Week 7--Bevans Chapter 7: The Synthetic Model

Thinking of theology in terms of “uniqueness and complementarity” is what makes this model stand out from the rest as to be preferred for Christian missions today. In this model we see proper consideration of the kind of contingent and reflexive nature of human culture, and this includes religious culture. If what we’ve learned from Barker is true—that everything is contingent and interdependent—then we should expect a fair amount of complementation. But if, as we Christians would argue, there is also a uniqueness to what we preach, then we should also expect something that speaks to all cultures and truly changes them.