Anthropological Insights for Missionaries

by Paul G. Hiebert

Alternate cover for ISBN: 0801042917

One source to help missionaries understand the people they serve and their historical and cultural settings is in the field of study called anthropology. The author, an expert in his field, taps its insights for missionaries in a way that few others do.

Genres: Anthropology, Christian, Christianity, Nonfiction, Theology, Evangelism, Cultural

Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Daniel Alvers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has allowed me to laugh at myself. I am a person that grew up in small town USA until I was 20 years of age. Through college and other experiences I have moved 8 times in ten years. In each of these situations I have met and experienced new things that this book talks about in grave detail. Most of the time I did not know this was what I was experiencing. It would have been helpful if I could have had this book before to better understand. In moving forward this has taught me a great deal about church work and how to interact with people in better ways. Thankful for the work here. A very important work!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'd say a must read for anyone who's interested in missions. much of book deals w/ intercultural issues that every missionaries must face. i also found the last chapter very helpful as it discussed the new problems and opportunities of modern missions as we move beyond colonialism into modern world. on the other hand, i was also hoping to read something on the whole nature of globalization w/ so many cultures integrated in cities throughout the world. but, then, being written mid 80's, it's understandable...

[JournalsTLY]

Published in 1985.
The world has changed much but there are many good principles that Hiebert has distilled for anyone who wants to live, explore and work in a different culture thats till applies today.

Many examples are from India and the Pacific Islands. I liked the example of how "we" would describe that a rainbow has 7 colours while some communities would say that they rainbow has 2 kinds of colours - the hot colours and the cold colours.

There are several good charts and illustrations that give a bird's eye view of the blind spots that we bring. The charts about "Dealing with old ways" ( fig 25), on BiCultural Community (fig 30) , and about the layout of a village home vis a vis a church compound ( fig 36) are excellent illustrations.

This book written for an American or "western" audience but I think it is relevant to any one starting out even from other regions. The reason ? - Hiebert writes about 2 kinds of "theology" that missionaries bring. There is the "Theology" with the big "T" - about who God is, His character and being ; and there is the theology with the small "t" - about human description and explanations. Perhaps we try too hard about the small"t" ?

It is a very helpful book to set cross cultural workers on a good start - to go to a new community as learners .

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very worthwhile

This book is very worthwhile. Christian missionaries are needed all over the world. But TRAINED Christian missionaries bring even greater value. This book is good for training missionaries.

[Georgia Gouros · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical advice for dealing with "culture shock", and the anecdotes of misunderstandings that different culture brings were amusing. "One way to overcome ethnocentrism is to be learners in the culture to which we go". Amen to that.

[Hannah Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

DNF - only planned to read the first few chapters this go around per Matt's recommendation. A little outdated, but overall spot on in missiology. The chapter on Culture Shock in particular was helpful to better understand the experience.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated but still contained some helpful insights that will resonate with those ministering cross culturally and seeking to not only proclaim Christ but to also have the gospel message rightly understood by hearers.

[Jack Hayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for anyone who is engaged in cross-cultural engagement or leading a m. board.

[Sonia Yip · Rating 5 out of 5]

A textbook for every cross cultural workers

It is comprehensive as it covers many different areas about missionary work. And many of the insights are good for deeper reflection.

[Cinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re working in missions or planning to, you need to read this book.

[Tim Knorek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat outdated but overall helpful.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book for me to read in my current context. I am a Youth Pastor for a body in Chicago made up of people from Cambodia, Burundi, Tanzania, Congo, a few other countries from the continent of Africa, Nepal/Bhutan, a few Latin American countries and westerners.

I have been highly influenced by Richard Twiss in this new context, and I have heard him refer to Hiebert's four selves, or legs to a stool, in a few of his talks. I originally read this book in undergrad and wanted to read it again, for this context I am in.

Hiebert's target audience in this book is primarily a westerner going and living in another land/culture to work as a missionary. However he has great things in here for people like myself who are working with a body that is trying to be a multi-cultural body.

The most important, to me, is his chapter on the fourth self. Hiebert argues that we talk a lot about things with new churches but we don't talk as much about churches self-theologizing.

Hiebert acknowledges that not only does culture have a role in how we determine theology, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. That it is important for cultures to self theologize, thereby not just taking on Western theology/thought. Rather followers of Jesus should intentionally look at God and scripture through the lens of their culture and incarnately apply the Gospel time and time again.

This is super important because we as westerners often don't realize how much our culture has influenced how we read scripture and also how we view/think about God. This isn't always a bad thing thing, but it is a bad thing not to realize how much our culture has shaped how we think about God. Too often we label other incarnate theologies as other because they don't completely line up with our theology, so we name them liberation theology or black theology while white western theology is just....theology.

A good book for those looking to go overseas, or plug into their local neighborhoods that may look a little different than their own.

[Haije Bergstra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ik heb het boek met name gelezen vanwege het hoofdstuk over contextualisatie. De eerste twee delen gaan met name over het evangelie in relatie tot cultuur. Dit deel vind ik het beste van het boek. De twee laatste delen behandelen met name missionair werk in een andere cultuur. Er is veel herkenning en het is een goede inleiding tot de praktijk van missionair werk voor een beginnende missionaire werker. Sommige gegevens en zendingsfilosofie zijn wel een beetje gedateerd, het boek stamt dan ook uit de jaren 80 van de vorige eeuw. In de tussentijd is er mondiaal veel veranderd.

[Shane · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK information, but all dated. The world changes too fast for this book, compiled from years of teaching about missions.

[Khekto Chishi · Rating 5 out of 5]

very helpful with my practical work..

[Emil Bredahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book that I will return to always for Anthropological ideas and perspectives
An absolutely amazing book

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expert anthropologist shows missionaries how to better understand the people they serve and their historical and cultural settings.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book I think all Christians who are interested in local evangelical or cross-cultural ministry should look into reading. Hiebert offers well-structured and easy to read anthropological insights into the history of missions, strategies, cultural and ethical differences, challenges and culture shock, and critical contextualization of the Gospel to a culture.

[Stephanie]

I found this book to be a wonderful resource, especially during the beginning of my time on the mission field. It does literally what the title says, takes insights from anthropology and applies them to the mission field. This book was recommended to me as a ReachGlobal missionary as a part of my training, and I am so thankful for it. Part 1 breaks down the Gospel from the perspective of cultures (not letting me bang through Romania with only an American lens of the scriptures); Part 2 examines cultural differences and how missionaries have, do, and could navigate them, while warning of the dangers of cultural assumptions; Part 3 examines how cultural differences and the Message are navigates with a heavy argument in favor of contextualization, and Part 4 examined cultural differences in a bicultural community and this growing international, urban world. This book was an important read. I highly recommend it for anyone who is or wants to become a missionary. I also recommend it to people in the States whose homes are the mission field God has called them to. This book challenged areas of American culture that are not Biblical, which really helped me appreciate and begin discerning what in Romanian culture is and isn't Biblical. While if your mission field is your home, you can skip over some of the talk of culture shock, overall this book would still provide some great insights to you.

I will warn you though, it is on the academic side and takes a long time to read and absorb because of that. Hiebert has compiled a large amount of research to support many of his points, which is wonderful, but reminds me of reading academic articles in university sometimes.

Here is one quote I found especially powerful and convicting from the end of the book:
"the 1.5 billion followers of Christ own 2/3 of the world's resources and have an average yearly income more than three times that of non-Christians. Not all Christians, however, are materially wealthy. Almost 200 million live in absolute poverty, while 750 million of their fellow Christians live in affluence. Although most well-off Christians support relief, on average they give less than 3% of their income to Christian ministries. If they were to give even a tithe... to a large extent the global sharing by Christians of money, wealth, property, and goods could solve most of the problems of famine, poverty, disease, unemployment, dangerous water supply and so on..." (as cited in Hiebert, p. 292).
Please contemplate the weight of this data with me. These facts prove that God does bless His people, and while there are exceptions (just look at Job in the Bible if you want proof that the exceptions are allowed by God too) overall Christians are very blessed. I am shocked and convicted that I, and many others, could be doing more to live out the Great Commission.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)