Damnable heresy or useful tool?

Ray Porter, formerly Director of World Mission Studies at Oak Hill Theological College and Chair of Global Connections responds to the article ‘The contextualised gospel – delightful, doubtful or damnable’ published in the February issue of en.

The history of contextualisation has almost as many failures as successes. Dr Wells and his daughter have questioned some patterns of contextualisation that are embraced in mission circles today and suggested that they in fact represent ‘another gospel’.

Those who are engaged in a cross-cultural ministry of the gospel are conscious that there are many barriers to hearing and understanding the message of salvation in Christ Jesus. Some have made the uncomfortable discovery that the tried-and-tested methods of evangelism with which they have grown up do not play out in a different culture.