• Directories
    • Business Directory
    • Church Directory
    • Organization Directory
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Help
  • Log In
MENUMENU
  • Learning
        • Leader’s Edge
          • Author Interviews
          • Book Summaries
        • Book Reviews
          • Book Look
          • EMQ Book Reviews
        • Publications
          • Anthology
          • Evangelical Missions Quarterly (EMQ)
          • Missiographics
        • Podcasts
          • The Mission MattersNew
          • Missio Nexus
          • People First HR
          • Members Only Feed
        • Blogs
          • Global Issues Updates
          • Member Highlights
          • Mission Advisors
        • Topics
          • COVID-19 ResourcesNew
          • Diaspora Missions
          • Mobilization
          • Muslim Missions
          • Support Raising
        • Media Library
          • Conferences
          • Global Issue Updates
          • On Mission
          • Thought Leader Briefings
          • Webinars
          • Workshop
          • View All
  • Programs
    • Accreditation
    • Alliance for Benefits
    • Bible CertificateNew
    • Church Missions Coaching
    • Cohorts
    • Cybersecurity
    • ImproveNew
    • Mission Jobs
    • Publish
    • RightNow Media
    • The Mission App
    • Women’s Development
  • Events
          • Calendar
          • In-Person Events
          • Virtual Events
          • Event Recordings
          • Awards
        • Premier Events
          • Mission Leaders Conference
          • On Mission
        • Upcoming Events

          • Essentials for Fundraising and Development for Missions Agencies
            Thu Apr 22 2021, 01:00pm EDT
          • Webinar: The Blessed Alliance—Men and Women Serving God Together
            Thu Apr 22 2021, 02:00pm EDT
          • Innovation Labs - Session 4
            Tue Apr 27 2021, 10:00am EDT
        • View All Events
  • Research
          • Missiographics
          • Mission Handbook
          • Research Reports
        • Popular Research
          • Compensation Reports
          • COVID-19 ResourcesNew
          • Field Attrition Report
          • View All Reports
        • Contribute
          • Current Research Projects
          • Submit Data for Mission Handbook
          • Volunteer
  • About Us
        • Who We Are
          • Our Contribution
          • Meet the Team
          • Board Members
          • History (1917–present)
        • Our Beliefs
          • Statement of Faith
          • Community Standards
        • Awards
        • Partner with Us
          • Advertise
          • Donate
          • Sponsorships
          • Volunteer
        • Help
          • Contact Us
          • Advertising Specs
          • Branding Guidelines
  • Join
        • Learn
        • Learn what you cannot learn anywhere else.

        • Meet
        • Meet people you otherwise won’t meet.

        • Engage
        • Engage in a community like none other.

          • Benefits
          • Benefits for Churches
          • Pricing

Sponsored Content

Upcoming Events

  • Essentials for Fundraising and Development for Missions Agencies
    Thu Apr 22 2021, 01:00pm EDT
  • Webinar: The Blessed Alliance—Men and Women Serving God Together
    Thu Apr 22 2021, 02:00pm EDT
  • Innovation Labs - Session 4
    Tue Apr 27 2021, 10:00am EDT
  • Renew: CEO & Spouse Retreat
    Tue May 4 2021, 03:00pm EDT
  • Church Mission Leaders Peer 2 Peer: Diaspora Ministry and the Local Church
    Wed May 12 2021, 01:00pm EDT

View all events »

Topics

author interview Canada CEO Church Church Missions Church Mission Team Church Planting Conference Proceedings COVID-19 Cross Cultural Skills Diaspora Discipleship Evangelism Focus Future Globally Engaged Churches Innovation Islam Justin Long Leadership Management Missiology Missionaries Mission Finance and Administration MLC2019 MLC2020 MLC2021 Mobilization muslim Muslim Diaspora Networks Partnership Personal Productivity Podcast Presenter Research Short-Term Missions Spirituality support raising Training Trends Unengaged Unreached Weekly Roundup Women

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues

Posted on January 1, 2011 by January 1, 2011

by Craig Ott, Stephen J. Strauss, with Timothy C. Tennent

Baker Academic, P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287, 432 pages, 2010, $29.99.

—Reviewed by Christopher Flanders, assistant professor of missions and director of the Halbert Institute for Missions, Abilene Christian University.

In Encountering Theology of Mission, professors of mission and intercultural studies Craig Ott and Stephen Strauss respond to the tremendous shifts in culture, mission, and theology of the twentieth century with a theological primer for Christian mission. The authors write recognizing that Christian mission is often given to slogans, trendy strategies, or the latest form of marketing analysis that reduces missions to a form of “pragmatism, enthusiasm, or even political correctness” (p. xiii). Such a de-theologizing of mission, common in some conservative and evangelical quarters, is a major target this work aims to counteract.

Ott and Strauss organize their work into three parts: (1) biblical foundations of mission, (2) motives and means for mission, and (3) mission in local and global contexts (where they discuss contextualization, the Church’s encounter with religions, and the questions of heaven and hell). They state outright that they are articulating an evangelical theology of mission, which takes as its “North Star” for navigation an evangelical notion of biblical authority. Throughout they offer a way of understanding mission that is grounded in the biblical story. Such a theology of mission is, they contend, the “starting point for defining the nature of mission and discerning the practice of mission” (p. xiii).

There is much to commend here. The authors demonstrate a strong Trinitarian emphasis and helpfully elaborate on the Trinitarian foundation of the Christian mission. Rather than a doctrinal litmus test, the doctrine of the Trinity is a functional doctrine that sets a pattern for the life and practice of the Church. This is a critical reminder for all engaged in witness and mission. The section on globalized theology, albeit brief, is quite encouraging. Ott and Straus note that we in the West do not hold a privileged position when it comes to interpreting the Christian Bible. Indeed, varied interpretations (within limits) can be a cause of joy and encouragement as different cultures help one another see things each might miss and provide a helpful corrective to the synchronizing forces inherent in each culture. One excellent feature that runs through the entire book is the inclusion of numerous sidebars and case studies for further reflection to assist in distilling the material.

There are some things to quibble with. Quite disappointing was a lack of discussion of a Trinitarian motive for mission. The discussion of the gospel mandate and creation mandate is quite helpful. Yet, a better way to heal the (unfortunate and unbiblical!) dichotomy they note is to bring both under the overarching rubric of gospel (i.e., the good news that God has undertaken in Christ to bring wholeness and shalom, both individual and structural, spiritual and material, to the entire world). The authors hint that this is the way forward, but a more explicit formulation and elaboration would be welcome.

Finally, the authors do little to work against the continual misuse in English of the terms “mission,” “missions,” and “missionary” as primarily designating that which occurs “over there.” I believe they undervalue the important contributions of the “missional church” discussion in this area, which offers helpful theological and ecclesiological resources necessary to recapture a more biblical notion of the entire Church as “sent” on mission.

Those who are looking for a solidly evangelical, informed, theological elaboration of mission need look no further than this volume.

Check these titles:
Bosch, David J. 1991. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in the Theology of Mission. Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books.

Kirk, J. Andrew. 2000. What Is Mission? Theological Explorations. Minneapolis, Minn.: Augsburg Fortress Press.

….

EMQ, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 117-118. Copyright  © 2011 Evangelism and Missions Information Service (EMIS).  All rights reserved. Not to be reproduced or copied in any form without written permission from EMIS.

 

GoToOlder PostNewer PostAll PostsBook ReviewsEMQSectionVolume 47 - Issue 1

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to Our Mailing List

Keep up to date with our community.

Menu

  • Home
  • Directories
  • Advertise
  • Donate
  • Contact Us

Join

  • Join
  • Benefits
  • Learn
  • Meet
  • Engage

Help

  • Contact Us
  • Terms
  • Cookies Policy

About Us

  • Who We Are
  • Statement of Faith
  • Awards
  • Resources
Missio Nexus Logo

© Missio Nexus. All rights reserved.


PO Box 398
Wheaton, IL 60187-0398

Phone: 770.457.6677
678.392.4577

Annual Sponsors

ECFA Logo Brotherhood Mutual Logo

Membership website powered by MembershipWorks