BEYOND HOSPITALITY? THE MISSIONARY STATUS AND ROLE REVISITED

Abstract

The Christian faith is intrinsically (Bosch 1991:8), though as Stephen Neill pointed out, is theological concept unknown to the New Testament (Neill 1980:512). Since realizing that apparent anomaly I have been tantalized by the notion of discipleship. Enormous enlightenment (and some accompanying shadow) has been thrown on the missionary nature of the lives of Jesus and early disciples by studies on the social setting of the gospels (Crossan 1991; Malina 1981, 1986; Malina and Rohrbaugh 1992; Neyrey 1991; Osiek 1992; Theissen 1992). Parallel to this, reflection on recent centuries of history has alerted us to the scandal of certain approaches, and we have attempted to soften only some harsh language but also a certain style of missionary engagement. and are now common missiological parlance, and we have tried to embrace a more gracious, listening, tolerant posture, ably depicted in last year's lecture by Kosuke Koyama entitled 'Extend Hospitality to Strangers' -- A Missiology of Theologia Crucis.(1) This represents a significant conscientization, only for professional missionaries but (since mission is a defining characteristic of church) for all committed Christians. But is enough? Or is simply the dramatic opening chapter of a novel way of undertaking which is in fact as old as the way of Jesus? If so, we may need to pursue the deeper implications of hospitality to strangers (Gittins 1989, 1994; Kamperides 1990) and revisit the social setting of first-century Palestine and the texts that constitute a reference-point for our Imitatio Christi. Written by a professional theologian or biblical scholar but by a theological anthropologist and minister, this synthesis may need qualification and nuancing. Yet my quest is simply for a deeper appreciation of the call of Jesus to come and to go, and for implications and applications for those who earnestly want to be counted disciples today. For two millennia the search for the Christian vocation has led through the highways of scholarship where scriptures and history are scrutinized, and the byways of people's lives where bread is broken and memories are forged; today's itinerary favours the low road. According to Wilbert Shenk, recent theoretical insights on inculturation and contextualization (Hiebert 1987; Kraft 1981; Lingenfelter 1992; Schineller 1990; Schreiter 1985; Shorter 1988), have not addressed the role of the missionary in any definitive sense. An important unfinished part of the contextualization discussion is to grapple with the role of the outsider [and] the marginal as change agents in relation to the subject context (Shenk 1993:2). Today's focus is on the missionary role. Strangers, and hospitality The temptation to define absolutely or out of context, though seductive, must be resisted: is no such thing as an autonomous person outside of a relational field: the interacting pair is critical (Carrithers 1990:222). Nothing is self-contained; if there were such a thing as an unrelated individual, none of us would know it (Harrison 1981:50). Similarly with hospitality, which describes a social disposition.(2) In spite of many helpful insights, much recent literature has seriously underplayed or overlooked the essentially dyadic nature of strangerhood and hospitality (Hauerwas and Willimon 1989; Keifert 1992; Steimle 1979; Willimon and Hauerwas 1992). But a stranger cannot be defined except in relation to someone else; and without a guest (stranger) as well as a host there is no hospitality. It would be dangerously naive to imagine that strangers may be treated legitimately by the automatic application of predetermined policy, and quite fatuous to define and defend hospitality simply by reference to a host's good intentions. A stranger-centred missiology suggested by Koyama is without problems for constitutionally self-important people: might turn our focus on the stranger (which, though desirable, would be insufficient); or might mean putting the stranger at the centre (which is precisely where the stranger, by definition, is and should be! …