REVIEW | TRANSFORMING MISSION: Paradigm Shifts in the Theology of Mission

REVIEW | TRANSFORMING MISSION: Paradigm Shifts in the Theology of Mission

Author: David J. Bosch (2011) 

This article intends to analyze the writings of David J. Bosch in his book entitled “TRANSFORMING MISSION Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission:” This book review shall be presented in four (4) parts. First, is an introduction and a statement of the author’s intention for writing the book; secondly, a summary shall be presented about the major insights presented in this book. Thirdly, I shall present some comments and reactions that I had about the author and his writings. Last is the concluding part where I shall present my evaluation about the book in review, as well as my own opinion and understanding of “mission” as influenced by my readings in this book?

PART 1: INTRODUCTION AND AUTHOR’S INTENTION

 The first and foremost thing that is important to our analysis of this book is our understanding of why the book is entitled as such. What message does the book title “Transforming Mission” want to imply? As suggested by the author in its foreword, the title of his book is ambiguous. At one instance, “transforming” can be used as an adjective describing “mission.” In this case, mission is understood as an enterprise that transforms reality. On the other hand, “transforming” can, however, also be a present participle, the activity of transforming; of which “mission” is the object. Here, mission is not the enterprise that transforms reality, but something that is itself being transformed. 

The author relates that he at first had misgivings about using this title for his book. However, after thorough evaluation and discussion with his colleagues, he finally decided to use this as his book title. I may say that it is aptly titled, because the ambiguity in the book title in fact, reflects the subject matter of the book very accurately. Using the idea of “paradigm shifts,” Bosch attempts to demonstrate the extent to which the understanding and practice of mission have changed during the almost twenty centuries of Christian missionary history.

 The author’s main thesis is that, this process of “transformation” has not yet come to an end, and will, in fact, never come to an end. The author further suggests that we are at a time and place of one of the most important shifts in the understanding and practice of Christian missions. It is the author’s intention to convey the message that “mission remains as an indispensable dimension of the Christian faith and that, at its most profound level, its purpose is to transform the reality around it.”

PART 2: SUMMARY OF THE BOOK To set the background for the major theme that is being discussed in the book, David Bosch introduced the book with an “interim” definition of mission. There are thirteen elements in his definition:

 1. The Christian faith is intrinsically missionary, by its very nature, or it denies its very raison d’etre. 

2. Missiology is not neutral or disinterested enterprise, but views the world from the standpoint of Christian theology. 

 3. Ultimately, mission remains indefinable. It must be continually reassessed, and the most that can be done is to formulate some approximations of what missions is all about. 

 4. A necessary foundation for mission lies in God’s self- communication in Christ. 

 5. The Bible does not give a set of unchangeable laws of mission. Mission is an ambivalent enterprise which remains an act of faith. 

 6. The entire Christian existence is a missionary existence. 

 7. Theologically speaking, “foreign missions” is not a separate entity to home missions. Both are grounded in the gospel.

 8. Mission (singular) must be distinguished from missions (plural). Mission is God’s mission (missio Dei). Missions are particular forms of participation in God’s mission or the missionary ventures of the church (missiones ecclesiae). 

9. The missionary task is coherent, broad and deep; it includes the whole set of needs and aspects of human life. 10. Mission is thus God’s “Yes” to the world, as an expression of the Christian solidarity with society. 

11. Mission includes evangelism as one of its crucial elements. “Evangelism is the proclamation of salvation in Christ to those who do not believe in him, calling them to repentance and conversion, announcing forgiveness of sins, and inviting them to become living members of Christ’s earthly community and to begin a life of service to others in the power of the Holy Spirit.” 

12. Mission is also God’s “No” to the world, as an expression of our opposition to and engagement with the world.  

13. The church-in-mission may be described in terms of sacrament and sign. It is a sign in the sense of pointer, symbol, example or model. It is a sacrament in the sense of mediation, representation, or anticipation.

New Testament Models of Mission

 In the first part of the book, the author first surveyed the New Testament model of mission, claiming that the advent of Jesus of Nazareth marked a significant change in the concept of mission as understood in the Old Testament. Jesus’ ministry was characterized by inclusiveness and breaking down barriers between people. Jesus’ goal was directed toward all Israel rather than only the remnant of the faithful. Furthermore, Bosch has attempted to introduce the reader to the ways in which three important early Christian witnesses (Matthew, Luke and Paul) understood the event of Jesus Christ and, flowing from this, the church’s responsibility toward the world.  

In the case of Matthew, Bosch paid much attention to our understanding of the Great Commission text (Matthew 28:18-20). The author makes the point that this most well-known missionary text cannot be divorced from the rest of Matthew’s gospel. Contemporary scholars all agree on this, that the Great Commission has to be interpreted against the background of Matthew’s gospel as a whole and unless we keep this in mind, we shall fail to understand it. We cannot deduce a universally valid missionary theory from Matthew’s gospel; however, we are challenged to look into the same direction as Matthew does: that using Jesus’ earthy ministry, death and resurrection, the “road” of mission to the Gentiles is open. In Matthew’s view, Christians find their true identity when they are involved in mission, in communicating to others a new way of life, a new interpretation of reality and of God, and in committing themselves to the liberation and salvation of others. 

In the case of Luke, his understanding of mission highlights repentance and forgiveness of sins as well as economic justice and peace-making. Luke’s interpretation of Isaiah 61 has been in recent years become very prominent in the debate about a Biblical foundation for mission; most especially in conciliar and liberation theology circles. However, what is more interesting in Luke’s interpretation is that he has left out the vengeance part of Isaiah 61. Luke portrayed Jesus as a God of compassion even to those of the enemies. Hence, it is said that Luke 4:16-21 has, has for practical purposes, replaced Matthew’s “Great Commission” as the key text not only for understanding Christ’s own mission but also that of the church. Finally, Bosch has also explained Luke’s perspective of salvation, which includes six dimensions: economic, social, political, physical, psychological and spiritual.

In the case of Paul, the author first acknowledged the fact that these days; it is already widely acknowledged that Paul was the first Christian theologian precisely because he was the first Christian missionary. Paul’s “theology of mission is practically synonymous with the totality of his awesome reflections on Christian life” and is “practically coextensive with his entire Christian vision. Paul’s theology and his mission do not simply relate to each as a “theory and practice” in the sense that his mission “flows from his theology, but rather in the sense that his theology is a missionary theology.” Having made this clear, the author then went on to identify the characteristics of Paul’s missionary paradigm, as follows:

1) The Church as New Community. The churches that have come into existence as a consequence of Paul’s mission find themselves in a world divided culturally, religiously, economically, and socially. Despite this, Paul insisted on the unity of the one body, in spite of all the differences. Unity of the church is non-negotiable, because being the vanguard of the new creation; it needs to reflect the values of God’s coming world.

2) A Mission to Jews? What Paul says in Roman 9-11, still remains sufficiently ambiguous. However, despite the ambiguity, it is important to keep in mind that any Christian witness to Jews has to be borne in a spirit of profound sensitivity and humility.

3) Mission in the Context of God’s Imminent Triumph. Paul’s perspective of mission focuses on the church as an eschatological community which works for the improvement of society while awaiting the ultimate renewal of all things with the Parousia. However, more than nineteen centuries have come and gone since Paul proclaimed the impeding end of the world without his expectation being fulfilled. As a result, there has been a widespread disillusionment with Paul in ecclesiastical and theological circles. Taking this into consideration, David Bosch has in his writing emphasized the importance of keeping a good balance between the beckoning power of God’s coming triumph without losing ourselves either in chronological speculations or in a denial of the coming actualization of God’s promise. With Paul, we must expect an ultimate resolution to the contradictions and sufferings of life in the coming triumph of God, because our life as Christians is only real when it is anchored in the sure knowledge of God’s victory.

4) Mission and the Transformation of Society. Believing in God’s sure victory in the end, Paul emphasizes not ethical passivity but active participation in God’s redemptive will in the here and now. Christians can combat the oppressive structures of the powers of sin and death, which in our world cry out for God’s world of justice and peace. For Paul, we Christians must erect in the here and now and in the teeth of those structures, the signs of God’s new world.

5) Mission in Weakness. Paul does not permit his readers an illusory escape from the sufferings, weakness, and death of the present hour, with his proclamation of Christ’s ultimate victory. In fact, to Paul, suffering is a mode of missionary involvement. Suffering is not just something that has to be endured passively, but is also an expression of the church’s active engagement with the world for the sake of the world’s redemption 

6) The Aims of Mission. Important as the church is, it is for Paul, not the ultimate aim of mission. Its ultimate aim is to proclaim the universality of the gospel, which is to herald God’s saving victory over his creation.

Historical Paradigms of Mission 

The second part of the book attempts to write about the meaning of mission for our own time, keeping in mind that today’s present era is fundamentally different from the period in which Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul wrote for the sake of the first and second generation of Christians. With the freedom bestowed on us, it is deemed necessary to prolong the logic of the ministry of Jesus and the early church in an imaginative and creative way to our own time and context.

In examining the history of “mission”, Bosch noted that until the sixteenth century, the term was used exclusively with reference to the doctrine of the Trinity. The Jesuits introduced the word into the vocabulary of the spreading of the faith. The new expansion of the faith throughout the world in the following period was closely associated with European colonial expansion into the non-Western world. However, more recently the assumptions which underlay this missionary expansion have been modified, questioned and in some cases abandoned altogether.

The bulk of the discussions in the second part of the book draw upon the work of Hans Kung and Thomas Kuhn. Bosch makes a theological application of Thomas Kuhn’s theory of scientific paradigm shifts, claiming that the six historical periods in the history of the church were each characterized by a particular theological paradigm. He points out that theological paradigm, unlike their scientific counterparts, do not make a complete break with old ideas. Sometimes elements from older paradigms are incorporated into new ones. Old and new paradigms can often exist simultaneously among different groups of believers. Occasionally an old paradigm is rediscovered by a later generation.

The six paradigms identified are as follows: 1) The apocalyptic paradigm of primitive Christianity, 2) The Hellenistic paradigm of the patristic period, 3) The medieval Roman Catholic paradigm, 4) The Protestant Reformation paradigm, 5) The modern Enlightenment paradigm, and 6) The emerging ecumenical paradigm.

Kung suggests that each of these six periods reveal a peculiar understanding of the Christian faith; and Bosch adds that each also offers a distinctive understanding of Christian mission. Briefly, here are the key features that characterize the understanding of mission in each of these paradigms:

 The Eastern Church

In Orthodox thinking, mission is thoroughly church-centered. This “ecclesial character” of mission means “that the Church is the aim, the fulfillment of the Gospel, rather than an instrument or means of mission.” It is ecclesiology which determines missiology. Another crucial element in Orthodox missiology is the place of liturgy. For it proclaims the gospel through doxology and liturgy. The witnessing community is a community in worship. Finally, in its deepest sense, Orthodox mission is founded on the love of God; hence, its Biblical motif would be that of John 3:16.

The Medieval Roman Catholic

If the missionary text of the Eastern Orthodox paradigm was John 3:16, the Roman Catholic paradigm seems to draw implicitly (or explicitly) from Luke 12:23 … “and compel them to come in.” This kind of mentality dominated the missionary thinking of that epoch. They argued that there was not salvation outside the formal membership of the Roman Catholic Church. The missionary image at this time may seem a negative one, but David Bosch points out to his readers that it had its positive contributions as well. He further pointed out that we need to realize that it was only logical that things developed the way they did. Given the particular circumstances of that time, the actions undertaken by the church were inevitable. So as we criticize our spiritual forebears, we must remind ourselves that “we would not have done any better than they did.”

The Protestant Reformation 

It is said that the missionary text which embodies this period is that of Romans 1:16; representing Luther’s realization that God’s righteousness did not mean God’s punishment and wrath, but his gift of grace and mercy, in which the individual may appropriate faith. Looking into the first two centuries of Protestantism, Bosch noted that the Protestant missionary paradigm tended to fluctuate between various extremes: Among these extremes are: 1) The tension between the emphasis on the sovereignty of God and that of human accountability; 2) The conflict between the view of man’s sinfulness and the emphasis on Christ’s love for lost humansthat people were judged to be redeemable and worthy of redemption; 3) Emphasis on the objective nature of faith versus the subjective and experiential side of religion; 4) The Protestant’s tendency to build a close liaison between church and state; and the breakaway from this framework as demonstrated by the Anabaptists, the Pietists, and other exponents of the second Reformation; and 5) difference between Calvinism and Lutheranism on their emphasis regarding the rule of Christ in society at large. 

Enlightenment 

Moving on to the missionary paradigm of the Enlightenment era, the situation becomes more ambiguous. This certainly has to do with the fact that during this period, mission was much more diverse and multifaceted than ever before. Among the missionary texts, depicting this period are: Acts 16:9, Matthew 24:14; John 10:10 and Matthew 28:18-20. At this time, there were many, and varied motifs of mission: the glory of God, the sense of urgency with the coming of the new millennium, the love of Christ, compassion for the eternally lost, a sense of duty, awareness of cultural superiority, competition with Catholic missionary efforts … all these have blended together in forming the enlightenment picture of mission. 

TOWARD A RELEVANT MISSIOLOGY

The concluding part of the book outlines elements in a post-modern ecumenical missionary paradigm. These include: Mission as the church-with-others; as missio dei; as mediating salvation; as the quest for justice; as evangelism; as contextualization; as liberation; as inculturation; as common witness; as ministry by the whole people of God; as witness to people of other living faiths; as theology; and as action in hope.   

Bosch offers a profile of what mission is, in terms of six aspects of Christ’s ministry. Bosch emphasizes that mission is ultimately multidimensional. The contours of these many dimensions are shaped by six major “salvific events” chronicled in the New Testament. These are:

1. The Incarnation, by which he fully experienced the challenges and struggles of being human. As seen in Jesus’ model of traveling the dusty roads of Palestine and having compassion on the marginalized, the example of Jesus Christ is our key for the future. Throughout history, mission has thrived when the poor are loved.

2. The Crucifixion, which signifies the completeness of his service and self-sacrifice. The Crossof Christ is a symbol both for the forgiveness of sin and as a model of life. The cross of Jesus is the badge of distinction of the Christian faith. The scars of the risen Lord are marks of distinction and the missional church should bear the scars of self-emptying service under the Cross.

3. The Resurrection, which conveys a message of victory and hope for humankind.

4. The Ascension, not only celebrates Christ’s enthronement and the rule of the kingdom of God; it also calls Christians to work for a new order here on the earth which issues from above.

5. The Pentecost, which inaugurated the era of the church as a distinct community where social renewal is made manifest. It also revealed the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of boldness for witness to all nations.

6. The Parousia, which sets the sights of the church on the imminent and full realization of God’s reign. It gives hope to humankind as it reminds the church that the world is not its home. His insights about how these great salvific events affect the nature and method of our mission are very suggestive. And these can serve to guide the missional church into transforming mission. In the concluding part of the book, Bosch also identifies a major crisis in mission itself that has to do with the authority, aims and nature of the mission. This crisis is linked with a wider crisis in the church at large. His analysis of this crisis is very informative. He lists the following elements: 

The West, which was for more than a millennium became the home of Christianity, has already lost its dominant position in the world. Peoples in all parts of the world strive for liberation from what is experienced as the stranglehold of the West. 

The steady de-Christianizing of the West – the traditional base of the whole modern missionary enterprise.

A change from a world divided into “Christian” and “non-Christian”, to a religiously pluralist world in which the followers of some faiths are more aggressively missionary than many Christians.

The guilt of Western Christians because of their involvement in the subjugation and exploitation of colored peoples. 

The increasing gap between rich and poor, and the fact that the rich are those who consider themselves to be Christians; which lead to anger and frustration on the part of the poor, and a reluctance on the part of affluent Christians to share their faith.

Western ecclesial ways and Western theology are now suspect and have been by and large replaced by various indigenous practices and theologies in the “third world.” This has added to the confusion in the Western church. 

In this analysis, Bosch attempts to show a way forward and provide a paradigm for a mission practice that takes modern realities into account. 

Bosch concludes by raising again the modern criticisms of mission, exemplified in John Mott’s question asked before the Edinburgh Conference, “Do you consider that we now have on the home field a type of Christianity which should be propagated all over the world?” Bosch rejects the idea that mission is merely western colonialism in disguise, and points to its origin in the Missio Dei. It is not the church which undertakes mission but the Missio Dei which constitutes the church – and purifies it. “…mission is, quite simply, the participation of Christians in the liberating mission of Jesus, wagering on a future that verifiable experience seems to belie. It is the good news of God’s love, incarnated in the witness of a community, for the sake of the world.”

PART 3: COMMENTS ABOUT THE BOOK /AUTHOR

On the onset, I would like to say that the book in review was an insightful piece of academic writing. After reading and studying the book, I should say that I have grasped a holistic view of missions. His many years of service on the field as a missionary, coupled with his extensive theological training, gave him many valuable insights into his subject matter. This richness in knowledge and experience is what he shares with his readers, in order that we might have a holistic grasp of what “mission” is all about. To quote from Gerald H. Anderson, This book’s importance goes beyond the awards and citation it has received (i.e., one of the fifteen outstanding books of 1991 for mission studies). As Anderson said, transforming Mission is a class by itself. It has become a standard reference in studies of the Christian world mission, perhaps the most widely used textbook in mission courses. David Bosch’s magnum opus has indeed become his enduring legacy to all who seek to understand, to serve, and to spread the cause of Christ in the world. Through this book, Bosch’s contribution and influence in mission studies became globally immense. 

One thing that I appreciate about this book is that, Bosch has not only brought profound Biblical insights to his missiology; but in addition to this, he also showed a great depth of historical and anthropological knowledge. His researches and cross-references were so extensive; that made me admire the depth, extent and comprehensiveness of his scholarly works. Though the book is very dense, and could be described as a slow reading material, I have also noticed that Bosch is also a writer who can be skimmed well. His writing is very structured, allowing a more casual reader to skim through some of the more dense sections without losing important content while still being able to converse with a more academic reader who pays careful attention to the details as well. But the most important of all is that Bosch as a writer is very clear and definitive in his assertions and he makes sure that he leaves his readers with many words of challenge to the Church of today, with regards to its activity or inactivity as is so often the case. Indeed, this book is a cornerstone for studies in missional theology. David Bosch gives a thorough analysis of Christian mission movement throughout history, starting from the Biblical foundations for missions and moving through six paradigms he identifies throughout history, and finally giving his propositions toward a relevant missiology for our contemporary times. As such, it is no denying the fact that this book has been highly acclaimed and is recognized as a monumental, magisterial work and superb teaching tool. Transforming Mission is a mighty work, which deserves to be read not only by clergies and theologians, rather it is for all who are thinking and planning in any area of the church’s mission. For anyone who takes mission seriously in the church, this is a must-read book. 

PART 4: CONCLUSION 

After reading the book, here are some of major insights and challenges that I’ve gained. First, I was enlightened as to the fact, that over the two thousand years history of the Christian faith, Christians from within their own contexts have wrestled with the question of what the Christian faith and the Christian mission meant to them. Needless to say, all of them believed and argued that their understanding of the faith and of the church’s mission was faithful to God’s intent. They have also believed that their understanding was “objectively” accurate and, in effect, the only authentic rendering of Christianity. This then serves as a warning that such an attitude is a “dangerous illusion.” It is an illusion to believe that we can penetrate to a pure gospel unaffected by any cultural and other human accretions. I am inspired with the author’s encouragement for us to live in humility concerning our ability to properly interpret the Gospel for our age. Bosch sees the “mistakes of the past” as the church’s faithful attempt to interpret the Gospel for their era. He sees this as the church being “incarnational” and calls us not to lament the past “failures” of Christianity. In fact, it embodies an inherent feature of the Christian faith, since it concerns the “Word made flesh.” Secondly, I am in agreement with Bosch that indeed, we live in a world fundamentally different from that of the nineteenth century, let alone earlier times. The new situation we are in, challenges us, across the board, to an appropriate response. However, we must realize that the magnitude of today’s challenge can really only be appreciated if viewed against the backdrop of almost twenty centuries of church history. We need the perspectives of the past in order to appreciate the scope of the present challenge and to be able really to understand the world today. Like the Israelites, who needed to remind themselves in every period of crisis of their deliverance from Egypt, their wanderings in the wilderness, and their covenant with God, we too, need to be reminded of our roots, not only in order that we might have consolation but even more that we might find direction. As David Bosch gives us a formable picture of the past, present and future of mission, he does not hide the mistakes of the past, the difficulties of the present or the fears of the future, yet this book is full of optimism. The author believes, as I also do believe, in the power of the Gospel for the last, the least and the lost. Finally, as theologians and church minister living in these contemporary times, this book reminds us that we are challenged to practice a transformational hermeneutics and a theological response which transforms us first, before we involve ourselves in mission to the world.