Contemporary Issues and Trends in Christian Mission

&Evangelism
CHRISTIAN MISSION AND GLOBALIZATION

Submitted by: Jemin Thomas BD III Submitted to: Rev. Thomas Joseph

Globalization is the process of developing the world situation with a

better living condition of the people in regard to socio- eco and political
sphere around the world. However this globalization has negative and
positive impacts among the people of different society. It is enjoyed by
only few people in the society, even though this globalization is the
umbrella of this world. Christian theology, for example, largely been
viewed as part of the sin of avarice.
Definitions of Globalization

1. Anthony Giddens defined globalization in 1990 as “intensified

worldwide social relations where local events are shaped by distant
occurrences”.

2. David Held defined globalization in 1999 as “the interconnectedness

of regions near and far, allowing for enhanced social activity and power
networking”.1

Aspects of Globalization

1. Globalization involves the stretching of social relationships in space

and time

1
Samuel w meshack, mission with the marginalized,(thiruvalla,CSS,2007),160.
2. Globalization involves the process of dis-embedding—that is, the
production of time-space distancing of social relationship and the
process of re-embedding— processes that adapt the newly dis-embedded
social relationships to local (temporal and spatial) conditions

3. Glocalization – The global is based on the interaction of localities

a. Market, Profit, Privatization and Self Maid God/Goddess

Definition of Market

Markets are means by which the exchange of goods and services

takes place as a result of buyers and sellers being in contact with one
another, either directly or through mediating agents or institutions. In
the modern industrial system, however, the market is not a place; it
has expanded to include the whole geographical area in which sellers
compete with each other for customers. The globalization that people
speak of today is primarily that of the market. The market is the new
idol. Monopolies can create artificial scarcities that push up the
prices. Industrial producers establish their production units where
cheap and controlled labour is available. The labourers often get only
a subsistence wage. This leads to rising unemployment in countries
where labour is more costly. Looking for efficiency production
processes is increasingly mechanized. So more and more lower level
workers lose their jobs.
  PROFIT: Meaning: Oxford dictionary describes profit as “money that we
make in business, etc or by selling things. Also called earnings, gain, or
income.”
It’s Impact: The aim of production under capitalism is not to satisfy people's
needs but to accumulate profits. In short, governments put profits before poor
people because they are obliged to by the impersonal workings of world market
forces, not out of choice. The same goes, even more forcefully, for capitalist
corporations. Their whole purpose is to make a profit on the capital invested in
their businesses so that their shareholders can benefit. It means that production
is carried on not to satisfy people's needs, but to satisfy only paying needs. In
short, it means the application of the economic principle of "can't pay, can't
have". It is because the millions of people living in absolute poverty.

 PRIVATIZATION: Indian economy had experienced major political

changes in early 1990s. The new economic reform, popularly known as
Liberalization, Privatization and Globalization (LPG) model known aimed at
making the Indian economy as fastest growing economy and globally
competitive.2
Definition: Privatization can be defined as the transfer of ownership and control of
public sector units to private individuals or companies. It has become inevitable as
a result of structural adjustment programmes imposed by IMF. It may also mean
government outsourcing of services or functions to private firms, e.g. revenue
collection, law enforcement, and prison management.
The objective of the Privatization is to strengthen the private sectors and to
strengthen Government to concentrate on areas like education and infrastructure.
Though it has many meaningful advantages but it has also many defects. Some of
the main disadvantages of Privatization are as follows:
2
Yong Hun Jo, “Globalization as a Challenge to the Churches in Asia Today,” The Asia Journal of
Theology, 15/2, (Oct - 2001)49.
 I. Exploitation of labour.
ii. Abuse of powers by executives.
iii. Unequal distribution of wealth and income. 3

 SELF MAID GOD/GODDESS: It indicates that one assumes materialism as an

image of idolatry. It is the outcome of globalization in which one admires
materialism rather than God. Money and materialism is handled by human for
their own glory. In that way they do ignore nothing whether it is right or wrong in
the sight of God, but the evil traits of avarice and selfishness control their life.
They neglect God and love their own business. They enter into the way of
development and competition but this dilutes the human life and results in
disregard of religion. They count money and wealth is their cause of life and their
happiness also depends upon the ability of doing their will instead of making
good relationship with others. They harm and damage others because they only
seek after their profit. They only think about how they gain profit, God and other
do not have a place in them and do not care about others though they suffer if
they are able to enjoy a pleasant life. Through the work of Transforming Mission
by David J Bosch, He mentioned about how mission Possible in the midst of rich
and poor classification. He emphasizes his point of view through the poor And
rich understandings in the light of Luken gospel.4We have the responsible to
Bringing the people for God’s grace and bringing the people who are in the
peripheral in to the middle of our worship.

3
G. Dyvasirvadam, Mission in Transition: A Contexual Appraisal in Mission Paradigm in the New
Millennium, (Delhi: ISPCK, 2000), 12.
4
David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission ( Maryknoll : Orbis Books, 1991), 99.
Challenges in Christian mission
In order to complete a purpose, the negative effects of globalisation must
be challenged. The capitalist economy has grown to the size of the
Tower of Babel, where money and technological progress are important.
The poor got poorer, while the rich got richer. 5
1. Economic Disparities:

Challenge: Globalization can exacerbate economic inequalities,

making it difficult to address poverty and promote sustainable
development in mission areas.

2. Cultural Homogenization:

Challenge: Globalization may lead to the erosion of local cultures,

posing a challenge for mission work that aims to respect and
integrate with diverse cultural contexts.

3. Dependency on External Aid:

Challenge: Mission areas may become overly dependent on

external aid and resources, hindering the development of self-
sustaining communities.

4. Erosion of Traditional Values:

Challenge: Traditional values and belief systems in mission areas

may face challenges from the influx of global cultural influences.

5
Adrian Watkins, Gospel and globalization (New delhi, ISPCK, 2006),95
 5. Environmental Impact:
Challenge: Globalization often involves resource exploitation,
leading to environmental degradation in mission regions and
impacting the livelihoods of local populations.

6. Migration and Displacement:

Challenge: Globalization can contribute to increased migration and

displacement, making it challenging to establish stable and consistent
mission efforts in affected communities.

7. Religious Pluralism:

Challenge: Increased interconnectedness may lead to religious

pluralism, making it challenging for missions to engage with diverse
belief systems and maintain the distinctiveness of their message.6

Alternative Globalization

The WCC is highly critical about the present form of economic

globalization. The prevalent system of economy has been branded as an
economy of death because it drains the life sustaining power of the
planet earth. Therefore, it calls its constituent churches to fight for an
economy of life and has strongly recommended an Alternative
Globalization, which is founded on justice - “just trade” and “just
finance”. It is highly human and nature oriented and opposed to profit
driven economics. This strategy prescribes: 1) granting people the right

6
Adrian Watkins, Gospel and globalization (New delhi, ISPCK, 2006),95
to their own food, 2) granting people the control of resources, and 3)
active engagement in protecting biodiversity, through eco sustainable
production and eco-sensitive life-style. 7

7
Ramesh Chandra, Globalization, Liberation, Privatization and Indian Polity (Delhi: ISPCK, 2004),16.
b. Mission movement outside and beyond establish churches.- The
mission does not have to be limited within the four walls of church but it
should think outside the limited and narrow understanding of the church, it may
not only be about the membership for the church or to fill the churches.
Mission should not be limited to some people but to the whole world, as Jesus
had said (Mt.28:19). We cannot claim to be faithfully proclaiming the gospel to
the lost through our Sunday preaching when most of the “lost” do not attend
church. We need to do mission outside church and church events. We need to
do church and mission in the context of everyday life. We can no longer think
of church as a meeting on a Sunday morning. We must think of church as a
community of people who share life, ordinary life. And we cannot think of
mission as an event that take place in an ecclesiastical building. We need to
wake up to the fact that Christians live at the margins. Our society has no time
for the message of Jesus, and our allegiance to Jesus as Lord puts us on a
collision course with the priorities of the culture. “Being on the margins rather
than in the centre will require a change of perspective, a very different
mindset.”8 Of course, there will continue to be a role for special events, but the
bedrock of mission will be ordinary life. Mission must be done primarily in the
context of everyday life.

Indian Mission Boards and Agencies

Indian Mission agencies that sprung up were not lacking in goals.

Roger Hedlund writes in the “Indian Church Growth Quarterly” about
the expectation of the church growth model of mission. The church in

8
Yong Hun Jo, “Globalization as a Challenge to the Churches in Asia Today,” The Asia Journal of
Theology, 15/2 (Oct- 2001): 24.
India must grow ‘INTO’ the Indian soil with its varied types of culture
and social life; it must also grow throughout the length and breadth of
India, enfolding people from the North, South, West and East. He sums
up the goal in a sentence, “[t]he goal is to reach every Indian people,
tribe, clan and individual.” These goals and expectations are tried to be
met by the India churches and mission agencies. Here are some
prominent ones with their mission statements.

Indian Evangelical Mission (IEM):

Their vision is to “take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the unevangelized

areas in India and abroad, and to plant churches among unreached
people. [Their] goal is[to plant] a church among every people group and
the Gospel to every person.”

Gospel For Asia(GfA): Their vision is “to reach the unreached of Asia
with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and fulfill the Great Commission
through recruiting, training, sending and assisting qualified laborers to
win the lost and plant local churches in partnership with the body of
Christ.”

Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association

The Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association is the oldest of the National

Missionary movements in India. It was entirely indigenous in its origin,
growth and development. It was founded on 5th Sept.1888. The
M.T.E.A is duty bound to take up the challenge and to take steps that
are necessary to give concrete shape and content to a major project
aimed at the revival and the awakening of the Church, from the grass
root level, to concentrate the youth to this great task and to launch out "a
missionary crusade" in this new millennium with the deliberate
objective of reaching the un-reached peoples and groups in India with
the Gospel in the coming decades of this new century.9

Indian Missionary Society:

IMS is the first indigenous Missionary Organization of India, founded

in the year 1903. The chief aim is to foster missionary spirit in the
Indian church by indigenous efforts and propagate the Gospel in India
and other countries with Indian Leadership, Indian Management and
Indian Finance. The main aim and objective of the society was to spread
the Good News in the unreached areas. It has more than
700 missionaries, working in 3900 villages. 10

Response of Mission to Globalization

1. Christian communities need to discover ways to resist the

exclusionary power and violence of globalization as an ideology, while
making use of the technology and wealth generating capacity of the
market for the celebration of life in all its fullness.

2. The aim of Christian Mission is not simply to convert or transform the

human but to learn and to teach them how to live with the other as
neighbor and partner.

9
“Foundation of Mar Thoma Evangelistic Association”, http://www.marthomaevan.org/history7/foundation.asp .
10
“Indian Missionary Society”, http://imsdelhibranch.googlepages.com/organization .
3. Churches in the age of globalization have to become a prophetic
community of hope and resistance in the vision of the kingdom of God.
Because, the poor are the product of globalization are not just objects of
charity, but they are also controllers of their own lives and agents of
social change.

Conclusion

The church has no walls, nor does it draw a circle around itself that
separates it from the world. The community of faith forms an open circle
around its center that means the presence of Jesus Christ. The circle
should be open enough for other people to see and join in the central
Christ event. Thus the church is seen, not closed or sacred but as a part
of the world where it joins God’s action in becoming a pressure group of
change.

Bibliography

Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission. Maryknoll : Orbis Books, 1991.

Chandra, Ramesh. Globalization, Liberation, Privatization and Indian Polity.

Delhi: ISPCK, 2004.

Dyvasirvadam ,G. Mission in Transition: A Contexual Appraisal in Mission

Paradigm in the New Millennium. Delhi: ISPCK, 2000.

Hun J, Yong. “Globalization as a Challenge to the Churches in Asia Today.” The

Asia Journal of Theology 15/2 (Oct- 2001): 24.

meshack Samuel w. mission with the marginalized. Thiruvalla: CSS,2007.

Watkins Adrian. Gospel and globalization. New delhi: ISPCK, 2006.

“Foundation of Mar Thoma
EvangelisticAssociation”,http://www.marthomaevan.org/history7/foundation.asp .

“Indian Missionary Society”,http://imsdelhibranch.googlepages.com/organization .