Shalom: God’s Ultimate Purpose for the World

Modern Medical Mission in the Islamic Context

Dae-Young Lee

• Publisher: Wipf and Stock
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781666714418
  9781666714425
• eBook ISBN:
  9781666714432
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

What is our preconception about Muslims? Do we continue to practice medical missions in a way that is no longer considered an effective means of presenting the gospel to the unreached? Is our gospel message biblically balanced and firmly contextualized in the context that we try to serve? There are numerous questions that we may ask ourselves when we desire to share God's love with people who are still alienated from it. Christian cross-cultural missions should reconsider the strategies and attitudes that no longer reflect biblical principles. This book brings a lot of insightful thoughts and suggestions from the author's medical ministry experience in the Arab world to those who want to reach out to the unreached. The theology of shalom enables us to deeply understand God's ultimate purpose toward the world that he created and to devote our lives to bring people to his kingdom in the humble way that Jesus has presented throughout his life on earth when he was with us. This book demonstrates how Christian medical missions can be manifested in a more biblical way and can serve people who have been physically injured and emotionally broken more effectively.

1

Biblical Concept of Shalom in Comparison to the Concept of Peace in Islam

The history of humanity is full of violence. Despite the fact that human beings are eager to maintain peace and felicity in their daily lives, violent crimes that promote fear and anger fill mass media almost every day. Although the wondrous development of science and technology has contributed to mankind’s material comfort and physical well-being, many of human problems like crime, war, genocide, racism, terrorism, unequal distribution and degradation of resources, and threat of nuclear weapons remain serious. In many parts of the world, material development in recent history seems unsuccessful in bringing peace. In the world’s complicated situations, everyone wants peace, yet few seem to find and experience it. While natural disasters and calamities cannot be avoided, many problems the world faces can be corrected, as they are of all humans’ own decision making, created by misunderstandings and differences of religions, ideologies, and socio-political systems.

Christian mission plays an important role in sharing the biblical message of shalom to these complex troubles in the world. In the circumstances of fighting against each other for petty ends and losing face of fundamental humanity, Christian mission should share the gospel, which ultimately provides the realization of shalom in the communities where it serves. Particularly speaking, shalom can be manifested in every act of practicing medicine by caring for patients individually and restoring the communities to which they belong collectively, because medicine respects every single life and its dignity. As God promises to restore people’s lives through Jesus Christ, Christian medical professionals should continue to offer the message of shalom to those who are broken and injured in the region. This book fills the gaps in our understanding of God’s reconciliation ministry for people suffering in the current situation by demonstrating the biblical concept of shalom. In addition, it is beneficial to approach Muslims in the Arab world by sharing the biblical shalom in comparison to the concepts of peace in Islam on the basis of the Qur’an.

Shalom in the Old Testament

It is invaluable to study the concept of shalom thoroughly through examining its usage in the Scripture. Various forms of the word “shalom” and “peace” are found in the Old Testament. This topic has been well studied by James A. Swanson who introduced the meanings of shalom in his Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domain: Hebrews (Old Testament):

Shalom in the Old Testament is שָׁלוֹם [Strong’s 3073, 7965], and means

1.peace, prosperity, i.e., an intact state of favorable circumstance;

2.completeness, i.e., the state of a totality of a collection;

3.safeness, salvation, i.e., a state of being free from danger;

4.health, i.e., a state of lack of disease and a wholeness or well-being;

5.satisfaction, contentment, i.e., the state of having one’s basic needs or more being met and so being content;

6.friend, companion, i.e., one who has an association with another with affection or regard;

7.blessing, i.e., the content of the act. of giving kindness to another;

8.unit: יהוה שָׁלוֹם (YHWH) Yahweh is Peace, i.e., the name of an altar;

9.unit: שַׂר שָׁלוֹם, Prince of Peace, i.e., the name of messiah.1

Terry McGonigal suggests shalom theology as a way of understanding God’s message of the whole.2 He describes that shalom is the expression of God’s kingdom which displays his glory in all creation. God’s divine act for shalom in his creation is expressed throughout history and will continue to be manifested in diverse humanity. Even if there are many conflicts surrounding the differences of humanity such as genders, tribes, nationalities, ethnicities, and so forth, the message of shalom brings mankind together in restoration to a relationship with God through his redemptive ministry of Jesus Christ. McGonigal confidently states God’s desire for his creation:

God’s design for and delight in diversity are embedded in the creation narratives, which describe order, relationships, stewardship, beauty and rhythm as the essential foundations for shalom, “the way God designed the universe to be.”3

God’s character and actions displayed throughout the Old Testament are the exemplary model of how human beings can experience shalom in his sovereign rule over creation.

Shalom as Completeness, Soundness, and Welfare

Shalom in Hebrew can simply be translated as “peace” and is frequently used as both a greeting and farewell. Gerhard Kittel and Gerhard Friedrich indicate: “Shalom is a common term in rabbinic works. It occurs in greetings in the general sense of well-being.”4 When the LORD meets with Gideon, the LORD tells him in Judges 6:23, “Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.” This greeting is also found in Judges 19:20, so it can be considered as a common greeting among the Israelites. Moreover, in Ezra 4:17–18, the king, Artaxerxes, sends a letter answering Rehum, the commander, and starts with the greeting “peace (שְׁלָם).”5 Similar usage of “peace” is found in Daniel 4:1, when King Nebuchadnezzar begins his announcement with the greeting, “May your peace abound!” These prove that the word of peace for greetings was used far and wide beyond Israel, even Babylon and Persia. Another typical usage of...

Table of contents

• Title Page
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Biblical Concept of Shalom in Comparison to the Concept of Peace in Islam
• Chapter 2: Healing in Islam and the Biblical Approach
• Chapter 3: Christian Medical Mission
• Chapter 4: Principles and Strategies of Christian Medical Mission in the Arab World
• Conclusion
• Bibliography