Understanding Folk Religion: A Christian Response to Popular Beliefs and Practices [Paperback]

Paul G. Hiebert (Author), R. Daniel Shaw (Author), Tite Tienou (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2000

Provides a model for examining the beliefs folk religions around the world and suggests biblical principles missionaries can use to deal with them.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A book for all Christians to read who are serious about deep-level spiritual transformation. Our cultural upbringing often hides from our awareness areas of life that need to be confronted by the gospel. Reading this book will help uncover aspects of our own worldview and practice that are more informed by North American culture than by the kingdom values of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are few resources available, apart from living in a cross-cultural context, that can do what this book can accomplish. Can a person worship Christ on Sunday and visit a witch doctor on Monday morning for a healing remedy? This is the question Hiebert and his colleagues deal with in an effort to uncover what people really believe in a variety of cultures. They demonstrate how Christian missionaries have often forced folk beliefs underground when they actually thought they had rooted them out. They do a masterful job of providing the framework of a biblical response to a number of issues. -- Clinton Arnold

An excellent resource book to serve as a text in missiology classes addressing folk religions and critical contextualization. The book provides a substantive overview of the characteristics of folk religions and excellent guidelines for a thoroughly biblical response to these religions in Christian mission. A significant strength of the volume are the chapters which focus on the central questions of life addressed in folk religions, and the biblical principles essential for a Christian response. The exceptional chapter on sacred myths shows how Indo-European myths have influenced missionary bias and popular theologies of spiritual warfare. The book concludes by identifying the key theological issues of relevance for new and maturing churches in folk communities. For missionaries and Christian workers in folk societies around the world, this book provides sound theoretical understanding, comprehensive elucidation of the characteristics of folk religions, and fundamental biblical and theological principles for practical application in ministry.

-- Sherwood Lingenfelter, dean, School of World Missions, Fuller Theological Seminary

As a missionary in Central America, I saw professing Christians sacrifice chickens on their way to church. As a missions professor in North America, I see professing Christians consult horoscopes for daily guidance. This much needed and long overdue volume provides the perspective needed to understand the what and why of the everyday religious beliefs and practicesboth old and newthat actually shape the lives of their adherents. Contains culturally sensitive, theologically sound, and missiologically astute guidelines for communicating biblical truth in a transforming way. -- Kenneth B. Mulholland, dean, Columbia Bible Institute & Graduate School of Missions

Here is a book that really does what the title suggests: It effectively helps Christians understand and respond to the beliefs and practices of folk religion, at home and abroad. -- Gerald H. Anderson, director, Overseas Ministries Study Center

About the Author

The late Paul G. Hiebert (1932-2007) was distinguished professor of mission and anthropology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and previously taught at Fuller Theological Seminary. R. Daniel Shaw is professor of anthropology and translation at Fuller Theological Seminary. Tite Tiénou is professor of theology of mission at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (January 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801022193
• ISBN-13: 978-0801022197
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #612,509 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Connect with what people really believe! October 19, 2000

By "ambianggoho"

Format:Paperback

Don't be misled by the title. Don't be tempted to think this is a book only for missionaries ministering in contexts of tribal societies or among Folk Catholics, Muslims etc. What this book deals with is a plethora of religious ideas and questions that you will confront in any society, urban, rural or tribal. It is concerned with the everyday problems and issues experienced or sensed by ordinary people in any culture, and how they answer them with their folk beliefs (within or outside the stream of organized religion) -- what the writers call the "middle zone" between the high level divine/supernatural realm and the material/tangible world.

The book looks at how Christians can address the questions people raise about this middle zone and it deals with four main areas: (1)What is the meaning of life, and how the living must contend with the problems of death; (2) The "good life" of health, prosperity, safety, welfare and progeny/descendents in the face of poverty, ill health, suffering, danger, disaster, infant mortality etc; (3) Concern for knowledge of the past, understanding of the present and insight into the future, in order to know how to live; and (4) Questions of morality, right and wrong.

I highly recommend this book. It is comprehensive in scope, theological as well as missiological, and above all it is practical and well illustrated with mini "case studies" and examples from the cultures the three authors are familiar with.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars needed insights for theologions and missionaries June 8, 2001

By "mklaver"

Format:Paperback

This book is a great eye opener for those studying religion and missions. Everyone involved in (cross cultural) ministry needs to reflect on his or her own christian worldview and come to the understanding of the influence of western culture on western theology. This book is from an anthropological perspective well documented on folkreligion and from an evangelical theological perspective well balanced in dealing with the occult. In a curriculum for worldreligion this book is included in a christian bible college in the Netherlands, not only for missionstudents; all students in ministry need this subject on how religion from below affects the daily practises of people.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A book for Pastors and Missionaires March 3, 2006

By Brian Fulthorp

Format:Paperback

Understanding Folk Religion is a highly useful work for gaining and understanding of the dynamics involved in folk religion and how it plays out in the lives of people all around the world, even in America. In reading this book one comes to the understanding that as a whole the Church has failed to provide answers for the real life issues people deal with on a day to day basis.

In so doing what has happened is the formation of a "split level Christianity." The authors write "the central concern of this book is the persistence of a two-tier Christianity around the world despite centuries of instructions and condemnations by missionaries and church leaders" (pg.15). Countless deeply committed Christians both worship God and attend church faithfully while also visiting the local shamans and witch doctors in hopes of being delivered from demonic oppression.

One of the useful aspects of this book is how the authors present the critical issues and follow it up with a Christian response. With the issue of Split level Christianity the first section discusses the background of how this came to be (e.g., a modern worldview that denies the existence of a spirit realm and thus not addressing these issues in a missionary context). Many times missionaries either attempt to stamp it out or just let it go. Instead, the authors assert the need for critical contextualization that in the end brings about a transformation of the culture thereby providing real life solutions for the problems of everyday life (e.g., the gospel). (See Ch. 1).

This is just one of many issues addressed in this important book. Don't let it fool you either, folk religion is not limited to traditional cultures, it is alive and well even in the Western world, why else would the daily newspaper have a section on horoscopes?