Haase_UZ_x007E_DTh (2).pdf - South African Theological Seminary

also among the oppressed, non-European
cultures championed by affirmative
postmodernists (McCallum, 1996:206).
Many postmodern spiritual seekers now look to the mystical past for fulfilment. They
easily blend whatever suits their pleasure, including ancient Gnostic writings, the Sufi
Muslim and Kabalistic Jewish traditions, and all manner of Eastern religions, and Native
American spiritualities. Even the Christian Charismatic-Pentecostal streams of the faith
are popular among postmodern spiritual seekers, who are also glad to mix these and other
Christian forms; with whatever other spirituality interests them. Francis Schaeffer
warned decades ago, that this passion for mysticism was coming, that rationality would
virtually be abandoned for subjective spirituality, making each individual the captain of
his or her own religious path.
It is no secret that in our day (c.2007), a substantial portion of modernized Western
Christianity no longer believes in traditional Christian doctrines, like the virgin birth of
Christ, his ascension to heaven, or his eventual return. These modernist, and naturalist,
Western churches are ill-equipped, for the most part, to deal with the Pagan renaissance,
the growing Western preoccupation with the demonic, and the powers of darkness. There
is little question that many of the Western churches need to learn again, what it means to
do warfare in the heavenlies (cf., 2Co. 10:4). “For we do not wrestle against flesh and
blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this
age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).
The simple lesson for us is this: all over the
world Christians are meeting followers of
New religions and world religions at a time
when new technologies and social changes
abound. Once Western Christian missionaries
met these faiths only in Asia and Africa.
Now Buddhist, Hindu, and Islamic believers
meet us in all Western countries. As
evangelical scholars like Irving Hexham and
Karla Poewe have indicated, the new religions
form global sub-cultures of unreached people
groups. The broad brushstrokes of modern
history suggest to us that here we have a fresh
missional challenge that cannot be avoided.
This is a new frontier for missions
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University of Zululand, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa