bosch chapter 12

Ch 12 – Elements of an Emerging Ecumenical Missionary Paradigm

David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of

Mission, 368-510

the Church-with-Others

Action in Hope

Theology

Witness to People of Other Living

Faiths

Ministry by the Whole People of

God

Common Witness

Inculturation

Liberation

the Quest for Justice

Church & Mission

Missio Dei

Mediating Salvation

Evangelism

Contextualisation

Mission as …

Shifts in Missionary Thinking

“Missionary by its very nature”

God’s Pilgrim People

Sacrament, Sign, & Instrument

Church & World

Rediscovering the Local Church

Creative Tension

1. Mission as Church-with-Others


Mission, 368-389

1. Mission as Church-with-OthersCh 12

Church & Mission 368-369• Mission was one of the things that the church did

for others. – High View of Church – Official Missionary Arm– Low View of Church – Unofficial Missionary Arm


The Church is the Mission, 369-372• They are not separate things.• The “home base” is everywhere– Because “every Christian community is in a missionary

situation”• “mission in partnership” – No guardianship of one church over another


“Missionary by its very nature” 372-373• The church is “essentially” missionary• 1Peter 2:9 – The church exists in being sent• Missionary activity is not the “work of the church” but the

“Church at work”– Not something done once things are strong at home but something

that is done that defines the church• If asked: “Why still mission?” the response is: “Why still church?”• “Mission is essentially ecclesial” – Schumacher• Missionary Dimension (started w/ Newbigin)

– Worshipping community; welcoming outsiders; pastors & members share ministry; equipped members; structurally pliable; not protective of select groups

• Missionary Intention– Engages society with evangelism, justice, & peace


God’s Pilgrim People, 373-374• Bible: Wandering people of God – on a journey• Only temporarily here• As such only needs a destination & support for

the road• It is called to live on earth something of what it is

like in God’s reign!


Sacrament, Sign, Instrument 374-376• All 3 point beyond themselves to Christ• “It is no use composing in-house descriptions of

the church, however faithful they may be to scripture & tradition, if within the church they have the fatal effect of giving believers a warm illusion that all is well, & when read by humankind outside the church they seem to have parted company with reality” (Baker in Bosch, 376).


Church & World 376-378• Mission is “God’s turning to the world”– This is a change from previous understandings of the

relationship between the Church & the World– Before the world was hostile:• “… the church was a world on its own …. Christian ministry

& life was defined exclusively in terms of preaching., public worship, the pastorate, & charity. ‘Practicing’ Christians were (& often still are!) defined as regular church goers” (Schmitz in Bosch, 376)


Church & World 376-378– Now it was “Church in solidarity with the world.”• The church now had a relationship with the world that

was the mission!– We can’t separate the church from the mission; we also can’t

separate the church from the world to which it is sent!– “The joy & hope, the grief & anguish of the people of our time,

especially of those who are poor or afflicted in may way, are the joy & hope, the grief & anguish of the followers of Christ as well” Gaudium et Spes


Church & World 376-378– What does this mean for the church?• Church should be aware of its provisional character

– the goal is God’s glory not necessarily a bigger church

• Church is not the kingdom – it points us there & gives us a glimpse & taste of it

• Church is not just a waiting room for heaven – but is the “community for the world.”

• Church is the dwelling place of God the Spirit Eph 2:22– As such it is a part of God’s movement toward the world!


Church & World 376-378• “If the Church attempts to sever itself from the involvement

in the world & if its structures are such that they thwart the possibility of rendering a relevant service to the world, such structures have to be recognized as heretical” (378).– “We are a kingdom people not a church people.”– “Kingdom people seek first the Kingdom of God & its justice;

church people often put church work above concerns of justice, mercy & truth. Church people thing about how to get people into the church; Kingdom people think about how to get the church into the world. Church people worry that the world might change the church; Kingdom people work to see the church change the world” (Snyder in Bosch, 378)

• Church always brings good news.


Rediscovering the Local Church 378-381• Fundamental to the NT:– “The church-in-mission is, primarily, the local church

everywhere in the world.”– “No local church should stand in a position of authority over

against another local church.”– This, according to Bosch has been “for all practical purposes

ignored during much of Church history.”• RC Pope as authority• “Protestant” Older vs Younger churches

– “Paul founded churches while we found missions” (Roland Allen).

– “Mission could not longer be viewed as one-way traffic from the West to the Third World; every church, everywhere, was understood to be in a state of mission” (379).


Creative Tension 381-389• 2 views of the church that are irreconcilable:– Church as sole bearer of the message of salvation;• vs

– Church as illustration of God’s involvement with the world.• The two must exist in “creative tension”


Creative Tension 381-389

Church as sole bearer of the message of salvation

• Church: partial realization of God’s kingdom on earth

• Mission: getting people to move from death to life

• Problem: No ethical thrust – focus tends to be on micro-ethics (numbers, religious living, individual morality) & ignores macro-ethics (justice, peace, equity).

Church as illustration of God’s involvement w/ the world

• Church: a pointer to how God acts in the world

• Mission: a “consciousness-raiser” to guide people toward the “humanization of society”

• Problem: No soteriological depth – the church is too identified w/ the world or is altogether eliminated.


2 views of the church that are irreconcilable:

Worship & Connection to God Church Engaging Society

The Church

“The church is always & at the same time called out of the world & sent into the world” (WCC Faith & Order Commission in Bosch, 386).


Creative Tension 381-389• “It is only a church which goes out from its

eucharistic centre, strengthened by word & sacrament & thus strengthened in its own identity, that can take the world on to its agenda …. At the same time, the Church can go out to the edges of society, not fearful of being distorted or confused by the world's agenda, but confident & capable of recognizing that God is already there” (WCC 1983 in Bosch, 386)


Creative Tension 381-389• The Church is imperfect• Ecclesia semper reformanda est– "the church is always to be reformed”


1. Mission as Church-with-Others• “Looking at itself through the eyes of the world,

the church realizes that it is disreputable & shabby, susceptible to all human frailties; looking at itself through the eyes of the believers, it perceives itself as a mystery, as the incorruptible Body of Christ on earth. … It is this church, ambiguous in the extreme, which is ‘missionary by its very nature’, the pilgrim people of God, ‘in the nature of’ a sacrament, sign, & instrument, & ‘a most sure seed of unity, hope & salvation for the whole human race” (389).


2. Mission as Missio Dei


Mission, 389-393

Ch 12

Defined• The Father sends the Son, the Father & the Son

send the Spirit, & the Father, Son & Spirit send the church into the world.

• “Mission is not primarily an activity of the church but an attribute of God. God is a missionary God.”

• “There is a church because there is a mission, not vice versa” (390).

2. Mission as Missio DeiCh 12

Defined• Mission = Missio Dei• Missions = Missiones Ecclesiae• “our missionary activities are only authentic insofar as they

reflect participation in the mission of God” (391).• “The primary purpose of the missiones ecclesiae can

therefore not simply be the planting of churches or the saving of souls; rather, it has to be service to the missio Dei, representing God in & over against the world. Pointing to God, holding up the God-child before the eyes of the world in a ceaseless celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany. In its mission, the church witnesses to the fullness of the promise of God’s reign & participates in the ongoing struggle between that reign & the powers of darkness & evil” (391).


Issues with Missio Dei• So what then is the role of the church? Does the

church actually do anything or does God work on his own? Does he need our help?

• “… neither the church nor any other human agent can ever be considered the author or bearer of mission” (392).


3. Mission as Mediating Salvation


Mission, 393-400

Ch 12

Salvation in Traditional Terms• Luke– End of poverty, discrimination, illness, demon

possession, sin, etc.– In the here & now

• Paul– Begins in this life but carries on in the next– A process that begins with an encounter with Christ

but will only be completed in the Kingdom of God

3. Mission as Mediating SalvationCh 12

Salvation in Traditional Terms• Greek Fathers– A gradual uplift of believers to a divine status

• Medieval (RC & Protestant) Church– The redemption of individual souls in the hereafter,

which would happen after death– Separation between person & work of Christ led to

separation between works of service & sharing the Gospel• “Their purpose was to dispose people favorably toward the

gospel, ‘soften them up,’ & thereby prepare the way for the work of the real missionary, namely, the one who proclaimed God’s word about eternal salvation.”


Salvation in the Enlightenment Paradigm

• “Salvation now meant liberation from religious superstition, attention to human welfare, & the moral improvement of humanity” (395).

• There were 2 responses to this:1. To continue to define salvation in traditional terms;2. To adopt this new definition & change Jesus into a

good example.


Salvation in the Enlightenment Paradigm

• “In a world in which people are dependent on each other & every individual exists within a web of inter-human relationships, it is totally untenable to limit salvation to the individual & his or her personal relationship with God…. Christians pray that the reign of God should come & God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven; it follows from this that the earth is the locus of the Christian’s calling & sanctification” (397).


Challenges to Defining Salvation• Traditional Definition:– To restrict salvation only to escape from God’s wrath

& redemption of the individual soul is dangerously narrow.

– It makes too clear a distinction between well-being & salvation.

• Enlightenment Definition:– “The Christian gospel is not identical with the agenda

of modern emancipation & liberation movements.”


So What do we do?• The scope of salvation needs to be more

comprehensive than traditional models have said.• “Those who know that God will one day wipe away

all tears will not accept with resignation the tears of those who suffer & are oppressed now. Anyone who knows that one day there will be no more disease can & must actively anticipate the conquest of disease in individuals & society now. Any anyone who believes that the enemy of God & humans will be vanquished will already oppose him now in his machinations in family & society. For all of this has to do with salvation” (400).


4. Mission as The Quest for Justice


Mission, 400-408

Ch 12

Evangelism vs Social Responsibility• “Evil is not only in the human heart but also in

social structures …. The mission of the church includes both the proclamation of the Gospel & its demonstration. We must therefore evangelize, respond to immediate human needs, & press for social transformation” (Wheaton 1983 Statement in Bosch, 407).

4. Mission as The Quest for JusticeCh 12

5. Mission as Evangelism


Mission, 409-420

Ch 12

Evangelism Defined“… that dimension & activity of the church’s mission

which, by word & deed & in the light of the particular conditions & a particular context, offers every person & community, everywhere, a valid opportunity to be directly challenged to a radical reorientation of their lives, a reorientation which involves such things as deliverance from slavery to the world & its power; embracing Christ as Saviour & Lord; becoming a living member of his community, the church; being enlisted into his service of reconciliation, peace & justice, on earth; & being committed to God’s purpose of placing all things under the rule of Christ” (420).

5. Mission as EvangelismCh 12

6. Mission as Contextualization


Mission, 420-432

Ch 12

Issues in Contextualization• “Interpreting a text is not only a literary exercise;

it is also a social, economic, & political exercise. Our entire context comes into play when we interpret a biblical text. One therefore has to concede that all theology (or sociology, political theory, etc.) is, by its very nature, contextual” (423).

6. Mission as ContextualizationCh 12

Contextual Theology Process (424-425)

1. Suspicion that Western Science, Philosophy, & Theology were actually designed to serve the interests of the West.

2. Refuses to see the world as a place that only has to be explained. The goal is to change it.

3. Emphasis on commitment to the poor & marginalized.4. Credible theology is only done with those who suffer.5. Emphasis on doing theology.6. Hermeneutical Circulation– Experience– Reflection– Combine theory & practice

6. Mission as ContextualizationCh 12

The Ambiguities of Contextualization (425-432)

1. Is an affirmation that God has turned toward the world.2. Involves the construction of a variety of “local theologies”3. There is not only the danger of relativism, where each

context forges its own theology, tailor-made for that specific context, but also the danger of aboslutism of contextualization

4. Reading the signs of the times5. It is not to be taken as the sole & basic authority for

theological reflection.6. It is not merely a difference between praxis & theory. It also

includes poiesis.7. The best models hold in creative tension theoria, praxis &

poiesis.

7. Mission as Liberation


Mission, 432-447

Ch 12

• Liberation Theology is an attempt at contextualization

From Development to Liberation (432-435)

• “All theologies of liberation & of inculturation … are 3rd-world theologies or theologies of the 3rd world within the 1st world” (432).

• Arose “to grapple with the problems of systemic injustice” (432).

• A response to the “development/modernization model”

From Development to Liberation (432-435)

Development & Modernization• What is good for the West is

good for the 3rd World• All the 3rd World needs is

technological expertise• One-way transfer of

development• Nothing in the North needed

to change.

FAIL!

Liberation Theology• Domination vs Dependence• Rich vs Poor• Captialism vs Socialism• Oppressors vs Oppressed• Poverty removed by removing

its root causes• 3rd World needs to take

matters into their own hands through revolution

“God’s Preferential Option for the Poor” (435-438)

• “The poor are the first, though not the only ones, on which God’s attention focuses and that, therefore, the church has no choice but to demonstrate solidarity with the poor” (436).

Liberal Theology & Liberation Theology (438-440)

• Similarities:– Strong social concern– Reject tendency to interpret Christian faith in

otherworldly categories– Reject tendency to interpret Christian faith in

excessively individualistic terms– Both committed to a “motif of earthly prosperity

through modernization”– Anthropocentric rather than theocentric

Liberal Theology & Liberation Theology (438-440)

• Differences:– Does it still “make sense to talk about God in a secular

age?” (438) vs “Liberation theology’s question is not knowing whether God exists, but knowing on which side God is” (439).

– Theology from above (upholding the status quo) vs theology from below (revolution)

The Marxist Connection (440-442)• “Liberation theology’s use of Marxism & Marxist

categories is selective & critical” (440).• Key differences:– Marxism is a child of the Enlightenment– Christianity believes in God– Christianity is non-violent

Integral Liberation (442-447)• “This is not a ‘new theology’ but a new stage in

theologizing, and as such both continuous and discontinuous with the theologizing of earlier epochs. It is not a fad but a serious attempt to let the faith make sense to the postmodern age” (447).

8. Mission as Inculturation


Mission, 447-457

Ch 12

• Inculturation is an attempt at contextualization• “The Christian faith never exists except as

‘translated’ into a culture” (447).

The Vicissitudes of Accommodation & Indigenization (447-450)

20thc Developments (450-452)

Toward Inculturation (452-455)

The Limits of Inculturation (455)

Inculturation (455-457)

9. Mission as Common Witness


Mission, 457-467

Ch 12

The (Re)birth of the Ecumenical Idea in Mission (457-461)

Catholics, Mission, & Ecumenism (461-463)

Unity in Mission; Mission in Unity (463-467)

10. Mission as Ministry by the Whole People of God


Mission, 467-474

Ch 12

The Evolution of Ordained Ministry (467-470)

The Apostolate of the Laity (470-472)

Forms of Ministry (472-474)

11. Mission as Witness to People of Other Living Faiths


Mission, 474-489

Ch 12

The Shifting Scene

Postmodern Responses?• “We should never have transplanted Christianity

to Asia without breaking the pot in which the plant came” (Pieris in Bosch, 478).

• There are three responses (apart from “Atheism”)– Exclusivism– Fulfillment– Relativism

Dialogue & Mission

12. Mission as Theology


Mission, 489-498

Ch 12

Mission Marginalized

From Theo of Mission to Missionary Theo

What Missiology Can & Can’t Do

13. Mission as Action in Hope


Mission, 498-510

Ch 12

The “Eschatology Office” Closed• “… revelation is the word for God making himself

known in historical acts. The question, Who is God?, was answered with a reference to history – He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And the story of Jesus of Nazareth is part of that history, unintelligable without it” (499).

Myth of the Eternal Return

Past as a promise of the

future!

bosch chapter 12

Documents

church work

othersthe church

church attempts

church history

church kingdom people

justice church people

church mission theology

church people thing