Are They Really Lost? What is the Status of the Unevangelized?

By Dr. LaVerne P. Blowers
This article is a briefsurvey ofseven ways that this question has
been answered by Christians who believe that salvation is possible
only through Jesus Christ. After defining who "they" (the unevangelizedJ are, the seven answers to this question will be defined; the
scriptural basis as well as the theological issues will be explored;
the missiological implications will be explained; and then the major
proponents will be identified. I will conclude by evaluating how our
view ofthe unevangelized determines what we believe the ultirnate
purpose of missions to be and how we act on that.
have been very grateful for Dr. Norman Bridges and his support
of missions at Bethel College. Under his direction the three pronged
International Studies Program was instituted and the World Christian
Action Conference took on a new and more dynamic emphasis. Mter
one of the sessions of the World Christian Action Conference-the
annual missions conference at Bethel College-a student asked me,
"If Jesus is the only way of salvation, then what about all those who
have never heard of Him? Are they really eternally lost?" That "question" is uttered with even more angst by the former Buddhist and
now Christian who asks about his ancestors who have never heard
of Jesus. "Is there any hope for my Buddhist father?"
This prompted me to do some research into how those who
believe that Jesus is the only way of salvation have answered this
question. I found that what appears to be a rather straightforward
question has a more complicated set of answers than first meets
the eye. The
sets ofanswers also carry with them a VJ11'lPt-v
of implications for our
endeavors.
Donald Dunavant (p. 980) defines the unevangelized as
"those who do not know or hear about Christ; who do not have an
indigenous church with the resources to reach them; who do not
have the Bible available to them; who live isolated from the gospel
because of cultural, geographical, political, or linguistic barriers;
and who will not be evangelized unless someone is sent to cross
those barriers with the gospel." We have often referred to them
as "the lost"-meaning those who are outside of Christ and thus
separated from God and living in spiritual darkness. Sometimes
the older term of "the heathen" is used to mean those outside of
Christ, since they are from non-Christian countries.!
The "lost" then are those who have never heard the gospel with
adequate cultural relevance to allow them to make an informed
decision to the claims of Christ. What is the status of these unevangelized ?2
RESTRICTIVISM: All
are condemned.
Salvation is restricted to those who have heard the gospel message of the person and work of Jesus Christ and have exercised
personal faith in Him before they die. Access to salvation is not
universal, so not everyone will have an opportunity to be saved.
Thus, most human beings die condemned to hell. However, since
no one can be saved apart from hearing the Word of God preached,
there is a strong missionary motivation to "get the Word out!"
Four categories of biblical texts are used to support this
position. One category affirms the exclusivity and particularity of
salvation in Jesus Christ, i.e., "... there is salvation in no one else;
for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among
men, by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12, RSV) and "... God
has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has
the son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not
have the life" (1 John 5:11-12, NIV).3. A second category points to
the sinfulness of all humanity and the utter hopelessness without
Jesus. Rom 1-3 teaches that apart from special revelation there is
no salvation, only sin. A third category speaks of the importance
of hearing the gospel and repenting. Passages such as Rom 10:9-17
and Acts 10 tell us that in order to be saved one must receive God's
special revelation about Jesus from human messengers. A fourth
category speaks of the narrowness of the true path to God and only
a very few will ever find this path. On the contrary, wide is the gate
and many will find the road to hell (Matt 7:13-14).
From these passages ofscripture come the five basic theological
arguments for a restrictivist position. This position teaches that
the revelation ofGod in Jesus Christ is dependent upon knowing the
biblical propositions of salvation in Christ alone. This means that
General Revelation does not provide a means to salvation. Since
one must hear and know these propositions about Christ in order to
be saved, it is obvious that one must make a commitment to these
teachings during this lifetime. Noone is condemned for not hearing
the gospel, but for rejecting Christ. Sin is seen as implicit rejection;
thus, every unevangelized person has rejected Jesus and deserves
condemnation. Many restrictivists believe that the atoning work of
Jesus is restrictedllimited to the saved/elect, so that Jesus did not
die for every human being but only for those whom God has chosen
to redeem. In such a view salvation is not universally accessible;
and hence, the need for missions is restricted.
Missions are thus a proclamation of the propositions of salvation by faith alone in Jesus Christ to adults which should prompt
us to greater exertion to spread the gospel to those who perish for
lack of knowledge. James Borland (p. 11) says, "to teach any other
way of salvation for the heathen diminishes missionary zeal and
leaves the helpless hopeless."
The leading proponents ofthis position are largely from an
Augustinian-Reformed theological position: Augustine (396-430),
John Calvin (1509-1564), Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), Ronald
Nash, Carl F.H. Henry, and R.C. Sproul.
2. UNIVERSALISM:
are saved.
At the opposite end of the spectrum is the position that ultimately all persons will be reconciled to God through Jesus Christ.
Though not prevalent among evangelicals, it is a very popular
position. In general there are two types of universalists: (a) the
ultra-universalists who totally reject any kind of hell or punishment after death, and (b) the restorationists who believe there
will be a hell from which people will be given the opportunity to
leave oftheir own free will. Since the restorationists are the more
prominent in our culture today, we will focus on this view.
These universalists draw from five categories of biblical
texts. The first category pertains to those passages that affirm
God's desire to save all people, i.e. "It is not his will for any to be
lost but for all to come to repentance" (2 Pet 3:9, NEB); and "He
died for all" (2 Cor 5:15). Asecond category proclaims the unlimited
atonement found in Christ, i.e. "He Himselfis the atoning sacrifice
for our
and not
for ours, but also for the sins ofthe whole
world" (1 John
"that by the gTace of God He might taste death
for everyone"
and "For the grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared to all men" (Titus
A third category
expresses the universal nature of the atoning work of Jesus as ultimately applying justification to all people, i.e. "and I, ifI be lifted
up from the earth, will draw all men to myself" (John 12:32, RSV);
and "Just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all
men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification
that brings life for all men" (Rom 5:18). A fourth category refers
to the "consummation" of God's plan in which all people are finally
restored or redeemed. Often called apokatastasis from Acts 3:19-21
"repent then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out
... and that He may send the Christ, who has been appointed for
you-even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for
God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy
prophets" and including the universalism of Phil 2:9-11 "Therefore
God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that
is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father."
The final category refers to damnation and separation-the saved
and the lost, which, when properly interpreted as restorationist,
affirms the final reconciliation when "everything has been put under
him" and God becomes "all in all" (l Cor 15:22-28).
Such biblical passages suggest some theological ar!g'Uml~nlts
in favor of universalism which center on the nature of Godespecially His love, omnipotence, eternality, and justice. Universalists combine the first two attributes and hold to an unlimited
atonement that teaches, since God is love, then "If he can save all
men, then he will save all men" (Dalton, p. 8). The third attribute
------""
...
... _------
"None of us is ever beyond the chastisement of the Lord. It
is His dealing with us as sons and daughters that molds and
shapes our lives and makes us like Him. It is our acceptance of
the disciplining of the Holy Spirit and our learning the lessons of
obedience that make us mature Christians."
-"From the President's Desk," Bethel Magazine,
vol. 2, no. 3 1991
says that God's love cannot be limited
time so we cannot escape His
love in space or time. Thus,
God's justice is understood as an
of His love, which is
ultimately sovereign.
Missions becomes showing others the "more excellent way."
Since the work of Jesus "is the only point in history where the
characteristics of God [as love and wisdom] are concretely demonstrated and revealed" (Easton, p.75), then we must inform others
about this love of Jesus and help bring them into the family of
God sooner, rather than later.
The
ofuniversalism include positionsfrom Reformed to Liberal Pietists to Pluralists-and include:
Origen (c.185-254), Charles Chauncy (1589-1672), Friedrich D.
E. Schleiermacher (1768-1834), Jacques Ellul, William Barclay,
G. C. Berkouwer, Karl Barth, and the Pluralists Ernst Troeltsch,
William Hocking, Langdon Gilkey, William Cantwell Smith, Nels
F. S Ferre, Paul Knitter, and John Hick.
This view teaches that God will see to it that all unevangelized
persons who seek Him will be exposed to the Gospel ofChrist so they
will be able to make a decision before they die. It holds that no one
is damned without the opportunity of being saved; however, these
individuals are not saved until they hear and believe the Gospel.
Some who hold this view believe that God sends the message only
through human agents, while others believe that He may use angels or dreams. Some proponents claim that God universally sends
the Gospel to every unevangelized individual, and thus, they are
evangelized. While others hold that only the opportunity ofreceiving the message is universal.
Those holding this position find a few
biblical texts important. Scripture says the Father searches for those people who
"believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek
Him" (Heb 11:6) to worship Him in "spirit and truth" (John 4:23).
When He senses a person is searching for Him, He sends the Gospel
message by one means or another. Some examples from scripture
include: in a dream to Abimelech (Genesis 20) and Nebuchadnezzar
(Daniel 2), in a vision to Ananias (Acts 9:10), by sending Philip to
the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), and Peter to Cornelius (Acts 10).
Universal evangelism is supported by four
ar·
guments. The first is the insufficiency of general revelation as a
vehicle for salvation. While "natural revelation is sufficient only to
reveal the moral standard for man ... it is not sufficient for man's
salvation" (Geisler, p. 32). The second is special revelation is nec-
essary in order to provide the explicit knowledge ofChrist needed for
salvation. "It is those who believe on Christ-not simply those who,
through their encounter with creation and their own innate moral
judgment, believe in a righteous creator-who receive eternal life"
(McQuilken, p. 44). Third is the fact that no one seeks God apart
from the influence of His grace. If people respond to the light that
they do have, God will send the message of Christ to them. The last
argument states that no one has an opportunity to receive the Gospel
after death-once a people are in hell, they are always in hell.
Missions is thus responding to God's calling ofHis messengers
to go to a people who have been prepared by Him for the reception of the Gospel message. This implies that there are masses
of people that are seeking God and waiting for His message to be
sent to them. Salvation is thus universally accessible through the
universal sending of the Gospel to the unevangelized.
Some ofthe
of universal evangelism have
been Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), Dante (1265-1321), Jacobus
Arminius (1560-1609), Norman Geisler, Earl Radmacher, J. Oliver
Buswell, Robertson McQuilken, and some pre-Vatican II Thomistic
Roman Catholics.
UNIVERSAL OPPORTUNITY
"Final 01JtlOIll" . "h~,~~,,,
This position believes that all people will have an encounter with
Jesus Christ at the moment of death and thus have an opportunity
to believe on Him in saving faith. The universal opportunity view
is supported by three concepts. First is the idea that every single
person-even those already Christians-will hear about the work of
Christ. Second, this encounter occurs at the moment of death-at
the instant that the soul is being separated from the body and for
the first time a person can make a totally free decision unhindered
by any constraints. In such a state the soul can make an irreversible
decision for or against Christ. Third is the idea that prior choices
may deeply influence, but do not determine this final decision.
Those who hold to this view admit that it is not based on
Scripture. It is, however, an attempt to accommodate several
Roman Catholic propositions such as: (a)Aperson's destiny is sealed
at death so there is no chance of post-mortem conversion; (b) Jesus
Christ is the only Savior and there is no salvation apart from Him;
(c) Salvation is a personal fellowship with Jesus Christ; (d) Jesus
died for all people, and God desires the salvation of everyone; (e)
An act of faith is necessary for salvation (Troisfontaines, p. 180
n.41). It is argued that if all these propositions are true, then the
"final option" theory is the best solution. Those who accept this
"final option" do have an authentic
salvation with these
advantages
a truly universal evangelization, (b) no person has
"life everlasting in a state of original sin, for either that sin is
erased by an act oflove or it is replaced by personal sin", (c) this
is a better option than limbo (Sanders, p. 166).
Missions would seem to be unnecessary since everybody will
at the moment ofdeath be evangelized, thus removing any need for
active evangelism. Proponents of the "final option" theory would
arg'ue, however, that there is no way to assure that an unbeliever
would change the decision of unbelief at death. Therefore,we need
to be active in evangelizing the unevangelized.
The
ofthis position are Roman Catholic,
with the most notable being John Cardinal Henry Newman (18011890), Ladislaus Boros, and Roger Troisfontaines.
5. THE MIDDLE
will
the unevan,gelizl:ld
would have re:splouded
This view is akin to the philosophical position of"middle knowledge" in which God has three types of knowledge (1) He knows all
possibilities ofwhat could happen, (2) He also knows all that would
happen given different contingencies, and (3) He knows what will
actually happen. When this is applied to the unevangelized, this
middle knowledge view breaks into two groups. First is the group
that views salvation as universally accessible to the unevangelized
who would have accepted Christ had they heard about Him. Such
persons will be saved even ifthey are ignorant of Him. "God knows
who would, under ideal circumstances, believe the gospel, and
on the basis of his foreknowledge, applies that gospel even if the
person never heard the gospel during his lifetime" (Lake, p. 43).
A second group affirms that God has middle knowledge but He
does not use it to save the unevangelized. While God desires all to
be saved, and He gives sufficient grace for them to be saved, yet
"nobody who would receive Christ, if he were to hear the gospel,
will be denied that opportunity." Thus, "all who want or even would
want to be saved will be saved" (Craig, p. 51).
The biblical basis for this position comes largely from two
passages. One is Matt 11:21-23 where Jesus chastises the cities
ofKorazin and Bethsaida for their unrepentant attitude and then
states, "If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day." The other
is in Acts 17:24-28 where Paul discusses the Athenian idea ofthe
unknown God by recognizing the Athenians' quest for God and
God provided that opportunity through Paul's preaching.
Missions seem unnecessary in the first group-since salvation
is based on God's initiative and knowledge of how the unevangelized would have responded, but in actuality did not respond. The
second group holding to a middle knowledge seems to be much like
the "universal accessibility" position discussed above.
The
ofthe "if" theory of the first group are Donald Lake, George Goodman, and the second group Luis de Molina
(1535-1600) and William Lane Craig.
6. POSTMORTEM EVANGELISM
DIVINE
FUTUREPR,OE:ATIOl~;
ESCHATOLOGICAL EVANGELISM-A.K.A. SECOND
CHANCE
will receive an nnn",...,h.."iitu
after death to hear about Christ and to aCl:lej:)t
Him.
Since God loves everyone and Hisjustice would not allow Him
to condemn anyone to hell without knowing what their individual
response is to the grace of Jesus Christ, there must be a "second
chance" to respond after death.
Proponents of postmortem evangelism appeal to three categories of biblical support. The first category agrees with the
restrictivist view which holds that a person must have explicit
knowledge of Christ (cf. Acts 4:12; 1 Cor 3:11; John 14:6; 17:3; 1
John 5: 11-12). "Outside ofChrist and faith in His atonement there is
no salvation" (Bloesch, 1982,
vol. 2, p.230). The second
category teaches the idea
that the only reason anyone
is condemned to hell is for
explicit rejection-not ignorance, but refusal-ofJesus
Christ. Once confronted with
Christ a person no longer has
any excuse. (See Mark 16:1516; Matt 10:32-33; 12:31-33;
John3:18, 36; 15:22; 16:8-9).
A third category speaks of
Christ's descent into hell
and His preaching the Gospel there. Passages such as
John 5:25-29, Eph 4:8-10,
1 Pet 1:3-4, 3:18-20, and
4:3-6 are cited in support of Norman Bridges as Gospel Team
Jesus Himself preaching to speaher during his sophomore
year in college, 1957-58.
the dead.
The framework of God's universal salvific will in PME is presented in three basic theological arguments. First is the insufficiency of general revelation for salvation. "The naturallmowledge
of God is sufficient neither for a valid understanding (of God) nor
for salvation but only for condemnation" (Bloesch, 1983, p.121). The
second argument states that the final destiny of humankind is not
sealed at death but rather on the "day of Christ." When Heb 9:27
(RSV) states "it is appointed for men to die once, and after that
come judgment," it is not indicating that death and judgment are
coterminous but rather first comes death and then comes the final
judgment on the day of Christ. A third theological issue is derived
from the implications of the belief that those who die in infancy are
saved. Smyth has argued, "If we gTant the reality of postmortem
evangelism for infants who die, and if they are part of the category
of unevangelized persons, then why not extend the idea to include
all the unevangelized?" (as paraphrased by Sanders, p. 192).
For the believer in PME the motivation for missions is undercut. If people will have an opportunity to accept Christ after
death, then "Why not leave them in ignorance as long as possible?"
Some would argue that, if we combine PME with Lindbeck's cultural-linguistic model of interrelligious dialogue, this is the best
framework for evangelism. At least we can be hopeful of their salvation without being arrogant about our own. And then maybe we
can recapture the urgency and relaxation ofthe early Christians
had towards their unevangelized neighbors.
The proponents ofPME include the Church Fathers Melito
(d. c. 180), Hippolytus (c. 160-236), Clement of Alexandria (d. c.
211-215),Athanasius (296-373); Gregory ofNazianzus (c. 330-389)
and John of Damascus (c. 675-c. 749); these nineteenth century
theologians and commentators: John Lange, 1. A. Dormer, Herbert
Luckock, Egbert Smyth, Franz Delitzsch, and Thomas Field; and
a variety from the twentieth century: C.E.B. Cranfield, Wayne
Grudem, Joseph Leckie, Gabriel Fackre, George Lindbeck, Donald
Bloesch, Richard Swinburne, Carl Braaten, Stephen Davis, G.R.
Beasley-Murray, and J.A. MacCulloch. PME is also taught by the
Jehovah's Witnesses.
INCLUSIVISM-The
are saved or lost
the basis of their commitment to God.
Inclusivists hold that, even though God saves through the work
ofJesus, salvation can be received through general revelation and
the recognition of God's providential workings in the course of history. Explicit knowledge of what Christ has done is not necessary
for salvation. While the work of Christ is ontologically necessary
(no one can be saved without it), it is not epistemologically neces-
sary (one need not be aware of Christ's work in order to benefit
from it). Thus salvation is possible without having knowledge of
either the giver or the exact nature of the gift.
Inclusivism is based on two
of biblical texts. The
type deals with God's character and will. These texts focus on the
extension ofgrace to all who believe in Him since "the true light that
gives light to every man" (John 1:9) is seeking to "draw all men to
(Him)self' (John 12:32) because "we have put our hope in the living
God, who is the Savior of all men, especially those who believe" (l
Tim 4: 10). Hence the ultimate question at the final judgment will not
be "Do you know Jesus?" but "Does Jesus know you?" The second
set focuses on God's dealings with the Gentiles and those outside
the covenant with Israel. The first covenant was made with all of
humanity (Gen 1:26-28) as was the Noachic covenant (Gen 9:8-19).
Even the covenant made with Abraham was for "all the families
ofthe earth" (Gen 12:3 and repeated four times in Genesis). God's
dealings with individuals like Enoch, Lot, Job, and Ruth as well
as Gentiles like Melchizedek, Jethro, Rahab, and Naaman raise
the issue of the extent of salvation. And in the New Testament
that issue is again raised "Is He not the God ofthe Gentiles also?"
(Rom 3:29) and shown in Jesus' dealing with the Canaanite woman
(Matt 15:21-28), the Roman centurion (Matt 8:10), and Cornelius
the God-fearing Gentile (Acts 10). God shows no impartiality since
all of these may be called "pagan saints" (Rom 2:6-11).
between the
Inclusivism seeks a theological middle
restrietivists and the universalists, and hence offers it own five basic
points. First is the insistence on universally accessible salvation. This
differs from universalism in that, while not everyone will respond, yet
every person will have access to salvation.
inclusivists see
... _-----"Service to others has always been a vital part of the mission
and purpose of Bethel College. Many of our alumni are teachers,
preachers, coaches, and nurses. Those who are in business and
in the professions are also strongly imbued with a service ethic.
Service to God and service to others is an important part of the
Bethel experience."
-"From the President's Desk," Bethel Magazine,
vol. 1, no. 1 1990
a difference between Christians and believers. Believers are those
who believe in God but do not have explicit knowledge of Christ and
His ministry as do Christians. It is the reality of knowing God in
personal relationship rather than knowledge about the historical
Jesus that saves. Such "unevangelized believers" are totally saved
but are limited in their understanding ofsalvation and almost devoid
ofany assurance ofsalvation. Third is the beliefthat God is at work
in non-Christian religions. Such persons are saved today as Godseekers came to God before the incarnation of Jesus-as such the
unevangelized are pre-Christian believers in God who are already
saved. Fourth is the teaching that salvation is possible through
general revelation. All knowledge of God is saving knowledge. It is
not revelation that saves, but God saves by the work of the Holy
Spirit through revelation. Since this knowledge ofGod does not come
by human reason but by God's illumination, then general revelation
is a means of God's grace. Thus, inclusivists reject the idea that
persons are lost because they have never heard the Gospel. Fifth
is the belief in corporate election to service. Election is a corporate
call to service rather than an individual call to salvation, "election
has nothing to do with the eternal salvation ofindividuals but refers
instead to God's way of saving the nations" (Pinnock, pp. 24-25).
Election for service rather than individual selection for salvation
is the basis for universally accessible salvation.
Missions seems to be undercut ifthe unevangelized can be saved
apartfrom hearing the explicit message ofthe Gospel. An inclusivist,
however, would counter by saying that the uncertainty of salvation
makes evangelism the wiser course. Also, even ifthe unevangelized
God-fearers are saved, they still have not experienced the full extent
of salvation that evangelization would bring. Besides, missions are
not merely imparting information but a changing ofthe will. "Though
this view does not in the least diminish the imperative to witness
for Christ to the ends of the earth, it does change our understanding ofthe aim of Christian witness. It focuses our attention on the
proper function of witnessing-stimulation to faith-rather than .
. . inundate our hearers with new information" (Kraft, p. 255).
Some of the more interesting proponents of inclusivism are
from the Church Fathers like Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr,
Irenaeus, and Clement of Alexander; from the sixteenth to the
eighteenth centuries: Ulrich Zwingli, Erasmus, John Milton, Matthew Henry, John Milton, Robert Barclay, and John Wesley; and
from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries: William G. T. Shedd,
William Booth, Philip Schaff, A. H. Strong, Soren Kierkegaard, G.
Campbell Morgan, C.S. Lewis, Elton Trueblood, George Ladd, Clark
Pinnock, and William Abraham.
un,evangeiized affect the
diJre<3ti,on of our Christian mission?
If we adopt a restrictivist
then we would hold that
God's general revelation to all offers only a rudimentary but nonredemptive knowledge of God. Any human expression of religion is
not a sign of grace but rather a perverted response to divine revelation. Thus "people who have not heard and responded to the gospel
in explicitly cognitive ways are inevitably lost." If evangelizing is
limited to the cognitive conveying of the Gospel and the subsequent
response, then how do we escape the charge of Gnosticism? Where
is the dynamic of the Holy Spirit's regenerative power and grace?
Also, since these unevangelized can be saved only if they hear the
Gospel from human missionaries, ifno missionaries go, then they are
doomed. Doesn't this mean that Christian sinfulness (by not going
to witness to them) makes God unable to save those He desires to
save? If this is true, then how can we affirm that God is doing all
He can to save every person?
On the other hand, if we take a universalist position and
proclaim God's desire that "none should perish" will ultimately succeed, then why should we be concerned at all about the Christian
mission? Isn't there more to the Christian mission than asking "what
would Jesus do?" Or, is it more than preaching the love and wisdom
of God as ways for leading mankind into a better way of life? If
ultimately all are saved, then how can they ever be eternally lost?
Between these extreme views are the five "wider-hope" positions, each of which has been criticized for removing the need for
missions. If the unevangelized can be saved apart from missionaries, why support missions? Mter all, isn't the only reason for doing
missions to reach those people who cannot be saved without hearing
the gospel from another person? Don't these "wider-hope" views all
cut the nerve cord of missionary motivation?
However, these "wider-hope" positions affirm that God is at
work in the world to tell the Gospel story and to offer an invitation
to salvation to everyone. Ifwe view our mission as announcing the
gTeatnews ofthe Kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15), and of God being
in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself (2 Cor 5:17-21), then
everybody without exception must hear this Good News! Such a
mission calls for a multiplicity ofactivities like proclamation, church
planting, social involvement and development, being Christ's presence, and being a catalyst in history. While we should not neglect
to rescue the perishing, the purpose of missions is broader and its
motivation is more far reaching. Missions are a part of God's strategy for transforming the world and changing history. Speaking
quantitatively the goal ofmissions is to baptize and form churches.
Speaking qualitatively the goal of Inissions is to change lives and
the whole atmosphere oflile
infecting people with hope, love, and
concern lor evel:Y person.
Such a mission is motivated not only by seeking and saving the
lost-although this is surely one ofthe motivations-but as well by
these other four motives. First is the command ofJesus Himselfto "go
and make disciples" (Matt28:18-20).
ifwe have experienced
the love of God in our own lives, then that "love of Christ controls
us" (2 Cor 5:14) "to spread thro' all the earth abroad the honors of
thy name" (C. Wesley).
we do Christian mission for the glory
of God who will be honored because ofthose who come to know Him
(Psalm 96).
we are engaged in a spiritual warfare and the
forces of evil have so horribly infected our human affairs that these
people need "to open their eyes and turn from darkness to light, and
from the power of Satan to God" (Acts 26:18). Thus our motivation
is not only to save people from the "second death" but also from the
"first death" of rebellion against God (Luke 15:24).
It is manifestly clear that Dr. Bridges has found such motives
to be an integral part of his vision as he has led Bethel College
to be:
•
"a Christian community of scholars and learners dedicated
to building lives of commitment for leadership in the church, the
nation and the world;
• .. , Of persons who are born of the Spirit and empowered
by Him to live a holy life devoted to the fulfillment of the Church's
Great Commission;
•
... a responsive academic community (that) affirms its
commitment to provide liberating and relevant academic programs,
while holding to its Christian responsibility to be a witness and
participant in the contemporary world;
• ... (that prepares) students to serve the Church, the community, and the society at large" (Catalog, pp. 1-2).
Thank you Dr. Bridges for including the whole world in your
vision for Bethel College, and for calling us to a deeper "life in the
Spirit"-who is the true missionary for the Father and the Son who
give the increase.
NOTES
The scriptural use of the term "heathen"is centered on the words
"Gentiles,""nations," and "peoples."These groups are further broken down
into" households" (bayith Joshua 7:14 and oilws Acts 10:2); "clans" (mispachah Gen12:3 andphule Rev7:9); "peoples" ('am. Gen 11:6 and ctlmos
Matt 24:14); "language/tongue" (saphah Gen 11:9 and glossa Acts 2:11);
and "nations" (goyyim Gen 12:2 and laos Rev 7:9); (Feaver, pp. 18-19).
Missiologists have used the terms:(a) "unreached" to mean ethnolinguistic
1
groups with a strong group identity and affinity which do not have their
own indigenous witness or church and in which the majority is unevangelized; and (b) "hidden peoples" to mean those who live in places where
they are unseen and unreached by Christians. Recently the Lausanne
Committee for World Evangelization has used a scale ofterms to identify
unevangelized peoples. This scale includes: "hidden peoples" -no known
Christians within the group; "initially reached"-less than one percent are
Christian; "minimally reached"-one to ten percent Christians; "possibly
reached"-ten to twenty percent Christians; and "reached"-over twenty
percent are Christians (Dunavant, p. 981). According to a recent report
there are "600,000 Christians; 1.4 billion cultural Christians; 2.5 billion
non-Christians with access to the gospel; and, 1.6 billion with no access
to the gospel" (Wilson). Now we see that the "they" are the major part of
the world's population that lives without a viable gospel witness or a truly
valid opportunity to accept or reject Jesus as Savior and Lord.
The following taxonomy is adapted Sanders (1992), Culbertson
(2004), and Yong (2003).
:J All biblical references are in the NIV unless otherwise noted.
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LaVerne P Blowers, B.A., M.Div., Th.M, D.Miss. is associate
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Indiana.