Whole-Life Mission for the Whole Church

Description

The sacred-secular divide permeates our churches, our seminaries, and our lives. By perpetuating the false belief that there are some areas of life that are not important to God, some callings that are second-class, and some spheres of society that are not worth engaging, the sacred-secular divide diminishes our understanding of God, discipleship, missiology, and the gospel itself.
Seeking to liberate the global church from the power of this dichotomy, Whole-Life Mission for the Whole Church provides theological educators with the tools they need to combat the sacred-secular divide in the very realm where it is so often generated: the classroom. Filled with contributions from practitioners around the world, this book contains a wealth of insight into both the nature of the problem and the possibilities for its solution. The approaches suggested here are biblically rooted, contextually appropriate, and experientially tested, offering an excellent resource for educators desiring to transform their institutional cultures, curriculums, and classrooms into environments that envision, empower, and liberate the whole church for its role in the mission of God.

Informations

• Publié par: Langham Creative Projects
• Date de parution: 17 mars 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781839731105
• Langue: English

Extrait

Mark Greene and Ian Shaw write of seminary graduates who need to know that “a core component of their ministry involves helping God’s people live out their calling as royal priests in their Monday to Saturday lives.” Exactly right – and yet so easily missed. It is the whole of God’s people who constitute God’s “royal priesthood,” and those whose callings are to lead and serve in teaching and preaching are fundamentally pointing all God’s people to this, their “priestly” calling – to separate out light from darkness, or the holy from the unholy (Lev 10:10), for the sake of the life of the (whole) world. This book comes at this core idea from multiple angles – scripturally, historically, culturally, practically – with something to challenge everyone. It could spark fruitful and down-to-earth discussions for faculties and educators of all kinds. May its readers be many, and may their own vision run to the ends of the earth, including their local Monday-morning workplaces.
Richard Briggs, PhD
Director of Biblical Studies and Lecturer in Old Testament
Cranmer Hall, St John’s College, Durham, UK
Traditionally, evangelicals have been very good at reading the Bible, but really poor at “reading” society. It is as if all our energy has gone into understanding the sacred text, but we have failed to appreciate that all around us there have been seismic cultural and social shifts. Whole-Life Mission for the Whole Church sets out to address this problem with reference to the sacred-secular divide. It offers an important contribution, especially with regard to theological education. The church needs to engage with society afresh and it needs theologically educated disciples to do so; followers of Jesus Christ who see their mission as both ecclesial and societal in a globalized world. This book pushes the conversation forward and invites all of us to appreciate the impact that the sacred-secular divide has on our lives. I commend this book most warmly to church leaders, theological educators and students.
Mark J. Cartledge, PhD
Principal and Professor of Practical Theology,
London School of Theology, UK
This book gives a timely reality check on the sacred-secular divide in the Christian church as well as theological institutions which prepare Christians for the Great Commission in the world. Reality bites. Such a divide has been eroding the Christian mission in both Western and non-Western worlds. The remedy offered in this book thus hits the nail on the head by addressing the divide from biblical, theological and practical viewpoints of theological educators from various parts of the world. They point us to viable solutions for overcoming the divide through revising the programs and pedagogy of theological education to ensure an integrated life for both the church and institution.
Clement Mook-Soo Chia, PhD
Principal, Singapore Bible College
The belief that the mission of the church is of the essence, and that it is worked out in the whole of life through the vocations and discipleship of all Christians, is assented to in theory by some church leaders but put into practice in only a minority of churches. This essential book demonstrates that most church leaders have never been formed or trained to make whole-life disciples, and it addresses the problem at the source – the current practice and understanding of much theological education for ministry – and gives practical steps seminaries can take to reorientate themselves for this most vital task.
Bishop Graham Cray
Former Principal, Ridley Hall, Cambridge, UK
A problem with many theological seminaries is that in theory they teach the priesthood of all believers, but in their practices and unstated attitudes they teach the priesthood of official ministry workers. This problem is an example of the “hidden curriculum,” which is the curriculum as actually experienced by learners, even when it runs contrary to the publicly stated curriculum. As this book shows, overcoming the sacred–secular divide in theological colleges involves a close look at the culture of the seminary – including a recognition that in many ways “the faculty is the curriculum.” This book stresses the importance of whole of life discipleship, and how this discipling should extend to all believers as they are salt and light wherever they live and work.
James Dalziel, PhD
Dean and CEO,
Australian College of Theology, Sydney, Australia
The breaking down of walls marks watershed moments, whether these be the walls of Jericho or Berlin. Here is a book that seeks to dismantle an invisible, insidious wall, one that has restricted Christians from joyously whooping into the wide open spaces of life and service in the kingdom. The global aspects of this wall as presented here will both caution readers against indifference and motivate them into action.
Havilah Dharamraj, PhD
Head, Department of Biblical Studies,
South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies, Bangolore, India
This is an impressive and important work. It address the issue of the “sacred-secular divide” (SSD) in theological seminaries from a global perspective and so appreciates the nuances of this challenge in different cultural contexts. At the heart of the SSD lie questions about the nature of Christian discipleship and mission – this means that no Christian theological educator should ignore the divide. This book is theologically informed and practically applicable. Indeed, it is this latter aspect that will make it particularly valuable for theological educators, as it provides specific advice on evaluating and designing effective curriculums, programmes, modules, lectures, and assessments. Like the church, theological education in service of the church needs to be “always reforming.” Whole-Life Mission for the Whole Church is truly a fine resource in this ongoing task.
Simo Frestadius, PhD
Dean of Research, Regents Theological College, West Malvern, UK
Chair, European Pentecostal Theological Association
This global and multidisciplinary collection highlights and addresses one of the most pressing issues facing the church today – the sacred-secular divide. One African seminary leader is reported in this volume as lamenting, “We are sleepwalking on this issue.” But it is not just African seminaries asleep at the wheel when it comes to addressing the sacred-secular divide. In dissecting the problem, the various authors helpfully identify a pathway towards addressing it through a reimagining of theological education of pastors and teachers. I recommend this book to all who are engaged in the crucial task of educating future leaders for the church.
Ian Hussey, PhD
Director of Post Graduate Studies,
Malyon Theological College, Brisbane, Australia
This book links two crucial aspects in the life of the church – the effective training of ministers and the need to encourage all God’s people to live out their faith in everyday life. It asks important questions about how most effectively to do the first, in order to enable the second. Add in an international dimension which brings the conversation into a worldwide arena, and what emerges is a brilliant, engaging and practical book that will inspire and challenge theological educators – and the whole church – in the task of equipping the people of God.
Rt Revd Emma Ineson, PhD
Bishop of Penrith
Former Principal, Trinity College, Bristol, UK
These are challenging days for the church and therefore challenging for those training ministers to lead the church. But while some of these challenges come from outside – social change, cultural hostility – the biggest one is an own goal – the splitting of faith from life. There are lots of terms for split, but the editors of this essential book have chosen SSD (sacred-secular divide). It is a divide that theological educators (like me) need to take far more seriously than we seem to be doing. I am from a tradition that started in weaver’s workshops, bakeries, and around commercial printing presses; it was a movement earthed in the everyday lives of its members, debating Scripture, social life and the politics of the day almost in the same breath, certainly in the same Bible study. One could say the arrival of theological education and professional ministers put paid to that; something vital was lost and we urgently need to recover it. This book, written by practitioners from across the globe, could be the key to that recovery. There are lessons aplenty for curriculum designers, teachers and learners that could just be the spark that enables us to recover the whole gospel for the whole world.
Simon Jones
Vice Principal and Director of Ministerial Formation and Training,
Spurgeon’s College, London, England
The individual Christian is enthusiastic to express their faith in their workplace, their neighbourhood, their family, in all their life. However, that enthusiasm is stymied by churches led by pastors who have been taught to focus on biblical content and programs. The training that pastors receive is from institutions run by academics much more interested in the mind than the whole of life, and blissfully protected from engaging with everyday culture. This book identifies and addresses the urgent need for fundamental change in theological colleges and seminaries, to empower and enable the church to fulfil its call to the mission of God: participating in the reconciliation of everything on earth and heaven through Jesus. This book lays a firm foundation biblically and historically, and