Ethics · Society · Theology · Mission · Sociology of Religions
God was the first missionary. He spoke of judgment, but also of grace. Immediately after the Fall of man, when humanity’s history already appeared doomed, God did not leave things as they were. Rather, in his grace he himself came into the Garden of Eden to search for Adam and Eve and to ask, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
An international consultation of some thirty theologians and church leaders from a wide range of Christian traditions gathered in Accra, Ghana, to explore “perceptions of proselytism” in the exercise of the universal mandate to share the good news of Jesus Christ.
The Chairman of the Theological Commission of the World Evangelical Alliance, during an address in Osnabrueck entitled “Christ Alone” and held upon the anniversary of the Reformation, has defended the thesis that the age of global dialog where religions are made out to be the same is coming to an end.
Much of what I have stand for or defend, e.g. in my book ‘Missio Dei’, has increasingly been labeled “missional” over the past ten years or so in place of the older term “missionary.” That is not completely coincidental, since in the case of almost all advocates of the expression “missional church” the names Lesslie Newbigin and David Bosch are mentioned as the sources of inspiration and the representatives of the term’s use. Both individuals were closely allied with the term missio Dei.
In the German and the Englisch Festschrift of the EMW in Hamburg you can find my contribution: “Taking the Chance to Get Closer”.
The important term Missio Dei (Mission of God) needs a biblical foundation. The sending of God by God is a foundational motive in the New Testament. Even at the very beginning of salvation history, shortly after creation, God became the first missionary.
According to the Evangelical theologian and sociologist Thomas Schirrmacher, Associated Secretary General of World Evangelical Alliance, issues facing Christianity around the world have increased and include more and more countries and various circumstances. At the same time, Jesus’ church is growing to an extent never before known, and in some regions such as Iran or China it is seemingly growing almost on its own.