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MISSION IN THE CONTEXT OF RELIGIOUS PLURALISM

prepared by

Dr. Victor R. AguilanDivinity School

Silliman UniversityDumaguete City, Philippines

United Evangelical Mission International Interfaith Studies

Davao City, Philippines4-31 July 2011

Celebrating Peace amidst Diversity

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The Christian Expansion to the World

• Christian faith moved west to Rome; north to Armenia; east across Iraq, Iran, as far as India; to the south to Egypt, Ethiopia, and across northern Africa.

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Irish/ Celtic and British Missions to Europe, Sixth to Eighth Centuries

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Orthodox Missions, Ninth to Eleventh Centuries

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The Christian church

grows serially

The Christian church began as a Jewish church and then moved to western Asia, becoming a largely Gentile church.

By A.D. 600, the church spread to North Africa and to southern Europe. Its language was largely Greek. The center of gravity of the church lay between Rome and Constantinople.

By A.D. 1000, the church had largely disappeared from North Africa and the Middle East in the face of a surging Islam. The center of gravity moved to Europe. Theology and mission became largely European.

By the mid-20th century, the church was declining in the West. The center of gravity now lies in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

At the beginning of the third millenium after Christ, the Christian church is now non-Western and its theology and mission are rapidly following suit.

Sources:

Adapted from Andrew Walls, 1987

Operation World, 2001

World Christian Encyclopedia, 2001

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The Christian church began as a Jewish church and then moved to western Asia, becoming a largely Gentile church.By A.D. 600, the church spread to North Africa and to southern Europe. Its language was largely Greek. The center of gravity of the church lay between Rome and Constantinople.By A.D. 1000, the church had largely disappeared from North Africa and the Middle East in the face of a surging Islam. The center of gravity moved to Europe. Theology and mission became largely European.By the mid-20th century, the church was declining in the West. The center of gravity now lies in Asia, Africa and Latin America. At the beginning of the third millenium after Christ, the Christian church is now non-Western and its theology and mission are rapidly following suit.

• Sources:• Adapted from Andrew Walls, 1987• Operation World, 2001• World Christian Encyclopedia, 2001

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Expansion of Christianity in the global South--in Africa, Asia, and Latin America

• The twentieth century saw a radical shift in the Christian world, with a majority of believers now being found in the global South (Asia, Africa, Latin America, Oceania) rather than the global North (North America and Europe). This has not been the case since AD 923 (see graph 1 below). The shift has been well documented and presented by scholars over the past decade, most notably Philip Jenkins in his work The Next Christendom.

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What is “mission”?

When we think of mission, we tend to think of:- Overseas missionaries- Work of a committee- Specific programs/activities- Statements of purpose used in the “business world.”

There are some things that come to mind when we think of mission. Many of us were raised with the idea that mission was something made possible only through the efforts of a few. It was the work of the overseas missionary sent by a denomination or congregation. It was the effort of UEM, the activity of a youth group, a “special” offering given during Lent. Mission was only a tiny piece of amuch larger picture called the life of the Church. Today, we hear the word “mission” used plentifully in the public sector. It is not merely a “church” word. So we must ask ourselves, what does the word “mission” mean for us as God’s people?

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• What is the Mission of the Church?– The mission of the church is to participate in

the missio Dei by continuing the mission of Jesus throughout the world until the end of history.

• Karl Barth 1932 “The church can be in mission authentically only in obedience to God as mission.”

• Karl Hartenstein 1934 coins term ‘missio dei’and distinguishes it from ‘missio ecclesiae.’

• The mission of the Church is understood as being derived from the very nature of God.

But mission is more than an activity or a program, it is our very being as we are created in the image of God.

The essence of the church is missional by God’s design. The God we worship is a God in mission. We are created in the image of God. Therefore, God’s mission shapes and leads our mission

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• Willingen Conference 1952 –• “ The classical doctrine of the missio dei as God

the Father sending the Son, and God the Father and the Son sending the Spirit was expanded to include yet another ‘movement’: Father, Son & Holy Spirit sending the church into the world ... Willingen’s image of mission was mission as participating in the sending of God. Our mission has no life of its own: only in the hands of the sending God can it truly be called mission, not least since missionary initiative comes from God alone.” (D Bosch ‘Transforming Mission’ p390 cited in Bevans & Schroeder ‘Constants in Context’ p290)

But mission is more than an activity or a program, it is our very being as we are created in the image of God.

The essence of the church is missional by God’s design. The God we worship is a God in mission. We are created in the image of God. Therefore, God’s mission shapes and leads our mission

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Missio Dei

“Because God is a missionary God, God’s people are a missionary people. The church’s mission is not secondary to its being; the church exists in being sent and in building up itselffor its mission,” (Bosch, Believing in the Future, 1995, p 32).

“Mission is not a burden laid upon the church; it is a gift and apromise to the church that is faithful. The command arises from the gift. Jesus reigns and all authority has been given to him in earth and heaven. When we understand that, we shall not need to be told to let it be known. Rather, we shall not be able to keep silent.” (Lesslie Newbigin, Mission in Christ’s Way, 40)

The Missio Dei changes how we think about mission. We tend to think of missionas an attribute of who we are, something of our design, yet it is God who calls us into being. The very creation of the Church, community and creation itself – are all because of the Missio Dei, God’s Mission to the world. We, as a church, are called to be and are in essence mission - only because of God’s mission. It is because of what God has done in our lives by calling us to be God’s children and creating us to be coworkers in God’s kingdom that we gather as a community of hope and love. We are because Christ is.

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SO WHAT IS THE MISSION OF GOD?

•• ““The God revealed in the Scriptures is The God revealed in the Scriptures is personal, purposeful and goalpersonal, purposeful and goal--orientated.orientated.””(Chris Wright, ‘The Mission of God’ p63)

•• GodGod’’s mission is about justice and s mission is about justice and righteousness. It is about God being the righteousness. It is about God being the saviour and deliverer.saviour and deliverer.

•• This justice is about transforming peopleThis justice is about transforming people’’s s lives; it is about transforming communities, lives; it is about transforming communities, society, and indeed the world.society, and indeed the world.

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Holistic Mission

Mission that takes into account the whole of human needs: spiritual, social, and personal. Holistic mission includes evangelism and church development as well as social action and social transformation.

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• GOD CALLS

• GOD SENT

• Biblical examples:

– Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3; see also Heb. 11:8; Acts 7:4)

– Joseph (Gen. 37-50) 50:20

– Moses (Exod. 3)

– Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4–10)

– Ezekiel (Ezek. 1)

– Isaiah (Isaiah 6)

– The apostles (e.g., Matt. 4:19; 9:9; Mark 1:17)

Missio Dei

The Holy Spirit is the main actor in God’s mission as we know and experience it in the life of the church. Our response to that mission is secondary. These are insights from Lesslie Newbigin. Newbiginserved for many years as a missionary in India and for a period of time served as director of the World Council of Churches. His insights to the nature of the Missio Dei are helpful in our missionary reframing.

The following is an address given by Newbigin at a conference of the Church in South India in 1989 as he speaks about our role in andresponse to the Missio Dei. “Perhaps it is unfortunate that the history of mission is so often written by missionaries. They over-estimate their role. It is the Holy Spirit who is the primary missionary: our role is secondary. Mission is not a burden laid upon the church; it is a gift and a promise to the church that is faithful. The command arises from the gift. Jesus reigns and all authority has been given to him in earth and heaven. When we understand that, we shall not need to be told to let it be known. Rather, we shall not be able to keep silent”(Newbigin, 40).

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The Church is MISSIONARY

• Jesus was a missionary… (Jn 20:21)

– to the Children of Israel (Mt 15:24)

• The Apostles were sent (Mt 10:5-6)

– and the Spirit blessed Gentiles! (Acts 10)

• Saint Paul went everywhere! (Acts 13+)

– despite the “people from James” (Gal 2)

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Two-fold task of Mission

Kerygma (Greek: κήρυγμα, kérugma) is the Greek word used in the New Testamentfor preaching (see Luke 4:18‐19, Romans 10:14, Matthew 3:1). It is related to the Greek verb κηρύσσω (kērússō), to cry or proclaim as a herald, and means proclamation, announcement, or preaching. 

Diakonia - diakonía – active service, done with a willing (voluntary) attitude. In the 1979 edition of Frederick W. Danker, Walter Bauer, and William Arndt, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, the word range given for diakonia was (1) service, (2) service necessary for the preparation of a meal, (3) esp. the office of prophets and apostles (4) aid, support, distribution, especially of alms and charitable giving (5) office of a deacon

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Missio DeiGod’s reign – both future and present… NOW & NOT YET

Jesus spoke of the reality of God’s presence.“the kingdom of heaven has come near”(Matthew 4:17, Mark 1:15)“the kingdom of God is among you”(Luke 17:21)“If it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons,

then the kingdom of God has come to you.”(Matthew 12:28)

Jesus spoke of God’s reign yet to come.“Thy kingdom come…”David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2002) 32-33.

God’s mission in the world has been and is to establish and create relationships with humanity in which we are called to serve as God’s partners. God’s world has become and is fragmented through rebellion and sin. Yet, God’s mission continues. Through Jesus, God came to proclaim that God’s mission continues and is an ever present reality among us. God came in the person Jesus, to proclaim God’s reign and to restore humankind to relationship with God. It is because of this mission that is God’s mission, that we are called to proclaim God’s reign as the people of God called the Church.

When Jesus came to proclaim God’s reign, he spoke of reign that is both here and yet to come. There is tension here between God’s reign that is present & the reign of God that is yet to come. Jesus’ ministry is experienced in this tension between the “now” and the “not yet.”

One thing that characterized Jesus’ ministry was his attack on evil. “God’s reign arrives wherever Jesus overcomes the power of evil. Then, as it does now, evil took many forms: pain, sickness, death, demon-possession, personal sin and immorality, the loveless self-righteous of those who claim to know God, the maintaining of special class privileges, the brokenness of human relationships. Jesus is, however saying: If human distress takes many forms, the power of God does likewise.” (Bosch p 33). As Jesus brought a new and better reality to people in need of physical, emotional and spiritual healing, he proclaimed God’s presence. As Jesus proclaimed the forgiveness of sin and God’s unwavering love for all, he pointed to the transforming presence of God’s grace at work in people’s lives. As Jesus gave triumph over the powers of death, in resurrecting Lazarus from the grave, by giving life a young girl who, as he said, “was not dead, but sleeping,” Jesus proclaimed God’s reign as that which radically reorders all that we perceive to be, creating possibilities where we see

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Christian mission among other faiths

ASIAN CONTEXT• Asia has a plurality and diversity of races, peoples, cultures, social institutions,

religions, and ideologies. • Most of the countries have had a colonial experience.• Most of the countries are in the process of nation-building, development, and

modernization.• The peoples of this region want to achieve authentic self-identity and cultural

integrity in the context of the modern world.• Asia is home of some of the world's great living religions, and these have shaped

the culture and consciousness of most Asians, thus representing alternative ways of life and experience of reality.

• Asian peoples are in search of a form of social order beyond the current alternatives. They are looking for a form of social order which would enable them and humankind to live together in dignity in a planetary world.

• The Christian community is a minority in the vast Asian complex.

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Out of the 7 characteristics mentioned about Asia, the most important common fact concerning Asian nations is that, with the exceptions of Singapore, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, and Malaysia, they are impoverished or desperately poor nations suffering all the consequences of poverty, such as hunger, poor health, illiteracy, serious iniquitous social stratification, and intense competitive struggle for survival.

• Another Asian reality is the picture of deadly religious conflicts.

• Religious pluralism is no longer an academic concept found only in books. It is a reality that we encounter everyday. People of other religions are our neighbors, our colleagues, our competitors, our foes, and our friends. Religious pluralism is a flesh-and-blood reality. The challenge of religious pluralism today comes from the living and believing people of other faith traditions. We are challenged bypeople who are different from us and are demanding recognition.

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Major Religions of the WorldMajor Religions of the World

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• What is the Christian responsibility to people who already believe in and belong to another religion? How should Christians witness to people who are Buddhist, or Hindu, or Muslim, or members of some other religion?

• We believe that Christian responsibility begins with giving witness to what God has done through Jesus Christ to offer us the gift of salvation.

Proposal: THREE MODELS

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Competition

Why compete?

•Because the world has became like a spiritual market or a court.

•Where various religions compete for spiritual consumers

•A particular religion identifies its teachings as a product to be sold to a spiritually hungry world.

•Spiritual salespeople, both professional and lay, are trained to sell their religious product. •“Stores” are set up as center to sell and dispense it. Sometimes comparative advertising is done, extolling the virtue of one spiritual product over against another.

In other words, we live in cultures where we see increasing competition for religious market share, and even as some religious groups are becoming more wary of the historical excesses of suchmissions efforts, more groups are using the powerful marketing tools available (such as the Internet) to market their religions even more aggressively.

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Two Types of Competition

Antagonistic• Conquest• Domination• Violent Evangelism• Triumphalistic• Success-oriented

Non-Antagonistic

• Conversion

• Religious Freedom

• Co-existence

• Peaceable Witness

• Faithfulness

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Cooperation

• Hospitality Approach –Hebrews 13:1-2 1 Keep on loving each other as brothers

and sisters.2 Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers.

– Biblical Hospitality Includes God’s Inclusiveness

• Through open doors: Welcoming

• Through open hands: Helping

• Through open hearts: Empathizing

• Through open minds: Appreciating the others

• Through an open creed: Honest Sharing

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• Good Neighbourliness• The dictionary defines a “neighbour” as one who lives or is

located near or next to another. As a verb, it means, “to lie close to or border directly on.”

• The English definition of neighbour suggests a physical or geographical condition, one who is close to us or whose dwellingis proximate to ours.

• Legislation about the treatment of one’s neighbors is mostly based on the logic that the one who is close to us is most likely we have a frequent contact with and could help us immediately or cause us harm at any moment.

• In a community-oriented society, like the Asian world, where family and neighbourhood relationships are valuable, good neighbourliness is very important.

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Giftive Mission• From generation to generation, Christians search for new

ways to present the gospel--ways that are relevant to the times, situations, and different cultures. In the global, religiously pluralistic context of today, the idea of Christian mission as “gift” is proposed.

• Christians can, according to Dr. Frances S. Adeney, approach the world from the framework of “giftive mission”– Christian mission as a giving and receiving of gifts with people of the world’s religions.

• “Giftive mission is a way of interacting with people of other faiths and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in their lives and ours.”

• This model "giftive mission," as it is based on the metaphor of free gift, sees mission activity through the lens of giving the greatest gift of God—the Gospel message

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Why Use Giftive Mission as Our Mission Metaphor?•Scripture frequently uses the metaphor of gift.•Missionaries have traditionally seen themselves as bearers of the gift of the gospel•We can more consciously become imitators of God's free gift of grace.•We can move beyond the excesses of confrontation and competition in mission.•The gift metaphor highlights positive practices embedded in mission efforts.•Championing those giftive mission practices can counter market metaphor in mission •Seeing ourselves as bearers and receivers of gifts can improve our relationships with people of other religions.•Giving/receiving gifts according to cultural rules in various settings honors others•Using the giftive mission metaphor, we discover hints of the free gift in other cultures.

From: Frances S. Adeney & Terry Muck. Christianity Encountering World Religions: The Practice of Mission in the Twenty-first Century (Encountering Mission)

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The Metaphor of Gift is Appropriate Because. . .

• of the frequency of cross-cultural interchange, both physical and electronic;

• of the crying need for a spiritual alternative to materialized globalization;

• of a shift from coercive power as the most effective human social glue to a meeting-needs model;

• gift giving as a metaphor replaces fear with hope; • gift giving puts relationships ahead of making a sale;• gift giving is two-way rather than one-way; and• gift giving reflects how God acts toward us—with grace

and free gift.

From: Frances S. Adeney & Terry Muck. Christianity Encountering World Religions: The Practice of Mission in the Twenty-first Century (Encountering Mission)

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SOCIETY

FAMILY

COMMUNITY

spheres of influence

COMMUNITYYOU