TYPES OF REVELATION AND “HOLY BOOKS”AND THEIR CONTEXTUALIZATION

Abstract

One major dimension of contextualization has received but scant attention on the part of evangelical theologians and missiologists. We have dealt with it at greater length in other places (cf. Radmacher and Preus 1984:691-738; Hesselgrave and Rommen 1989 :128-43), but it cannot be completely overlooked in the present context. It has to do with the fact that, just as there are many “gods that are not God” and numerous “gospels that are not gospel” in the world, there are also numerous “holy books that are not holy” as well. From the perspective of peoples of other cultures and religions, missionaries bring, not just a foreign religious message, but also a foreign religious book. Like it or not and know it or not, Christian missionaries are faced with the challenge of other books held to be sacred and even revelatory. As Eric J. Sharpe says, “Since virtually all scripture is understood in revelatory terms . . . [the missionary must have] some prior understanding of Hindu, Jewish, Christian, Muslim and other doctrines of God and doctrines of revelation” (Sharpe 1971:64-65, emphasis mine).