We Evangelicals and Our Mission: How We Got to Where We Are and How to Get to Where We Should Be Going

"David Hesselgrave shaped evangelical missiology in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. During the last months of his life, he penned We Evangelicals and Our Mission, a postscript that traces the history of evangelical missions in order to identify a modern crisis of doctrine and duty. The ‘Dean of Evangelical Missiology’ delivers one final lecture instructing evangelicals how to resolve this impending crisis by reviving historic doctrine and reengaging world evangelization."

—Matt Queen, Associate Professor and L. R. Scarborough Chair of Evangelism, Associate Dean of the Roy J. Fish School of Evangelism and Missions, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

"David Hesselgrave, the dean of modern missiology, has produced a thoughtful, penetrating, and comprehensive examination of the foundations of the mission enterprise. We Evangelicals and Our Mission reviews the history of evangelicalism, defining and offering a solution to the problems of modern missions. . . . Every evangelical will benefit from reading this ground-breaking work that will stand the test of time."

—Robin Dale Hadaway, Senior Professor of Missions, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Evangelical Christianity faces a crisis of identity. The greatest tragedy of this crisis is the way it erodes our missionary vision and zeal. We need to listen to the words of one of the greatest missiological thinkers of our time, David Hesselgrave. This book serves as a warning and provides correction for the church as we seek to maintain our focus on God’s mission. This book will be an important contribution to evangelical missiological literature and serves as Dr. Hesselgrave’s clarion call for us to stand strong and press forward for the glory of the God.

—Scott Hildreth, Assistant Professor of Missiology, George Liele Director of the Center for Great Commission Studies, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

"Readers will find in We Evangelicals and Our Mission an abundance of wisdom, careful and thoughtful reflection, biblical conviction tethered to the best of the Christian tradition, and a heart for faithful witness and mission. . . . Evangelical theology, world evangelization efforts, and church ministry will be strengthened by the much-needed and timely appeal to reconnect missions and ministry to historic orthodoxy articulated so clearly in this volume. Highly recommended!"

—David S. Dockery, President of International Alliance for Christian Education, and Distinguished Professor of Theology, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

"David Hesselgrave is perhaps the greatest missiologist of the last half of the twentieth century. Everything he has written is worth reading. We Evangelicals and Our Mission is no exception. Highly recommended."

—Bruce Ashford, Professor of Theology and Culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

David Hesselgrave died in 2018, but he still speaks wisdom to us today. I’ve always admired how Hesselgrave integrates theology and missiology. This book does the same, but the author adds church history to the mix, to the benefit of his readers. This book reminds me of 2 Timothy, Paul’s last letter to his protégé. Hesselgrave warns his readers of theological dangers to missions and champions prioritism. I enthusiastically recommend this book.

—John Mark Terry, Emeritus Professor of Missions, Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary

The familiar tones of scholar, missionary, and prophet are on full display in this latest Hesselgrave volume. In many ways it continues his thoughts and exhortations from earlier works. Readers will be struck by Hesselgrave’s clear definition of evangelicalism and his compelling vision to reintegrate evangelicalism by unabashedly retethering it to the Bible, the great tradition, and an evangelistic thrust within our Great Commission efforts. This book is invaluable for the church and the academy.

—Greg Mathias, Associate Director of Center for Great Commission Studies, Assistant Professor of Global Studies, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

At a time when everything is considered missions, even if the gospel is never shared, this book serves to remind and refocus the reader on the Great Commission task. Hesselgrave and Davis have done a noble work describing the relationship between present activity and history and belief. If you want a summary of where evangelicals have been, and potentially where we are going, read this book!

—J. D. Payne, Professor of Christian Ministry, Samford University

We Evangelicals and Our Mission

How We Got to Where We Are and How to Get to Where We Should Be Going

David J. Hesselgrave with Lianna Davis

foreword by Keith E. Eitel

We Evangelicals and Our Mission

How We Got to Where We Are and How to Get to Where We Should Be Going

Copyright © 2020 David J. Hesselgrave and Lianna Davis. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in critical publications or reviews, no part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without prior written permission from the publisher. Write: Permissions, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3, Eugene, OR 97401.

Cascade Books

An Imprint of Wipf and Stock Publishers

199 W. 8th Ave., Suite 3

Eugene, OR 97401

www.wipfandstock.com

paperback isbn: 978-1-7252-7128-9

hardcover isbn: 978-1-7252-7127-2

ebook isbn: 978-1-7252-7129-6

Cataloguing-in-Publication data:

Names: Hesselgrave, David J., author. | Davis, Lianna, author. | Eitel, Keith E., foreword.

Title: We evangelicals and our mission : how we got to where we are and how to get to where we should be going / by David J. Hesselgrave and Lianna Davis ; foreword by Keith E. Eitel.

Description: Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2020 | Includes bibliographical references.

Identifiers: isbn 978-1-7252-7128-9 (paperback) | isbn 978-1-7252-7127-2 (hardcover) | isbn 978-1-7252-7129-6 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Evangelicalism | Missions | Evangelistic work | Evangelicalism—United States

Classification: bv2063 h47 2020 (print) | bv2063 (ebook)

Manufactured in the U.S.A. 09/15/20

Dedicated to Carl F. H. Henry, Kenneth Kantzer, and Robert Culver

Table of Contents

Title Page

Illustrations and Tables

Foreword

Preface

Prolegomenon

Part I: Evangelicals and the Great Tradition of Christian Thinking

Chapter 1: Based on Classical Christian Orthodoxy

Chapter 2: Shaped by a Reformational Understanding of the Gospel

Chapter 3: Beliefs and Behaviors Forged in the Fires of Eighteenth-Century Revivals

Part II: Ecumenism and Evangelicalism in Modern Times: An Overview

Chapter 4: The Great Century and the Gathering Storm

Chapter 5: The Aftermath of the Storm, Part One

Chapter 6: The Aftermath of the Storm, Part Two

Part III: Controversial Issues in Contemporary Missions/Missiology

Chapter 7: Three Unavoidable Issues in Contemporary Evangelical Missiology

Chapter 8: Decisive Differences between Prominent Evangelical Theologians and Missiologists

Chapter 9: The Evangelical Crisis and Its Resolution

Postscript

One Millennial’s Response Essay

Bibliography

Illustrations and Tables

Figure 1: Three sources of Evangelicalism | 2

Figure 2: Three main elements of classical orthodoxy | 7

Table 1: Rules of faith and classic creeds | 11

Figure 3: Main movements of the Protestant Reformation | 17

Table 2: Formal and material principles of the Reformation | 29

Figure 4: Sources of Evangelicalism in the eighteenth century | 34

Figure 5: Great Century and Gathering Storm | 50

Figure 6: Twentieth-century conciliarism/ecumenism | 64

Figure 7: Twentieth-century fundamentalism and Evangelicalism | 72

Figure 8: Contemporary evangelical missiology | 84

Figure 9: Some evangelical proposals in theology and mission | 95

Figure 10: Doctrinal orthodoxy and contemporary evangelical movements | 112

Foreword

One former student returned from mission work in Jordan and presented me with a beautiful, hand-woven carpet depicting a scene of a train of camels in a caravan. Then he told me the story behind the carpet, which enhanced the meaning of the gift. An old man, ninety-five years old or so, was blind and wanted to teach his great-grandson the art of weaving such carpets. It took six months sitting closely behind his great-grandson, whispering in his ear thread by thread what to weave when and where to depict the beautiful scene upon completion. The old man could not see, but in his mind’s eye, he could see clearly because he had woven that pattern thousands of times and could recall every step from memory.

This imagery shows the concern of an elder generation for a younger one to relay a lifetime of knowledge and wisdom. It establishes the historical context, defines motion, and surfaces meaning to a process. We as evangelicals have witnessed the passing of an elder generation of missiologists. We are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren listening as one generation whispers into our ears theological and missiological wisdom, meaning, and purpose.

Such is the book in hand. David J. Hesselgrave became a dear friend as he mentored me through my doctoral work at the Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in the 1980s. I have highly valued his whispers ever since. He spoke with great learning, good historical understanding, and yet he did so with grace and humility. His words will ring true as you read. He wove together the threads of numerous theological traditions, and their impact on missions thinking, that have appeared over the last 500 years or so. That weave created a fine image of analysis and thoughtful critique that was always tethered to stable, inerrant truth from God himself and whispered into the ears of those eager to listen to things that are of eternal significance.

Four distinct patterns are outlined in this book. First, Hesselgrave sets evangelicals into the context of great traditions of thought, from the Reformation forward. Second, he demonstrates the trajectory of ecumenical thought as it intersected that of the evangelical traditions and altered them along the way. Third, controversial issues surface the ways evangelicals have wrestled with the intersection of ecumenical thought, and Hesslegrave cogently argued the issues with biblical conviction and reason. Finally, he points the reader to the significance of all these trends for the future of evangelicalism specifically and Christianity in general.

To demonstrate Hesselgrave’s keen sense of need to whisper in the ears of another generation, he invited his granddaughter, Lianna Davis, to write a concluding essay from the distinct point of view of a millennial. She carefully and transparently speaks of her own theological journey having lived life around her grandfather’s influence and her tussles of faith and understanding as she too studied in college and seminary. Her contribution shows she also sat weaving as the elder whispered into her ear the strands of thought from a wise grandfather.

Hesselgrave is gone now. Yet, his wisdom will sound loudly for at least another generation or two. To those of us touched by his weave of words, it will continually ring in our ears until we join him in eternity.

Keith E. Eitel

Preface

What happened to the church? The founder of Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) provides some answers in his The End of White Christian America. Many erstwhile attendees of mainline denominations will indicate agreement. Evangelical answers will tend to be mixed, but it will perhaps surprise you how many will respond in terms of their particular experience and the way things are going in the church they attend now. Not all evangelicals have the larger picture in mind, especially when North America is in view.

Kregel Publications published my book Paradigms in Conflict: 10 Questions in Christian Missions Today. A second edition, enlarged and enhanced by contributions from a number of well qualified and well-known missiologists, is scheduled to be released this summer (2018). My chapters and most of the additional chapters in this second edition are given over to biblical analysis of important missions/missiological questions.

First, for reasons that will become apparent, this follow-up book complements Paradigms in Conflict—one might almost say is a companion to Paradigms in that it is not about "biblical analysis but rather historical analysis." Second, it is also anecdotal, not in the sense that it highlights missionary stories, but in the sense that it highlights missionary/missiological relevance. All of Christian history has relevance and importance for Christianity(!), but some of it has special importance for evangelical mission/missiology. That is our special focus here.

I want to express profound appreciation to my granddaughter, Lianna Davis, for