Dr. Joseph Ray Tallman, Vice President and the Professor of Missiology at Olivet University, was selected to present his paper on contextualization among Muslims at the 62nd Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS) on Wednesday, Nov. 17 in Atlanta, GA.

This year’s annual meeting, themed “Justification by Faith,” invited top evangelical theologians and scholars to present their works at plenary and various parallel sessions.  Dr. Tallman, an expert in cultural studies and mission with emphasis in Islamic studies, was selected to present his paper entitled “Exploring Border Tensions Between Theology and Culture: The Contextual Debate in the Growing Evangelical Church among Muslim-Majority Peoples” at one of the parallel sessions.

The paper addressed the arising issue of tensions between the truth and culture.  It proposed to identify the immovable boundaries of ‘sacred truth’ while allowing for the diversity of ‘secular truth.’  The paper further explored the “Insider Movement” debate in the Muslim world as the author demonstrated theological frailty and cultural naivety.  In conclusion, the paper asked for the culture to be honored by accommodation and the truth to be honored by proclamation.

An acknowledged expert in Missiology, especially in the field of Middle East studies, Dr. Tallman has served as International director of Arab World Ministries, a Muslim World consultant with Overseas Council International, and a field missionary in the country of Morocco.

The ETS, founded in 1949, is a professional society of over 4,000 members, composed of Biblical scholars, educators, pastors, and students, with the purpose of advancing evangelical scholarship.