The Bible and Mission

Biblical Theology of Mission, 2021

The Christian Church's existence over the past two-thousand years has largely depended on continuous reflection on the nature of the Church (ecclesiology), the nature of Christ (Christology), the nature of salvation (soteriology). Each of these carries great importance and have evolved globally throughout Christian history

1962

This paper describes what biblical theology is. The focus of the discussion will be on one of the most important question in the field, the question of center. The aim is to advance Walter C. Kaiser’s proposal, the promise plan of God as a better alternative.

International Review of Mission, 2010

This article on the mission theology of the church, a personal perspective by the vice-moderator of CWME, draws on documentation produced by the commission and also responds to the Faith and Order document, The Nature and Mission of the Church. It is based on the trinitarian paradigm of mission referred to as missio Dei, which emphasizes the priority of God's sending activity in the world, by the Son and the Spirit, and the contingency of the church and its mission activities upon that. Therefore, it is concerned with the participation of the church in God's mission to and in the world, and from this perspective, has a particular interest with the actual, empirical church rather than the ideal church, recognizing that the church exists in many different forms in particular social, cultural, economic and political contexts. The article argues that the church is “missionary by its very nature”. Both theologically and empirically, it is impossible to separate the church from mission. Indeed mission is the very life of the church and the church is missionary by its very nature the Spirit of Christ breathed into the disciples at the same time as he sent them into the world. The mission theology of the church as it has developed in ecumenical discussion over the 20th and early 21st centuries is discussed in terms of the relationship of the church to the three persons of the Trinity: as foretaste of the kingdom of God; as the body of Christ; and as a movement of the Spirit. The article shows that being in mission is to cross the usual boundaries and bring new perspectives from outside to bear, and this is a never-ending, enriching process.

Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, 2008

In theological and missionary circles there is a growing tendency to look for a valid justification of mission. The Bible is searched and most scholars identify several passages in the New Testament as “commissions” for mission. However, mission seems to be present in the Old Testament, too, but scholars do not seem to find an equivalent command to go to the ends of the world. Charles Scobie expresses this widespread belief emphasizing “the almost total absence from the Old Testament of any concern that the people of Israel should actively go out and share their knowledge of the one true God with the other nations of mankind” (1992:286). For a long time scholars agreed that “there is a Christian mission in the true sense of the word only after the resurrection of Jesus. . . . In the Old Testament there is no mission in the real sense” (Hahn 1965:9, 20). David Bosch in his magnum opus, Transforming Mission, dedicates only four pages to mission in the Old Testament. For him mission is...

Mission Studies, 2012

This volume is the fijifth in Baker's "Encountering Mission" series, edited by Scott Moreau, and comes from an avowedly evangelical perspective that is clearly stated in the preface (viii). It is well-designed, forming three distinct sections: the Biblical Foundations of Mission, the Motives and Means for Mission, and Mission in a Global and Local Context. The design and layout include helpful sidebars that include summaries and signifijicant quotations, and case studies that explore how the material covered might have an impact on everyday discussions. That said, a number of these address specifijic "everyday contexts" which have a particular confessional slant. Within the main sections of the book the confessional stance of the authors is not so intrusive. The section on Biblical Foundations analyzes both Old and New Testament materials, as might be expected, and ends up exploring the missio Dei, but with a healthy critical view of the post-Bosch landscape. The last two chapters in this section, which explore what is necessary and distinctive about mission as opposed to development, are particularly helpful for mission practitioners who might wish to review their understanding of mission tasks and priorities. The authors clearly set out a fascinating reflection on the social and evangelistic dimensions of mission through what they identify as the Creation and Gospel mandates. Their exploration of these diffferences includes a clear and even-handed description of the Protestant-Conciliar and Evangelical movements in the modern missionary period. Also of value are their exploration of ecclesiology and the use of the word "missionary." Here, they make a strong case for the distinctiveness of the role of the "missionary" in specifijically cross-cultural settings, whilst eschewing any claims that this might only be movement in any one direction. Their work is provocative inasmuch as it challenges the oft-held assumption in the missional church that everyone must be a "missionary." They note the shared focus on particular missionary tasks and responsibilities whilst respecting a variety of gifts and charisms. The fijinal sections of the book work out the practicalities of the mission theory they develop in light of the biblical and historical experience. There is a strong focus on the model of contextualization, but the discussion here is let down by a limited exploration of its Catholic equivalent, "inculturation." The focus on the implications of cross-cultural mission and what it demands in missionary attitudes provides material which is of value not just for cross-cultural practitioners but also for those who study materials from diffferent cultural contexts. Interestingly, and I am not sure whether this is intentional, the very evangelical tone, with its discussion of categories such as Satan and "spiritual warfare," exemplifijies this: those who put the book aside at the mention of such language are the losers, especially if they intend to work in cultures and contexts where such language is very much part and parcel of the religious landscape. Those who fijind such language alien but persevere with it will expose themselves to what many who have served cross-culturally have discovered for themselves: exposure to diffferent ways of living faith has great possibilities to challenge assumptions and cause growth. Thus the book not only describes this kind of phenomenon, but gives an opportunity to experience and engage with it. without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.

Missio Dei, 2023

Our work is based on the understanding of the term mission in theological/ missiological sense. The foundation of this paper is coming from the book of Matthiew 28: 19-20

E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies (ERATS), 2020

This paper delineates the theological framework of the Isaianic theology of mission and how mission contributes to the overall theology of Isaianic literature. In the theological synthesis, the investigation established that there is a connection between YHWH, His attributes, mission, Israel, and the nations. The article revealed how YHWH relates to His mission and creation as well as to His redemptive purpose for all humanity. The abundant evidence in Isaianic literature concerning the theology of mission is related to the realization that YHWH’s redemptive or salvific plans and work are inescapable when His mission to all humanity is a concern. When these are misjudged, a disconnect between YHWH’s attributes and His redemptive purpose for the peoples of the whole universe occurs. YHWH has established an inseparable union between His mission and salvation to all humanity. Through the mission theology, Isaiah’s language of redemption is sharpened, and the tenor of his salvific purpose espoused.

In die Skriflig/In Luce Verbi

Bosch (1991:497) advocated for a ‘third-way’ (Bekele 2011:155; Du Plessis 1990:83) in which a deductive and an inductive approach were unified in a creative tension. A fruitful interdependence is achieved by means of the methodological approach of missional exegesis in which text and context are interrelated in a fruitful biblical way reaping the benefits of both the biblical and missional disciplines for a missional hermeneutic. In this approach the formula, t (text) + c (context) = ms (missional strategy), is suggested by the authors as the starting point for two-directional exegesis from text to context, or context to text, in which neither text nor context is emphasised at the exclusion of expense of the other. It is vital that for a practical interpretation in which the missional context informs the biblical interpretation and vice versa, that a missional hermeneutic and missiology be biblically grounded by the instrument of missional exegesis.