Biblio Format	Annotation
Ahrens, Theodor. "The Promise of New Life: Some Remarks on the Dynamics of Christianity in Oceania." Catalyst 25:2 (1995): 188-94.	Presents the result of coming of the missionaries from the perspective of the Oceanic peoples. They received Christianity as a 'new myth' which was somehow already present in their own traditions. Argues that the new writing of old myths through the influence of 'Christ's story' will give life to a 'contextualized' Christianity, with a new vision of man, life, and society.
Burlington, Gary. "Topography of a Zambian Storyland." International Journal of Frontier Missions 15:2 (April-June 1998): 75-81.	Looking for cultural support patterns in the indigenous stories can help bolster the impartation of the Gospel in ways which aid believers in their own "Journey " toward becoming better equipped disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Culshaw, Wesley J. "Myths in Melanesia." Practical Anthropology. 16:5 (September-October 1969): 228-31.	Purpose is to suggest certain fields for investigation for missionaries in Melanesia. Myth is used in this article to cover the whole system of belief which explains the world of total experience, makes sense of the existing order of society, and provides the rationale of conduct in the widest possible sense. Most of the material comes from the book Gods, Ghosts, and Men in Melanesia.
Demarest, Bruce A. and Harpel, Richard J. "Don Richardson's 'Redemptive Analogies' and the Biblical Idea of Revelation." Bibliotheca Sacra 146:583 (July-Sept. 1989): 330-340.	Concept of "redemptive analogies" explained and critiqued.
England, John C. "Folk-Literature and Culture as Sources for Theology--A Bibliographic Survey." The East Asia Journal of Theology 3:2 (1985): 258-277.	Explores folk literature as a source of living theology concluding with a list of resources for such literature from various Asian countries.
Flannery, Wendy. "Symbol and Myth in Melanesian Cultures." Missiology 7:4 (October 1979): 435-49.	Symbols and myth are crucial pastoral concerns to meaningfully communicate across cultural boundaries.
Gregerson, Marilyn Bergman. "Rengao Myths: A Window on the Culture." Practical Anthropology. 16:5 (September-October 1969): 216-27.	Advocates that the field-worker who is studying the language and culture of a people with a view to communicate effectively the Christian message can fix on no more fruitful entering wedge than the analysis of the myths of that culture. The study of myths is especially relevant for the missionary because 1) in general, it is an effective means of getting at the whole spectrum of cultural concerns, and 2) in particular, it involves one immediately in the study of the belief system which is of primary relevance in communicating the Gospel. This paper focuses on the Rengao. a Mon-Khmer speaking group in Vietnam's south central highlands.
Haire, James. "Stories in Animism and Christian Pneumatology." Asia Journal of Theology 5:2 (1991): 397-409.	Explores the interaction of pre-literary religious stories in Indonesia and certain aspects of other religions, particularly Islam and Christianity.
Han, Kee Chae. "Narrative Ethics in A Minjung Context: In the Beginning There Was a Story." Asia Journal of Theology 11:2 (1997): 221-247.	Explores how minjung narratives shape moral character. Narrative theology shows us the ability to do theology is in everyone and brings theology back into the hands of the people. Focus on how to use story rather than on how to interpret it.
Hong-jung, Lee. "The Minjung Behind the Folktale: An Example of Narrative Hermeneutics." Asia Journal of Theology 8:1 (1994): 89-95.	Uses a well-known Korean folk tale ("The Rat's Bridegroom") to recover the reality of the Korean minjung (common person; hopes and assumptions about realities) and highlight hermeneutical issues.
Lazenby, Henry F. "The Mythical Use of the Bible by Evangelicals." Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 34:4 (December 1991): 485-94.	I would like to suggest that there is a legitimate mythical use of the Bible by evangelicals as well as an illegitimate use. In this paper I want to examine these two uses in order to clarify the distinction that must be maintained between finding personal significance in the reading of a Biblical text and validating that personal significance in terms of empirical evidence. In this discussion the question is not whether the Bible is inspired or inerrant but what value or worth can be placed on the personal significance that may be found in reading an inspired and inerrant text.
Lee, Peter K. H. "Theology and Myth: A Reflection on The Lady Flying to The Moon and The Archer Shooting Down Nine Suns." The East Asia Journal of Theology 3:2 (1985): 228-242.	Explains and interprets a common myth and then reflects theologically on how this ancient myth can help us fathom some imbedded universal patterns in a people's collective unconscious (following Jungian analysis) and implications of this for restating biblical idea in light of the mythological insights to enrich Christian meanings and bring the meaning of the Christian message closer to the hearts of people. See also Ching Feng 28:1 (March 1985): 8-29.
Lee, Peter K. H. "Theology and Myth: A Reflection on the Lady Flying to the Moon and the Archer Shooting Down Nine Suns." Ching Feng 28:1 (March 1985): 8-29.	Presents two myths and reflects (Jungian) psychologically, culturally, and theologically on their significance. Concludes: It has not been my intention to extract theology out of an ancient myth. Rather, an ancient myth can help us fathom some imbedded universal patterns in a people's collective unconscious, which may in term lend themselves to reinterpretation of central Christian motifs. Re-statement of biblical ideas in the light of the mythological insights may enrich Christian meanings as well as bring the Christian message closer to home to a given people. See also The East Asia Journal of Theology 3:2 (1985): 228-242.
Loewen, Jacob A. "Myth Analysis." Practical Anthropology 16:4 (July-August 1969): 178-85.	Many missionaries have serious reservations about collecting and working with tribal mythology; even the few who have overcome their inhibitions and have collected myths, have often been frustrated because they did not know bow to extract relevant data from the collected materials. We here want to analyze several myths in order to illustrate the kinds of information they contain and to show how they can be interpreted.
Loewen, Jacob A. "Myth and Mission: Should a Missionary Study Tribal Myths?" Practical Anthropology. 16:4 (July-August 1969): 147-50.	Advocates that the missionary should study tribal myths; we miss out on too much of the actual world view of the people and it remains underground where it cannot be addressed. It is actually dangerous for a missionary and his/her work to remain ignorant; what you don't know can hurt both the missionary and the indigenous church being built. This is the first in a series of sections comprising the total topic covered in the journal.
Loewen, Jacob A. "Myth as an Aid to Mission." Practical Anthropology. 16:4 (July-August 1969): 185-92.	Section 6 in Loewen's article, this explains how myth may be used 1) as a point of contact for missionary witness; 2) as an aid in preprogramming the message; 3) locating points of conflict, 4) properly valuating the message; 5) locating felt need; 6) as a source of information for problem solving; 7) as an aid in translation; and 8) preventing syncretism and increasing the penetration of the Gospel.
Loewen, Jacob A. "The Dynamics of Mythchanging and Mythmaking." Practical Anthropology. 16:4 (July-August 1969): 170-78.	Myth is deeply imbedded in a culture and resistant to change, though at least four subcategories of changes can be seen: 1) unconscious adjustment; 2) obsolescence; 3) conscious adjustment (by group consensus or change in folk tales) which can happen through reinterpretation of old elements in terms of new information, reclassification or reorganization of traits, adding new elements, substituting something new for the old, giving an old element a new name, or developing a new ritual expression; and 4) developing new mythology.
Loewen, Jacob A. "The Function of Myth in Society." Practical Anthropology. 16:4 (July-August 1969): 159-70.	A myth can be succinctly described as a conceptual statement about humanity, our society and the universe. In general such statements are symbolic, but this fact makes it all the more important that we understand the reality which these statements symbolize. In this article we detail mythic functions and document them with myth examples.
Loewen, Jacob A. "The Hopi 'Old Testament' a First-Person Essay." Missiology 23:2 (April 1995): 145-54.	This essay focuses on a concern that many tribal societies voice, namely, that their ancestors had a covenant with God much like that of the Old Testament Hebrews. They feel that their original contract with God was condemned when Christianity came and that they were given a choice either to become Christian and be saved or to remain Hopi and be lost. They could not be both! Does the gospel not make Hopis better Hopis, Zulus better Zulus, etc.?
Loewen, Jacob A. "The Structure and Content of Myths." Practical Anthropology. 16:4 (July-August 1969): 150-59.	Most myths have relatively simply structures whose basic element is the motif, which usually fall into three classes: 1) the actors in the tale, 2) the backgrounds or settings of the action; 3) the individual incidents or events. The content of myths is usually consistent with reality as people understand it. Some of the major themes include: 1) the origin, shape, function, and destiny of the universe; 2) the origin, behavior, and destiny of man; 3) relationships between God and men, men and spirits, and men and men; 4) illness, health, and healing; and 5) cosmic events.
ma Mpolo, Masamba. "Symbols and Stories in Pastoral Care and Counseling: The African Context." Bulletin of African Theology 6:1 (Jan.-June 1984): 40-56.	Explores the significance, role and importance of symbols (proverbs, myths, gestures, and rituals) for psychiatry and pastoral care in Africa.
McGregor, Don E. "Learning from Wape Mythology." Practical Anthropology. 16:5 (September-October 1969): 201-15.	The purpose of this article is to highlight (1) the part mythology plays in Wape culture, (2) what can be learned about the people from their mythology, and (3) some problems in helping the people themselves work out a satisfactory relationship between the world of their mythology the world of the Bible, and the scientific world into which they are being orientated.
McGregor, Donald E. "New Guinea Myths and Scriptural Similarities." Missiology 2:1 (January 1974): 35-46.	Fundamental questions are often raised by rather typical incidents. This article will discuss four Wape myths that raise questions about deeper problems concerning the relationship of Christianity to the traditional culture and religion. In what sense is Christianity unique? In what sense is it the fulfillment of other religions and cultures? Can we have indigenization without syncretism? Is all syncretism bad?
Niles, D. Preman. "Story and Theology--A Proposal." The East Asia Journal of Theology 3:1 (1985): 112-126.	Compares Korean context with Indian sub-continent to see why the category of history might work fine for theological reflection in Korea but presents problems in India, where story fits better. He draws out implications for doing theology in light of this reality.
Olson, Howard S. "The Place of Traditional Proverbs in Pedagogy." Africa Theological Journal 10:2 (1981): 26-35.	The intention of this article is to examine the potential for using traditional proverbs in teaching and preaching. Particular attention will be directed to the proverbs of the Arimi (Wanyaturu) of Central Tanzania among whom the author worked from 1946 to 1963. Before dealing with the proverbs of the Arimi, consideration will be given, briefly to the Proverbs of the Old Testament.
Orowae, Arnold. "Interpretation of a Myth in the Christian Context. " Catalyst 23:2 (1993): 8-32.	Presents a myth from the Mai Enga of the upper Ambum valley in the Enga Province of Papua New Guinea and interprets some aspects of the story which are identical to the Christian message.
Pongudom, Maen. "Creation of Man: Theological reflections based on Northern Thai Folktales." The East Asia Journal of Theology 3:2 (1985): 222-227.	Relates the myth and then reflects theologically on it (comparing this myth to biblical account of the creation of humankind).
Randall, Frances. "African Proverbs Related to Christianity." In Mission Trends No 3: Third World Theologies, ed. Gerald H. Anderson and Thomas F. Stransky, 181-89. New York: Paulist Press, 1976.	When a team of African Christian undergraduates and teachers at colleges in Kenya collected unwritten Kenyan traditional proverbs and studied them beside the Christian Scriptures they discovered, "It's all here, Christianity is all here." Reporting on the project, Sister Frances Randall says that as they became aware that "the most expressive proverbs had myriad correlations in the message of Christ . . . the realization dawned that the Christian faith had to assert both a fulfillment of the past and must emerge as something entirely new." Such proverb/scripture correlation--"Even an ant can hurt an elephant"/"Let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall" (I Cor. 10:12)--is being used now in religious education to incorporate African experience into Christian tradition with greater meaning and appreciation for both.
Reyburn, William D. "African Myths." Practical Anthropology. 16:5 (September-October 1969): 193-200.	Purpose is to illustrate some of the kinds of myths found in Africa, including 1) explanatory myths and 2) validating and integrating myths.
Ryken, Leland. "'And It Came to Pass': The Bible as God's Storybook." Bibliotheca Sacra 147:586 (April-June 1990): 131-142.	The narrative shape of the Bible and implications.
Saliba, John A. "Myth and Religious Man in Contemporary Anthropology." Missiology 1:3 (July 1973): 281-93.	After a lag of a quarter of a century, anthropological studies on religion have recently been on the rise. The last twenty years have seen ample writings on the religions of non-literate societies. Some anthropologists have attempted to apply their theories and models to the great religions as well. The contribution of anthropologists is important because it broadens our picture of religious man. Since the religions of non-literate societies are historically not closely related, they provide the student with a large variety of specimens needed to draw some general conclusions on religion and religious man. This essay will dwell exclusively on the contemporary anthropological contribution to the study of mythology, and will attempt to show how these studies portray various images of religious man common in anthropological writings.
Sharpe, Eric J. "Protestant Missionaries and the Study of the Bhagavad Gita." International Bulletin of Missionary Research 6:4 (October 1982): 155-59.	Explains the Bhagavad Gita and then discusses how Protestant missionaries have studied and explained it.
Steffen, Tom A. "Storying the Storybook to Tribals: A Philippines Perspective of the Chronological Teaching Model." International Journal of Frontier Missions 12:2 (April-June 1995): 99-104.	Since more than a decade has passed since the introduction of the Chronological Teaching model in the Philippines, I decided to return to the Philippines to evaluate the model's effectiveness within New Tribes Mission and other mission agencies that had adopted it, and investigate the adaptations made.
Steffen, Tom. "How User-Friendly Is Your Teaching?"Evangelical Missions Quarterly 32:2 (April 1996): 178-85.	Advocates integrating teaching methods using stories rather than only ones that utilize "facts" and "logic" in organizing course teaching and materials. Lists and debunks 5 "myths" about stories: 1) they are for entertainment; 2) they are for children; 3) they are for those living outside urban areas; 4) only professionals can tell stories and 5) Bible stories and theology are unrelated.
Strelan, John G. "Eschatology, Myth and History in Melanesia." In Christ in Melanesia, Point Series, ed. James Knight, 197-207. Goroka, Papua New Guinea: Melanesian Institute for Pastoral and Socio-Economic Service, 1977.	Eschatology, myth and history barely survived the onslaught by twentieth century theology; therefore the theologian must show more-than-usual humility as he approaches the task set down in the title of this paper. Eschatology and myth are well-known categories in Papua New Guinean religious thinking. But what of history? Two case studies drawn from cargo movements (Mambu and the Vailala Madness) suggest that history is not a meaningful category for Papua New Guinean eschatology. A great deal of serious thinking and writing needs to be done in order to clarify the concept of history in Papua New Guinea and to determine its place in religious thought and hope in Papua New Guinea. From the point of view of Christian theology, such investigation is needed because Christianity is both an historical and and eschatological religion.
Strelan, John G. "Our Common Ancestor: Toward a Theological Interpretation of Cargo Cults." Catalyst 5:2 (1975): 33-40.	Assumes that cargo cults in Melanesia may be interpreted theologically as a search for salvation, and based on that assumption examines major aspects of the ideology of cargo cults and attempts to interpret them using NT categories.
Thimme, Hans-Martin. "Manarmakeri: Theological Evaluation of an Old Biak Myth." In Christ in Melanesia, Point Series, ed. James Knight, 21-49. Goroka, Papua New Guinea: Melanesian Institute for Pastoral and Socio-Economic Service, 1977.	Students of a course on Biblical Theology studied the most influential myth in the area of Irian Jaya. Although this myth is the basis of numerous messianic movements in both the religious and the political spheres, the text itself did not allow a millienarianistic interpretation at all. On the contrary, the intent of the myth was seen as. an explanation of the futility and impossibility of creating or entering another, better world. Mansen does not come back, nor does he bring the beginning of a better world with him. The separating wall between earthly and eternal life is confirmed by the story of Manarmakeri, but it is broken down by Jesus Christ. The real mode of the presence of the Kingdom of God has to be seen in the cross and suffering of Jesus Christ.
Tridarmanto, Yusak. "Using Folklore as a Way of Doing Theology." In Doing Christian Theology in Asian Ways, ed. Alan J. Torrance and Salvador T. Martinez, 12-23. Singapore: ATESEA, 1993.	p until now Christian people in Indonesia, especially on Java, are sometimes still accused of practicing Dutch religion. This is primarily because Christianity in Java is impressed with a very strong western influence. AS we have realized that this is not the right way of expressing our Christianity, we see the importance of seeking a Javanese way of manifesting our Christianity. This can be effectively exercised if we first of all have a theological basis for doing that. Therefore, doing theology in a Javanese way is seen as an urgent need. Among many Javanese ways of doing theology, in this particular time, I would like to concentrate on using folklore as a way of doing theology. I choose folklore because it is understood as a very important element of the Indonesian culture which contains worthwhile values which need to be protected.