Abstract
Judea Harvest is a modern cross-cultural gospel-mission outreach that started four years ago. During this short span of time it has laid claims to phenomenal success. The view has been expressed that the cross-cultural gospel-mission has a world wide crisis. This is due to goals that are set which are not in line with God’s goals for the gospel-mission. Some goals are even seen as being unfamiliar with the Bible itself. Responsibility from the church’s side calls for an investigation into the total strategy of Judea Havest regarding the mentioned crisis. This situation was researched by means of a literary study and qualitative research and certain proposals were made to Judea Harvest.
We need to determine what God’s goals are. Concepts that are strange to the Bible are no longer acceptable. An example is the dichotomous view concerning man. The Bible does not uphold such a dichotomous view where man’s spiritual life is separated from the rest of his existence. The Bible upholds a holistic approach to man. Another example is the view that the gospel-mission is directed to a specific geographical area. Jesus’ ministry was centred towards man – man in his crisis and need. A geographical approach, like Judea Harvest has, results in a situation where a specific people-group and their unique needs are totally overlooked.
Cross-cultural gospel-mission asks that the role of culture be reconsidered. God meets man within his cultural context, and this must be the aim of the gospel-mission. Culture is not cancelled by the Gospel, but the Gospel acknowledges the existence of culture.
For far too long the gospel mission was approached with a view that the missions organisation, as is the case with Judea Harvest, determines the needs of a people, and how that need is to be met. The perception of the people-group that is to be reached, must give the direction in what the needs are and how they are to be fulfilled by the Gospel. For this to happen, in-depth research of the people-group is required.
The time has come to rethink God’s goals for the gospel-mission.
Prof. W.J. Hattingh