타문화권 선교사의 본보기로서의 족장들

Abstract

Howard A. Snyder is said to have continuously pursued inductive Bible study reflected in the sentence “We study the Bible not to confirm what we already believe but to find out what it actually teaches, whether that cements or shatters our assumptions,” learned when he was a seminary student.This paper is a piece of the treasure discovered in the author’s continuous journey of inductive Bible study and research in transformative effects. The paper is an extension of the author’s long-lived assertion that the attitude of the missionary is the most important factor in cross-cultural mission. tarting from Genesis 12, God chooses and focuses on one household as a novel and active strategy to bless mankind. From Genesis 12, Abraham and his descendents are nearly the sole subjects of God’s holy history. Arthur F. Glasser proposed that in the end, Abraham became the pioneer in mission. The author further takes this idea and claims that the patriarchs of the Israelite clan, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are excellent role models of cross-cultural mission. In this paper, the concept of “model,” which is classified by A. Scott Moreau as physical, metaphoric, and theoretical, is used in the context of a metaphoric model. The patriarchs are models in the sense that they are aspired by cross-cultural missionaries as a certain ideal. Therefore, an effort is made to extract the examples of being a cross-cultural missionary from the lives of the patriarchs. This is because they are recognized as the model, in other words the standard or the criterion, of cross-cultural missionaries. Through this study, the author finds the theoretical framework of the standards for cross-cultural missionaries: from Abraham, the relationship-succeeding missionary, from Isaac, the well-transferring missionary, from Jacob, the missionary that moved the stone from the mouth of the well. Abraham, who sustained a relationship based on faith and obedience with God and a relationship based on love with the indigenous people, is worthy of being called the pioneer of cross-cultural mission. Isaac, acclaimed for his obedience and concession, is a textbook example of cross-cultural mission in the aspects of transfer and exit strategy. Jacob is also a good model for cross-cultural missionaries in terms of his strategic planning in which the importance of timing, setting goals, and having a phased approach are comprehensively utilized. The author depicts a picture in which cross-cultural missionaries, who must do the work of God while facing many challenges in life, skillfully walk the difficult road paved by the three generations of patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that beautifully embroidered the book of Genesis.