Over the past summer, a small reading group convened by the Netherlands Missionary Council studied Jan A.B. Jongeneel’s book Jesus Christ in World History. This book was published in May 2009 by Peter Lang as the 149th instalment of the “Studies in the Intercultural History of Christianity”. The subtitle of the book is: His Presence in Cyclical and Linear Settings.

The reading group was thoroughly impressed by the book’s comprehensiveness. On the 23rd of September 2011, Professor Jongeneel was invited by the Netherlands Missionary Council to speak on the subject of cyclical and linear worldviews and Christian faith. On this occasion, the author stated that this book is his personal confession of faith in the form of a reference work.

Like a seismographer, Jongeneel has attempted to measure the influence of Jesus Christ in world history. The church confesses that Christ is the Lord of history: there should be some observable signs of that. The book does not, however, take a phenomenological angle, but focuses instead on the confrontations of the biblical Messiah with many other so-called messiahs and messianic movements.

Throughout the book the author maintains the distinction between cyclical and linear ways of thinking. He obviously believes that the biblical proclamation and a cyclical view of history are mutually exclusive.

Apart from this major distinction, there is another prominent question the book seeks to answer: how is Christ present in all the described ideologies, religions and thought systems and how is he represented?

The presence of a church that confesses Christ – and that is supposed to represent Jesus Christ – has, in some cases, a specific effect on the development of other religions and in other cultures. It is a fascinating exercise to observe the effects that result from the confrontation with Christianity. Jongeneel not only observes, but describes and lists them.

Jongeneel does not limit himself to a systematic comparison, but he also describes the different schools of thought and their confrontations with Christianity from a historical perspective. He discusses not only the colonial era, but also modernity. From time to time, it is hard for a reader not to get lost in the details. But persevering readers will soon find themselves taken by the hand again to return to the main road.

Sometimes this happens a little too fast though, especially when the reader’s appetite to learn more about certain confrontations between Christianity and other messianic movements has just been whetted. Fortunately, those who wishes to resort to monographs for additional information finds ample references in Jongeneel’s book. It may therefore rightfully be called a Fundgrube for missiologists and others with an interest in missiology. This book is clear testimony of the author’s wide experience and knowledge in the field of missiology.

Reference work, encyclopaedia, apologetical work? It is hard to place this book into a single category.

Whatever the category, for the reading group it was a true enrichment to read and discuss this book and to engage in conversation with its author on the 23rd of September 2011.

Ds. M. Zoeteweij