain. This short work highlighting a missionary hero, humble and compelled, is a good read especially for those interested in missions. Those with a pioneer spirit will be compelled by the very humility and love that compelled this fallen missionary.

The book itself sometimes seems to function as a modern hagiography. Proposed dialogue makes the story more of a dialogue, but can at times be a bit hokey. It is a short read, as Fowler’s life was relatively short. Most importantly, however, this little biography is a great tool in instructing missions. Fowler’s life is instructive in the faith of God and the passion to accomplishing God’s mission.

This book would be especially good to inspire the teenager interested in missions (if parents can be comfortable letting their child read about a dangerous life). Fowler’s missionary life and attitude is a legacy of service for work done in Colombia and the book is worth the lacking dialogue just to get to know Ernie Fowler’s testimony.

Social Justice Handbook

Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World
Mae Elise Cannon
InterVarsity Press 2009

Reviewed by Kevin Book-Satterlee

Christmas is the time of year where compassion conflicts with high commercialism. The cynic states that charitable giving is up during the holidays because it is at the end of the year and much needed tax breaks are looming, needing to get in by December 31st. Those who know the magic of Christmas, and especially those who have come to understand the generous grace of the Incarnation of Christ, understand that giving is up this time of year because we respond to compassion.

Social Justice awareness is growing and becoming part of the regular vernacular in Evangelical circles. There are some that might still have the bad taste of social gospel wars from decades back, but one thing is for certain, Evangelicals are engaging in social justice in practice and thought and care must be brought to engage thoughtfully.

Mae Elise Cannon takes on the task with her new book published by InterVarsity. Cannon’s book is an excellent and informative primer on social justice issues and Evangelical involvement. She breaks the part into two sections, first giving a reason for understanding justice and the roots of justice in the Church and secondly she provides an encyclopedia of justice issues.

The historical survey that Cannon provides, while not exhausting the issue is fairly comprehensive. The small articles break the information up well allowing for easy linear reading or a topical search. She takes on the Biblical and social background for justice and makes for an easy study for a youth group or Bible study.
Her second section is an alphabetical encyclopedia of many issues in social justice. While none of the articles are comprehensive, they do a great job in creating an introduction to the issue.

Most valuable in her book are the “Take Action” and “Awareness Exercise” pieces for further experiential learning regarding each topic. These are simple actions but require initiative on behalf of the reader to go beyond reading and truly engage in a specific issue, or at least dabble in it. Each article also has an accompanying list of further study books and materials, allowing an reader interested in a specific area to delve deeper. The only problem with these added pieces is the ease of which the reader can skip over them and the lack of some crucial, authoritative books on certain topics.

Cannon is unapologetic at calling out the Evangelical Church where it has failed, but is incredibly encouraging as throughout the book are stories of Evangelical people and organizations engaging in a variety of social justice issues. Partisanship does not seem to be a huge factor in her writing, and if her voice leans to one side, she is careful to couch criticisms in praises, making this book accessible to much of the Evangelical population.

This is a survey book, but can be very good for a youth group or Bible study interested in beginning to explore social justice issues. It is a great book to have on the shelf for those who might have recurring influence with Evangelicals, such a pastor, campus minister or church leader. A suggested purpose for the book would be for an exploration and an opportunity to see what issues a group or individual could actually begin to dig further down on. Reading some of the issues may or may not touch a person, but inevitably something will, and this book can be a great launching point for this social justice endeavor.

Christmas is coming. Awareness only of social justice issues doesn’t go far enough, however this book would make a good gift and can be the sending point in changing a person’s life to engage the Biblical justice that Christ became incarnate for and demonstrated to us. Charitable giving and awareness in a time like Christmas can have the lasting effect of creating Christians who truly engage in God’s social justice.

Saturday, 5 December 2009

Delayed December Issue

Due to the close of the semester, Deep Missional Review's December release will be post-poned until December 19th.

Look for reviews on:

- Second portion of The Handbook for Global Missions (First portion reviewed in November)
- Social Justice Handbook
- Mansions of the Heart
- Not in Vain: a biography of Ernie Fowler

If anybody would be interested in reviewing media for this issue, it is not too late, please leave a comment with an interest.