WITNESSING IN WORD AND DEED IN THE CONTEXT OF RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION

by PHILIP TACHIN in Vol. 1 No. 1-2 / Fall 2015

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35285/ucc1.1-2.2015.art13



Witnessing in word and deed in the context of religious persecution is a challenge. The issue of “word and deed gospel” concerns not only the living of blameless lives; it also involves extending active love towards unbelievers. To show charity towards a harmless unbeliever is easier than to do the same towards a harmful one. In other words, we are asking, can we truly love a harmful unbeliever to the extent of demonstrating good deeds to him or her, or are we permitted simply to maintain a disposition of non-hatred towards that person? This question can be restated as the questions answered by this research: Is it possible to witness in love by word and deed under religious persecution? What are the theological foundations for “word and deed” evangelism in the context of persecution? What are the preconditions for effective witness under persecution? The argument for the necessity of both word and deed in evangelism is built on the Christological structures of the person and work of Christ and the specific teachings of Christ that our deeds are as critical as our words in the proclamation of the gospel, even in the current context of global religious terrorism. The purpose of this research is to deepen our understanding of the truth that witnessing in word and deed is the most comprehensive evangelistic approach, even in hostile environments. The goal of this perspective is to inspire zeal and courage for a deliberate pursuit of the mission of God until his kingdom is fully realized.

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Other Articles in
Vol. 1 No. 1-2 / Fall 2015

Martyreō and Cognates in the New Testament: Some Notes by DONALD A. CARSON
Witness in the Theology of Hebrews by DAVID G. PETERSON
The Martyrdom of Polycarp by GERALD BRAY
Jan Hus: A Reformation before the Reformation by DANIEL BERGÈSE
The Forerunners of the Reformation by PETER A. LILLBACK
Pierre Viret’s Consolation for the Persecuted Huguenots by REBEKAH A. SHEATS
A Teachable Death: Doctrine and Death in Marten Micron’s Martyrology by HERMAN J. SELDERHUIS
The Guanabara Confession of Faith by Alderi S. Matos
The Captivity Epistles of the English Reformation by PHILIP E. HUGHES
Witness in the Public Square by JAMES W. SKILLEN
Post-Christian Confession in Secular Context by LEONARDO DE CHIRICO
Persecution of Christians Today by THOMAS SCHIRRMACHER
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“With Heart and Hands and Voices”: Integral Ministry of Word and Deed from a Missio Dei Perspective by PHILLIPUS J. (FLIP) BUYS AND ANDRÉ JANSEN
The Ministry of Religion and the Rights of the Minority: The Witness of Protestant Christianity in Indonesia by BENYAMIN F. INTAN
The Church in Korea: Persecution and Subsequent Growth by SANG GYOO LEE
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