Mission – Ministry – Life
Today I’m launching my campaign to have the phrase “the great commission” reassigned to John 15 v16. The commission to, “go and bear fruit” captures the many nuances of how followers of Christ are to live in the world and avoids the baggage that has been laid onto interpretations of Matthew 28. Bearing fruit is... Continue Reading →
“Mission is what the Bible is all about; we could as meaningfully talk of the missional basis of the Bible as of the biblical basis of mission.” Chris Wright It is quite a claim. Not least because mission isn’t a word that crops up in Scripture; nor is it used in the early church. We... Continue Reading →
Back last year I read Anna Hampton’s book Facing Danger: A Guide Through Risk (Zendagi Press 2016). Then earlier this year did the Risk Assessment and Management workshop that she and husband Neal run. So, what follows is a bit about both. The book aims to guide cross cultural workers through a Biblical discussion on... Continue Reading →
I was prompted to read this book after reading a blog post identifying some key missiology books. However, this book is a mixed bag
J Daniel Salinas Taking up the Mantle: Latin American Evangelical Theology in the 20th Century Langham Global Library 2017 Before the 20th Century Protestant Christianity largely seemed a failure in Latin America. Today 20% of the population are evangelicals and they have an increasing influence on politics and social life. Salinas’ book looks at the... Continue Reading →
In this third in a series of blog posts looking for a theological grounding to global mission I want to think about reconciliation and eschatology. In the two previous blogs I’ve looked at invitational community and Missio Dei & the resurrected Christ. These three things can be thought of as the legs of a stool,... Continue Reading →
My previous post suggested that invitational Community should be seen as one foundational aspect of a theology of global mission. Moving on from this I want to suggest that the second leg of this theological stool should be Missio Dei and the resurrected Christ. As before, what follows are suggestive thoughts rather than a worked... Continue Reading →
One unexpected bonus of Christmas under lockdown has been the opportunity to think, reflect and reread some theology books. So much is changing and the pace is likely to increase next year. It’s a mark of success to be agile and to change tack as circumstances change, but it’s not enough to traverse the storm,... Continue Reading →
How does Christianity keep people from Jesus? That’s the radical question this book considers as it examines the factors that keep Indian people from becoming disciples of Jesus. The book considers 9 different barriers; the first three: cultural separation, “Christian” and Church being the most fundamental. The separation that comes from believers seeking to withdraw... Continue Reading →
Last week I went to a lecture put on by the Centre for Theology and Justice in Manchester (the annual David Goodbourn lecture). The speaker was Michael H Taylor, one time principal of Northern Baptist College, subsequently CEO of Christian Aid for 12 years and now, among other things Emeritus Professor of Social Theology at... Continue Reading →
Distinct Reflections 