Identification in the Missionary Task

Abstract

With experience ranging from the Andes to the grasslands of West Africa, Dr. Reyburn approaches the much-discussed subject of missionary identification with refreshing insight. Few missionaries have tried (and succeeded) in “identifying” with as many different peoples on two such different continents as have the Reyburns. But, as Reyburn says in this article, it is not the sheer quantity of identification that counts. Rather, he explores the obstacles to missionary identification, as they range from gesture to skin color, from repugnance at eating certain foods to ideological insulation. His comments on “authority” and “liberty” are most illuminating, as is his conclusion on the Christian basis for identification.