Seminar on the History of Christian Mission

Introduction

The word “mission” becomes more difficult and challenging because of the increasing of
secularism, religious pluralism and when religion and christianity become relativistic.

Dr. Dieter Becker (a German theologian) says that Western people left the word “mission”,
somehow people in the South are grateful for the word mission.

The concept of sentness: etymological understanding of mission as to be sent into the world.

Mission from the word Latin “mittere” means “to send”, from this word, we get a noun “missio”.
Mission denotes action: being sent with a commission to perform a certain task, acting in the name of
superior, carrying out an important mandate, serving as ambassador on behalf of one’s leader.

Spindler M.R., cites several passages (Mat. 10:16; Luk 10:1f; Luk 10:2; Mat. 9:38; John 20:21). In
other words, when Jesus sent his disciples, he was missionizing them for his mission (mat. 28:19-20); Jn.
20:21, etc). Mission is to send church to Christ mandate to love, to liberate, to heal, etc. Mission is “the
act of sending to a place or to a person).

Theologically speaking, mission, when understand in the context of Christianity, is about the
church as a whole. Emil Brunner says: “Fire exists by burning, church exists by mission”. From this
conceptualization of mission: mission is bigger than church.

Jurgen Moltmann says “It is not the church that has a mission of salvation in the world; it is the
mission of the Son of God and the Spirit through the Father that include the church”.

The Call for Balanced Missional Approach

Bosch also emphasizes dialogue with other people of different faiths (Read “San Antonio
Report”). We know only in part, but we do know, and we believe that the faith we profess is both love
and just, and should be proclaimed. We do this, however, not as judges or lawyers, but as witnesses; not
as soldiers, but as envoys of peace; not as high pressure sales persons; but as ambassador of servant
Lord”.

Friday, 30th Jun 2017

Significance of Historiography in Mission and its implication

Historiography is the study of the methods of historians in developing history as an academic discipline.
11 Jul 2017

The call for a Balanced Missional Approach

The report acknowledge that dialogue today is referred to by many mission scholars as
prophetic dialogue. Bosch understand this as a bold humility – or a humble boldness and suggests and
approach which takes the balance between boldness in one’s faith and respect of other faith during
mission in the context of dialogue.

We know only in part, but we do know

This approach suggests that mission in the context of dialogue goes beyond of seeing dialogue as an end
in itself rather as subtle peaceful and respectful a means toward witness.

Bosch further contents that, mission will continue to be a witness to people of other faiths through
dialogue.

He writes:

Anyone who knows that one day there will be no more deseases

On the other hand, Bevans B.S. and Schroeder wrote: “Mission today is ... is something much more
modest and at the same time much more exciting and indeed more urgent. It is more modest because
we realize that mission is not ours,

Mission is about preaching, serving and witnessing to the work of God in our world; it is about living and
working as partners with God

Prof Baker Dieter – He pointed out a new paradigm that he calls “mission as participation in a new
community of life”. He sees mission as hospitality and search for a new community, mission as solidarity
and sharing, mission as witness and dialogue, mission as taking stance against islamphobia and finally he
sees mission as participation in God’s life-giving work.

Ecological issues of climate change and global warming are included in mission.

It is increasingly becoming clearer that the church

Concluding remarks:

 Mission today requires us us to be open to the world.

  Mission today shouldnt be in so much on strategies but in praxis – proclamation and service.
Our daily total life as christians and as members of the church which was found by the Jesus of
Nazareth shouldnt be divorced from Missio Dei
 The church is an agent of God to make God’s kingdom
 Mission today must be so much on our spirituality rather that on fulfilment of mission tasks. Our
main motivation should not just fulfilling the task Great Commission as recorded in Matt 28:19-
20, but on our love to God, to people and to the world. Mission for us
 We care for the earth and responsibility use its abundant resources, not according to our
rationale but for the sake of God.
 For the effectiveness of mission the church is challenged to completely serious
 We can inspire them to come to Jesus, to love God, to love God’s word.

Mission must be based on Love of God. Therefore we are commissioned by God to the world because
we love him and we participate in God’s mission.

14 Jul 2017

Mission in The Early Church (100-301)

Individual Christians in a variety situations
(read Steve Bevans and Schroeder)

 The young church in the roman empire benefited from the years of religius movement of Jewish
diaspora
 Evangelizers in this case include Christian merchants, emmigrants, slaves and wandering ascetics
from syrian wilderness.
 The church was a small minority but the foundation was being laid for the church in the east, the
ancient church in asia.
 During its infancy stage, chrictianity spread very rapidly particularly in the eastern part of roman
empire.
 All traveling evangelists, teachers are ready to die for their faith through christian witness.
 Until recently church and mission historians has given less attention to the expansion of
christianity eastward
 Christianity for its first thousand years was stronger in Asia and North Africa than it was in
europe
 Only after about 1400 AD europe and europeanized north america decisively became heartland
of christianity.
 By the end of second century there was a christian center in Edessa, a city situated at a strategic
junction of two ancient trade highway and the capital.
 Their most renowned and controversial philosopher and theologian of secondary century,
Barbaisan of Edessa, wrote “unity in christ is stronger than any difference in race or nationality”.
 By the end of century the church of asia had a syrian version of the old testament, called pshitta
believe to be the work of Tatian the syrian theologian, linguist, ascetic and ex-pupil of Martin
the Martyr.
  Christianity in India was possibly brought by Thomas and Pantaenus

2.3. Mission Within the Roman Empire

Read the document of “Cairos’s Palestine Document  Acompaniment program for Palestines (WCC).