Components of a Western Missiology, Part 1

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If we were to think of ourselves as missionaries here in the Western world, what would that look like?

Just the question probably seems strange to some people. Missionaries are supposed to travel far away, learn another language, pick up foreign customs and attempt to tell the good news of Jesus in a way that makes sense to the locals. We picture people of European descent squatting in mud huts, talking to "primitive" villagers about Christianity. The stereotypes are set.

But if the Western world is increasingly non-Christian, shouldn't we become missionaries to our own culture?
I believe the answer is YES. The next question to answer is HOW? What would a missiology of Western culture look like?

David Bosch suggests 6 components that we would do well to consider. (David Bosch, "Believing in the Future: Toward a Missiology of Western Culture," Trinity Press, 1995)

1. Ecology. The time is past, he argues, for Christians to ignore the environment. Part of being good stewards of God's creation is taking care of our planet. Some evangelical Christians are starting to refer to this as "creation care." If nature is to shout out the glory of God, we had better be sure that we haven't done anything to detract from that glory. Bosch believes that care for our world is a key component of being a missionary in the West.

2. Counterculturalism. If you look at the descriptions of early Christians, they pursued the following virtues: sacrifice, asceticism, modesty, self-discipline, etc. These are not popular virtues today. Too many churches, Bosch argues, look so much like the values of our contemporary culture that there is nothing unique, nothing innately Christian that attracts people. We have little effect on the world around us when our lives do not demonstrate commitment to our cause.

3. Ecumenism. The denominational divisions of the Christian world stem from a belief that individual reasoning is more important than unity. If my powers of deduction lead me in a different direction from you, the modern trend has been to separate myself from you because I conclude that you are either flawed or dishonest. Instead of learning to tolerate discussion and dissension within the family, we have resorted to division, debate and ridicule across family lines. Bosch believes that a commitment to unity will be crucial in the West if we are going to reach our culture for Jesus.

I'll pick up the next 3 tomorrow. Blessings on you this day as you seek the face of God.

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