Bosch on Contextualisation

Bosch reviews church history and suggests a series of paradigms of mission that can be seen across the worldwide development of the church. His sixth and final paradigm includes a section in which he draws out the way in which contextualisation is being practised since the term entered theological language in the 1970s. He argues that from the beginning of it's life the church has practised contextualisation.

It is, however, only fairly recently that this essentially contextual nature of the faith has been recognised (Bosch 1991:421)

Continuing with his historical overview he observes that every movement that deviated from a declared form of orthodoxy and the participants in the movement were either “excommunicated, persecuted or banned” (Bosch 1991:421). None of the social, political or cultural factors were recognised or considered when the movements were tested for orthodoxy. He observes two major and significant developments in church history where orthodoxy provided the boundariy for who was part of the movement and who was not. No cultural, social or political explanations for the differences were given.

• The Schism of 1054 when the Eastern and Western Churches declared each other unorthodox.
• The Reformation where Protestants and Catholics separated.

He differentiates between contextual theology and traditional theologies by suggesting that since Constantine the majority of theology has been passed down from an elitist enterprise to the educated believer. Contextual theology is theology that is worked out from below, from “the underside of history” (Bosch 1991:423). This kind of contextual theology is found in the lives of the “poor or the culturally marginalised” (Bosch 1991:423). He draws upon three approaches, all published in the 1980s, including Schrieter (1985), Ukpong (1987) and Waldenfiels (1987). Using Ukpong's Indiginization and Socio-economic models of contextualisation he develops them further by subdividing them. Indiginization is subdivided into indiginization and inculturation. Socieconomic is subdivided into evolutionary and revolutionary. As far as he is concerned only the Socioeconomic-revolutionary model and the Inculturation-indiginsation can be considered fully contextualised models of theology (Bosch 1991:421). He turns his attention to these two models in later sections (Pages 432-446 and 447-456 respectively). It would be very difficult to understand the first section of this introduction to models of contextualisation if you had not read the authors he refers to at the beginning (My summary of Schriter here). He does not describe what he considers the Indiginization or Sosioeconomic model to be.

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

Bosch, Transforming Mission, Chapter 3 : Luke-Acts, Practising Forgiveness and Solidarity with the Poor

The significance of Luke

Mission has central place in Luke and the moment in the synagogue where Jesus reads from Isaiah 61 is seen by David as the Lukan equivalent to Matthews Great Commission. He observes that the gospel was written approximately half a century since the life of Jesus. The Jewish war, forced by the Zealot movement, had resulted in the destruction of the Temple and a complete change to the face of Judaism. Christianity, once a sect inside of Judaism was becoming a religious movement in its own right. It was now in its second generation and in search of identity:

Gentile Christians were facing a crisis of identity. They were asking "Who are we really" How do we relate to the Jewish past, particularly in the manifest animosity of Contemporary Judaism? Is Christianity a new religion or a continuation of the faith of the Old Testament? Above all how can we relate to the earthly Jesus, who is gradually and irrevocably receding into the past?" (page 85)

David sees Luke coming to the rescue of the church with his account of the life of Jesus.

The church were at no disadvantage, they had the Spirit to lead them just as if Jesus was still with them. This is just one of the recurring themes in Marks Gospel, the centrality of repentance, of prayer, of love and acceptance of enemies, of Justice and fairness in inter-human relationships, are all themes that are returned to by Luke. (Page 86).

Jew, Samaritain, and Gentile in Luke-Acts

• The difference between the Gospel and Acts. The gospels bear little mention of the Gentiles. It seems obvious that the two Volumes were intended by Luke from the outset. The Gospel contains the mission to the Jews, which was Jesus role. The book of Acts contains the mission to the Gentiles, which was the churches job.
• The Gentile Mission in Luke 4:16-30 The only place where Gentiles are brought into focus is at the start of the book where it stands as a preface to the ministry of Jesus. His purpose was to show that:

  God was not only the God of Israel but also, and equally, the God of the Gentiles. (Page 89)

  This introduction to the Ministry of Jesus is designed to set the narrative up for its conclusion.
• Encounters with Samaritans Encountering Samaritans in the central section we see a further pointer to the mission beyond the borders of Israel. The refusal to retaliate to the reaction from a Samaritan town, the sending of the seventy two and then the parable of the good Samaritan all lead the reader to the conclusion that an extended mission will be involved.

  "The Samaritan Mission suggests a fundamental break with traditional Jewish attitudes" (Page 91)

• Luke's "Great Commission" Until the closure of the Gospel, all the references to mission among Gentiles and Samaritans have been made implicit by the actions of Jesus not by his words. Where as Matthew commission with a mandate Luke works up to commission with a the fact they are witnesses and the promise of the Spirit.

The Jewishness of Luke Luke has been predominantly interpreted as a Gospel aimed solely at gentiles. David sees elements of Jewishness in his style:

• Luke does not emphasise the difference between Jesus teaching and the Pharisees.
• There are three incidents of Jesus being invited to the home of a Pharisee.
• He omits controversial teachings or applications.
• He writes in Hebraized Greek, the language of the Septuagint.

To the Jew's first, and to the Gentiles It is clear reading through Luke-Acts that the mission of the church is both towards the Jewish communities and the Gentile communities. David sees this dual angle, not as a natural historical sequence, or a communication strategy. It is seen as a theological imperative, given the priority of the Jewish people in salvation history. Luke sees mission to the Jews being coordinated with mission to the Gentiles. The Division of Israel Luke-Acts sees division in Israel as the repentant and the unrepentant. David points out that Jewish people respond to the gospel in massive ammounts, not only that but it is progressive with three thousand being converted and then five thousand. Finally multitudes are converted. The mission to the Gentiles can not be considered a consequence of the Jewish refusal of Jesus. Gentiles are brought into "Israel" through the proclamation of, and response to, the gospel. Rather than this being the establishment of a new Israel it is the restoration of Israel.

The Christian church did not begin as a new entity on the day of Pentecost. On that day many Jews became what they truely were - Israel. Subsequently Gentiles were incorporated into Israel. There is no break in the history of salvation. Not to be converted means to be purged from Israel; conversion means a share in the covenant with Abraham (Page 96)

David turns his attention to the suggestion that the church might be able to abandon its mission to the Jews. He is not convinces by this suggestion and points to the expectations raised in the infancy narrative of Luke's gospel that are not fulfilled in the book of Acts. For David, Luke, like Jesus, has his heart moved by Jerusalem and the desire for repentance among the Jewish people.

The Gospel for the Poor - and the Rich

Luke is no systematic theologian in the modern sense of the word. He has several intermingling missionary motifs. The first is certainly the relationship between the mission to the Jews and the mission to the Gentiles, Other major themes include Luke's message to the poor and the rich; his understanding of repentance, forgiveness and salvation; and his emphasis on Jesus' ministry of superseding vengeance. (Page 98)

The poor and the rich in Luke's gospel. David observes that the poor are brought into focus in Luke's gospel (Luke 1:53; 6:20; 12:16-21; 19:1-10). The poor are understood, not only to be those with some kind of need, but primarily as a social category.

The rich are primarily those who are greedy, who exploit the poor, who are so bent on making money that they do not even allow themselves time to accept an invitation to a banquet (Lk 14:18f), who do not notice Lazarus at their gate (16:20), who conduct a hedonistic lifestyle but are nonetheless (or, rather, because of this) choked by cares about those very riches (8:14). They are at the same time, slaves and worshippers of Mammon. (Page 99)

They appear to have consumed their happiness and wealth in the present life. The gospel paints them in a role reversal with the poor in any future life. At the outset of his public ministry Jesus announces a reversal of the fortunes of the poor. It is evident that in quoting Jesus, Luke takes a verse from Isaiah 58 (verse 6) and inserts it into the quotation from Isaiah 61 in order to re-enforce the social profile of the fasting that is described in Isaiah 58. Jesus is asking for, declaring that his ministry should bring fundamental changes to the society. Evangelist of the Rich Jesus' interactions with the rich cause different reactions. Zacchaeus responds favourably, the rich young man does not. The sermon on the plain is full of references to how the rich should act towards the poor.

The social ethic of the time suggested that the rich invite only the rich, in order to be invited back (cf 14:2). Precisely this, the Lukan Jesus rejects. It is the kind of conduct one would expect of sinners who only do good to those who do good to them and only lend money if repayment is guaranteed (6:32-34). (Page 103)

David sees the language of Jubilee permeating through the gospel. The parable of the good Samaritan is used to illustrate the ethic of a reverse economy. In David's view Jesus is painted as an evangelist to the rich. The understanding of Sin in Luke's Gospel is not limited to the sins of the rich however:

The rich are tested on the ground of their wealth, whereas others are tested on loyalty toward their family, their people, their culture and their work(Luke 9:59-61). This means that the poor are sinners just like everyone else, because ultimately sinfulness is rooted in the human heart. (Page 104)

The reader of Luke concludes, that while Jesus has come to bring good news for the poor. Everyone, poor or rich, is in need of repentance.

Salvation in Luke-Acts.

The motif of repentance in Luke's gospel runs alongside the issue of salvation. The way Luke communicates the notion of salvation is formed and moulded from the infancy narrative through the the missionary sermons of the early church. In its earliest incarnation salvation has political undertones. During the ministry of Jesus it becomes clear that the salvation that Zacchaeus experiences is not political. As the early church begin to preach salvation follows repentance and the nature of repentance changes depending upon who you are.

The Jesus Luke introduces to his readers is somebody who brings the outsider, the stranger, and the enemy home and gives him and her, to the chagrin of the "righteous", a place of honour at the banquet in the reign of God. (Page 108)

No more Vengeance! In a world where God is understood as vengeful and violent, the ministry of Jesus, and the way he speaks about God, is a massive difference to the approach towards God that exists. David returns to the Nazareth encounter and the way that it would have been understood in the first century to examine the issue. Isaiah 61 in the First Century AD When Jesus reads from the scriptures, the mood in the synagogue quickly turns from one of admiration to one of riotous disbelief. The turning point for the congregation is when Jesus brings such a new perspective on the reading from Isaiah. The hearers would have been expecting a Messiah who would liberate them from the oppression of the Romans, Just as the audience to whom Isaiah addressed the reading were expecting liberation from Babylonian rule. Luke has set the issue of salvation up by dressing it with political overtones, now the eyes of everyone in the synagogue are fixed on Jesus expecting him to announce vengeance. But he doesn't he simply says "today this scripture is fulfilled". Jesus simply misses out the last part of the verse "and a day of vengeance for our God". The change of mood in the synagogue is simply because Jesus begins a radical reinterpretation of the scriptures and the destiny of the Jewish people, one that continues throughout his life.

(Luke) adopts this this attitude because he is convinced that the gospel of JEsus is one that puts a supreme premium on peace-making, love of enemies, and forgiveness. There is no room for vengefulness and wrath in the community of Jesus. (Page 113)

The Lukan Missionary Paradigm

David identifies major themes in the Lukan Missionary paradigm:

1. Luke deals with the fact that history continued. The presence of Jesus was with the community through the work of the Spirit.

   Luke realised that Jesus' mission and ministry had to be reinterpreted for the church of his own time, and he believed that this reinterpretation would be mediated by the Spirit (Page113)

2. Luke correlated Jewish and Gentile mission. The two were not to be divorced. This is particularly important at a time when Jewish mission was probably much less in the foreground than the time that Jesus was writing.
3. The community were to be witnesses to Jesus.

   they are not really called to accomplish anything, only to point to what God has done and is doing, to give testimony to what they have seen, heard and touched. (Page 116)

4. Repentance, forgiveness and salvation are obvious throughout Luke-Acts.

   Conversion does not pertain merely to an individuals act of conviction and commitment; it moves the individual believer to the community of believers and involves a real - even a radical - change in the life of the believer. (Page 117)

5. The new relationship between rich and poor. There is obvious sacrificial acts in the life of the early church. There is a new economy that is produced by a cross societal and cross cultural support.
6. "Preaching the good news of peace by Jesus Christ".In the wake of the Jewish War and in the context of Roman empire, Luke sees non-violence and peace making as integral parts of the Gospel message.
7. Integrated missional ecclesiology.With an approach to community of followers or disciples that includes inward and outward dimensions, Luke paints a picture of a dynamic community witnessing to the death and resurrection of Christ.
8. Adversity and Suffering.Throughout Luke-Acts the theme is intrinsically linked with the missional dimension of the church. The boldness of the church is always linked with some kind of adversity. The church "continually live in the shadow of death" (Page 122).

Bosch, Transforming Mission, Chapter 2 : Mission as Disciple-Making

David sees the Gospel of Matthew reflecting an "important and distinct sub-paradigm of the early church's interpretation and experience of mission" (page 56). He sees the gospel as a unified whole leading up to words of the great commission that conclude it.He looks at Matthew through the following lenses:

1. Matthew and His community
The community that Matthew was writing for was in need of understanding its mission. With that in mind the gospel is not written as a simple account of the life of Jesus but to aid the communities understanding of their calling and mission.

Matthew desires his community no longer regard its self as a sectarian group but boldly and consciously as the Church of Christ (he is the only evangelist who uses the word ekklesia, "church"). (Page 59)

2. Contradictions in Matthew
David observes that the gospel is both the most Jewish of the four but also that Matthew indulges in a bias towards Gentiles, presenting information that might lead the reader to conclude an anti semitic stance. The primary contradiction noted is the inclusion of material that could be considered offensive by both Jews and Gentiles.

It is probably best to assume that Matthew included both sets of conflicting sayings in the service of the overall purpose of his gospel. (Page 60)

Although the gospel alludes to mission to the Gentiles, it does not ever record Jesus deliberately conducting mission among them, they always approach him.
3. Matthew and Israel
The gospel takes a hard stance towards Jews, more so than Mark and Luke.

Certainly Matthews portrayal of the Jews and their leadership contains an anti-Semitic potential which we, particularly after the Holocaust, should not brush aside to lightly. However Matthew himself is no anti-Semite; after all, he was, in all probability, himself a Jew. (Page 63)

4. Matthew and "the nations"
It appears to David that the gospel includes the Jewish people among the nations that the church is sent to. They are neither excluded or marked out as special. The mission to the Gentiles can only happen after the death and resurrection of Jesus, which explains why it is only seen in a future sense throughout the ministry of Jesus recounted in the Gospel.

The risen Jesus, however, boldly and unreservedly, sends his followers to disciple "all nations". The reign of God has been entrusted to God's new people. (Page 65)

The way that Matthew tackles the Jewish and Gentile issues within his community makes it difficult to unearth his theology of mission. David sees a number of key concepts that are woven in to the gospel which illustrate his approach to mission.

1. "Teaching them to observe all"David sees three terms in the great commission that encapsulate the essence of mission as seen by Matthew; teach, make disciples and baptise. We may perceive teaching to be an appeal to the intellect, but for Matthew it is an earnest request for a concrete decision to follow Jesus. That following is seen in the disciples willingness to "do the will of my Father" and the acid test of that would be "love your neighbour".
2. The sermon on the mountThe sermon on the mount is a call to superior justice. The Christian community is to aspire to, and live out the revolutionary ethic of the sermon on the mount. David points out that although the church through the ages largely failed, that does not excuse us from the missionary imperative to live differently to those around.
3. God's reign and Justice-RighteousnessMatthew seeks to demonstrate the way in which Jesus ministry is universally missional in its approach. God's reign is seen in the person and character of Jesus as he teaches, heals and exorcises. The issue of Justice-Righteousness is seen in the translation of the word dikaiosyne, which can be rendered either way but should, in David's view, be rendered as both in order to represent the original meaning. God's reign of justice-righteousness is seen in the apparent tightening of the law:

   None of these injunctions can merely be seen as a tightening of the Law; they refer to an obedience of another kind, of another order, since they are spawned by the interruption of God's reign in the life of Jesus. Merely performing superlative acts of sacrifice is not enough and will not do it. The rich young man was not just asked to give all his possessions to the poor, but also to follow Jesus. (page 73)

4. "Make Disciples"The expression make disciples is seen in the great commission as an imperative, and the teaching and baptising are subordinate to it. Matthew sets up the term disciple throughout the gospel in order to draw on it at the end. The disciples are to be and to make. Those that they call to follow Jesus will be in the same light as them, simply followers with the same call and commission.

Concluding by looking at Matthews Paradigm: Missionary discipleship. Missionary discipleship is seen by David in Matthew in the following ways:

1. Matthew identifies a missionary core to the community as he seeks to bring an identity to his community.
2. He highlights Jesus as a leader (a Moses type figure) but also as Lord.

   For Matthew, missionary discipleship unfolds its self in the creative tension between these two emphases and has far reaching consequences for his understanding of mission. (Page 81)

3. He is both "Traditional and Innovative" which helps him to identify with both arms of his community:

   those who emphasise continued faithfulness to the law and those who claim to rely on the guidance of the Spirit. (Page 81)

There is a cautionary note in David's conclusion about the dangers of transporting the text from the first century into the present. He reminds the reader that Matthew would not have seen the addition of disciples to the church as an addition to an existing congregation or denomination. While church and discipleship should not be divorced from each other, the church is only found where disciples live in community with each other.

Bosch, Transforming Mission, Chapter 1: Reflections on the New Testament as a Missionary Document.

David takes a brief overview of mission in the Old Testament and the Mission of Jesus.

Mission in the Old Testament.

Mission has an entirely different character in the Old Testament, to the New Testament. The people of God are not sent as missionaries to different countries, continents or cultures. Integrated into the life of the nation of Israel is focus on the God who acts. He has acted in the past, is acting now, and will act again. This is reflected in the way the nation remember, worship and receive Gods promise for the future. A recognition that God's compassion goes beyond the boarders of Israel is in evidence and this beings an interplay between the expression of mercy and the expression of judgement.

Israel would, however, not go out to the nations. Neither would Israel expressly call the nations to faith in Yahweh. If they do come it is because God is brining them in. So, if there is a "missionary" in the Old Testament, it is God himself who will, as his eschatological deed par excellence, bring the nations to Jerusalem to worship him there. (page 19)

The nations are seen as enemies of God, and although some may cometo Yahweh, this negative approach is the overriding one. The past acts of god becomes a sacred tradition and the law becomes the thing the people serve and obey. As Jesus comes on the scene Greek thinking as begun to replace the historical thinking and Jewish apocalypse has developed as the people look for a radical redesign of the world as it is now known.

Bible and Mission

David sees the New Testament as a mission document. Viewing it in this way leads him to observe that the Jesus we meet in the New Testament was immersed in his first century Jewish context. He notes that of late scholarly opinion has moved from discrediting the accounts of Jesus in the gospels as incredible history towards a widespread acceptance of the historical Jesus. The gospel writers used the information they had about Jesus to "creatively and responsibly" (page 21) to retell the story of Jesus in their missionary context.

That the first Christians proceeded in this way should not trouble us. If we take the incarnation seriously, the Word has to become flesh in every new context. For this reason the contemporary theologians task is not really different form what the New Testament authors set out so boldly to do. (page 21)

He observes that the theological task has not always been done well with some people unthinkingly lifting Jesus words from the first century context and applying them to their own with no attempt made to bridge the two contexts. The way the first Christians defined themselves should be what we allow to speak to us. We should follow they way Christians have defined themselves over the centuries and allow those to be brought into to dialogue with the first century. In order to do that we should look at the way Jesus defined himself.

Jesus and Israel

The Israel that Jesus was born into was dominated by empire. It was time of change, of social and religious ferment. The faith of the Jewish people had gone through the whole area. Gentiles were attracted to the Jewish faith and were choosing to bring themselves into the religion through obedience to the Torah. One of the main developing themes at the time was the theory that only a faithful Jewish remnant would be saved, not the whole of the nation. David sees Jesus ministry being totally inclusive. Two elements of this all-inclusive mission are seen. Firstly to the pious Pharisees whom there can "be no doubt that Jesus sought to win them over" (page 27) but despite that he is consistent in the way he challenges their beliefs and attitudes. The second element is to those who are marginal to the Jewish establishment. They are those who live a hand to mouth existence, or by their alignment with the Roman empire are outcasts. The way Jesus ministered was different to that of his contemporaries. Jesus practice indicates that the reign of God is both future and present, though his contemporaries saw it as predominantly future. Jesus attack on evil was marked and obvious. This is manifest in different ways, not least in his ministry to those on the margins. He crosses the boundaries of what is expected. These approaches affect the way Jesus himself sees the Torah.

For one thing, Jesus attacks the hypocrisy of allowing a discrepancy between accepting the law as authoritative and yet not acting according to it. For another, he radicalises the Law in an unparalleled manner (cf Matt 5:17-48). Third in supreme self confidence he takes it upon himself simply to abrogate the law, or at least certain elements of it. (page 35)

It seems to David that the reign of God is the overriding factor for Jesus. People are far more important to him than rules or religious rites. Jesus takes a fundamentally different approach when appointing his disciples:

1. Disciples of the time would have chosen their teacher. Jesus, however, chooses his disciples.
2. In any disciple and teacher relationship the Torah would have been central to the relationship. Jesus, however, put himself as the central authority in the relationship.
3. The disciple of any other teacher would have wished to progress to the point of becoming a teacher themselves. The disciples of Jesus were not on the way to a glittering career, being a disciple was an end in its self.
4. The disciples of rabbis were only students. Jesus relationship with his disciples was on of Lord, but also servant.
5. The disciple of a rabbi would go on to pass on his teaching. Jesus disciples were called to do his work in a much more dynamic way.
6. The disciples of Jesus went to call others to the same discipleship. The discipleship did not end with Jesus death but continued as the missionary task.

David links the mission of the early church with the experience of the ascension and Pentecost. It is through the power of the Spirit giving them boldness that they become witnesses and call others to discipleship.

The Early Christian Mission

Initial Christian mission took place within the orb of Judaism. Particularly at the outset the church in Jerusalem met and worshipped in the temple. It becomes evident as you read through the book of Acts that the inclusion of Gentiles into the Christian fold required the church to do some rethinking of the structure within which they put their faith. With the mission of Paul into the Gentile world, Christianity developed its theological perspective and the issue of Jewish circumcision and food laws were debated and resolved between the different cultural groups.

It had by that time survived its first major challenge: whether it was to remain essentially within the confines of Judaism or to live up to the logic of Jesus own ministry and transcend all barriers. It chose the latter. Its sense of mission made it impossible for it to do otherwise; once their horison had been widened infinitely there really was no possibility of turning back. (page 46)

The Missionary practices of Jesus and the Early Church.

David brings together his reflections on the New Testament with the following thoughts:

1. Early Christian mission involved the person of Christ.
2. The early Christian mission was political, indeed revolutionary.
3. The revolutionary nature of the early Christian mission manifested its self, inter alia, in the new relationships that came into the community. Jew and Roman, Greek and Barbarian, free and slave, rich and poor, woman and man accepted each other as brothers and sisters.
4. In their mission the early Christians did not usher in utopia, nor did they attempt to do so. Their invocation "Marana tha" (Our Lord Come) expressed a deep hope that had not yet been fulfilled.
5. It was not possible to convince everyone of the authenticity of Jesus.

David sees three areas of weakness in the early Christian mission. Firstly it became a religion when Jesus had no intention of founding one. Secondly the way it turned from a movement into an institution. Finally the way the church became unable to include Jewish people.

Bosch, Transforming Mission: Introduction.

David rushes headlong into his introduction, it is fast moving and reflects many hours of thought, research and reading. I suspect that the issues have changed slightly since he wrote. More and more I hear of mission agencies involving themselves with indigenous missionaries and supporting existing Christian work in the areas that they work in. I suspect that for those pressed for time but who wanted to read David Bosch's main arguments and theories would be well served by reading the introduction. Recognising that the term mission has a variety of different meanings and that over time the definitions of the term "mission" has changed David points to the way the concept of mission is under attack. That is something to be seen as natural in the life of the church:

Like it's Lord, the church - if it is faithful to its being - will, however, always be controversial. (Page 2)

There is a deeper crisis than just external persecution that manifests its self in the following factors.

1. The advance of science and technology seems to have made faith redundant.
2. The west is being de-Christianised.
3. Linked to the above is the advance of other religions who are active in mission, forcing Christians to re-examine their faith.
4. The sense of guilt felt by the west over their past failures and oppressive behaviour leads them to be unwilling to testify to their faith.
5. The world is divided into rich and poor and the rich are often seen to be "Christian".
6. The domination of the western theology, liturgy and ecclesiology has led to the questioning of western theology from other areas of the world and a questioning of the validity of mission from within the west.

David sees this crisis developing because of an inadequate basis for the theology of mission. He summarises mission theology into three areas: foundations; motives and aim; the nature of mission. The inadequate thinking and the apparent growth of Christianity in the 19th century lead to a misplaced confidence leading to an apathy and malaise.

Again in some Christian circles there is no sign of such a failure or nerve. Quite the contrary. It is business as usual as regards to the continuation of one way missionary traffic from the west to the Third World and the proclamation of a gospel which appears to have little interest in the conditions in which people find themselves, since the preachers' only concerns seem to be the saving of souls from eternal damnation. (Page 7)

For David the crisis is unavoidable, we can neither hide from it or run from it, we must face it and:

to re-conceive and reformulate the church's mission, to do this boldly and imaginatively, yet also in continuity with the best of what mission has been in the past decades and centuries. (Page 8)

With this in mind he sets the trajectory for the book which will trace the themes and approach of mission in the last 20 centuries looking at the similarities and contours of each approach. For the hard pressed he offers an interim definition of mission from which to work.