A Theological Analysis of the Insider Movement Paradigm from Four Perspectives: Theology of Religions, Revelation, Soteriology and Ecclesiology

Combining elements of the missiological concepts of people movements and high-level contextualization, the Insider Movement paradigm (IMP) proposes that biblical faith in Jesus can potentially be lived out within any religious culture. Therefore faith in Jesus does not require severing ties with one’s pre-faith religious community. This claim represents a new paradigm for ministry among peoples living in predominantly non-Christian religious cultures. To support this claim, IMP proponents appeal to a number of arguments, some of them sociological but others biblical and theological. Many of these claims intersect with four areas of theology: theology of religions, the doctrine of revelation, soteriology, and ecclesiology. This dissertation evaluates the IMP from these four perspectives.