Perspective on Perspectives

This semester, Emmanuel Church is very privileged to host the widely-recognized missions class, Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. Every Wednesday evening for 15 weeks (January 26-May 10), 35 students meet to learn more about our God's mission of global evangelization. The class is structured around four different ÒperspectivesÓ on GodÕs mission movement: (1) a Biblical perspective of God's unchanging purpose for the nations; (2) a historical perspective on the expansion and pioneers of the Christian movement; (3) a strategic perspective on who are the "unreached people groups" and why they are so important to the completion of God's mission purpose; and (4) a cultural perspective on the Gospel and cross-cultural communication of the Gospel.

About the Course and the Curriculum Editors
Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, formerly called Understanding World Evangelization, was first offered as a correspondence course through Wheaton College for the purpose of further equipping those students who had attended Urbana '76, InterVarsity's triennial Missions Conference. It is noteworthy that one of the students who had sneaked his way into Urbana '76 was Steven C. Hawthorne. In 1976, Hawthorne "was not at all interested in missions. He simply wanted to hear the biblical exposition of John Stott, one of the plenary speakers...The opening address of John Stott forever changed his life." It was called "The Living God is a Missionary God." That address is now Chapter One of the Perspectives textbook that Hawthorne co-edited with Dr. Ralph D. Winter. It was Dr. Winter who introduced Hawthorne to "the biblical certainty and the strategic possibility of completing world evangelization."

Dr. Winter served as a former missionary among Mayan Indians in Guatemala for ten years and then as a Professor of Missions at the School of World Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Roberta, founded a mission society called the Frontier Mission Fellowship in Pasadena, California that in turn spawned the U.S. Center for World Mission and the William Carey International University, both of which serve missionaries working on the frontlines. Fran Patt, the Regional Director of the U.S. Center for World Mission's Eastern Regional Office, and his wife Sue, have been instrumental in bringing Perspectives back to Philadelphia since its last offering eight years ago. Fran actually teaches two of the classes on the topic of the history of missions.

About the Textbook
Over 100,000 copies of the Perspectives textbook are being used by the Perspectives study program itself as well as by Bible colleges and seminaries. Some of the well-known Christians whose writings appear in the textbook include John Piper (Let the Nations Be Glad!), David Wells ("Prayer: Rebelling Against the Status Quo"), Henry T. Blackaby (the primary author of Experiencing God), Robert E. Coleman (The Master Plan of Evangelism), as well as the co-editors themselves. Of his writing and speaking, Steven Hawthorne says, "I like to commit arson of the heart." This is just what the Perspectives course is about - learning more about "God's passion to make His glory known throughout the Earth." The FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) explains, "The point of this course is not to persuade everyone to become an overseas missionary (although many do!). Neither is it to train people in skills that they need as missionaries. Our ultimate goal is to make people passionate about spreading God's glory - whether they go overseas, or work at home. We are convinced that God has a 'world-sized' role for every Christian. Perspectives is here to help you find your role!"

About the Students
The Perspectives course is currently being offered all over the United States and even internationally, and has over 30,000 alumni. Of the instructors, who are "field-tested pastors, missionaries, or theologians," many are Perspectives alumni themselves. Professor Dave Shive says that after taking the course 15 years ago because of a strong recommendation from his friend, he came to realize that he really did not known much about missions even though he had just finished seminary. Since then, Professor Shive has been a regular instructor of the Perspectives class. Dr. Bob Lynn, our first instructor in January, encourages people to take the course again some years later in order to benefit from fresh insights into God's global vision from a wider pool of instructors and possibly from a new textbook edition as well.

We are thankful to Joe Siu and Paul Park, the Class Coordinators, as well as Mina Kim, their assistant, for their sacrificial effort and willingness to bring the course back to Philadelphia and make it a reality for us. They even provide hot dinners every week to help the students get energized through a brief time of fellowship before class. Both Joe and Paul are Perspectives alumni from the 1999 course offered in New York City. Joe relates, "We were a bit worried when we first started planning the class. Will people know what Perspectives is? Will we have enough students signing up? How are we going to get the word out? Of course, God's work will always have God's supply. Over the course of two months, Christians from many churches inquired about the course. Eventually, God brought together a pretty diverse class of thirty-five people. God blasted away our initial worries and lack of faith." Of the total number of the students in the Philadelphia class, 9 students are auditing the course, 23 are taking it for a certificate and 3 for graduate course credit (via Westminster Theological Seminary). Joe added, "We have about 10 churches represented with a large representation from Emmanuel (12), GCC (4), Tenth (4) and Chinese Gospel Church (4). About one third are undergrads, while the rest are working people or graduate students. Most people are from Philadelphia, some are from Glenside, Horsham, or Burlington (NJ).... We have 4 people who work for a mission agency called Wo.rld T.eam. And a couple who will be in N. Africa."

In the next Dear Theophilus issue in May, we will have an opportunity to hear from some of the current Perspectives students on how they sense the Lord has used the course to impact their own lives and beyond..