In the elevation of the crucified Christ as the ultimate expression of the nature and character of God, Christian faith sets out a reversal of the values and priorities that typically sustain society. The gospel is explicit; the kingdom of God prioritises the poor, lame and outcast, over and against those who are normally given right of way, the wealthy, famous and highly educated (especially those who studied in the "right" schools). But while the message of Jesus is clear, the church has almost always struggled to embody this upside-down way of living in its own life and ministry.
In this issue we begin with an exploration of ministry to two groups of people who, by definition, exist at the margins of society. In the first article, Lauren McGrow argues for the need to re-examine our understanding of the choices made by women who work as prostitutes. This challenging article is the product of Lauren's involvement as an employee of a mission working with prostitutes in the inner city of Sydney, as well as her formal reflections arising from her doctoral thesis focused on the challenges of this ministry. She begins with an evocative (potentially provocative) question – “can a woman be both a working prostitute and a faith-filled Christian?” Her response finds it originating text in the words of Jesus, Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. (Matt 21:31b NRSV). There is a tendency to read this text in a manner that disparages both prostitutes and Pharisees – the prostitutes have almost no chance of getting into the kingdom and you have less chance than they. Lauren invites an alternate reading, one that asks us to see the prostitute as someone in whom the kingdom of God is at work now - not only at some future time when she may be "converted" and leave the industry. This is a new way of thinking about working women, who are not simply "whores" and " sinners" but "humans" who, like each one of us, are good and bad, beautiful and ugly, saint and sinner, a mess of contradictions who nonetheless are encountered by the crucified Christ, whose power is made manifest in our weakness. This way of looking at the prostitute invites a new way of ministry to them. In fact, it suggests that ministry "to them" is best understood as a conversation "with them," a journey of mutual self discovery.
Tobias Brandner writes from his experience as a prison chaplain for the Hong Kong Correctional Services Department (and as Assistant Professor for church history and missiology at the Divinity School of Chung Chi College, Chinese University of Hong Kong). His article is both a celebration of Pentecostal/charismatic ministry to these people on the margins, as well as a critical response to a form of outreach that too often fails to take into account the complex psycho social reality of prison life. What is noteworthy in his wide ranging description is the strong resonance between the spirituality and attitudes of Pentecostal faith with Asian spirituality in general and the characteristics of prison life in particular. Pentecostal affirmation of spiritual powers speaks to a community of men who feel trapped by the dark side of those powers and in need of spiritual freedom. In the Pentecostal understanding of the gospel, with its encouragement to radical transformation in the power of the Spirit, there is also a powerful sense of both liberation from past failures and a renewed sense of agency, an empowerment in the face of the ongoing dehumanising experience of life behind bars. He pays particular attention to the importance of Pentecostal worship, especially that which is not aimed at inmates but invites their participation and their testimony. More problematically, Tobias describes the tendency of Pentecostals to utilise the word of faith message in prison ministry, with its "manipulative understanding of God" distorting the experience of faith for people that are "accustomed to manipulative human relationships." He describes the tendency for such ministries to become distorted by the hierarchical nature of the relationship between minister and prisoner and within the prison community. This gives rise to the danger of emotional and relational abuse. Tobias concludes his paper by warning against condescension. This is essentially the same conclusion as that reached by Lauren in her discussion of prostitution. Mission to both prisoners and prostitutes is not meant to be a unidirectional top-down exercise. Rather, we are called to minister out of our own weakness, share Christ with others, and (to cite Tobias) "meet Christ in them."
For the purpose of this editorial there is no need to me to summarise the final three articles. This is not because they are less important but because they touch on topics more familiar to readers of this journal. David Hymes, missionary with the Assemblies of God World Missions and Academic Dean of Central Bible College, Tokyo, engages in a thoroughgoing analysis of the Old Testament teaching on dreams and visions, for the purpose of grounding a Pentecostal/charismatic theology of the same. This is an important study of a topic too often neglected in both academic contexts and practical spirituality and discipleship. Indeed, for all its focus on the power of the Spirit, there has been a degree of reluctance in Pentecostal circles to proactively embrace the possibility of God speaking through such mediums. In grounding his work in the Old Testament text, David challenges the Pentecostal community to take a wider view of the revelatory power of the Spirit. The final two articles draw on the Pauline corpus. Chris Baker considers the importance of religious experience in the life of the apostle Paul, and the centrality of the Spirit in shaping that experience. Adam White analyses Paul's understanding of the positive relationship between spirituality and structured learning for the purpose of coming to maturity.
Shane
PS it is necessary for me to issue a brief apology for the late publication of this issue of the journal. I had a major accident in October of 2010 that rendered me a quadriplegic and kept me in hospital for more than seven months. I am thankful to Mark Hutchinson for publishing the previous issue of the journal during the early months of my "imprisonment". This current issue has been delayed because of the slow pace of my recovery - as I learn to function with this new body. Everything just seems to take me longer! I would especially like to thank the contributors and subscribers for their patience.