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

June 8, 2004

A Review by the Reverend Alan Morris

Transforming Mission is a huge book which encompasses all of the history of mission with God’s people. Mission in contemporary terms is in crisis. This is due to a variety of reasons, but largely due to a misunderstanding of what mission is, or has been, in all of history. David Bosch was a preeminent missiologist who died in 1992 in an automobile accident in South Africa. He was a professor of Missiology at the University of South Africa, and his book has become a standard reference in studies of the Christian world mission. Because he believed that the church is always in the state of crisis, and should be, the current crisis is not only dangerous, but gives opportunity for change in a good way. The current crisis the church is in is due to many reasons, but mainly due to the dechristianization of the West and the advances science and technology that have made faith in God redundant. Because of the failure of the ideologies of the Enlightenment, there has not only produced increased anger and frustration on the part of the poor, but an increasing reluctance on the part of Christians to share their faith. The problem is not necessarily outside on the mission field but in the heart of the Western church itself. The church needs to go back to what it was intended to be: “the church of Jesus Christ in the midst of the people of the earth.” (p. 6) We need a new vision to break out of the present state of missions toward a different kind of missionary involvement, but to do that Bosch believes that the idea of mission has to be examined for the past twenty centuries of Christian church history. Out of this study, he then presents the views that have developed for what he calls the “emerging ecumenical paradigm of mission.” (p. 8)
Bosch submits that the church is missionary by its very nature, since it regards the reign of God which has come in Jesus Christ as intended for all humanity. Christian mission gives expression to the relationship that God has communicated through Jesus Christ with his people. There are no correct laws of mission to follow, rather the mission of the church changes to fit what God is doing in the world, and how we are privileged to participate. God’s love and attention are directed primarily at the world, and the church cannot ignore the realities of injustice, oppression, poverty, and violence. Salvation has to do with what happens to people in this world. On the other hand, we are not of this world, and therefore must never become secular in our approach to the world. The church-in-mission is a sign, or symbol of God’s coming reign, and is a foretaste of what is to come.
The New Testament witnessed a paradigm shift with the advent of Jesus in what was understood about mission. Mission became a fundamental expression of the life of the church. It now understood itself as the advance guard to all of humanity, and became things such as “the salt of the earth”, the “light of the world”, and “a city on a hill”. Israel has always understood itself as the people of God because of God’s intervention, which was given to them in the form of a covenant. He revealed himself as the God who committed himself in the present to be involved with his people in the future, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He elected Israel to serve the marginal in its midst, and were obligated to the victims of society. His compassion embraced all nations, and Israel can only comprehend its own history in continuity with the history of the nations. Since the God of Israel is the only true God, he also is the God of the whole world. In the Old Testament, it is God himself who will bring the nations to Jerusalem to worship him there together with his covenant people. Jesus of Nazareth understood his mission in terms of this Old Testament tradition. He came to fulfill what had been promised to the fathers and mothers of the faith, and this door of faith would soon be opened to the Gentiles.
Jesus’ ministry was characterized by inclusiveness and breaking down barriers between people. The real starting point of the primitive Christian mission is in the conduct of Jesus himself. Uncovering the details of his ministry can help us to discern the meaning of mission for our own time. The reign of God is central to Jesus’ entire ministry. It is not understood as exclusively future but as both future and already present. Something totally new is happening; there is the inauguration of a new order of life. This tension of the already and the not yet of God’s reign is important to the ministry of Jesus and has significance to contemporary mission. The long expected reign of God is among the lowly and the outcasts, and we are challenged to be those people who can make a difference to those on the periphery, all the while being focused on the reality of God’s reign and praying for its coming. Like him, we are called to be the signs of his kingdom which will come, since it has already come. As we become disciples, just as those whom Jesus called, we are to be missionaries, to be his witnesses, commissioned by him to do his work. We are his ambassadors, and simply need to proclaim and do what Jesus proclaims and does. In terms of the New Testament Jesus has already won the victory over the evil one. Mission means the proclamation of his reign, which is not yet recognized by all but is nevertheless a reality. The gift of the Spirit is the risen Christ who is active in the world. The resurrection of Christ and the coming of the Spirit are tangible proof of the already-ness of God’s reign. The early church understood its mission with the world in terms of the not yet, and had the duty to proclaim to apostate Israel its last chance of repentance before the coming of the Son of man.
Some of the main ingredients are mentioned by Bosch of the missionary movement of Jesus and the early church. First, the early Christian church involved the person of Jesus himself. He was a man who claimed that the kingdom of God came upon men in what he himself said and did. The early Christian mission was political, and the revolutionary nature of the early Christian mission grew out of the new relationships that came into being. The first century Christians were criticized for social rather than political reasons. The way that they held their community together was through their practice of love and service to all. This mission did not usher in utopia, but was expressed in a hope that was not yet fulfilled.
The early church was not perfect, just as our own churches are far from being ideal. There were leadership struggles, and rivalries. Bosch believes that Jesus had no intention of establishing a new religion. The community was never supposed to sever itself from the others. Instead, they became a separatist group that was primarily for their survival which then ceased to be a movement and turned into an institution. As they became more and more institutionalized they became less concerned with the world outside their walls, and became less able to take risks. In the long run, the early church became a message for the Gentiles only, unable to make the Jews feel included, ending in a final break.
Bosch then takes the reader into the Gospel of Matthew, and into how the Great Commission cannot be understood without taking into consideration the entire gospel. The first gospel is primarily a mission text, and Matthew writes it to provide guidance to a community in crisis on how it should understand its calling and mission. (p. 57) Much has changed since Jesus’ earthly ministry, and the Church has become increasingly Gentile rather than Jewish. Matthew’s community is still predominately Jewish, living in exile in Syria. This community is in transition, struggling with their identity, which Matthew believes should be one of mission, both to the Gentiles and to the Jews. The Gospel is designed in such a way to culminate in the Great Commission. (p. 80) He emphasizes that Jesus has never left them, and will always be with them until the end of the age. They go to the ends of the earth with the confidence that “those who receive you, receive me”. He is their Lord, the One who has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. To unify those who emphasize the Law and those who rely only on the guidance of the Spirit, he responds by pointing to a specific understanding of mission: A good tree is known only by its fruits. A disciple means living out the teaching of Jesus. It involves a commitment to God’s reign, to justice and love, and to obedience to the entire will of God. (p. 81) The disciples are called to proclaim Jesus’ ultimate victory over the power of evil, to witness to his abiding presence, and to lead the world toward the recognition of the love of God. This is the Christian’s true identity, when they are involved in mission.
The Lukan missionary paradigm is different than that of Matthew’s. In spite of the differences found in Matthew, Luke, and Paul, they form one coherent early paradigm of mission. The centrality of mission is the dominating theme in Luke’s writings, according to Bosch. The church had for all intents and purposes become a Gentile church during the writing of this gospel. The faith of the church was being tested from within because of waning enthusiasm, and from without because of the opposition from both Jews and pagans. In addition, the Gentile Christians were asking themselves about who they really were. Luke presented to these Christians that they were still guided by the Spirit in his name and in his power. The historical life of Jesus was not purely relegated to the past. The church lives in continuity with the life and work of Jesus. (p. 87) The Gentile mission would be the task of the church, as well as the ministry to the poor and the ministry of reconciliation. The gift of the Spirit is the gift of becoming involved with mission, for mission is the direct consequence of the outpouring of the Spirit. (p.114) He not only initiates mission, but guides them where they should go and how they should proceed.
Gentile Christianity did not replace the Jews as the people of God. Bosch believes that at Pentecost thousands of Jews embraced this new reality of the impartiality of God and became that they truly were—“Israel”. Into this renewed Israel, Gentile converts were incorporated. In Acts, “witness” becomes the term used for mission. They were to become as a witness to Jesus’ resurrection, and to his entire life and ministry, being continuously dependent on the Holy Spirit, pointing only to what God has done and is doing. Luke’s gospel and Acts are built of the expectation of a response, so that the Gentiles to whom they were sent could turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they might receive forgiveness for their sins, saving them from bondage as well as new life in Christ. This conversion requires a radical change in the believer’s life which would distinguish them from the world, while at the same time stressing their obligation to those on the outside. Jesus proclaimed good news to the poor, freedom for prisoners, and sight for the blind, announcing the year of God’s favor, calling all to repentance and faith. For those who had salvation and faith in Christ it was not possible to exclude those who had fallen along the wayside. Peace-making is also an intrinsic message of the church’s mission. There is no room for vengeance in the heart of the followers of Jesus. Luke also includes the fact that mission will encounter adversity and suffering. What is true of the Master is also true of his disciples.
Paul’s understanding of mission is not an abstract principle, but an actual reality of who he understood himself to be. “His theology of mission is practically synonymous with the totality of awesome reflections on Christian life.” (p. 124) Bosch identifies the characteristics of Paul’s missionary paradigm by first stating that Paul believed that the unity of the church was non-negotiable. There can no longer be any separation between Jew and Gentile, between slave and free, between male and female, between Greek and barbarian, because now we are all “one in Christ Jesus.” If there is any form of segregation left it is a denial of the gospel. Secondly, the Gentile Christians can never lose sight of the fact that Israel is God’s covenant people, and the church is not the new Israel but rather an enlarged Israel. We share a common root and a common Scripture, yet differ in our understanding of the revelation of God. The Christian’s still have a responsibility to the mission of the Jews.
Thirdly, mission is the context of God’s imminent triumph. We must continue to believe and attend to his eventual coming without losing ourselves in chronological speculations, or in the denial of His actual promise. We have to expect a resolution of the sufferings of this life with the coming triumph of God. Because we refuse to take on the desires of this world, we can be transformed while we groan inwardly for redemption. Because of our calling in society, and because we live in the new space created by the invasion of Christ, we can no longer tolerate the old political and social order. Because of his victory in the end, we can act boldly and participate in God’s redemptive will now.
For Paul, suffering is not just something that has to be endured passively, but the church needs to be active in the world for the sake of the world’s redemption. Suffering is a mode of missionary involvement, for if we are afflicted it is for the sake of the salvation of others. In Rom. 1:1,5, Paul formulate the aim of his mission by stating that he has been “set apart for the service of the gospel” by Jesus Christ, through whom he has “received the privilege of a commission in his name to lead to faith and obedience men in all nation.” In Christ, God has reconciled not only the church but the world to himself.
The missionary’s task then is to herald God’s saving victory over His creation
In the second part of the book, Bosch discussed the historical paradigms of mission, drawing upon the work of Hans Kung and of Thomas Kuhn. Hans Kung identifies six periods within the entire scope of Christian history during which a particular paradigm was prevalent. These are: 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, and 6) The emerging ecumenical paradigm. Each of these reveals a peculiar understanding of the Christian faith. Bosch makes a theological application of Thomas Kuhn’s theory of scientific paradigm shifts, claiming that the six historical periods of the church were each characterized by a particular theological paradigm. He points out those theological paradigms, unlike scientific paradigms, do not make a complete break with the old ideas. Sometimes elements from older paradigms are incorporated into new ones. Old and new paradigms can often exist simultaneously among different groups of believers. Occasionally an old paradigm is rediscovered by a later generation. Each of these eras wrestled with what the Christian faith meant to them, which was influenced not only by their culture but by their general frame of reference, or their world-views. We study these different epochs to gain a deeper insight into what mission might mean for us today. The Christian church in general and Christian mission in particular are today confronted with issues that are totally new, and which need responses that ill be both relevant to the times and in harmony with the essence of the Christian faith. They are challenged because the people all over the world are questioning the West and all of its pre-suppositions, and can no longer assume that Western Christianity has all the answers. We live in a world that is fundamentally different from all other periods, and we need a theological response which transforms us first before we involve ourselves in mission in the world.
Within a very short time the new Christian faith underwent a significant transformation. When Christianity changed form a Jewish into a Greco-Roman religion, it not only changed in its sacramental life and its structures, but also in its doctrine. The early Greek fathers all shared a similar view of God, humanity, and the world, and differed dramatically to the early churches views on eschatology. The Christian faith is incarnational, and always enters into the context in which it happens to find itself. What began as a movement had turned into an institution, and the Christians were expected to belong, body and soul, to Christ, and this was to show in their conduct. The Spirits work was now seen as that of building up the church in sanctity. There was hardly any movement outward to bring the Good News to a wider world, except for the monastics. It is to the Greeks that we owe the intellectual discipline of theology. (p. 206) They provided a more critical, systematic, and intellectually honest approach in matters of faith. In Orthodox thinking mission is church-centered, with the church being the dispenser of salvation. Therefore all mission refers to a collective task, or mission in unity. Catholicity is another name for mission in unity, since the Church is Christ’s body, and any division is an impediment to the united witness of the church. In a deep sense, the Orthodox mission was founded on the love of God, and the goal of mission was life. “Christ did not come primarily to put away human sin, but to restore in humans the image of God and give them life.” (p. 209) The whole universe participates with God in the restoration of creation.
The Orthodox missionary paradigm probably went beyond inculturation and contextualization, as the church ended up adapting to the existing world order. In particular Platonic thought all but destroyed primitive Christian eschatology. The element of the immanent return of Christ was replaced by the ideas of the idea of gradually drawing nearer to perfection. The believer could ascend through stages up to the final point where he or she sees God.
The Medieval Roman Catholic Paradigm was shaped by the Middle Ages, the period between 600 and 1500. The theology of the West, or Latin, emphasized the savages of sin and the reparation of fallen humanity through a crisis experience. (p. 214) It emphasized the substitutionary death of Christ for the sake of sinners. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) however embodied this paradigm more than any other and has been called the “first truly Western man.” (p. 215) His reactions to the crises that the empire faced would deeply influence the understanding of mission in future eras. Due to the refutation of Pelagianism, Augustine responded with the doctrines of original sin and predestination. Not the reconciliation of the universe but the redemption of the soul now stood at the center of belief. Positively, this practice of self-examination helped to give rise to a more moral Christianity. His opposition to the Donatists resulted in not only the belief that the church existed for the world that was hurting, but negatively, authority and holiness were regarded as adhering to the institutional church regardless of whether or not these qualities were in evidence. In the final analysis, the only difference between Christians and everyone else was whether or not they were members. There was not salvation outside of the Catholic Church. This later escalated into the ideas which gave rise to the “missionary wars.” Even though Augustine differentiated between pagans and apostates, this became true for everyone, for the non-believer’s own good that he must be baptized. This paved the way for the “indirect missionary wars.” (p.223) The Western concept of a “just war” also began with Augustine’s ideas. Thus began the forced conversion onto all the people who were not Christian, or the Crusades, and was even believed that the killing of a heathen or apostate was exceptionally pleasing to God.
Eventually, a completely new period in world history began with the Age of Discovery, and Europe’s colonization of the peoples of Africa, Asia, and the Americas. This entire phenomenon can be argued that it lay in the medieval teachings on just war. The only difference was that these people were not only physically, culturally and linguistically very different from the Europeans. One of the most appalling consequences of this superior attitude was slavery. The colonial period went hand with mission, since the right to have colonies carried with it the duty to Christianize the colonized. The expansion of the Church became synonymous with the expansion of territory. On the positive side, the monastic movement probably saved much of what we know as authentic Christianity. The monastic communities were a visible sign of a world ruled by the love of God. Western monasticism was essentially communal and carefully structured, and was characterized by their renunciation of everything the ancient world had prized. They were the primary agent of medieval mission and the main instrument in reforming European society. (p. 231) Their attitudes of hard work, spiritual order and disciplined moral activity, and perseverance were all of a missionary dimension. The Celtic and Anglo-Saxon missionary movements both operated under the conviction that one should not remain in the monastery for one’s own salvation, but save and serve others.
The person who was responsible for ushering the next paradigm was Martin Luther, or the Protestant Reformation. The missionary text for this period was Romans 1:16, “For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” Protestantism also insisted on correct doctrine, and became extremely important to uphold Reformation creeds in an unalterable form. It also did not really break with the medieval understanding of the relationship between church and state, and religious wars were fought to establish which branch of the Christian faith was to be supreme in a given area. As far as the mission theology of the Reformation, the sovereignty of God was supreme. God, in His mercy and grace took it upon himself to forgive, justify, and save human beings. The issue was not what people could do for their salvation but what God had already done in Christ. This could become an urgent call to mission, with the emphasis being on mission not dependent on human efforts. The Reformers thankfully broke with any idea of using force in Christianizing people. (p. 245)
Sometimes people were seen almost exclusively in terms of the Fall, as lost, unable to do anything about their condition. This pessimistic view of humanity led to non-involvement, since there was nothing you could do anyway. Protestants also stressed the subjective nature of salvation, and the personal relationship with God, even though the orthodox continued to stress the objective nature as supreme. This was an important gain over the understanding in the Middle Ages, where the individual’s worth was only thought of in terms of community, but could also destroy his awareness that he was indeed part of a whole. The personal aspect led to the rediscovery of the priesthood of believers, which also reintroduced the idea of every Christian having a responsibility to serve God, and to be actively involved. At the same time, it seemed to encourage division and separatism. The centrality of the Scriptures as a guide for life was an important advancement, but also led to Biblicism, or the Christian faith no longer being the Christian message, but the infallible biblical word.
Bosch continues his discussion of Protestantism and the influence that the Enlightenment had on its development. Missionary thinking and practice was changed dramatically during these three centuries or so. The Age of Enlightenment was primarily the Age of Reason, with the human mind being capable of all knowing. Because of the ability to examine nature with objectivity, nature ceased to be a creation and teacher, but the object of analysis. There were no limits to the confidence this instilled in people to subdue the earth. Another vital characteristic of the Enlightenment was the elimination of purpose. The cause determines the effect, and the effect becomes predictable. This was manifest especially in the belief in progress, and people set out with boldness to discover new worlds, convinced that they could remake it in their own image. The idea of progress extended to the programs for development to the Third World, and found expressions in categories of material possession, consumerism, and economic advance, all based on the ideal of modernization. The flaws in the development concept are just now being realized, and the damage that it did world-wide. Another characteristic of this period was that scientific knowledge was factual, value-free and neutral, with facts having a life of their own. Values, on the other hand, were not based on knowledge, but were opinion. Religion was delegated to this realm of values. Finally, all problems were in principle solvable, and as soon as the facts were available, humans would be in control. The individual was therefore elevated to the highest level, and most of all free to make his or her own choices. All were born equal and had equal right, not as a gift from God, but from Nature. (p. 267)
As a result of all of these new ideas, religion was no longer the center of people’s lives. Modern believers were confronted with questions about God, and their faith was severely tested. Revelation now had to prove its claim to truth and validity, and Christianity became a “religion” or “system of beliefs and practices,” which was just one among many. Christianity became profoundly different than what it had been before. Reason became supremely important in Christian theology, and was only different from other academic disciplines in its “object”, not in its method.
Christianity, Bosch believes, was different from what it was before after the advent of the Enlightenment. “Even where it resisted the Enlightenment mentality it was profoundly influenced by it.” (p. 269) Reason became supremely important in Christian theology, and supplanted faith as point of departure. It was now comparable to other disciplines, and even though they believed that humans once needed God, they had become mature and no longer needed Him. Humans still had faith, in themselves and in reason. The response of the Church was to divorce religion from reason, and to locate it in the realm of human feeling and experience. Another response was to locate theology in the realm of science itself and it became the “science of God.” Probably the most devastating response was to embrace the secular society, and basically live as if there was no God. The Enlightenment’s strict separation between subject and object became particularly evident in the field of biblical scholarship, which emphasized biblical inerrancy, to protect the objective truth of “pure doctrine.” Pietism followed by the individualization of the Word, then by rationalization, the by liberalism which tended to relativize theWord as purely historical.
The element of progress philosophy is probably the most easily recognizable in modern theology and mission. The idea of the imminent global triumph of Christianity is closely related to the modern spirit. The programs were geared towards the power in the process of reforming the world, especially in circles where people were seen as capable of moral betterment. The spread of Christian knowledge would achieve this aim, and God’s kingdom became increasingly aligned with the culture and civilization of the West. One reaction to the Enlightenment was to turn it up-side-down, and proclaim in its systematic theology that theology was concerned with the facts and principles of the Bible. In some circles, the Bible became a storehouse of facts.
Bosch points out that all reactions to this paradigm were, until recently conditioned by the Enlightenment. It is not possible to unknown what we have learned, and try to go back. What is needed now is the realization that we have to move beyond it and take what was valuable, into the new paradigm. The Enlightenment was supposed to solve all our problems, where there was happiness and abundance or all. Human beings still feel all the fear, disenchantment, threat, doubt, danger, alienation, and anxiety that they have always felt.
There were three forces of renewal that affected the missionary thinking and practice, beginning with the Great Awakening in the American colonies between 1736 and 1760. This was characterized by a consuming passion for God’s glory and the salvation of the lost, but also with repentance and commitment. It was a shift from a primary emphasis on God’s sovereignty to God’s grace. (p. 278)
The influence of the Enlightenment was especially seen in the Methodist movement whereby the whole world became a mission field, one where if enough souls were saved, then society would change as a result.
This was followed by a second movement which England called the Evangelical Revival, or the Second Great Awakening from about 1787 to 1825. One of the most significant changes during this period was the founding of societies specifically designed for foreign mission. People from many denominations banded together for the sake of world mission. Gradually whether they intended it or not, missionaries became the promoters of Western imperial expansion. The theological emphasis was decidedly postmillennialist, as the world would gradually become a perfect pace to live where there would be no more strife or war. There was much optimism and confidence about the ultimate success of God’s cause. By the beginning of the twentieth century evangelicalism was divided into two camps, the social gospel, and Fundamentalism. The liberal wing gradually became this-worldly, accepting the culture of America without reservation, and the Fundamentalist had learned to tolerate corruption, but welcomed it as a sign of Christ’s return.
The Enlightenment put humans rather than God at the center, and even in missionary circles human needs and aspirations began to take precedence over God’s glory. The precedence was still love and compassion for others, and was often manifested in a remarkable degree of commitment and dedication. The missionaries knew that the love of God had been shed abroad in their hearts and they were willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of him who had died for them. (p. 287) Sometimes this was blended by an attitude of saving those whom the Westerners did not regard as their equals. It is clear that in this period that the thought was prevalent that the heathen in their helplessness were calling upon the benevolent help of the Christian nations. This love then evolved into a condescending, paternalistic spirit which spawned beliefs about cultural superiority. Just as the West’s religion was predestined to be victorious over all others. The West’s culture was to be victorious over all others. One of the most popular missionary texts was John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly”. This was interpreted as the abundance of the good things that modern education, healing, and agriculture would provide for the deprived peoples of the world. (p. 293)
The problem was that the advocates of mission were blind to their own ethnocentrism. They confused their middle-class ideas and values with the tenets of Christianity. The mentality of the Enlightenment which tended to turn people into objects, separated the humans from nature and from one other, and developed them according to Western standards. Even though the Protestant missions aims in theory of establishing self-governing, self-expanding, and self-supporting churches, this was not practically lived out. The churches were of a lesser order than those in the West, and they were still like children. The churches on the mission field were structured the same as those on the home front, and so they could not function without the money that it took to take to run them. They missionaries also wanted their converts to be economically independent, but ceased to be a mission as commercial concerns took priority. Eventually foreign mission became expressions of American “national altruism”. The “whit man’s debt” had become the “white man’s burden”. The religious and the national impulses were inseparable. (p. 302) During the colonial expansion, the missionaries became the pioneers of Western imperialistic expansion. The missionaries tended to welcome the advent of colonial rule since it would be to the advantage of the “natives.” The three C’s of colonialism were: Christianity, commerce, and civilization. There were those who stood in the gap for these people who had been weakened and marginalized by the imposition of an alien system, but they were few.
There were several biblical motifs that would describe this period of mission. Acts 16:9, Matthew 24:14, and John 10:10. But Bosch believes that the most widely used during the entire period as the “Great Commission” of Matthew 28:18-20. Obedience to Christ’s command became the major motive for engaging in mission, even though it was always connected with other motives. The problem with it becoming a law unto itself was that it didn’t take into consideration the full understanding of mission and was often couched in the most simplistic form of biblical literalism. Looking back, the foundational Enlightenment belief in the victory of progress was perhaps more explicitly recognizable in the Christian missionary enterprise than any other element of the age. (p. 343) Even though there were negative consequences of all that the Enlightenment brought, it is no use to try and imagine how things might have been different. Western Christians did the only thing which made sense to them, and that was to bring the gospel as they understood it to the peoples of all different cultures. In our time, however, the Christian enterprise is slowly moving away from the elements that the Enlightenment brought. Most believe that the Christian faith is still intrinsically mission, but that we need a revision of missionary theology and practice, a missiological paradigm shift.
The new postmodern paradigm is still emerging and it is, as yet, not clear which shape it will eventually adopt. One thing is clear though, that the perception of rationality has been an inadequate reason on which to build one’s life. Language cannot be entirely adequate, and it is impossible to define either scientific laws or theological truths. Instead of proving, they probe, and are of special importance to the entire new field of inculturation and contextualization of the gospel. We cannot master God by the powers of human reason. (p. 353) In the mission field, the position of the Western missionary has undergone a revision. No longer do they go as representatives of the powerful West, but often go into countries that are frequently hostile to Christian missions. There are new relationships with the younger churches that are already established which have evolved into partnerships. A call to repentance has not meant in most circles that the work has to be dropped. Instead, there is a recognition that a new understanding of mission is needed, one that is not only faithful to the past but bold to engage in the future. “It is not that the Gospel has changed; it is that we have begun to understand it better.” (p. 367) Only by holding in a creative tension what appears as opposites can we come close to having a theology that is meaningful for our own time.
For the first time there is the recognition that the church and mission belong together. Instead of a church-centered mission, the emphasis has shifted to a mission-centered church. Newbigin summarized the position of world mission by saying that the “church is the mission”, “the home base is everywhere”, and that the “mission in partnership” would bring an end to every form of guardianship of one church over another. (p. 370) God’s people are a missionary people, and the church’s missionary dimension has to be direct involvement in society. The people of God then are a pilgrim church, called out of the world, but then sent back into the world. This is not our home. The church is not the kingdom of God, but is, on earth, the seed and the beginning of that kingdom, a kingdom of reconciliation, peace, and new life. The role of the institution of the church is to equip and train and encourage every one of us in this task of mission, as it is the only society in the world which exists for the sake of those who are not members of it. The church is to be called “kingdom people”, not “church people.” There still is the need for individual missionaries that are sent out, but their task is one that pertains to the whole church, where they are sent as ambassadors of one local church to another local church, and as an expression of mutual encounter, exchange, and enrichment.
This new paradigm has led to an abiding tension between the two views of the church. At one end the church views itself as the sole bearer of the good news of salvation, and at the other end it views itself as God’s involvement in the world. Unfortunately, there are still many agencies that look at numerical growth as the sign of successful mission. It frequently is measured in religious activities and is micro-managed on the ethical level. In some cases it has become an umbrella term for health and welfare services, projects for economic and social development, etc. The church can be missionary only if it different from the world to which it is sent. On the other hand it exists only as an organic and integral part of the human community. It is the church which is missionary by its very nature which is a sign or a seed of unity, hope, and salvation for the whole human race.
Bosch also points out that our missionary activities are only authentic insofar as they reflect participation in the mission of God. (p. 391) Mission is not primarily an activity of the church, but an attribute of God. God is a missionary God. It is the mission of the Son and the Spirit through the Father that includes the church. In its mission, the church witnesses to the promises of God’s reign and participates in the struggle between the reign and powers of darkness and evil. (p. 391) There is mission because God love people, and will never leave them alone. Christian’s pray that the reign of God should come and God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven. It follows that the earth is the center of the Christian’s calling. We cannot limit salvation to the individual and his or her personal relationship to God. All forms of violence are manifestations of evil; concern for the people of this world is part of the salvation for which we hope and labor. Mission has to minister to people in their total need, and should minister to the individual as well as to society, in our ministry of salvation. We are in effect, erecting bridgeheads for the reign of God. (p. 400) In the “already” and the “not yet”, Christians need to wipe away the tears of the oppressed now, we need to be healers in a sick world now, we need fight against injustice now, all in anticipation of the coming reign of God.
Bosch also attempts to outline an understanding of evangelism that he hope will be relevant to the new understanding of mission. Basic to his ideas is the conviction that mission and synonymous but are linked together. Mission embraces all activities that serve to bring man out of his bondage, to love, to serve, to preach, to teach, to heal, and to liberate. Evangelism may be viewed as one dimension of the total activity of the church, which involves witnessing to what God has done, is doing, and will do. It also calls for a response that involves a turning from a life characterized by sin and separation from God, to a new life characterized by forgiveness, obedience, and a renewed fellowship with God. People turn to God not out of fear, but because they are drawn by his love. They are drawn to this message because they see something in the people of God that they cannot see in the world, which calls for daily repentance of those doing the calling. Even though evangelism offers people salvation as a gift and assurance of eternal bliss, it should never be the center stage of the message. Evangelism is always contextual, and is about the lordship of Christ in all realms of life, an authoritative word of hope that the world as we know it will not always be the way it is. Jesus’ invitation to people to follow him and become his disciples is asking people whom they want to serve.
Next, Bosch attempts to discuss the ambiguities of contextual theology. He believes that mission as contextualization is an affirmation that God has turned toward the world, and has immersed himself into the real circumstances of the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed. We therefore have to take a stand at any attempt to non-contextualize the message, and seek to be relevant to and involved in the world, always maintaining our identity in Christ. This would involve the construction of a variety of local theologies which would also affirm the universal and context-transcending dimensions of theology. This would mean that no theology cannot be done in isolation, without each local theology studying those of each other. There is not only the danger of relativism, but the danger of absolutism, as was the case of the West, where theology was made universal to their own position and demanded that everyone else submit to it. No one is immune to this tendency, not even the Two-Third contextual theologies.
The question in contextualization theology is how do we interpret God’s action in history and so learn to commit ourselves to participation in this? In the past, the signs have been misread, and have been equated with nationalism, and special or privileged knowledge about God’s will. The message of the gospel is not viewed as something that we bring to contexts but as something that we derive from contexts. The church, in reading the signs of the times, is to interpret them in the light of the gospel. “Where people are experiencing and working for justice, freedom, community, reconciliation, unity, and truth, in a spirit of love and selflessness, we may dare to see God at work. Wherever people are being enslaved, enmity between humans is fanned and mutual accountability is denied in a spirit of individual or communal self-centrism, we may identify the counter-forces of God’s reign at work.” (p. 431) This encourages us to make decisions, even though they may not be absolute. The best models of contextual theology succeed in holding together theory, praxis and poiesis, or truth, justice, and beauty, with this being another way of defining the missionary nature of the Christian faith.
Bosch then focuses on liberation theology, one of the most dramatic illustrations of the paradigm shift in theology. These are all Third-World theologies, and have evolved in protest of the inability of the Western church to come to terms with systemic injustice. It has not been recognized that poverty was the result of global structural relationships, not just ignorance, lack of skills, or cultural factors. Rich Christians tended to interpret the biblical sayings on poverty metaphorically, instead of admitting complicity in the oppression of the poor and a turning from the idols of money, race, and self-interest. Liberation theology is different that liberal theology in that the cross of Jesus stands at the very center, its question is not knowing whether God exists, but knowing on which side God is. It believes that the law of history is not development, but revolution, and the enemy of humanity is not nature, but one of structure of human power which exploits and destroys the powerless. (p.439) Liberation theology has helped to understand God’s involvement in history as the God of righteousness and justice who championed the cause of the weak and the oppressed. The poor deserve preference not because they are morally or religiously better than other, but because in God’s eyes, the last are first. The poor are blessed because of their longing for justice and their hope for liberation. They accept the promise that God has come to their rescue. (p. 443) Liberation theology is still in the stage of being defined, but it is a serious attempt to let the faith make sense to the post modern age. The Christian can triumph, even where circumstances do not change, even here liberation does not come true. In order to not get trapped into the belief that justice must be our justice, and getting trapped into guilt feelings that paralyze us, we need to have a vision to direct our action within history. We cannot compromise our hope in the ultimate triumph of God, and the role of Christianity as the counter-cultural and world-transforming force that it needs to be.
Inculturation represents a second important model of contextualizing theology. Christian faith never exists except as translated into a culture. As discussed previously, the Western Christians were unaware that their theology was culturally conditioned. In spite of that, the Third World churches have not only survived, but some have actually grown, and it has become clear that church leadership is shifting towards the Third World Christians. It was finally recognized that the Christian faith must be rethought, reformulated and lived anew in each human culture, and this must be done in a vital way, in depth and right to the cultures’ roots. (p. 452) In inculturation, the agents in the process are the Holy Spirit and the local community, particularly the laity. The missionary and the theologian are not excluded, but become learners like everyone else. Inculturation follows the model of incarnation and is not so much a case of the church being expanded, but of the church being born anew in each new context and culture. Missionaries do not just set out to “take Christ” to other people and cultures, but also to allow the faith the chance to start a history of its own in each people and its experience of Christ. (p. 454) It is impossible to isolate elements and customs and “Christianize” these. Where this is being done the encounter between gospel and culture does not take place at a meaningful level. This does not remove the critical dimension, nor does it suggest that a particular culture is merely to be endorsed in its present form. This could be especially true of our Western Christianity, where it has become nothing but the religious dimension of the culture. In a sense, the gospel is foreign to every culture. It will always be a sign of contradiction, but it is important to establish whether the tension stems from the gospel itself or whether it is from the circumstances through which it was brought. We are beginning to realize that all theologies need one another. They enrich and challenge each other. The missionary will remain as living symbols of the universality of the church as a body that transcends all boundaries, cultures, and languages. They will become ambassadors sent from one church to the other, a living embodiment of mutual solidarity and partnership. (p. 456)
Bosch believes that there is a rebirth of the ecumenical idea of mission. Instead of converting people to our own denomination, which only promotes division, a common witness would promote unity. This really is non-negotiable was God’s people since Christ’s Body is one. This does not presume uniformity and is not aimed at leveling out the differences, but is a call to repentance. Ecumenism is only possible where people accept each other despite their differences. In the midst of diversity there is a center: Jesus Christ. As we listen to God’s word we can listen to each other. We cannot speak about Christ, without speaking about his Body. Unity in mission does not merely serve the church, but through the church it stands in service to the world. “The reign of God is not only the church’s final fulfillment but also the word’s future.” (p. 467)
One of the most dramatic shifts taking place today is the responsibility of ministry to the whole people of God. Christian theology is not simply for priests and pastors, but for the laity in their calling in the world. The offices of the early church were always understood as existing within the community of faith, never above or independent of the local church. They were natural leaders, both men and woman. As we know, the idea of the clergy evolved to what we have today, a top down corporate structure which is run by in-house personnel. The net result was a focus on the sacraments in the Catholic church and on the word of God in Protestant traditions. From the very beginning missions had a significant lay involvement. The shift that we see taking place is that they are no longer the scouts who return from the outside world to report, but it is the clergy who have to accompany the laity, the people of God. The ordained leadership’s role is only one part of the community’s total life. His or her role is to enable, not to remove, the priesthood of the whole church. The clergy are not prior to the church; rather with the rest of God’s people, they are the church, sent into the world.
Bosch and others believe that the theology of religions is an essential part of the entire study of missions. The contemporary world situation and the increasing exchange of ideas between peoples and religions have created an unprecedented situation. It is his belief that we need a “theology of religion characterized by creative tension, which reaches beyond the sterile alternatives between a comfortable claim to absoluteness and arbitrary pluralism.” (p. 483) Previous models leave no room for the paradox of asserting both ultimate commitment to one’s own religion, and genuine openness to another’s. The first perspective called for is to accept the coexistence of different faiths and to do so not grudgingly but willingly. The second is that true dialogue presupposes commitment, witnessing to our deepest convictions, while we listen to those who are our neighbors. Third, we go expecting to meet God who has proceeded us and has been preparing people with their own cultures and convictions. These dialogues can only be conducted in an attitude of humility, since as Christians we are a religion of grace and vulnerability. This is not a quest to make everything equally valid, because when that happens nothing really matters anymore. Christianity is not merely the fulfillment of other religions. In a genuine paradigm shift, faith commitment goes hand-in –hand with respect for others. The Christian faith cannot surrender the conviction that God, by sending Jesus Christ, has taken the definitive course of action and is extending to humans his forgiveness, justification, and a new life of joy and servanthood. This calls for a conversion which becomes more that just procuring eternal salvation. It is a change in allegiance in which Christ is accepted as Lord and center of one’s life, requiring forgiveness, reconciliation, and renewal to become a participant in the might works of God. In order to maintain tension in the dialogue with other faiths, we have to hold this proclamation in one hand and the knowledge that he is constantly at work in ways past our understanding in the other. “We do this, however, not a judges or lawyers, but as witnesses; not as soldiers, but as envoys of peace; not as high-pressure salespersons, but as ambassadors of the Servant Lord.” (p. 489)
Finally, Bosch believes that we need an eschatology for mission which is both future-directed and oriented to the here and now. This would hold in tension the already and the not yet; the world of sin and rebellion, and the world that God loves. Christian hope does not spring from despair about the present. We hope because of what we have already experienced. There is not choice then to be involved in history, both secular and sacred; our perspectives will just be different. The reign of God moves in all three times: past, present, and future. Instead of seeking to know God’s future world plan, we ask about our involvement in the world in the present. This is not to say that it is up to us. God is always before us, and it is he who makes things new. The message of God’s sure triumph gives us the necessary distance to respect this world as well as the motivation to involve ourselves with its transformation. We know that our mission belongs only to this age, not to the next.
In conclusion, Bosch attempts to define mission in a more radical and comprehensive way. “Mission is a multifaceted ministry, in respect of witness, service, justice, healing, reconciliation, liberation, peace, evangelism, fellowship, church planting, contextualization, and much more.” (p. 512) Mission is shaped by six major “salvific events” portrayed in the New Testament. The first is Christ’s incarnation by which he fully experienced the challenges and struggles of being human. A church which refuses to practice “solidarity with victims” has lost its relevance. The second is the Cross, which is the badge of distinction of the Christian faith, and without it Christianity would be a religion of cheap grace. It is a model that all mission is ministry to truth in humility, since the church-in-mission has to repent before it engages in mission. The cross stands for reconciliation between individuals and groups, and is a ministry of love of enemies, of forgiveness. Thirdly, the message of the resurrection conveys a message of joy, hope, and victory over the enemy. “The church is called to live the resurrection life in the here and now and to be a sign of contradiction against the forces of death and destruction.” (p. 515) Fourth, the ascension is the symbol of the enthronement of the crucified and risen Christ This call for a new order here on earth which issues from above. We will not inaugurate it, but we can help make it more visible. Pentecost, the fifth event, continues in the Church as Christ’s mission in the power of his spirit. The church exists only as an organic and integral part of the entire human community. (p. 517) Lastly, in terms of the Parousia, mission can be understood only when the risen Christ himself has still a future for the nations. It is in the church that the renewal of the human community begins. “Aware of its provisional character, it lives and ministers as that force with humanity through which the renewal and community of all people is served.” (p. 518) “Mission is the good news of God’s love, incarnated in the witness of a community, for the sake of the world.” (p. 519)