Transforming Mission By David Bosch

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Transforming Mission: Paradigm shifts in Theology of Mission. By David Bosch (587 pp)

Orbis 1991

David Bosch was professor of Missiology and a lecturer at the University of South Africa since 1971, after working as a missionary in the Transkei province since 1957. Amongst other roles he had was that of general secretary for the South African Missionary Association, editor of the Missionalia journal and chaired various national Christian assemblies in South Africa. He died from a tragic road accident on April 1992. He was married to Annemarie Elisabeth.

Introduction.

Mission: The Contemporary Crisis

Between Danger and Opportunity.

Bosch begins his book by looking at the use of the word mission. He sees 12 ways which mission has been seen as namely:

i) The sending of missionaries to designated territory.

ii) The activities they undertake

iii) The geographical areas of missionary activities

iv) Agencies which send missionaries

v) The non Christian world or the mission field

vi) The centre of missionary operation mission field

vii) A local congregation without minister and depending on an older existing church.

viii) Series of special outreach services with the purpose of deepening peoples faith in Christ.

ix) Propagation of faith

x) Expanding Gods reign

xi) Conversion of non-believers

xii) Founding of new churches. (Bosch Pp. 1 quoting Muller 1987:31-34).

Bosch continues to explain on the development of the use of the word Mission through the historical development of doctrinal definitions in both Catholic and Protestant traditions and in church authority, in issues of expansion, occupation, conquest of other religions etc. He then moves to explain the changes that took place in the 20th century, after receiving various challenges. These challenges according to Bosch are a crisis, but also may lead to opportunity because if theology is to be expressed in mission, how will it if the above ways are being challenged? Here he draws the parallel of the crisis of the church and that of Christ. He sees this as the point where danger and opportunity meet.

The wider crisis.

Ways in which crisis is manifested.

i) Science and technology advancement and secularisation leading to the rejection of God.

ii) The dechristianisation of the West, and the growth of neo-paganism, atheism, secularism, unbelief and superstition.

iii) The pluralism of modern society with other faiths appearing to be more aggressive in mission than Christians.

iv) The guilt of the past Western attitudes of superiority and exploitation of other religions hinder the Western Christians to give witness to other faiths on their faith and hope (1Pet 3:14).

v) The rich/poor dividing line makes it difficult to share the faith.

vi) The rise of Third World theologies as opposed to Western Theology, such as Liberation, Black, Contextual, Minjung, African, Asian Theology etc has questioned on the validity of mission from Western churches and their theology.

It is here that Bosch introduces the concept of paradigm shift. He sees this period of crisis as in Christian Theology and Mission as another paradigm shift including World War II. This paradigm shift in the church and in the world has been part of a series of shifts which led to new opportunities which the church had to undertake, and this is what the church faces now.

Foundation, Aim and Nature of Mission.

Foundations.

Looking at what other missiologists have commented on foundations of mission, Scharer (1944:5-10), quoting Warneck, Bosch (Pp 4), notes the natural and supernatural foundations.

i) Super natural.

Scripture (i.e. the Great Commission; Matt 28:18-19), and Christian Monotheism

ii) Natural.

Absoluteness and superiority of Christianity, acceptability and adaptability of Christianity, the superior achievements of Christianity and the way Christianity has shown to be stronger than other religions.

Bosch (Pp 5), quotes Verkuyl (1978a: 168-75; cf. Durr 1951:2-10) as seeing some motives for mission as being impure such as:

i) Imperialism

ii) Cultural domination

iii) Romantic experience in far away exotic countries

iv) Ecclesiastical colonialism. (export confession and church order to other countries).

Other motives listed were Theological such as;

i) Desire to convert peoples souls to God.

ii) The desire for people to enter the future, eschatological Kingdom of God.

iii) Church planting

iv) To seek Gods justice and that Gods reign would improve life in the society (Bosch quoting cf. Freytag 1961:201-17; Verkuyl 1978a: 164-68).

Bosch concludes by showing that within this combination of motives there is a dying Christian triumphalism against other religions and therefore questions its uniqueness and truth claims.

From Confidence to malaise.

While in some areas there is despair and withdrawal of traditional mission whereas in some work has carried on as usual.

A Pluriverse of Missiology.

Those who have gone on boldly have seen the opportunity and have seized it although at the same time they risk the danger and some have only seen the danger and have given up, without seeing the opportunity. Bosch calls for missiologists to see both the opportunity and the danger and to acknowledge the tension in the context of the modern mission movement and it is here that he calls for a new vision.

Mission: An Interim Definition

Here he points out:

a) The missionary nature of Christianity.

b) Missiology and its relation to theology.

c) The complexity of Christian mission in its definition.

d) He points out the Biblical picture of mission, in how God relates to the world through Israel and through Christ.

e) The use of scripture in mission and context.

f) The inseparable link between the church and mission

g) Foreign missions and home missions are both part of the same gospel of salvation and the reign of Jesus Christ, the difference can just be that of scope.

h) The distinction between mission, missio dei, Gods wide mission to the world and missions the missiones ecclesiae missions relating to specific times, places, needs etc in participation to the missio dei.

i) The significance of linking the spiritual/personal to the material/social spheres.

j) The world as a theatre of Gods activities. Mission as participation in Gods activities

k) Evangelism as part of mission.

l) Mission as saying no to evil in society. The need for a balance.

m) The church as a sacrament and sign. A foretaste. A creative tension of being called out of the world and sent into the world (Pp 11).

PART 1

NEW TEATAMENT MODELS OF MISSION.

Chapter 1

Reflections on the New Testament as a Missionary Document.

The Mother of Theology.

Here Bosch argues that the traditional approach to the Foundations of Mission are found in the Bible.

Once one has read the scripture, then the person can exegetically develop a theory or a theology of mission (p.15). Bosch points out that although for some New Testament scholars like Fiorenza saw the New Testament as confessional history and a struggle between different Christian parties and theologians in defining doctrines, for others like Martin Hengel, Heinrich Kasting and Ben Meyer as this was not all. This was the beginning of the history and the theology of mission.

In this chapter and in the next four chapters he argues that the coming of Jesus of Nazareth was the founding paradigm of the history and the theology of mission. This was a starting point, which led to further paradigm shifts, which followed. The beginning of missionary theology was the beginning of Christian theology. He summarises this but quoting Martin Kahlers statement that Mission is the mother of theology.

The gospels for example were written as a narrative and not as history, and the theologising came later. In the New Testament we also find the theologies of mission and not one theology of mission.(Bosch: P 16, quoting Spindler 1967:10; Kasting 1969:132; Rutti 1972:113f; Kramm 1979:215 also Frankemolle 1982:94f). Words such as the salt of the earth, the light of the world, the city on a hill etc are seen as words used in the New Testament to define mission.

Mission in the Old Testament.

Here Bosch points out the there is no mission in the Old Testament in the way we see mission today and therefore the decisive difference between the Old and the New Testament is mission.

He sees God as the God of history. (in His acts)

The God of promise (in revelation)

The God of election for Israel to serve. (especially the needy)

I disagree with Bosch here, for in the heart of the Old Testament we find mission. The material and the spiritual are to be seen as connected in this aspect when we look at the Biblical Foundations of Mission.

Bosch contradicts himself when he says that in other religions,

express themselves as manifestations of the divine at specified holy places, where the human world can communicate with the divine. This occurs in cults or rituals, in which the threatening powers of chaos and destruction can be neutralised. At the same time the religions are caught up in the cycle of seasons, where winter and summer follow each other in an eternal battle for supremacy. The emphasis, throughout, is on the re-enactment of what has once been, on repetition and remembrance (P 17).

Although Bosch does not see this as being the case in the faith of Israel, I can see this to have applied to Israels religion when we look at the religious feasts such as that of the Passover, Unleavened bread, Weeks (Pentecost), Atonement, Tabernacles etc.

The argument which Bosch develops, that the historical experience of Gods redemption of Israel from Egypt was the main factor in religion though true it is also connected to the fact that history is connected to natural events which are all under Gods control.

The other points Bosch develops in arguing on the historical acts of God is Israel, redeeming them and giving them land is itself a missionary endeavours. That the Kingdom of God introduced by Jesus was to rule the whole earth, in word and through His mighty acts of power.

Being the God of history, the feasts as acts of remembrance were experienced by Israel in rituals and through the cult, and although he elects Israel, He has other nations in mind too (i.e. Abrahams story). He is the God of the whole world.

Bosch later admits that there is a missionary element in the Old Testament but he says it is God who is the missionary (p.19), because it is He who will bring all nations to worship Him together with Israel (Isa 51:5; 40:5; 45:22; 42:6; 49:6 etc).

The Bible and Mission.

Jesus understanding of mission was based on the Old Testament. The fulfilment of the Old Testament is seen in Jesus. In order to understand the part Jesus played we need to look at the New Testament authors such as those of the four gospels and the early church. Nevertheless, Bosch points out that there is no direct move towards in mission from the early church to our times today. He quotes Brueggemann (1982:397, 408) saying that, The Bible does not function in such a direct way. There may be, rather, a range of alternative moves, which remain in deep tension with each other, but may nevertheless all be valid. (p. 24).

Jesus and Israel.

Bosch begins by quoting A.D. Nock (1933; cf. Grant 1986:29-42), in giving the economic, social and religious situation in the Israel from the time of the reign of Alexander the Great up to Augustine, which he describes as fermented. He records the spread of Greek philosophy and religion and the growth and influence of eastern religions too, and so was the Jewish faith.

The idea of salvation for the remnant only was strong, that not all Israel will be saved. John the Baptist as a forerunner of Jesus preached repentance for the Jews and called them Brood of Vipers.

When Jesus was born, there was a lot of sectarianism, fanaticism, religious traffic between the East and the West and Palestine was under the Romans. In setting the socio-political and economic scenario, Bosch points out the reason for the Jews in expecting the Messiah.

So Jesus understanding of Himself, was that He was sent to His people from the prophetic tradition. Jesus came to challenge Judaism and to lead the remnant to repentance and salvation. We see this in His attitude to the Pharisees, His association with the outcasts, sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes etc. In Jesus God inaugurates an eschatological reign (p. 28).

An All-inclusive Mission.

Jesus Mission is to breakdown boundaries and to include all, even those who were seen as enemies, He forgives them. God invites all and it is those who respond who are accepted.

And the Gentiles?

The Gentiles in the Jewish tradition seem to be seen as outside, and unredeemable, but according to the New Testament, through Christ, (the earthly Jesus) all those who repent are redeemable. So mission starts with Jesus Himself and at this point, Bosch calls Jesus, the primal missionary(p.31). Bosch then goes on to point out some of Jesus own self-definitions, which implied His negation towards Judaisms exclusiveness.

The reign of God malkuth Yahweh/ basileia tou Theou). Bosch looks at the Old Testament background and the New Testament development of this concept, and building it towards Jesus own understanding of his own mission in relation to this concept. Bosch sees this concept as, a starting point and context for mission (Bosch: p 32 quoting Senior and Stuhmueller 1983:144).

Jesus and the kingdom.

Jesus sees Gods reign as both present and future. Jesus Himself inaugurates it. But there still remains an unresolved tension between the presence and the future of the reign of God, but this tension of the already and not yet is resolved in the essence of Jesus own being. This tension brings the significance of our own involvement in contemporary mission (Bosch ibid. quoting Burchard: 1980).

Jesus sees Gods reign attacks evil. The evil was seen in the form of pain, sickness, death, demon possession, personal sin, self-righteousness, brokenness in relationships etc. Jesus healed, taught, preached, forgave sins, removed hostility etc.

Jesus saw Gods reign as eminently political. For instance he declared lepers, tax collectors, sinners, sinners and the poor to be children of the kingdom of God. Jesus is led to crucifixion because his claims sounded political to the Roman and Jewish authorities.

Gods reign was seen as an expression of caring and authority over the whole of life, though counter forces remain defiant, but because the kingdom has come and it is still coming, even the enemies of the kingdom are at the service of the kingdom (Bosch 35 quoting Boff 1983:60).

Jesus and the law.

Jesus has a different way of looking at the law.

1) He condemns the hypocrisy of the Jewish authorities in regard to their attitude towards the law. He sees it as authoritative but yet not living according to it.

2) He radicalises the law in a unique way.

3) He abrogates parts of the law.

He does this because he sees that:

a) The law is not the decisive principle of action but the reign of God is.

b) In Jesus ministry people matter more than rules and rituals.

Jesus and His disciples

The announcement of the coming of the Kingdom of God is followed immediately by the calling of the disciples.

Bosch points out that the scene at which the first disciples were called (the lake) was a bridge to the gentiles and therefore having a missionary implication as the disciples are called to be missionaries and the gospel was to reach the other side of the lake- the gentiles.

Though having disciples was the normal thing to do for the rabbis of his time, there was a difference with Jesus because

i) Jesus chose and called his disciples whereas with the other rabbis their disciples chose which rabbi to follow. To be a disciple of Jesus is an act of grace. The disciples of Jesus are also those who repent and believe in him.

ii) Whereas the authority of the other rabbis is in the Torah, the authority of Jesus is in

himself.

iii) Whereas students of rabbis expected to become rabbis ultimately, it was not so for the disciples. They had reached their destiny, their ultimate duty was to witness the resurrection event.

iv) While the disciples of rabbis were only students, those of Jesus were servants.

v) Disciples of Jesus mean being with him, and also to go out when sent by him to do acts of preaching, teaching, healing, casting out demons etc, whereas the talmidims of Jewish teachers were only custodians to the teachings of their rabbis.

vi) Being a disciple of Jesus is connected to future Messianic hopes and expectation.

Central to all the to be a disciple of Jesus was centred on the resurrection experience. It was the period of new life, victory and exaltation.

EARLY CHRISTIAN MISSION.

Early Christian mission was focusing only on Jews and later proselytes were accepted too. Mission to the gentiles came as a spin-off of mission to the Jews. Early Christian mission involved,

a) The person of Jesus.

b) It was political and revolutionary.

c) The revolutionary aspect was seen in the new relationships it came to bring among Jews, Greek, free, slave, rich, poor, women etc. Sociologically, this had seemed impossible.

d) The ministry of Jesus was not based on false hope of the future but on real events of the coming of Gods reign.

e) His ministry was ambiguous, conspicuous and disputed upon, it was only through his passion and the resurrection that his disciples recognised him (John 20:20).

WHERE THE EARLY CHURCH FAILED.

Here Bosch talks about the imperfection of the early church, beginning with the imperfection of the disciples such as James and John wanting a prominent place before Jesus. Further we see this in the disputes in Pauls Epistle to the Corinthians and in Johns letters to the seven churches in the book of Revelation.

Bosch then points out on three main weaknesses, which he sees as having been threats of undoing this new shift of mission paradigm (from the Old to the New Testament).

1) Although Jesus had no intention of starting a new religion, Christianity later became a new religion. Jesus movement was to announce the Kingdom of God and the church came into being.

2) Instead of Christianity being a movement, it became an institution. Instead of being progressive it became conservative. He draws the contrast between the church in Jerusalem and that of Antioch and points out the dichotomies between;

Mission and consolidation; grace and law; crossing frontiers and fixing them; life and doctrine; movement and institution. This led to the settled ministry of the bishops (elders) and deacons on the one hand and the mobile ministry of the apostles, prophets and evangelists on he other. This led to a creative tension.

3) The church failed to make Jews feel at home, especially on issues of circumcision and the inclusion of the Gentiles.

Finally Bosch explains in detail how due to sociological reasons, these failures could not have been avoided.

Having set that New Testament foundation on mission, Bosch then moves on to explore three New Testament authors, Matthew, Luke and Paul. He sees each representing a New Testament sub-paradigm of mission and how that can be made as a model for today.

a) Matthew as a unique Jew with focus to the Jews and the Great Commission in mind.

b) Luke, with his unique Luke Acts volume.

c) Paul as the great Apostle to the Gentiles.

CHAPTER 2:

MATTHEW: Mission as Disciple-Making

A GREAT COMMISSION?

Here Bosch focuses his attention on the Great Commission. He sees Matthews main purpose as being to make his community aware of its calling and mission, in that case it was pastoral with reference to the Old Testament helping them in seeing their identity and connection to the law, and it was missionary, by giving them the awareness of seeing opportunities for witness and service, led by the Holy Spirit. Bosch sees a contradiction in this gospel, that in some places it has a strong sense of support to Judaism and in some places it has a strong gentile bias. Through this contradiction he guides his readers towards mission to the gentiles, although he shows that it is the gentiles who came to Jesus and not vice versa.

Matthew shows great judgement towards the Jews (Matthew 27:24-25), bringing an opportunity for the gentiles to be saved (Matthew 28:19-20). Mission to the gentiles was only possible after the rejection, the death and the resurrection of the Jewish Messiah.

Key Notions in Matthew

Bosch then moves on to pick up and explain in detail, themes and words, which Matthew uses in talking about mission in order to help us see that Matthew was neither pro- Pharisaic Judaism nor was he pro-gentile antinomianism. These notions were those such as;

The reign of God (or of heaven), Gods will, justice, commandments, the challenge to be perfect, to surpass, to observe (or keep), to bear fruit, baptising, preaching and teaching.

Other terms used by Matthew which have missionary implication are those such as:

Send, go, proclaim, heal, exorcise, make peace, and witness.

Bosch looks at the Beatitudes (Matthews Pentateuch), in the light of other sermons in Matthew. He sees the Beatitudes to be emphasising on discipleship. Other sermons are on:

a) The apostolic mission (Matthew 10)

b) How Gods reign comes (Ch 13)

c) Church discipline (Ch 18)

d) False teachers and the end (Ch 23-25)

Bosch sees Gods reign, Justice and Righteousness and discipleship as being key issues in understanding mission in Matthews gospel. Lastly, Bosch concludes that Matthews intention was to show:

a) The identity of Christians within the context of Jew/ Gentile tension.

b) A low Christology, that Jesus was human, yet through His divinity was worthy of worship. Not the ascended one but the one who was with them until the end of the age.

c) He wanted to show the balance between the obedience to the Law and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, evangelism on one hand and social involvement on the other.

d) The balance the tension between the Pastoral and the Prophetic

e) He brings in the concept of the church (ecclesia), putting the word in Jesus mouth (16:18 & 18:17).

Bosch sees that the intention of Matthew was to see that the true Christian identity is involvement in mission.

CHAPTER 3

Luke Acts Practising Forgiveness and Solidarity with the Poor.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LUKE

Bosch sees Jesus sermon in Luke chapter 4 as being a replacement of the Great Commission in Matthew 28, and points out the focus of Lukes attention to the poor.

Jews Samaritans and Gentiles in Luke Acts.

Bosch sees that from the beginning Luke had planned to write two volumes (Luke/Acts), to show that Jesus mission was universal (Luke 27:47 & Acts 1:8). While Jesus inaugurated New Testament mission paradigm, mission to the gentiles was to be the task of the church according to Luke. For Luke we see Jesus beginning in Galilee, then to Jerusalem, and finally in Jerusalem. In Acts the mission of the church begins in Jerusalem all the way to Rome.

Geography brings in a theological/missiological point.

Bosch (p.96), quoting Jervell (1972:49) and Meyer (1986:97f), points out that the Jews did not reject the gospel of Jesus as many people would contend, but that they were divided on the issue and that led to the acceptance of the gentiles.

Encounters with the Samaritans and Jews

Here Bosch points out the fact that in a unique way Jesus mission was to include the Samaritans, even if the Samaritans themselves rejected Jesus and even though the Jews despised the Samaritans. He uses examples of Jesus rejection by the Samaritans in Luke 9, and the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10, then he goes on to show the Jesus healing of the 10 lepers and the only one who comes to say Thankyou is he Samaritan. Then in Acts 1, Jesus points out that after Jerusalem and Judea, Samaria is to receive the gospel. Bosch sees Luke 24:46-49 as being Lukes Great Commission. Mission to the nations is based on the promise, before pointing out how Luke compared to Matthew and Mark, is more sympathetic to the Jews. Jesus parents were Jews. Luke also is seen to avoid accusing the Jews of hypocrisy, in the passion narratives, Jesus says Father forgive, in the Magnificat Mary sings (God) has helped His servant Israel, mentioning Abraham, and he mentions David in Zechariahs song. But central to all is Lukes focus on Jerusalem. All the significant events such as the passion, death, resurrection, post resurrection appearances, the ascension, the pouring of the Holy Spirit, the birth of the church all take place in Jerusalem. And mission was to begin in Jerusalem. So the restoration of Israel has been an important theme for Luke, although it does not work out in the way the Jews themselves had expected.

Then Bosch goes on to elaborate in detail the other major themes on mission in Lukes gospel. These themes include the gospel to the poor and the rich (social concern), repentance, forgiveness and salvation.

THE GOSPEL FOR THE POOR- AND THE RICH.

In the gospel Luke is very concerned with the poor and the marginalised. Eg: The socially and economically deprived and marginalised.

The Magnificat

The beatitude of the blessedness of the poor

The parable of the rich fool

The parable of the rich man and Lazarus

Zachaeus, the rich tax collector in Jericho.

The sermon in Nazareth (Luke 4), Lukes Manifesto of Jesus.

Luke sees the rich in the light of the poor. The rich as those who are greedy and exploit the poor, they are those who worship Mammon (Bosch 99; quoting DSa 1988:172-75). They are those who are arrogant and abuse power, and are focused on the things of the world.

Both rich and poor need repentance.

SALVATION IN LUKE-ACTS

Salvation involves repentance, conversion and forgiveness of sins and is closely linked to sinners and Bosch gives a list of contexts in Luke where the concept applies. All this is based on the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus and faith in him for both Jews and gentiles. Those who receive salvation are justified.

Jesus sermon in Nazareth carries a lot of weight in the understanding of salvation in Luke act, and this is why there was a mixed response from his audience. On the one hand there was admiration (for the amazing way he spoke), and on the other hand rejection ( for not fulfilling the expectation of the Jews).

CHAPTER 4

Mission in Paul: Invitation To Join the Eschatological Community

FIRST MISSIONARY: FIRST THEOLOGIAN.

Bosch concentrates exclusively on the seven letters, which are indisputably held as primarily Pauline. These are Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1Thessalonians, and Philemon, all written between AD 49 AD 56.

He sees Paul as being viewed first as a creator of dogmatics, then as an ecclesiastical Paul before being seen as an apostolic missionary. Bosch (124), quoting Hengel (1983b:53; cf Dahl 1977a:70; Russell 1988), sees Paul as the first Christian missionary and the first Christian theologian. His Christian vision, Christian life and mission are synonymous.

Pauls theology is a missionary theology (Bosch: 124).

So there is no mission text in Paul but we see the whole of his theology as mission focused, and with Pauls complex mind, Bosch admits on the difficulty of the task.

Bosch (126), begins with Pauls conversion and call, which he sees as a transformational experience. He joins other scholars such as Wilckens (1959:274), Hengel (1983b: 53), Beker (1980:6-10), Hultgren (1985:125), Stendahl (1976:7-23), and Dietzfelbinger (1985:44-82, 88f), to say that Pauls Damascus road experience should not be seen as a conversion but rather as a call to be an apostle to the Gentiles (Gal 1:16), although not exclusively. This was a paradigm shift in Pauls life.

Pauls ministry thus unfolds in a creative tension between loyalty to the first apostles and their message on the one hand and an overpowering awareness of the uniqueness of his own calling and commission on the other (Bosch: 129).

Distinctive Features in Pauls vision.

His Missionary Strategy.

Mission to the cities (metropolises).

1) He was a wondering preacher proclaiming the imminent reign of God.

2) He was a Greek speaking Jewish Christian who carried out his mission among the Gentiles starting in Jerusalem.

Bosch points out how diverse Pauls acquaintances were, where he had the inner circle (Barnabas, Silvanus and Timothy), then his co-workers, thirdly the church representatives, through these relationships, Paul operated his mission. In doing mission, Paul was motivated by:

a) A sense of concern over the destiny of humanity, both Jews and Gentiles. He sees that without Christ all are lost.

b) A sense of responsibility to bring the revelation he himself had received to those who had not heard.

c) A sense of gratitude for the grace of Christs love which he himself had received.

On the focus on mission, Paul points out the centrality of Christ over the law. In this he focuses more on the death, resurrection and ascension events. He sees this as a centre of the eschatological hope in which the tension between the joy and agony, the now and not yet lies.

He sees that success in mission to the Jews lies in success in mission to the Gentiles (154), and points out that Paul is not totally against the Jews as many have seen him to be.

Paul sees belonging to God as including sonship, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises (157).

These he sees as being gifts. The law was meant to point out to the distinctiveness of the people of God. But he opposed the exclusiveness, and the self-righteousness connotation, brought by the law, instead of the unconditional acceptance in Christ.

THE CHURCH: AN INTERIM ESCHATOLOGICAL COMMUNITY.

Pauls churches were still unstable, experiencing a lot of tension within and with the wider society unorganised and still young in faith.

The distinctive characteristics of the church:

The righteousness of God as community rather than individual. Christians are unique.

Support those in need among them and far beyond. Provide hospitality and discipline and the unity achieved through baptism in Christ.

The church lives in tension between being exclusive and being in solidarity with others. The church is the world in obedience to God, the redeemed creation (168). The church is in the world for the world.

PAULINE MISSIONARY PARADIGM

We can not separate Pauls theology with Pauls mission. Pauls apostolic task was mission and his thinking and theology was mission focused. We need to make use of what Pauls letters meant in the first century and work out what that may mean today, to be faithful to the old text in a new situation. In the case of Jews, Gentiles place in salvation a lot of focus needs to be put on Romans 9-11. He therefore sees mission as:

1) The church as a new community (Reconciled and righteous).

2) A mission to Jews (Gentiles then Jews: Romans 9-11).

3) Mission in the context of Gods imminent triumph (Christs Perousia).

4) Mission and the Transformation of Society (Apocalyptic expectations of churches involvement in society [175]).

5) Mission in weakness (Weakness, suffering and death are inevitable in the present evil age, i.e. Christs experience).

6) The aim of Mission (set apart for the service of the gospel).

PART 2

HISTORICAL PARADIGMS OF MISSION

Chapter 5

Paradigm Changes in Missiology

Bosch approaches Christian missiology basing on the fact that Christianity is a historical faith and that God communicates His revelation through people and events and sees this as incarnaional. Following Hans Kungs (1984:25; 1987:157) paradigms he highlights and expounds on the following.

1) The Apocalyptic paradigm of primitive Christianity

2) The Hellenistic paradigm of the patristic period

3) The medieval Roman Catholic paradigm

4) The Protestant Reformation paradigm

5) The modern Enlightenment paradigm

6) The emerging ecumenical paradigm.

He looks at these paradigms in terms of Christian faith and mission, also deriving the idea from Thomas Kuhns theory of paradigm shifts. These different periods have affected various ways of looking at the text and doing theology, which is further influenced by our ecclesiastical tradition, personal context (sex, age, marital status, education), social position (social class, profession, wealth, environment), personality and culture (world view, language, etc) (182).

How do we do Mission today?

THE PARADIGM THEORY OF THOMAS KUHN.

Here Bosch looks at the concept paradigm as seen by Kuhn as primarily being, the entire constellation of beliefs, values, techniques etc shared by the members of a given community (Bosch quoting Kuhn: 1970:175). Kung uses the words, models of interpretation (Bosch quoting Kung: 1987:163). Others quoted are such as van Huyssteen, Hiebert and Martin (see Bosch: 185). He sees paradigms as one replacing another, the new replacing the old and sometimes different paradigms working together.

PARADIGM SHIFTS IN THEOLOGY

He sees for instance the micro paradigms one replacing the other such as the Hellenistic paradigm, the Roman Catholic paradigm, the Protestant reformation paradigm and the Enlightenment paradigm.

He points out the importance of relevance and context in theology yet emphasising the centrality of the Christ event. He sees that Christians should share their different experiences and to allow the church to function as a hermeneutical community (187).

PARADIGMS IN MISSIOLOGY.

Based on the above models, Bosch moves on to focus on different historical periods of Christianity. These periods are seen to have contributed a lot to Biblical interpretation. Although Hans Kung saw the six paradigm epochs, Bosch notes that James Martin saw mainly three epochs, namely the pre-critical (vitalistic, symbolic), the critical (analytical, mechanistic), and the post-critical (Holistic, ecumenical). (188).

Kung also classifies these paradigms into three, namely the macro, the meso and the micro paradigms (ibid.), and sees the above as representing the macro. These represent a whole shift in theology. In this, although theologians may differ substantially in many areas, yet they will share the same ideas on God, humanity and the world.

He then lists seven areas, which he sees as a challenge to contemporary mission.

1) The rise of Christianity in the non-western world to the point of acceding that of the West.

2) The rise of challenge towards exploitative and oppressive structures (eg racism and sexism).

3) Progress as the god of the enlightenment is now seen as a false god.

4) The danger of damaging the environment and exhausting the resources.

5) Risk of the nuclear holocaust.

6) Western theology is no longer able to claim superiority over non-western theology.

7) The decline of Christian monopoly over other faiths.

CHAPTER 6

The Missionary Paradigm of the Eastern Church

TO THE JEW FIRST BUT ALSO TO THE GREEK

Here Bosch is pointing out how theology evolved and was enculturated within the contemporary cultures, starting from the Jews and into the Greeks.

In pointing at the Patristic period, Bosch shows how theology moved from being God revelation in the history of Israel to being more of an objective theoretical theology, based on Greek philosophy. As the church became less of a movement and more of an institution, it began to adopt aspects of the Hellenistic culture. While the Jews emphasised on hearing, the Greek emphasised on seeing, and knowledge, gnosis. The development of doctrinal definitions and dogma entered the church. Salvation was to be found in knowledge and ideas, and a lot of Greek philosophers became influential in the process.

Eschatology

Bosch sees this to be the area, which bring the greatest difference and therefore tension between Jews and Greeks. He focuses on the historical development of prophecy and promises to Israel leading to the death and resurrection of Jesus, marking the inauguration of the eschatological age. This means that Christ has come to confirm and guarantee the Old Testament promises. Preaching of the expected coming Kingdom was replaced by the preaching of the Kingdom already inaugurated. The Eastern Church then developed an allegorical theology, with eschatological expectation as not being future but heavenly. Hellenistic thinking was more used in defining the theology. At the same time the church had to work hard in fighting against Gnosticism.

The church began to evolve too, where the apostles and itinerant preachers were replaced by bishops (elders), and deacons, and later the monastic office. The spirit was not to empower for mission but to purify the church. The emperor was to rule in time and Christ in eternity (202).

Mission to the non-Roman Asia spread mainly by the Nestorian monastic orders who went as missionaries in around 225 AD. They healed the sick, fed the poor and hungry and preached the gospel. Their work was in three dimensions namely, Theology, monasticism and mission,

and Bosch states that the inter-relatedness of these three made it a missionary church of the medieval period. Islam and Buddhism later suppressed these, with little of Christianity remaining in India.

THE PATRISTIC AND ORTHODOX MISSIONARY PARADIGM

This was the period which led to the great schism of 1054 took place between the Eastern and the Western church. This was the beginning of the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church respectively. Constantine the Great had moved the headquarters of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople. The tension developing was both political and ecclesiastical. The church then began to compromise with the state politically, especially in the West because the emperor had now gained the ecclesiastical authority, and mission became a concern of both the empire and the church. The Orthodox Church has contributed a lot to dogma or theology as we see it today, which was a rational and intellectual approach to the bible. Christians were trying to be rational towards matters of faith as they began to encounter the pluralistic environment. Everything became church centred, which meant that the centre of the mission was the church in its liturgy, its life and worship and sacraments.

Bosch goes on to explain that the Orthodox Church emphasises the cosmic dimension of salvation rather than the individual aspect. He sees the objects of mission as being the State, society, culture and nature in the light of the incarnation. Mission is therefore the whole involvement in society although a wrong understanding of Orthodoxy has led people to think that Orthodoxy tends to divorce itself from the difficulties in society.

So liturgy being the centre of church life, the centre of society is seen in the Eucharist, and the mission of church into the world is seen as the second liturgy.

THE FIRST PARADIGM SHIFT: AN INTERIM BALANCE.

This Bosch sees as being the shift from Primitive Christianity (confined to Jewish Christians), to Greek theology/Eastern Orthodoxy. This was when Christianity was imerging and fitting itself into the new Hellenistic culture it was finding itself in. There have been groups then which the church has had to defend itself from Extreme Semitism such as the Ebionites and Montanists. Now the church had to be aware of extreme Hellenism such as Gnosticism.

Issues relating to the canon of scripture, the historicity, humanity, death and resurrection of Jesus had to be laid down and defended.

Monasticism led to a strong attention and focus on mission with the gospel of love and charity. Discipline was necessary in a society hit by syncretism and relativism and unity was crucial in a divided society.

Problem: The church and society became one thing (the church was secularised) which was beyond enculturation and contextualisation. The church became more of a stabiliser and mythical rather than emancipator and messianic.

The key words were tradition, orthodoxy and the Fathers, and the church became the bulwark of right doctrine (Bosch: 212 quoting Kung 1984:20). The church became exclusive and Platonic in its thinking. Christs reign had come and realised through the church institution and the ministry of its sacraments. Salvation was a gradual progress that leads into the divine.

Chapter 7

The Medieval Roman Catholic Missionary Paradigm.

CHANGED CONTEXT

Bosch here covers the period between 500-1500 AD, marked by the papacy of Gregory the Great until the fall of Constantinople to the hands of the Muslims in 1453, and calls it the medieval theological paradigm. Bosch sees though that the groundwork for his period was laid by a preceding church Father, St Augustine of Hippo. During that period, Europe had just tasted the influence and Christianity and the Portuguese and the Spanish had begun their world discovery voyages. The move was from Greek to Latin, from origin of Christ and His pre-existence to Soteriology through the cross. Yet the all emphasised on the visual rather than the audible. They were united too on the doctrinal definitions, and this was seen from the results of the Vatican councils.

St Augustine seen as a trendsetter with much to be honoured for in that had to stand against and English Monk (Pelagius), and the North African Donatists.

THE INDIVIDUALISATION OF SALVATION

Bosch goes on to explain the complexity and development of theological thinking into doctrines such as that of sin and salvation. He portrays Pelagiuss positivism towards human capability of doing good without the need of Christs saving act (to a person rather than a community), as he saw Jesus as merely a model. Augustines reaction was the doctrine of original sin and predestination. He joined the understanding of Clement, Origen and other Greek theologians, on total human depravity in the light of Gods grace. Christology had to develop to explain the humanity and divinity of Jesus.

THE ECCLESIASTICIZATION OF SALVATION

Here Bosch begins by showing the contrast between Donatists and their support towards Tertullian (on the teachings relating to sin), on the one hand, and Augustines defence concerning the fallen state of humanity and those who make up the church. For Augustine, the church represents God though sinful the members are, and the church and its hierarchy therefore do mission.

In further understanding over salvation, the Catholics believed and taught that there is no salvation outside the [Catholic] Church. The baptismal rites were made important for sometimes they sounded more important than the faith of the individual.

MISSION BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE

The Roman Empire became equated to the Roman Catholic Church. Augustines response was with the concept of the two cities. The city of God was destined for eternal rule, and the city on earth was striving towards the ideal form of human society, where perfect justice and peace might reign. This later developed its expression in the relationship between the papacy and the emperor, that the former was supreme over the latter. The Catholic Church became extremely influential over State and loyalty to the state was being loyal to the church, and rebellion to one was the same as rebelling to the other.

INDIRECT AND DIRECT MISSIONARY WARS,

The concept of war was to do with conversion, how to get people to become Christians.

At the beginning, converts were gained by rewarding them. Augustine started the use of external pressure. Gregory the Great carried this on by chastising those who would not accept conversion. What followed was that non-Christians could not access the privileges Christians had. This principal developed into indirect and later direct war. . But Bosch still sees this to be an exceptional practise and not a norm.

Although at first war was accepted only for defensive purposes, and this was seen as just war (bellum justum), which was sanctioned by God (bellum Deo auctore). So defence of Christendom became a duty of the ruler. Pagans had to be baptised even if it was against their will and according to Anselm of Lucca, war was seen as an act of love to the non-converted.

This was the structure of the society, and the monopoly of secular affairs was in the hands of the Catholic Church. Apart from the Jews who were slightly tolerated, others such as the heretics and schismatics were not.

COLONIALISM AND MISSION.

The middle ages marks the period of the expansion of Islam in the East leading to the Capture of Constantinople in 1453. At the same time the expansion of Europe, the discovery and colonisation of the Americas, Africa and Asia was taking place. The concept of Just War did play its part on this which led some people to say that colonisation was a modern continuation of crusades (Bosch: 226, quoting Fisher 1982:23). Slave trade was also later introduced.

Pope Alexander VI divided the colonised world into two for mission purposes. One was under the king of Spain and the other under the king of Portugal, as the two countries were the first to advance in the new discoveries, and that the Pope was regarded as having authority over the whole world. During this period, the mission of the church was linked to the mission of the state. Those sent to Christianise the colonised territories were called Missionaries, and their assignment was called, Mission, terms first used by Ignatius of Loyola. As the pope held supreme power, everything he said had to be endorsed by the king. The churches in the new areas did not have any autonomy, they were hierarchical and were under Rome.

THE MISSION OF MONASTICISM

Europe was broadly seen as Christendom and therefore no real need for evangelism, but it had to keep its vision. This was made possibly by the monastic movement. Monasteries became centres for culture, civilisation and mission. Monasticism and Christian mission went together.

THE MEDIEVAL PARADIGM: AN APPRAISAL

This is the period when the church moved from being a small-persecuted minority, into a large powerful, influential organisation. Its link with Judaism had been broken and instead it was now linked to the Roman Empire and its previous apocalyptic expectation by spreading out with a vision to reach the ends of the earth. During this period pagans and Jews were to be forced into conversion and baptism, basing on Luke 14:23 and John 3:16, and because there was no salvation outside the Roman Catholic Church. The conversion of the pagans and Jews was for there own benefit so that they can not face eternal condemnation.

While Augustine is attributed to the role of starting this paradigm, Thomas Aquinas was to close it. The universe was seen as a whole, with every part interconnected to other parts. The key to it all was a double order of knowledge and being, the one natural the other supernatural: reason and faith, nature and grace, state and church, philosophy and theology. Whereas the first of each pair refers to the natural, the second to the supernatural (Bosch 237). This idea dominated throughout this period into the 20th century.

Chapter 8

The Missionary Paradigm of the Protestant Reformation

THE NATURE OF THE NEW MOVEMENT.

Luther was the pioneer of this paradigm, which rejected the two storey structure in society, that of putting faith, grace the church and theology in the upper storey and reason, nature, state and philosophy to occupy the lower. Luther saw tension and even opposition between faith (grace) and reason, church and the world, theology and philosophy, this became the Protestant view ever since the Lutheran Reformation, the power of God was to be expressed in the lives of believers (Rom 1:16). John 3:16 was for the Greek Patristic period, and Luke 14:23 was for the Medieval Catholicism.

For the Reformers the link between church and state was maintained and at the centre of the teaching was salvation by faith and grace. Correct doctrine was important just as it was in Medieval Catholicism and the creeds remained Orthodox. The Roman Catholic Church lost some of its hegemony in some parts of Europe that had become Protestant and the pope did not carry absolute power any more. The final settlement of the dispute over papal authority was made at the Peace of Augsberg in 1555 and the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. The agreement was that every region was to follow the religion of its own ruler.

While there were similarities between the Catholic and the Protestant Churches, Bosch notes five differences.

1) Justification by faith alone through grace (sola gratia).

2) Humanity was seen from the aspect of the fall.

3) Salvation was seen from the personal aspect, it was subjective.

4) Personal responsibility led to the priesthood of all believers. (Anabaptists took it to extreme.

5) The centrality of scripture, thus moving the pulpit to the centre.

THE REFORMERS AND MISSION

The Reformers were seen by Catholics as heretics and had no concept of mission. On the other hand, Luther is seen as, a creative and original missionary thinker (244). The main thrust of reformed theology was not what people should do to be saved, but what God has already done in Christ. This truth continues to spread out to the ends of the earth, just as the rippling effect of water when one throws water in a pond or lake and this is not dependant on mans effort, but on Gods work. Though that is the case, works of love, preaching and witness are expected in a Christian as a responsibility, and that becomes a missionary thrust. Through this view on mission, the Reformers rejected the Catholic idea of using force to Christianise pagans and Jews.

Bosch then shows that although the idea of mission was there among the Protestants, their active involvement was limited. This was due to:

Their primary task was to reform the church and not to replace it (as Anabaptists thought).

Protestants contact with non-Christians was little, and the nations they belonged to were pre-dominantly Catholic and had already established colonies.

These Protestant churches were struggling to survive, a condition, which prevailed until after the Peace of Westphalia in 1648.

Because monastic orders had been the sending missions, the Protestants denial of these orders meant denying themselves of important aspects of access to these agencies.

Protestants were still going through their own internal struggles.

The Anabaptists moved a bit faster in mission due to their radicalisation of the idea of the priesthood of all believers and regarded Germany and its surroundings as a mission field with no parish or diocesan boundaries. For them the Great Commission, was mandatory to all believers (not like other reformers who thought it only applied to the Apostles).

While the Reformers saw the church and state were united in mission, the Anabaptists could not bring the two together, Reformers took missionaries only to countries with Reformed governments.

Although eschatological expectations have sometimes been seen as reasons for stagnating the missionary movement of the reformers, but it has also be known to be an impetus towards reformers involvement in mission.

LUTHERAN ORTHODOXY AND MISSION

Luthers reform led to territorial distribution between denominations except for the Anabaptists. Protestant and Catholic definitions of the church followed after the Peace of Westphalia. The Catholics put more emphasis on the outward expression (the legal and institutional), whereas the Protestants put their emphasis on the internals (true teachings, proper administration of sacraments). This led to more division among Protestants.

The church became defined in the lines of, what is happening behind its four walls, or a place where something is done not a living organism doing something (249). Such definitions says Neill (1968:75 quoted by Bosch et al), fit a typical environment where the majority of the people are baptised and living a Christian life and where evangelism is not required.

Bosch attributes to Philip Nicolai the responsibility to bringing the transition in the Orthodox Lutheran understanding of mission. Nicolai,

a) Like other reformers (except Anabaptists), sees the Great Commission to have only applied to the Apostles yet the church is still called fore mission. Although he was positive to the Catholic role on mission he still regarded the three enemies of Christianity as, the Turks, papacy and Calvinism (250).

b) Initiative towards salvation is in Gods hands not us. (I.e. Luthers salvation by grace through faith, and Calvins predestination). This meant we should not go out in mission but just look at the need for the gospel around where you are and attend to it.

c) His positivism over the world and his eschatology led him to disappointment and pessimism over the Catholics and inspired him for mission.

d) Lutheran mission was to areas ruled by Lutherans and therefore Lutheran colonial masters had a responsibility for missionary involvement.

e) The Lutheran church had no responsibility to take the gospel to pagans because the Apostles had done it.

THE PIETIST BREAKTHROUGH

What followed was the Pietist movement. The aim of the will, personal experience and the desire to proclaim the gospel to all was important. Nikolaus Von Zinzendorf was a product of this movement. This moved the church from cold cerebral faith to a warm union with Christ, from sound doctrine to a disciplined life, from theory to practice, from ecclesiastical authoritarianism to individual personal faith.

Pietists and Moravians rejected the connection between church and state as an expression of Christianity, but instead the emphasised on personal decision and this aspect of Pietism brought them more in line with the Anabaptists. Pietists also became involved with social responsibility, which they called, service of the body (254). Eg hospitals, schools for the poor, orphanages etc. Soul and body, conversion and development were not to be divided.

Pietism began to lead missionary involvement more on the religious sphere and less on the civic sphere by the 1730s. Pietism faced a challenging attack from orthodoxy in its theological validity and the Enlightenments rationalism challenged the mysteries of faith.

Pietisms contribution to missionary movement.

1) Mission was no longer a duty of colonial governments Christians could participate.

2) From being a responsibility of rulers now it was a responsibility of individual Christians.

3) It brought in the ecumenical aspect of mission.

4) In one century (18th), Pietism made Germany a missionary country through people like Zinzendorf.

5) True dedication (other than monasticism) was demonstrated in the way ordinary people got involved in mission.

SECOND REFORMATION AND PURITANISM

While Lutheran Reformation made little sense of this world, Calvinism (in Holland) and Puritanism (in England) did. Both these countries had strong powers in overseas colonies. While the idea of mission was on discussion among the Lutherans, among the Reformed Churches it was put into action. Calvinism brought the balance between the inward renewal and the outward transformation, the vertical and the horizontal. These two were held in a creative tension (256).

Bosch then refers to Gisbertus Voetiuss threefold model of the theology of mission. He sees these dimensions as

(i) Conversion of the Gentiles

(ii) The planting of the church

(iii) The glory and manifestation of divine grace (257).

This might have made him the first proponent of the modern missio-Dei. He saw the churches both new and old standing as equal.

He rejected the Roman Catholic patronage and coercion of non-Christians.

The Protestant missionary movement was then began and was carried on through the Puritan movement as missionaries began to spread out to distant lands in the 17th century pioneered by people like John Eliot, Richard Sibbes, Richard Baxter and Cotton Mather.

Characteristics of Puritanism.

(i) The doctrine of predestination

(ii) Ultimate goal of mission was to Gods glory

(iii) Gods love and grace to believers and sinners.

(iv) Mission was closely connected to colonial expansion and theocracy. Theocracy was later to be shattered by the Enlightenment in some areas and reason took over.

(v) Linking mission with eschatology strengthened theocracy (in Calvinism).

(vi) The idea that Western culture was superior over other cultures. Mission and Western culture was interconnected.

(vii) They went as a response to the Great Commission.

AMBIVALENCES IN THE REFORMATION PARADIGM.

The missionary paradigm in the first two centuries of Protestantism,

a) Emphasised on Gods sovereignty to the detriment of missionary involvement.

b) Though the fall was emphasised but humanity was seen as redeemable.

c) There were three prongs of Protestant theology. Extreme subjectivity (Pietism), extreme objectivity (orthodoxy) and in between.

d) Mission responsibility was for both church and state except for Anabaptists, Pietists, and second reformation movement.

e) Calvinists, due to their theocratic view held strongly on the rule of Christ in society.

Chapter 9

Mission in the Wake of the Enlightenment

CONTOURS OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT WORLDVIEW

All that happened in the Protestant Church in the 18th century was influenced by the enlightenment, but the Catholic Church and its theology was able to stay away from that influence until after the second Vatican Council. At that point, the Catholic Church made two paradigm shifts in one (20th) century, whereas it took the Protestant Church two centuries to go through the two paradigm shifts. These paradigms were those of the Enlightenment and the other was that of Postmodernity (262).

The change from medieval thinking to enlightenment thinking made the supernatural redundant and the natural attracted more attention. God, the church and the nobles were no longer revered, but nature was. Those who influenced the minds of the enlightenment were people like Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543), Francis Bacon (1561-1626), Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Rene Descartes (1596-1650) etc. One or two generations later, the enlightenment world view came to its final form through the influence of John Locke (1632-1704), Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677), Gottfried Wilhelm Liebnitz (1646-1716), and Isaac Newton (1642-1717).

Characteristics of the enlightenment. (Very important to note for MAMDP) p.265

* The enlightenment was an age of reason / Reason became important in Christianity and theologys response was to separate religion from reason and locate it on feelings and experience / response was the privatisation of religion and its removal from public sphere / response was to declare theology as a science, which was superior to other sciences / response was to create a Christian society in which Christianity will be the official religion / response by secularising religion.

* The enlightenment separated humans from the environment and therefore made it possible

for them to study the environment objectively / response was to do the same in theology eg inerrancy of objective text.

* The enlightenment looked at reality in the cause and effect concept and eliminated purpose / Trust in God was emphasised in knowing purpose.

* The focus of the enlightenment was progress, as seen in development programmes (modernisation). The desire to spread wealth to the less privileged / Christian triumph in this world, reforming the world, eradicating poverty, restoring justice etc.

* Enlightenment believed that knowledge is factual, value free and neutral. It is objective. Over facts, there are disputable values based on opinions and on belief, and that is the place of religion. So a belief can only be true when there is a corresponding fact / Christianity was made a fact not values/ religion (values), being separate from facts (science), was transcendent, spiritual and supreme (Platonic). The problem Christianity became other non-worldly.

* All problems are solvable / theology warns of the danger of seeking false security and avoiding responsibility.

* People were seen as emancipated autonomous individuals. God and the church were no longer needed. All individuals were equal and had equal rights. Natural rights / It brought individualism in the church.

ENLIGHTENMENT AND CHRISTIAN FAITH

Religion became anthropocentric. Christian Apologetic theology began to develop. Christianity lost its superiority above other religions.

(See solutions of the above problems).

The enlightenment was meant to create a society of which all people were equal but that idea was not materialised.

MISSION IN THE MIRROR OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT

The modern missionary enterprise has been greatly influenced by the enlightenments concept of ecclesiastical and cultural expansion

Church and State.

Colonisation and Christianisation went together, and were two sides of the same coin (275). Later, during the enlightenment the two went onto separate paths. Expansion in the America became imperialistic, in India mercantile etc, but no longer religio-political-cultural. Christian mission became a concern to win souls and confined to the church only. What such as other Reformers such as Zinzendorf had done had long been forgotten and defeated by rationalism. Mission organisations such as SPCK (1699) and SPG (1701) which had a synthesis between the rationalism and Pietism were started.

Forces of Renewal.

The Great Awakening in the Americas (1726-1760), Methodism (1703-1791 John & 1707-1788 Charles) and Evangelical Anglicanism (1787-1825) were forces of renewal, which made a great impact on mission thinking and practise.

The Great Awakening was a national conversion (Bosch: 277 quoting Niebuhr). They taught a balance between objectivity and subjectivity in understanding our faith from the Scriptures, the main character being Jonathan Edwards.

The Wesley brothers and George Whitefield in starting the Methodist movement saw no difference between nominal Christianity and pagans, thus John saying, The whole world is my parish(278). Saving souls meant society would change. The Methodist movement led to the Anglican Evangelical Revival.

The Second Awakening. (1766 onwards)

This brought rise to foreign missions also prompted by the discovery of new land by explorers. The number of Christians increased too. In the UK, expect great things from God, attempt great things for God (Bosch: 279, quoting Carey), was the motto.

The 19th century

Church and state harmony and intension in mission were restored. Missionaries were sent by the church but with interest on expanding the empire.

In America materialism and capitalism were seen as blessings and the Kingdom was here and now. Mission was a way of sharing those blessings with a deprived world.

The 20th century

The social gospel had taken root, and sin was merely ignorance.

MISSIONARY MOTIFS IN THE ENLIGHTENMENT ERA

1) Gods Sovereignty and His glory (derived from the doctrine of Predestination).

2) Constrained by the love of Jesus (brotherhood).

3) The gospel and culture. The compromise with other cultures. Religion and culture went together and there was a sense of the West passing on the Western culture, which went together with the gospel. Issues of accommodation and indigenisation were addressed (291-298).

This period saw the

a) Abolition of slavery

b) Spread of better methods of agriculture

c) Improvement on schools and hospitals

d) Elevation of women in society

e) Emphasis on improved international relations

f) Leadership training for newly independent states (Bosch: 294 quoting Smith: 1968:71).

The 20th century came to see a shift as culture and religion became increasingly separated.

Mission and Manifest Destiny.

The West had believed that they were the chosen people and they were to rule over other nations. This was especially seen between 1880-1920, during the Heyday of colonialism. (Bosch: 298 quoting Neill 1966a: 322-396).

Mission and Colonialism

Although at the beginning colonisation and mission work went together, later on in the 17th century they were separated. Merchants, who went out for trading purposes, sometimes even did not want missionaries, because they felt threatened that missionaries might spoil their trade links. Later in the 19th century the two were connected again. While the colonial governments ran and traded, the missionaries evangelised. They prepared people for government service.

The idea of colonialism was Christianity, commerce and civilisation.

Mission and the Millennium

Bosch sees this as the golden age. Mission work has been seen as the process of the golden age, the dawn of the millennium. Although it began by reaching out to the Americas now it was expanding elsewhere until the ends of the earth. The reign of God had begun through the church.

British Evangelical Alliance (1846) raised a hermeneutical problem. It suggested that Scripture should speak for itself to each individual, and therefore they did not want to be told by ecclesiastical bodies what to do. This idea was in tension with the inerrancy of Scripture.

In mid 17th century, the return of Christ was expected and many mission organisations were founded. The understanding the Pre-millenialists was that the return of Christ will come when the preaching of the gospel is complete and the message has reached the ends of the earth (Matt 24:14).

Mission began to emphasise on Gods judgement rather than His love. Dwight.L.Moody (1837-1899) came up with the three Rs:

Ruined by sin

Redeemed by Christ

Regenerated by the Holy Spirit

He was known as a pragmatic, choosing doctrines, which were simple and positive to society.

Emphasis became on personal rather than structural sin and verbal evangelism rather than the social gospel. Issues of race and class began to emerge. Eg in America the revivalists were middle class whites Protestants. The challenge of Socialism until after the Second World War, political undertones were attached to Premillenialism followed by the prosperity gospel.

People were converted to middle class American culture of materialism, capitalism, patriotism, respectability etc. Churches were run like a business.

Postmillennialism and Amillenialism.

Around 1859 onwards these ideas began as a continuation of he teaching and preaching during the Awakening movements of Edwards and Hopkins. The Perousia was replaced by the coming of the Kingdom step by step (see 319-327).

Voluntarism

The Enlightenment saw the emergence of missionary societies, inspired by the enlightenments spirit of enterprise and initiative (327). I.e. the hermeneutical freedom.

These were voluntary societies, which at the time of the Reformation could not be thought of, but only the institutional church and its hierarchy could talk about mission.

Chapter 12

Elements of an Emerging Ecumenical Missionary Paradigm.

In this we find a very high view of the church especially emphasised by the Catholics. The definition of the church was turning from being an institution to being the body of Christ, and the outlook on mission was again emphasised in a new way. Missionary conferences began to emerge, ecclesiological reflections of missionary conferences from Edinburgh 1910 to Mexico City in 1963 (p.369: Bosch referring to Gunther: 1970).

Issues of discussion ranged from, inspiring missionary enthusiasm in the churches of the West, the relationship between the church and mission, the relationship between the younger and older churches and the distinctions between Christians and non Christians.

Challenges from other ideologies such as Communism, Fascism, Marxism and Socialism grew, and not forgetting the impact of World War Two. The Church and Mission were brought together and there was a strong call for the need

a) Not to separate the two, i.e. Church and Mission.

b) Mission is from everywhere to everywhere

c) Partnership in Mission

The church in Mission

Mission was to be an integral part of the World Council of Churches. This was a Missio Dei statement, although there still remained differences in its definition from different schools of thought. The differences were the some stressed on:

a) Salvation

b) Ecclesiology

c) Sacraments

d) And others Eschatology (p.371).

There was a shift from the centrality of the Pope as emphasised in Vatican I to a more integrated one, with focus on the local church. After Vatican II, both Catholic and Protestant united in defining the church in terms of:

i) The sacrament of Salvation

ii) Assembly of God

iii) People of God

iv) Body of Christ

v) Temple of the Holy Spirit

vi) Community of the faithful (P.372 Bosch quoting Michiels: 1989:89 and Dulles: 1976).

By the Catholics recognising the church as universal and the place of the local church in mission, it brought the Third World church closer than ever before.

Creative tension

But Bosch sees a creative tension develop from the definition and understanding of the church, that is:

i) As the bearer of the message of salvation on which it carries the monopoly.

ii) As an illustration in word and deed of Gods involvement with the world (p.381).

The two views were being brought together as the church continued to emphasise on Church planting as primary in mission, and the church definition and role continued to be discussed in the following Ecumenical councils on the role of the church in mission and the definition of salvation whether it was only spiritual or included social action (i.e. humanisation of people). Issues of Christology and Pneumatology were discussed too (p.384). The issue of the two mandates facing the church, the social on one hand and the spiritual on the other, became a way of looking at the relationship between the evangelism and social action, and followed by detailed discussions on both evangelical and ecumenical councils on the relationship between the two. On the one hand Evangelicals held to the primacy of evangelism although social action was still very important, and on the other, Catholics held to both with a greater bias towards social action.

Bosch then goes on to explain what the heart of evangelism. He sees evangelism as both saying and doing, and he clearly distinguishes between evangelism, evangelisation and mission (p.409-420).

Mission as contextualisation

Quoting Ukpong (1987163), Bosch traces the origins of the word contextualization from the 1970s. He continues to quote Ukpong in showing the two streams of contextualization as

i) Indigenisation: namely translation and inculturation

ii) Socio-political: namely liberation theology, black theology, feminist theology etc)

(p. 421).

Bosch then goes on to trace the background of the contextualization pattern from Arianism, Donatism, Pelagianism, Nestorianism, Monophysitism etc in which culture and politics shaped heir understanding of the scripture. The whole development in theologising, through the middle ages the Reformation and the Enlightenment, theology has been adapted to the thinking of the time. Now we find theologies adapting to the socio political experience of people such as feminist and liberation to the issues of culture. Bosch sees al these to have a great impact on mission today as we see the tension between Western Theology and Third World Theology.

This has led to what Bosch calls the re-birth of the Ecumenical idea of mission, with a strong sense of interdenominational unity. Interdenominational Mission organisations began to be formed such as YMCA, YWCA etc, and Edinburgh 1910 marked this new development. This new dimension has gone to he extent as seeing mission as dialogue, especially when reaching out to people of other faiths such as Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus etc. The issues of clergy and laity in ecclesiology were discussed with arguments supported by the threefold offices of Jesus Christ, that of the Prophet, Priest and King, legitimising the office of Pastor, Elder and Deacon (p.469).

Conclusion

For Bosch, the Christ events remain central to his understanding on mission and he sees this as he concludes his chapters. He looks at the incarnation, the cross, the resurrection, the ascension, Pentecost and the expectations of the second coming (the Perousia), as focal points in the identity of the mission of the church at all times.