A long walk to obedience: Missiology and mission under scrutiny (1910-2010)

Johannes J Knoetze

doi:10.4102/ids.v51i2.2192

Abstract

This article describes the discipline of missiology and mission over the last century since Edinburgh 1910 followed by two world wars to Edinburgh 2010, as a long walk to obedience – a walk in discerning God’s will. Even in biblical times, mission as spreading the gospel to those who do not yet believe in the Trinitarian God, was under scrutiny from within and outside the church (cf. Ac 10-11, 15 and Galatians). Throughout history until today it was never different. This article looks at the development of mission over the last 100 years from a Western (mainline missionary churches – MMCs) perspective. The development of missiology as a subject and theological discipline will be described along the lines of some of the mission conferences. Attention will be given to the following questions: What does it mean to b eobedient to the mission calling in a broken and traumatised world? Is there a credible way of redeeming mission and missiology from its own past?

Highlights

This article describes the discipline of missiology and mission over the last century – since the Edinburgh 1910 mission conference (Edinburgh 1910 further on) and two world wars to the Edinburgh 2010 mission conference (Edinburgh 2010 further on) – as a long walk to obedience
From evangelising the nation at Edinburgh 1910 the motto changed to a softer ‘Together Towards Life’ at Edinburgh 2010. This development of mission and missiology as a theological discipline will be described along the lines of some of the big mission conferences while attending to the following question: What does it mean to be obedient to the mission calling in a broken and traumatised world at a specific time?
It is my conviction that different names or understandings of mission and missiology are determined by the understanding of the relation and interdependence of the missio honimum, missio ecclesia and the missio Dei within a specific context

Summary

Introduction

This article describes the discipline of missiology and mission over the last century – since the Edinburgh 1910 mission conference (Edinburgh 1910 further on) and two world wars to the Edinburgh 2010 mission conference (Edinburgh 2010 further on) – as a long walk to obedience. This development of mission and missiology as a theological discipline will be described along the lines of some of the big mission conferences while attending to the following question: What does it mean to be obedient to the mission calling in a broken and traumatised world at a specific time? Is understood as traumatised people in a broken world (or church) participating (journeying) in the missio Dei in different times and situations, always listening again to the Lord and to the world in discerning God’s will (making religious decisions).

Results

Conclusion