Comments on: In response to Dr. Malcom Yarnell’s Shall We “Build Bridges” or “Pull Down Strongholds”? http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2008/03/17/in-response-to-dr-malcom-yarnell%e2%80%99s-shall-we-%e2%80%9cbuild-bridges%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9cpull-down-strongholds%e2%80%9d/ Let's give the Commission back to the church. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:31:51 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: stepchild http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2008/03/17/in-response-to-dr-malcom-yarnell%e2%80%99s-shall-we-%e2%80%9cbuild-bridges%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9cpull-down-strongholds%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-1082 stepchild Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:42:12 +0000 http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2008/03/17/in-response-to-dr-malcom-yarnell%e2%80%99s-shall-we-%e2%80%9cbuild-bridges%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9cpull-down-strongholds%e2%80%9d/#comment-1082 Thanks, guys. I won't pretend that what I've written makes any sense, I just really felt compelled to respond to Dr. Yarnell's paper. He just doesn't seem to understand the complexities of communicating across cultures. My perspective, however, is quite pragmatic, and that's not always the best way at arriving at truth... I wonder why Dr. Yarnell wrote this paper. Is it a response to a current over-emphasis on contextualization? Why does he bring the emerging church into a discussion of cross cultural ministry? Anyway, thanks again. Thanks, guys. I won’t pretend that what I’ve written makes any sense, I just really felt compelled to respond to Dr. Yarnell’s paper. He just doesn’t seem to understand the complexities of communicating across cultures. My perspective, however, is quite pragmatic, and that’s not always the best way at arriving at truth…

I wonder why Dr. Yarnell wrote this paper. Is it a response to a current over-emphasis on contextualization? Why does he bring the emerging church into a discussion of cross cultural ministry?

Anyway, thanks again.

]]> By: Paul http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2008/03/17/in-response-to-dr-malcom-yarnell%e2%80%99s-shall-we-%e2%80%9cbuild-bridges%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9cpull-down-strongholds%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-1081 Paul Mon, 17 Mar 2008 15:08:47 +0000 http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2008/03/17/in-response-to-dr-malcom-yarnell%e2%80%99s-shall-we-%e2%80%9cbuild-bridges%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9cpull-down-strongholds%e2%80%9d/#comment-1081 I think there is one aspect of Dr. Yarnell's paper that vividly illustrates a weakness in his approach to what is "culturally" acceptable. Dr. Yarnell lives in an academic culture, yet proposes in this paper to speak, not to the academy, but to the church. Yet he writes as if he is writing for the academy. How many lay persons does he think all of those Greek words will have any meaning for? For that matter, how many pastors will those Greek words have any meaning for? And so, in some sense, his failure to rightly exegete his target audience actually becomes a hindrance to the message he hopes to share. In this case I doubt it is a major hindrance. After all, we still have the English words along with the Greek ones. But I think it is illustrative of your point. And I couldn't agree more. I think there is one aspect of Dr. Yarnell’s paper that vividly illustrates a weakness in his approach to what is “culturally” acceptable. Dr. Yarnell lives in an academic culture, yet proposes in this paper to speak, not to the academy, but to the church. Yet he writes as if he is writing for the academy. How many lay persons does he think all of those Greek words will have any meaning for? For that matter, how many pastors will those Greek words have any meaning for?

And so, in some sense, his failure to rightly exegete his target audience actually becomes a hindrance to the message he hopes to share. In this case I doubt it is a major hindrance. After all, we still have the English words along with the Greek ones. But I think it is illustrative of your point.

And I couldn’t agree more.

]]> By: Todd http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2008/03/17/in-response-to-dr-malcom-yarnell%e2%80%99s-shall-we-%e2%80%9cbuild-bridges%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9cpull-down-strongholds%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-1080 Todd Mon, 17 Mar 2008 14:03:06 +0000 http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2008/03/17/in-response-to-dr-malcom-yarnell%e2%80%99s-shall-we-%e2%80%9cbuild-bridges%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9cpull-down-strongholds%e2%80%9d/#comment-1080 Stepchild, I prefer you practitioner's perspective. Stepchild,
I prefer you practitioner’s perspective.

]]> By: Alan Cross http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2008/03/17/in-response-to-dr-malcom-yarnell%e2%80%99s-shall-we-%e2%80%9cbuild-bridges%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9cpull-down-strongholds%e2%80%9d/comment-page-1/#comment-1079 Alan Cross Mon, 17 Mar 2008 03:30:02 +0000 http://missionsmisunderstood.com/2008/03/17/in-response-to-dr-malcom-yarnell%e2%80%99s-shall-we-%e2%80%9cbuild-bridges%e2%80%9d-or-%e2%80%9cpull-down-strongholds%e2%80%9d/#comment-1079 Thanks, Stepchild. I think that a big problem that we have is that we don't quite realize how steeped in a fallen culture the white, Baptist church in the South is. We have never recognized that, so we sit from a place where we are drowning in accomodation to the culture and we critique others who are trying to speak to people in a language that they understand. Culture is inescapable. It is the air that we breathe. God, when He became flesh, made his dwelling among us. In other words, He operated in culture. We seem to be having the same discussions that Niebhur was engaging in in the last century. In reality, if we are guided by the gospel, we will find the ability to communicate cross-culturally much easier than we can imagine. It starts with humbling ourselves. Thank you for the time and energy that you put into this. Thanks, Stepchild. I think that a big problem that we have is that we don’t quite realize how steeped in a fallen culture the white, Baptist church in the South is. We have never recognized that, so we sit from a place where we are drowning in accomodation to the culture and we critique others who are trying to speak to people in a language that they understand. Culture is inescapable. It is the air that we breathe. God, when He became flesh, made his dwelling among us. In other words, He operated in culture. We seem to be having the same discussions that Niebhur was engaging in in the last century.

In reality, if we are guided by the gospel, we will find the ability to communicate cross-culturally much easier than we can imagine. It starts with humbling ourselves.

Thank you for the time and energy that you put into this.

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