I have been posting a great deal lately on matters surrounding the definition of mission, missions, and missionaries. Much of this is due to my present book project. If you are new here and curious, let me encourage you to check out the following posts: If Everything is Mission Rethinking […]
Mission
Recently, I have been sharing thoughts about the importance of the Church using arts to advance the gospel. Last week at my YouTube channel, I posted a video on this topic. Here I discuss four ways the Church has historically approached the arts and offer some suggestions for shepherding artists […]
Art, Church, Mission of God
Mission language forms our ideas and actions. Talking about such language is not a waste of time. Uncertainty abounds when it comes to the language of mission. Definitions are found in the eye of the beholder. Missionary activity is defined as everything from church planting among an unreached people to […]
Apostolic Imagination: Rethinking Language of Mission
“Many exegetical studies on mission fail to indicate which notion of mission is used or presupposed. Some authors operate with a vague concept of mission, sometimes linked with the term ‘mission,’ used in official declarations (e.g., that of the World Council of Churches), that describes comprehensively all aims, efforts and […]
Understanding Mission(s)–Beverly Hillbilly Style
With the publication of Transforming Mission (1991), David Bosch acknowledged the Church’s activity in mission has transitioned through several paradigms. His conclusion at the end of the twentieth century was the new paradigm had not arrived but was in the process of development. We are still in this liminal state. […]
Apostolic Imagination: Rethinking Missions
In early August 1745, David Brainerd (1718-1747) observed an amazing awakening among the Native Americans living in Crossweeksung, New Jersey. A large crowd gathered to hear him preach, and the Spirit of God moved in a powerful fashion. Brainerd described his observations in his diary: “The power of God seemed […]