'As the Father has sent me, I am sending you': J.E. Lesslie Newbigin's missionary ecclesiology'

A random Aussie Salvo officer makes a connection with me because he'd stumbled across URBANarmy. We have a email conversation out of which he recommends this:

Goheen, M.W. (2001) 'As the Father has sent me, I am sending you': J.E. Lesslie Newbigin's missionary ecclesiology'

OK I admit that blogging scores high on geek factor but you can't knock those kind of connections - thanks Wayne.

You can get it here

You can listen to Michael Goheen here and here.

Here is the abstract to whet your appetite.

In the 19th century missionary advocates argued that cross-cultural mission would bring a reflex action that would benefit the Western church. The mission impulse would rebound back on the sending church and it would reap benefits of this missionary activity. Today in the post-colonial period this dynamic is becoming increasingly evident. Western theology, liturgy, and ecclesial structures and practice, were formed in a time when the church did not understand her missionary nature. Today we are beginning to understand that mission is not simply one activity of the church but belongs to the very core of its existence. This insight is beginning to revolutionize theology and ecclesial life. Lesslie Newbigin embodies reflex action.= From forty years of missionary experience in India he brings the Biblical perspective of mission to bear on the Western church. This book examines Newbigin's missionary ecclesiology elaborating the relation of the church to the mission of God, to its own nature and calling, and to its religio-cultural context. It is a call to rethink our ecclesiology and church practice in Western culture.

Comments

Stephen said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
9:24 AM
Anonymous said…
I remember working at the Anglican Communion Office in London when the news of Bishop Newbigin's death came through and the conversations that ensued with at least one colleague! Incredible man of God with a tremendous amount of insight. I'll look forward to reading Goheen's thoughts!
1:07 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A bit of sally bashing....

Came across a good bit of Sally bashing over at salvationsoldiers I have to say we try and make sure that everything we raise goes into projects that build local community in Poplar but hopefully if you read this blog you get that sense anyway.
Read more

Lost Voices of Mission...Fred Brown

Image
Along the world famous Oxford street in London's Westend; nestled in among the classy frontage of designer shops there is almost an unnoticeable, unimpressive wooden door. It is more or less alongside The Regent Hall's main entrance onto the busyness of Oxford Street. People pass the wooden door oblivious to the equally unimpressive wooden steps that go up three storey's to what was Regent Hall's youth club. When I was 10 I played on these bare wooden steps totally unaware of the significance behind and upon which I played. Many years later I discovered a university youth work course - as an induction to Youth Work - stopped outside this insignificant wooden door to point out that Youth Work as we know it in the UK started behind this door. ...whether that be the surbanite flower people that flooded the Westend to express their free love; or the hard core drug community this unimpressive wooden door became the 'portal' that blurred encounter between church an...
Read more

Types of Christian Spirituality...

Image
It is easy to think and to limit ourselves to a single approach to Christian spirituality. A 'if it works for me it should work for you approach' tends to narrow our appreciation of other ways which actually impoverishes our experience of spirituality. Urban T. Holmes has developed a means of exploring spirituality and helps develop an appreciation through discovering links between spirituality, temperament and predisposition. The diagram illustrates his ideas together with potential inherent dangers. The vertical continuum speaks and helps us understand our relational orientation to God. This ranges from engaging with God through understanding and theological process to a more emotive response. Horizontally speaks of a persons preferred means of pursuing the spiritual life. Kataphtic speaks of affirmation and the need of something tangible in an individuals spirituality- this may take the form of worship, art, even imagination with the use of metaphors, symbols and images play...
Read more