Components of a Western Missiology, Part 2

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Continuing David Bosch's suggested components of a Western missiology:

4. Contextualization. We know that the gospel must be contextually relevant in the 3rd world. But contextualization for the Western world? Aren't most Western societies already based on Christian principles? Bosch states (and I agree) that too many people "still believe that the gospel has already been indigenized and contextualized in the West." Yet the West has mostly turned its back on the way of Jesus. Was Christianity never deeply embedded into our culture? Or did the gospel contextualize so much that it lost its distinctive character? Bosch doesn't know what Western contextualization will look like, and no one else honestly seems to know yet either. But we need to begin to re-contextualize in earnest.

5. Laity-driven. Bosch believes that the restoration of our priesthood of all believers is absolutely essential if we hope to re-evangelize the West. He makes two points in this regard. First, witness will be more credible when it comes from those who do not belong to the "guild of pastors." Second, a mobilization of the membership is the only way to destroy the false dichotomy present in the lives of too many believers -- namely, the divide between public and private, between religious and secular. Too many Christians think that only pastors have to be held to higher standard, not themselves.

6. Local, worshipping communities. Bosch beautifully makes a case for a renewed focus on independent congregations as the source of mission, not denominational bodies or individual believers. He is arguing not just for autonomy but also for commitment. People have to stop seeing themselves as solo Christians and start making real commitments to worshipping communities of faith. Bosch quotes Hauerwas and Willimon from their now famous book, Resident Aliens. They said, "Christians are sitting on a gold mine called the church, but unfortunately the very categories we have been taught as Western Christians make it difficult for us to notice that it is gold."

Comments

Anonymous said…
Jason, great to see someone else taking up Bosch's work for the blogging world!
November 25, 2009 at 12:40 AM
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