Bosch, Transforming Mission, Chapter 5 : Paradigm Changes in Missiology

Having set out his view of the dominant missionary paradigms found in the New Testament David explains the way he is going to categories history to enable further analysis of missionary paradigms. Then he describes exactly what he means by a paradigm (which is fascinating given that the reader is already 181 pages and four chapters into David’s use of the term.

Christianity and Historical Shifts

David sketches his intention to use Hans Kung’s divisions of Christian History.

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.
6. The emerging ecumenical paradigm.

Page 181-182

He is using Kung’s divisions because in his view each one represents a shift in missionary thinking and approach. He suggests that in each paradigm theologians have interpreted the scriptures in the light of their own social and emotional background and context as well as their particular paradigms “frame of reference” (Page 183). Suggesting that:

The “world” of the Hellenistic Christianity of the second and subsequent centuries was simply qualitatively different from the “world” of primative Christianity, which was still very deeply impregnated with the ethos of the Hebrew Old Testament. Page 183.

Paradigm Shifts in Theology

David makes it explicit that a paradigm is a significant shift in thinking and practice. Each major shift in thinking is preceded by smaller shifts. With that in mind:

Even Kung’s categorisation of the history of theology may, however, still be too general to do justice to all kinds of theological nuances. He therefore rogthly calls for a distinction between macro-, meso- and micro-paradigms. Page 188

The six divisions of history are simple to be used to ground the reader in the development of thought in each period (or paradigm) in order to find their bearings for the future of Christian Mission.

The point is simply that the Christian church in general and the Christian mission in particular are today confronted with issues they have never even dreamt of and which are crying out for responses that are both relevant to the times and in harmony with the essence of the Christian faith.

David lists seven major factors which face contemporary Christianity which manly focus on the Western world no longer being the dominant force in Christian theology and practice.

Bosch, Transforming Mission, Chapter 4 : Mission in Paul, and invitation to join an eschatological community.

First Missionary: First Theologian

Wanting to concentrate his study on primary sources for Paul, David chooses to focus on the seven letters that have a consensus of opinion in favour of genuine Pauline authorship. He observes that the complexity of Paul’s writing has lead to many different approaches and opinions. Paul has been seen as: Dogmatic Theologian, Mystic, and Apostolic Missionary.

Paul’s theology and his mission do not simply relate to each other as “theory” to “practice” in the sense that his mission “flows” from his theology, but rather that his theology is a missionary theology and that Mission is integrally related to his identity and thought as such. (Page 124)

Paul’s Conversion and Call

Speaking about his conversion and call three times (Galatians 1:11-17; Philippians 3:2-11; and less directly Romans 7:13-25) the reader is sobered by the accounts. The conversion of Paul is best seen as a change in direction. He was not converted in the sense that he changed religion, it is apparent that his religious zeal changed direction. His conversion and commission to the Gentiles were linked. Inheriting his mission to the Gentiles from the initial expansion of the early church Paul seeks to keep it in continuity with the predominantly Jewish church in Jerusalem.

Paul gives the most profound and most systematic presentation of a universal Christian missionary vision (Page 129).

Paul’s Missionary Strategy

First we observe that Paul’s intention is to take the gospel beyond its current boundaries. Paul is not to be seen as an itinerant preacher rushing from one place to another declaring the end of the world. Seeking strategic centres for his gospel ministry he often spends long periods of time with the fledgling churches. Reflecting on two statements in Romans 15 David asks why Paul is constantly desiring to move on to the next region:

In view of the shortness of time and the urgency of the task it would be bad stewardship to go to places where others have already evangelized; he is not suggesting that the work of mission is completed in the regions where he has worked, but simply that there are now viable churches, which may reach out into their respective hinterlands; therefore he has to move on to the “regions beyond”. (Page 131)

Second we see that the people that work alongside Paul are sent from the churches and in such a way the church enter into the Pauline missionary enterprise. These people work alongside Paul and the mission of Paul becomes the work of the churches. Paul encourages not only the co workers but also all Christians to imitate him in his own discipleship. In this way we observe the final part of his strategy. In calling other people to model him, he talks explicitly about his weakness and personal challenges. The churches are aware of his overarching compulsion to preach the gospel.

Paul’s Missionary Motivation

Using Michael Green’s categories for Missionary motivation David asses that Paul’s motivations.

A sense of concern is shown by Paul for humanity that outside of Christ is is completely lost (cf 1 Cor 1:18; 2 Cor 2:15). “The purpose of Paul’s mission, then, is to lead people to salvation in Christ.” (Page 135)

A sense of responsibility is seen in the perception of obligation by Paul to preach the gospel (cf Rom 1:14). That responsibility worked out not only in the proclamation of the gospel but also in the way he was seen by those outside of the church. The Christians were not to judge, they were to commend respect and to be ready to serve.

Earning the respect and even admiration of outsiders, is however, not enough. The Christians’ lifestyle should not only be exemplary, but also winsome. It should attract outsiders and invite them to join the community. Put differently the believers should practice a missionary lifestyle.” Page 137

A sense of Gratitude is worked out because of the way in which God has dealt with the� believer. The gospel is not lived out because of compulsion, but because of the privilege of being included within the auspices of the Christian gospel.

Mission and the Triumph of God

David observes several theological themes that are pervasive in Paul’s writing. Acknowledging that Paul’s writing is complex he cautions against simply looking for one theme after another, each letter has a multiplicity of themes interwoven throughout.

Paul stood both in opposition to his Jewish past, but also in continuation with it. His education as a Pharisee would have included the themes of Jewish apocalypse.

These include the four basic motifs of “vindication”, “universalism”, “dualism”, “and “immenence”, all of which were linked with the peculiar perception of the Law operative within Jewish apocalyptic. Page 140

The apoclyptic metaphores have often been neglected within Christianity. This is due in part to the over dramatisation of the genre by by extreme groups on the margins of Christianity. David observes that Paul centres his approach to apocalypse around Christ:

The death and resurrection of Christ mark the incursion of the future new age into the present old age. Page 142

In Paul, salvation becomes both a future and a present event. The individual is “Transferred” and “Transformed”. The work of the Spirit in the life of the believer is the agent of this change. The change is not only individual but a corporate event as the believer is brought into a community of believers. That community is not only local but gobal, with attention paid to Christians in more difficult situations than themselves, particularly in Jerusalem.

There are hints that Paul thinks the whole world will be saved, because of Christs death and resurrection. However, at the same time other statements seem to affirm that only part of humainty will be saved:

It is idefensible to fuse these two images into one; infact we could only do that by choosing between “particulaism” and “universalism”, and either choice would do an injustice to the nuances of Paul’s thinking. Paul can, on the one hand, proclaim with absolute certainty that God will be all in all and that every tongue will confess Jesus as Lord. At the same time he can insist on the Christian mission as a duty that cannot be relinquished. Pages 148-9

The mission of the chruch has an ethical dimension. As it experiences redemption it is to demonstate the “values and reign” (Page 150) to the world around it. It is apparent that women and slaves have a higher place within the Christian communities that Paul is involved with than they do in the world that surrounds them.

It is precisely the vision of the coming reality of God’s glory that compels us to work patiently and corageously in the present, unredeemed world ina manner dictaed by the way of Christ. Involvement in the structures of this world and attempts to change them and make them conform, if only to a very limited degree, to the “blueprint” of God’s reign, make sense precisely because of our hope for a fundamentally new future. (Page 154)

The Law, Israel, and The Gentiles

Paul is not intending to compose a new canon. His approach is one of an authoritative interpreter of the existing, Jewish, canon. His interpretation moves the centre of gravity away from the gift of the ten commandments towards the gift of Christ. There are times when Paul is both positive and negative towards the Law, this duplicity is because:

the Law fosters Jewish exclusiveness and must, therefore be abrogated. Page 156.

The reinterpretation of the law is necesarry because the law brings a separation, but Christ brings a unity. This is particularly problematic for Paul, although the apostle to the Gentiles he never denies his Jewish identity and seems disappointed by the large rejection of Christianity.

The Church: The Interim Eschatological Community

For Paul the individual Christian does not exists in a isolation but are part of a community. This community have distinct differences to other communities that exists in the surrounding society (eg Roman/Greek Household, Jewish Synagogue, The Voluntary Association and the School of Philosophy (Page 165)).

There is indeed no place in the church for the isolated self or the selfish. When any individual experiences “justification by faith” he or she is moved into a community of believers. Page 166

Paul uses language that engenders a sense of belonging and it would see, that for the believers the community is the primary group to which they belong. David sees Paul developing a community who’s boundaries are limited by simple justification by faith. Divisions of race, ethnicity and social status are not tolerated by Paul.

The unity of the church – no the church its self – is called into question when groups of Christians segregate themselves on the basis of dubious distinctives. Page 167

Segregation is inconceivable to Paul who sees the community being bound together by love.

It is this love that gives the church its missionary nature they do not engage in missionary outreach but are missionary through their “unity, mutual love, exemplary conduct and radiant joy” (Page 168)

The community who are formed by God have a special place in the redemptive scheme.

In spite of its theological importance, however, the church is always and only a preliminary community, en-route to its self surrender into the kingdom of God. Paul never develops an Ecclesiology that can be divorced from Christology and Eschatology. Page 169

There is always a sence in which the church knows that it is a part of something which is bigger that the particular moment in time that the church exists within.

The Pauline Missionary Paradigm

Paul’s thinking, truth to tell, is so complex that, at the end of a reflection like this, one has the distinct feeling of still standing only at the beginning. Page 170

1. The Church as New Community.
   

   The members of the new community find their identity in Jesus Christ rather than in their race, culture, social class or sex. Page 172

2. A Mission to Jews.
   David makes several points
   1. Gentile Christians are part of the developing story. They can not be separated from the identity of the people of Israel.
   2. Gentile Christians have never behaved like guests, they have some in and taken over.
   3. Despite their tumultuos history Gentiles and Jews share a both a common God and scriptures.
   4. Any discussion should destinguish between the modern state of Israel and their place in the ‘covenant of God’
   5. Christian mission to Jewish poeple should be seen as unfinished.
   6. Pauls reflections on the church and Israel show remakable similarities.
3. Mission in the context of God’s Imminent Triumph.
   Belief in the imminent return of Christ is widespread throughout Paul’s writing. We should retain the “Substance of Pauls apocalyptic without absolutizing its form” (Page 174). David does not want us to fall into the rap of the contemporary apocalyptic writers who see chronology in Paul’s letters, but that we should see the life and fruit of the Spirit as an aid to looking forward to redemption.
4. Mission and the Transformation of Society.
   According to David the church should have a “dual orientation” (page 176) looking both towards the new community that is the church and outwards to the transformation of society. Paul holds both these threads in tension throughout his writing.
5. Mission in Weakness.
   

   For Paul, suffering is not just something that has to be endured passively because of the onslaughtsand opposition of the powers of this world but also, and perhaps primarily, as an expression of the church’s active engagement with the world for the sake of the world’s redemtion. Page 177

6. The Aim of Mission.
   David sees Pauls viion of mission being more than just the church:

   The life and work of the Christian community are intimately bound up with God’s cosmic-historical planfor the redemption of the world. Page 178

Isaac learns to ride his bike

Granny bought Isaac a bike for his birthday (last September), there wasn’t much chance to learn how to ride it over the winter. HE is doing really well now and we rode from the Battery Hotel in Morecambe to the beach at Heysham. It was fun, only he kept falling off! I took these pictures on my mobile phone. The sound is bad, sorry about that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekUjR55RrdI

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 11: Searching for a place to belong

A significan proportion of Alan’s Interviewee’s were involved in some kind of post church group or informal network of leavers. These groups gave the people the freedon to tlak about their doubts, fears and hopes. He observes:

• These groups could provide models for nurturing Christian faith.
• The members are intuitively connected with the changing culutre (often called postmodernity)
• They have learned and are learning from their experiences outside of the culture of the church, that learning should not be dismissed, but allowed to develop.

Alan argues for an ongoing dialogue between the church leavers and the evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic churches. I think he recognises the tendancy for both sides to see the worst in each other and wants the experience of those on the margins to enrich the centre.

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 10: Leaver-sensitive churches

Alan makes a few initial comments about what the churches stand to lose by allowing people to leave. His observations lead him to a discussion of how churches could become leaver-sensitive.According to Alan, leaver sensitive churches should have the following characteristics:

• Provide places for people to explore, question and to doubt.
• Provide a theology of journey
• Provide resources for people in the dark places
• Provide models of other theological understandings
• Provide models of an honest Christian life rather than “shoulds”
• Provide room for emotions and intuitions
  (Pages 145-149)

  When leaders become aware of clues that may indicate someone is struggling with their faith or their church involvement, the best strategy is to go and listen to them and ask if their observations are indicating anything. Leavers are far more open to discussion than church leaders might expect. Page 150.

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 9: Jumping ship – making your own way

Alan analyses the difficulty of leaving a church using cruise liners and yachts as an analogy. He observes:

• Leaving a church is not something that happens in an instant. The individuals are plagued by different feelings of unease and the decision to go is rarely made lightly.
  

  Too often church leaders suspect the way to keep dissatisfied people happy is to give them a role in the leadership or a significant leadership position within a specific aspect of the church. … … Potential leavers may be correct in perceiving what needs to change but invariably this is not the time for them to bring it about. Page 129.

• Leavers and potential leavers need the time and space to pursue their own internal journey. They need affirmation and to be told that faith development and growth is normal.
• People who perceive their own need to leave but are unable because of their circumstances should find their own space within the life of the church to allow their faith to develop and change. Speaking of a church that actively supported potential church leavers he comments:
  

  What impressed me about the attitude of this church was its primary focus on the individual and their Christian faith. The Churches priority was not to keep them coming to their church or even any other church. The focus was on helping them to find ways to nurture their own development and maturing of Christian Faith. To help this happen they were prepared to give them the freedom to attend other groups and connect with others, knowing that they might later move away. Page 132.

• People who do leave experience a sense of loss. The community they once relied upon is no longer there and relationships that were once good become strained.
• The experience of faith change and development is captured in the Biblical story of Job. Jobs approach to God changes as the dynamic of his relationship with God changes.

Jamieson, A Churchless Faith, Chapter 8: Bringing it all together… where’s the map?

Having defined the developmental stages of faith among his sample, he grounds his thinking in the academic research that surrounds the issue of faith development. He observes that:

• Thinking about faith development is not new to the church.
• Within evangelical, Pentecostal and charismatic churches, there is often no talk about stages of faith, or faith development.
• Fowlers faith development stages, although 20 years old, still represent the best and most widely accepted research on the subject.
• Some people settle in one of the perceived stages of faith, others do not and move through them.

Alan offers a way to integrate his own observations of the faith development of his church leavers with fowlers faith stages. He is keen to point out that the development of faith that he has witnessed is one best described as a journey, and should not be seen as a neat progression from one stage or type to another. Each person struggles at one level or another with their journey through the development of their faith.