Dependency versus sustainability in missions in the Russian and African contexts

All too often in missions’ history the unfortunate pattern has been to establish dependent, rather than independent, seminaries and churches that have had to struggle mightily to arrive at a point of self-sufficiency. Given this tendency, how can missionaries best foster indigenous churches, schools, and ministries that will become self-sustaining? Best practices in overcoming dependency include instruction in stewardship, bi-vocational ministry, and micro-enterprise development. Russian and African case studies of dependency and steps toward self-sustaining church life are examined. The article concludes with the details of a demonstration greenhouse project at six sites in Russia and Ukraine.

Ethnomathematics Study: the Technique of Counting Fish Seeds (Osphronemus Gouramy) of Sundanese Style

Konsep etnomatematik yang diajukan oleh D'Ambrosio memandang budaya dan matematika sebagai dua hal yang saling berhubungan yang bisa dijelaskan satu sama lain melalui kegiatan sehari-hari masyarakat yang matematis. Penelitian ini setidaknya mengusung dua misi, yaitu misi pendidikan dan kebudayaan. Sejarah mencatat bahwa orang Sunda memiliki teknik unik dalam menghitung benih ikan (Osphronemus gouramy). Keunikannya terlihat dari bagaimana mereka menghitung dengan bernyanyi dan juga dalam perspektif proses matematis. Studi interpretif ini mengeksplorasi konsep matematika yang terdapat dalam budaya Sunda dan memberikan gambaran tentang antropologi budaya melalui pendekatan etnomatematik. Penelitian ini mengamati empat peternak ikan senior dari berbagai kota di Priangan Timur. Hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa orang Sunda menggunakan konsep dari sedikit dari lima orang dalam menghitung benih ikan. Selain itu, mereka juga sangat terampil dalam menerapkan sifat distribusi perkalian, namun mereka tidak mengetahui istilahnya secara matematis. Bahkan pada konsep identitas dan invers, secara tidak langsung mereka telah menerapkannya tanpa mengetahui sifat tersebut. Hampir semua responden tidak bisa menjelaskan bagaimana mereka mendapatkan proses perkalian ini karena empat responden lulusan sekolah dasar, bahkan beberapa di antaranya tidak tamat. Mereka mengatakan bahwa matematika bisa dikuasai oleh pengalaman. Dari perspektif antropologi, ikan gurame memiliki nilai semiotika yang sangat berarti bagi orang Sunda, hal ini menunjukkan nilai prestise orang Sunda. Dari perspektif budaya, penelitian ini memaparkan kearifan lokal orang Sunda menjadi bagian dari upaya menegakkan nilai-nilai budaya bangsa. Dari perspektif pendidikan, penelitian ini bisa menjadi upaya mengurangi gagasan bahwa matematika dan budaya bebas budaya. Kata kunci: antropologi budaya, etnomatematik, Osphronemus gouramy, budaya Sunda ABSTRACT Ethnomathematical concept that was proposed by D'Ambrosio looked at culture and mathematics as an interconnected thing that can be explained each other by everyday mathematical activities of society. This research at least brings two missions, namely educational and cultural missions. History noted that the Sundanese have a unique technique in counting fish seeds (Osphronemus gouramy). The uniqueness is visible from how they count by singing and also in the perspective of mathematical process. This interpretive study explores the mathematical concepts contained in the Sundanese culture and provide an overview of cultural anthropology through an ethnomathematics approach. This research observed four senior farmers from different cities in Priangan Timur. The results show that Sundanese uses the concept of a multiple of five in counting fish seeds. In addition, they are also highly skilled at applying the distributive properties of multiplication, but they don’t know the term mathematically. Even the concept of identity and inverse, indirectly they have applied it without knowing the terms. Almost all respondents cannot explain how they got this multiplication process because the four of respondents only went to elementary school, even some of them did not finish it. They said clearly that mathematics can be mastered by experience. From the anthropology perspective, Gourami Fish has a very meaningful semiotics value for Sundanese, it shows the prestige value of Sundanese. From a cultural perspective, this research exposes Sundaneses’ local wisdom becomes part of the effort to uphold the nation's cultural values. From educational perspective, this study could be an effort in reducing the notion that mathematics and culture are culturally-free. Keywords: cultural-anthropolgy, ethnomathematics, Osphronemus gouramy, Sundanese culture

Historical Theology: Content, methodology and relevance

In this contribution, the authors reflect on historical theology as theological discipline. The authors propose that historical theology be applied to different areas of research, namely prolegomena, history of the church, history of missions, history of theology, history of ecumenical theology or public theology and church polity. The point is made that historical theology, when properly structured and presented, could play a major role in enriching the theological and ecclesial conversation and in assisting the church in the process of reformation and transformation.

Historiese teologie in ʼn veranderende konteks

In this contribution, the author reflects on historical theology as theological discipline. After a short introduction to the precarious situation of church history as a theological discipline in South Africa and the question of faith and history, the contribution presents an analysis of Gerhard Ebeling’s 1947 publication on church history in which he proposed that church history should be understood as a history of Biblical interpretation. Based on some of the principles Ebeling delineated, the author proposes that historical theology could be applied to five areas of research: prolegomena, history of the church, history of missions, history of theology and church polity. The point is made that historical theology, when properly structured and presented, could play a major role in enriching the theological and ecclesial conversation and in assisting the church in the process of reformation and transformation.Keywords: Gerhard Ebeling; Hermeneutics; Church History

The Religious Worldview of the Indigenous Population of the Northern Ob' as Understood by Christian Missionaries

On the eve of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, the Russian Orthodox Church had at least nine missions operating among Siberia's indigenous peoples. The Red victory in the ensuing civil war led to the elimination of all missionary activity, whose resumption was possible only after the fall of the Communist regime seventy years later. The few accounts of Christian missions published in the USSR were tendentious in the extreme. Only in the post-Communist era have scholars in the former Soviet Union been free to explore the rich archival and journalistic resources left by the missionaries. Anatoliy Ablazhei's article was chiefly addressed to scholars in Russia. It explores the extent to which the newly available missionary accounts are useful sources for contemporary scholars investigating native religion and cosmology. His work is reproduced here in translation for several reasons. It exemplifies the new wave of Russian scholarship about missions history, giving us a glimpse of the mass of documentary material available for researchers to use. Its critique of Russian Orthodox perceptions of native religion and the imperfect methods employed to spread Christianity in Siberia provides us with material from a mission field little known in the outside world. This information can prove useful for comparative missiological investigations. Above all, however, its value lies in its contribution to the ongoing debates about contextualization and syncretism, the validity of the Gospel for all peoples, and the appropriation of Christianity by the world's indigenous peoples. It exemplifies the errors of ignorance often committed by outsiders trying to spread the Gospel within a thoroughly alien culture. As Terence Ranger reminded us in the first Adrian Hastings Memorial Lecture at Leeds University in November 2002, authentic Christianity is indeed possible among indigenous peoples. The Holy Spirit can inspire a transformation of their lives and culture, without an excess of Eurocentric accretions.1