Reflections and resources for lifelong learning for missionaries
The term 'religion' is a hot topic of debate in the literature on Insider Movements. Some even question whether it is a meaningful concept. In this post we will explore three questions: "What is religion?", "What is the source of non-Christian religions?" and "Is God at work in non-Christian religions?" What is "religion"? In Understanding …
Early Christian Mission, published in 2004 by Eckhard J. Schnabel is a massive resource. The two volumes contain 1928 pages, 1588 of which are text. The size of the work will intimidate many but the thoroughness of Schnabel's scholarship is rewarding. Theologian and New Testament scholar Peter T. O'Brien gives this endorsement of this work: …
Continue reading Review: Early Christian Mission by Eckhard J. Schnabel
"Over the past fifteen years missiologists have produced a massive amount of literature related to the contextualization debate surrounding the proposals of Insider Movement proponents." So begins J. Henry Wolfe in his article, "The Development of the Insider Movement Paradigm" (published July 2015, http://www.GlobalMissiology.org). I have tried to digest a good portion of that material …
Continue reading Insider Movements: Understanding the Issues
(This continues my posts about the mission of God. See my previous posts about Missio Dei and Biblical Theology of Mission: OT). But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as …
If we are to understand the mission of God (Missio Dei, see last month's post), we need to study what God has said about it. God has revealed himself, his purpose and plan in the Christian Scriptures. As Christopher Wright observes, "The only concept of mission into which God fits is the one of which …
The Second edition of From Seed to Fruit: Global Trends, Fruitful Practices, and Emerging Issues among Muslims, edited by J. Dudley Woodberry contains reports and analyses of the Global Trends and Fruitful Practices Consultation in 2007. The consultation included almost 500 people from around the globe involved in outreach to Muslims. The book is a …
This Latin phrase emerged "in Protestant missiological discussion especially since the 1950s, often in the English form 'the mission of God'" (The Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions, p 631). The term sought to anchor missions in the Triune God of the Bible. David Bosch defines it as: God's self-revelation as the one who loves the …
