Preaching and Living Out the Gospel: A Confessional Reformed Theology of Mission

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the reception of the missio Dei paradigm in the Eastern Orthodox theology of mission. We will start with a short presentation of the genesis of the concept, and we will continue with its reception in the Protestant and Roman Catholic theology, as well as in the Eastern Orthodox thinking. The paper attempts to demonstrate that the contemporary way to understand the missionary theology and practice is in accordance with the Orthodox traditional missionary theology. At the same time, the article emphasizes the fact that the reception of missio Dei is connected with the view that different ecclesiastical bodies have about church itself. The conclusion includes some practical remarks about ways of applying the concept in the contemporary ecumenical missiology and in the field of spiritual missiology.

The Wirkungsgeschichte of Matthew 28:16–20 in volkschristianisierende missiology This article enters into the matter of the paradox particularism - universalism as a Matthaean issue in a theology of mission which aims at the christianiazation of the own people internally, but is also directed externally towards the nations. The emphasis is laid on the history of interpretation of Matthew 28:16–20 in the missiology of the Nederduitsch Hervormde Church, one of the three Afrikaans Churches in South Africa, and the missiology of the German pioneer, Gustav Warneck. Modern viewpoints of Matthaean scholars have also been considered. Matthew 28:16–20 does not have a gentile mission as such in mind and a volkskirchliche missiology can conditionally be validated. However, a national exclusive membership of a peoples' church is not the offset of these two suppositions.

The nature of oikoumene has constantly challenged a Christendom‐oriented lineal understanding of mission. The environment of doing theology of mission has changed from the denominational to the ecumenical era, from the Eurocentric to the global context, and from the mechanistic domination of the world to the age of ecological worldwide community; and the paradigm of mission has changed from evangelization to shalom, from missio ecclesiae to missio Dei, and from monologue to dialogue. Critically thinking of the dominant milieu of the people which challenges the church to transform her way of participation in the world, the church must discern the socio‐political and religio‐cultural biographies of the people as the most important language of people‐ and life‐centric missio Dei. The primary missiological question should be, then, not what God is doing with the church, but rather what God is doing with the people and creation. In the course of answering this question, the church may discern where the Spirit is at work and how to respond to it. The following article is an attempt to seek a Korean way of imitatio missionis Christi in terms of finding a contextualized spirituality and a strategy of a transforming discipleship.

Personal reflection It was a great privilege as vice-moderator of the WCC Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (WCC-CWME) from 2007--2013 to be asked to chair the drafting group for the planned new policy statement on mission and evangelism, and I hope I may be allowed a few moments to reminisce about that experience. During the previous CWME, preparing the statement and getting it through the relevant processes became our main work. The first stage was to determine our priorities for the document. Since we could not cover all the many facets of mission, we had to select what we could agree were the priorities for mission in today's landscape. Looking back at the only previous statement from 1982, "Mission and Evangelism: An Ecumenical Affirmation," it was clear that the global landscape had altered significantly. (2) The year 1982 came before the end of the Cold War and the onset of globalization, before 9/11 and the so-called "clash of civilisations," (3) and in many other respects it seemed a long time ago. In the light of this, our mission priorities needed rethinking. Once we had decided these at the commission meeting in Bangalore in 2008--marginalization, evangelism, ecclesiology, and mission spirituality--we divided into groups to work on them. Each group held consultations to inform its writing. I was privileged to contribute to a meeting in Manila in July 2011 to discuss mission and pneumatology, another on church and mission in Geneva in May 2011, and a third on mission spirituality in Jamaica that same month. Our joint conference with the Faith and Order Commission in Hungary in 2009 supported the work on ecclesiology, the Edinburgh 2010 project and conference helped to frame our ideas ecumenically, and several other WCC initiatives also fed into our work. It was daunting to receive the first reports from the groups and to try and work out how to put them together as a coherent whole. What is more, each part needed to be approved by the rest of the 25-member commission and the discussions threw up fascinating theological and missiological issues at every turn. Finally, one weekend in Geneva in 2011, the moderator Bishop George Varghese mor Coorilos, secretary Revd Dr Jooseop Keum, and I finalized the introduction and conclusion--initially drafted by Dr Keum--and then the complete draft document could be circulated for the commission's approval. The pre-assembly conference on mission and evangelism in Manila in March 2012 was the most exciting part of the process for me. The draft document was examined and tested by 250 mission practitioners and scholars over five days. In the wonderful atmosphere created by the Philippine Council of Churches, the new statement met with general affirmation and the scrutiny bore fruit in many constructive suggestions that were implemented by a further revision group led by Revd Dr Kenneth Ross. Then at the end of August that year it was my privilege to present the document to the WCC central committee meeting in Crete, and it was to my great relief that I heard it was accepted as official WCC policy. Finally, at the WCC general assembly in Busan in South Korea in 2013, I moderated the plenary on mission--the first for 21 years--at which the message of Together towards Life was introduced to the churches. I believe the success of this document owes a great deal to the forethought of Revd Jacques Matthey, the former commission secretary, to the careful steering and energetic leadership of Dr Jooseop Keum, and to the moderation of Bishop Mor Coorilos. It has been a great honour to contribute. Significance of Together towards Life for missiological education What is the significance of Together towards Life for missiological education? I believe we should see its significance in three main ways: in its novel pneumatological approach, in the ecumenical consensus it represents, and in its use of the world Christianity paradigm. …

A question sent over by the Christian ministers from East-India: The Synod of Dordt (1618–1619), mission and the baptism of children born of non-Christian parents: It is well-known that the renowned Synod of Dordt (1618–1619) decided that children, born of non-Christian (ethnici) parents, but adopted into Christian house holdings in East-India, should not be baptised, unless foundational teaching in the Christian doctrine and confession of faith occurred. It was a decision of theological, ecclesiastical and historical consequence, also for the church in Africa. The decision was taken by a majority vote, since the issue divided the Synod. It gave effect to one of the most significant theological debates in the Synod. The article traces the dispute, with consideration of the differentiating views that arose among the delegates as it was recorded in the original acts of the Synod. The decision had after-effects and repercussions. It would be instrumental in shaping the character of the church in a non-Christian colonial context. The article indicates that the effects of the decision were not necessarily carried by the theology of mission, formulated in such an inspiring way by the Canons of Dordt.

This article examines the hypothesis proposed by missiologist Johannes Reimer that Ivan Prokhanov, the founder of the missionary movement in Russia in the early 20th century, anticipated and, to some extent, embodied the emerging missional paradigm articulated by David Bosch in 1991, approximately 60–70 years later. The article argues that Reimer’s intuition was largely correct, as Prokhanov significantly aligned with at least 9 of the 13 elements identified by Bosch. Furthermore, it suggests that the correlation between the views of Prokhanov and Bosch can be explained by their shared epistemological orientation towards the New Testament missional paradigm, particularly the paradigm of Matthew, Luke and Paul, as described by Bosch.Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: According to this hypothesis, Bosch’s analysis of the historical development of missional theology traces the deviation from the apostolic paradigm established by these New Testament authors, with the emerging missional paradigm representing a partial return to that original framework. For Prokhanov, New Testament missiology was the foundational basis of his mission theology.

Introduction: Dental photography is an auxiliary method for clinical diagnostic patient service, education, as well as a method for clinical comparisons. It is an implemented in science medium after its discovery in 1840 when DonnA¨ and Foucault took a photograph of cross-section of bones and teeth. Before its discovery, visual presentations of medical or dental manipulations in journals, medical lectures or medical literature books were made by medical illustrations. The dental photography ones with higher quality and more credible are of great significance to the education, communication and comparison studies in contemporary dental medicine. The aim of the current scientific study is to clarify the basic guidelines and requirements for images in dental medicine. Materials and Methods: Data from scientific journals, articles and textbooks has been researched and compared. The research is done electronically and the following keywords have been used: `images in medicine`, `dental photography requirements`. The groundwork method used is analysis of literature data. Results: The fundamental requirements towards the images for dental and medical purposes are authenticity and quality imaging. Achieving that goal in dental medicine is done by using the right equipment and certain image standards. Only then, images could be compared and the results analyzed. The fundamental requirements are: image sharpness, standard image frame size, right image exposure, and correct color rendition. Using the right contrast for extraoral images is of great essential. A mirror system is fundamental when taking images intraorally. Conclusions: In contemporary dental medicine using dental photography fulfills the requirements of authentic imaging only when using the right equipment to achieve this goal.

This paper explores the life and ministry of Robert James McCracken, a pastor and theologian from Scotland whose ministry in Scotland, Canada and New York City illustrates the importance of a theology of mission that connects the gospel of Jesus Christ with the contemporary world.

ResumenA la luz del reciente documento de la Comisión Teológica Internacional, el autor desarrolla en este artículo algunas breves observaciones sobre la teología de la imagen de Dios (imago Dei) y su íntima relación con la ley natural.En este sentido, expone el itinerario de dicha relación indicando algunos aspectos históricos más significativos: desde el pensamiento patrístico, pasando por la gran escolástica medieval, hasta alcanzar la teología y el magisterio contemporáneos, en los que esa doctrina fundamental está pasando a ocupar de nuevo el lugar relevante que le corresponde.

An intense discussion of the nature and purpose of theological education has insufficiently regarded the vital importance of the missionary perspective. This article reviews the contemporary debate about theological education with special reference to the contributions of Edward Farley and David Kelsey. The prevailing paradigms of “Berlin” and “Athens” need to be complemented through the perspective of “Tranquebar.” Through a critical appreciation of the work of Bartholomaeus Ziegenbalg (1682‐1719), the retrieval of a fresh and urgently needed missionary paradigm can be facilitated for the contemporary work of theological education. Ziegenbalg demonstrated attentiveness to local culture, collected and cataloged perspectives on South Indian deities, respected the dignity of the Tamil people, and embodied a vibrant theology of mission. The implications of his contribution are translated into an agenda for theological education today and are illustrated through the example of one particular theological school.

The article is a comprehensive analysis of the struggles and challenges faced by Ukrainian evangelicals in the wake of the Russian aggression against Ukraine between 2022 and 2024. This analysis focuses on how the ongoing war has impacted the church’s overall mission and how it has adapted to a rapidly changing political and social environment. The author argues that with Ukrainian society experiencing significant social and existential challenges due to the ongoing war, the traditional model of mission work that solely focuses on evangelism and promoting Christian values as a counter to “neo-Marxist gender ideology” is gradually being replaced by a more holistic and inclusive approach to missionary theology and practice. This new approach emphasizes compassion, solidarity, social responsibility, and a prophetic vision for Ukrainian society after the war. Through this article, the author hopes to deepen understanding of how the role and mission of the Ukrainian Evangelical Church have evolved recently and outline a concept of missional theology that can be relevant for other communities facing significant social, economic, and political challenges.

This article on the mission theology of the church, a personal perspective by the vice‐moderator of CWME, draws on documentation produced by the commission and also responds to the Faith and Order document, The Nature and Mission of the Church. It is based on the trinitarian paradigm of mission referred to as missio Dei, which emphasizes the priority of God's sending activity in the world, by the Son and the Spirit, and the contingency of the church and its mission activities upon that. Therefore, it is concerned with the participation of the church in God's mission to and in the world, and from this perspective, has a particular interest with the actual, empirical church rather than the ideal church, recognizing that the church exists in many different forms in particular social, cultural, economic and political contexts. The article argues that the church is “missionary by its very nature”. Both theologically and empirically, it is impossible to separate the church from mission. Indeed mission is the very life of the church and the church is missionary by its very nature the Spirit of Christ breathed into the disciples at the same time as he sent them into the world. The mission theology of the church as it has developed in ecumenical discussion over the 20th and early 21st centuries is discussed in terms of the relationship of the church to the three persons of the Trinity: as foretaste of the kingdom of God; as the body of Christ; and as a movement of the Spirit. The article shows that being in mission is to cross the usual boundaries and bring new perspectives from outside to bear, and this is a never‐ending, enriching process.

Reviewed by: God's Two Words: Law and Gospel in the Lutheran and Reformed Traditions ed. by Jonathan A. Linebaugh H. George Anderson God's Two Words: Law and Gospel in the Lutheran and Reformed Traditions. Edited by Jonathan A. Linebaugh. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2018. 253 pp. In 1549 Thomas Cranmer, seeking to forge a united front of reformers, invited Melanchthon, Calvin, and others to join him in producing "some work that should embrace the chief subjects of ecclesiastical doctrine." Cranmer's project fell apart, but in 2016 Jonathan Linebaugh gathered representatives of Lutheran and Reformed traditions to explore two of those "chief subjects"—law and gospel. This book presents ten papers from that colloquium. [End Page 203] The authors represent the conservative wings of both traditions. Introductory essays present classic definitions of law and gospel from the Apology of the Augsburg Confession and the Formula of Concord and, for the Reformed, the Leiden Synopsis and the Westminster Confession of Faith. However, both Piotr Malysz' essay on the law (15–44) and Charles Arand's exegesis of the Apology on the gospel promise (65–83) prefer Luther's insights to later formulations. Arand interprets the Apology through Luther's "happy exchange" and Malysz argues that the Formula "loses sight" of Luther's dynamic view of existence as simul iustus et peccator. The Reformed authors seem more interested in restating their tradition than in reinterpreting it. Erik Herrmann's essay on "A Lutheran Response to the Reformed Tradition" (155–182) is a good place to start in understanding how the two strands originated and how they have produced two different theological structures. Using Otto Herman Pesch's categories of "sapiential" and "existential" Herrmann describes the Reformed approach as sapiential—"an invitation to contemplate the vision of God's glory and thus "enjoy him forever" while for Luther "The wisdom of the cross calls us to forgo the lofty vistas." He continues, "Whereas Luther was fixed on the scriptures as divine address and the Word of God as viva vox, Calvin could with equal force portray the scriptures as 'spectacles'" (179–180). This broad distinction is borne out in several of the other essays. One gets the impression that Reformed theology emphasizes the broad sweep of God's action from Eden to the eschaton, while Lutherans focus on the critical moment between God and the sinner. In his chapter on "The Law-Gospel Distinction in Lutheran Theology and Ministry" Steven Paulson celebrates the difference: "Gospel does not describe God's essence, but gives the one thing that sinners can actually use: the forgiveness of sins" (119). Summarizing the two approaches from his Reformed perspective Kevin Vanhoozer suggests "Whereas for Lutherans preaching the law/gospel dialectic provokes an existential crisis, the Reformed "see the law/gospel distinction as something that can be taught (learned) and walked (lived)" (227). Two concluding chapters of "Reflections" summarize the contrasting positions without turning up the confessional heat. Mark [End Page 204] Mattes (197–219) highlights the differences between a Reformed covenantal theology and a Lutheran distinction between law and gospel. He concludes, however, that "Both traditions would be wise to acknowledge where the other has an edge in the contemporary world" (218). The Reformed vision of a life led to the glory of God can be a bracing antidote to the sense of purposelessness that enervates a society of "unencumbered selves." Lutherans, on the other hand, can offer "a healthy dosage of mercy" to those broken souls who have been burdened by a religion of rules. Vanhoozer (220–238) provides a Reformed perspective by noting that "the Reformed tend to focus on salvation history that begins with humans as creatures (i.e., Genesis) and hence under a law that expresses God's will as a "perfect rule for righteousness." Conversely, Lutherans tend to focus on salvation history that begins with humans as sinners (i.e., Galatians), and hence under the law that kills and condemns" (223f). He then draws implications for other theological issues and proposes further dialogue. "It may take two or more theological frameworks to do justice to the truth of Scripture's testimony, just as it took four gospels to tell the one story...

This article examines Chapter Three of Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, specifically his explanation of the meaning of the of God to proclaim the gospel throughout the world of which the church is custodian. Chapter Three addresses the issue of evangelising in the context of the contemporary world. In a subtle but clear way, it paints a contrast between previous approaches to evangelisation with their shortcomings and the callfor fresh ones, or a new evangelisation. In the physical centre of the document, Chapter Three of Evangelii Gaudium ties together the discussion on the contemporary challenges facing in the first two chapters, and the practical needs of the undertaking in the last two. It emphasises the necessity of comprehensive inculturation with reference to pertaining to evangelisation. Finally, it offers guidelines about preaching an effective homily, an important dimension of ongoing catechesis and church transformation. Introduction: Missionary Nature of the Church An essential aspect of the Christian faith and church is the instruction to go and make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19-20, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8). Throughout the Christian centuries, this mandate has generally been understood to derive from the mind and will of the resurrected Jesus Christ himself. With only sporadic and minor exceptions, the directive has rarely been disputed, but has rather received universal acceptance within the church. Actually, historically, it defines the church's identity. thinking of the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965)--in particular, the documents on the church (Fumen Gentium), the church in the modern world (Gaudium et Spes), and the church's missionary activity (Ad Gentes)--identifies the church with its evangelizing duty. council begins to understand the church openly as an entity existing to carry out God's of salvation, a sense that has consistently characterized the church's self-perception as well as that of others toward it. Thus Vatican II affirms in the same vein, The pilgrim Church is missionary by her very nature, since it is from the of the Son and the of the Holy Spirit that she draws her origin, in accordance with the decree of God the Father (1)([paragraph] 2). Pope Francis' recent apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (EG), (2) describes Jesus' instruction to the church to proclaim the gospel, to teach everything I have commanded you (Matt. 28:20) as a fundamental character of the church, which, therefore, has to be permanently in a state of mission ([paragraph] 25). (3) Specifically in Chapter Three, which forms the subject of this review, he details the meaning and method of for today. Background of Chapter Three of Evangelii Gaudium Whereas the mandate to the church to proclaim the gospel everywhere and make disciples is indisputable, there has been considerable debate about the historical methods of or approaches to mission. Specifically, since the beginning of the 20th century, the discussion critiqued mental perceptions as well as predominant practical procedures employed previously in the endeavour. examination of these methods gradually led to a significant shift in attitudes toward Christian mission. criticism of missionary attitudes and methods originated in secular sources, external to the church. increasing awareness in the world of the human and cultural dignity of all peoples, regardless of cultural and other differences, constituted the foundation of this dissatisfaction, the weight of which the church could not ignore. For example, this recognition challenged the outlook of missionary agents from Europe in the regions of the global South, who had held the peoples and cultures of those to whom they were proclaiming the gospel in very low esteem. Consecrating their own cultures as the only vehicle for the intellectual translation and concrete expression and appropriation of Jesus' message, most early evangelizers of non-European populations inadvertently fell into the trap of what Pope Francis characterizes as more fanaticism than true evangelizing zeal ([paragraph] 117). …

This paper presents the initial results of an investigation into the current awareness and perceptions of equity issues amongst academic staff working on a postgraduate learning and teaching course for teachers in tertiary education in the Republic of Ireland. The study is set in the contemporary landscape of discourses around equality, egalitarianism and equity in education generally