Majority World Perspectives on Christian Mission

Eugene Baron, Nico A. Botha

Description

It affords us real pleasure to present this editorial on behalf of the Majority World Christian Leaders Conversation (MWCLC). The MWCLC started slowly, but surely since 2016, following a groundbreaking conversation among eleven mission practitioners from the Majority World who met in the United Kingdom somewhere between London and Oxford. At the meeting, several themes emerged under the banner of missionary questions and impulses of the Majority World, from the perspective of the reign of God. These themes and more find reflection in the book. However, before proceeding to the content of the anthology, a note on the concept “Majority World” seems necessary. The time where terms like “Third World” gained strong currency, is long since gone. The term “Majority World” is a new kid on the block and requires some clarification. The use of the term is a strategy of avoiding concepts like “Developing” or “Third World” or even “Global South” which are pejorative in a real sense. To speak of the Majority World is geographically accurate in that Africa, Asia and Latin America are included.

Sujets

• Littérature Sud-Africaine
• Littérature sud-africaine
• Afrique du Sud
• Church
• Mission
• Mena
• Asia
• Islam
• Christianity
• Hinduism
• North America
• West Africa
• Evangelism
• Missiology
• Humanitarianism
• North-South divide
• Nation-building
• Disciple (Christianity)
• Mission (Christianity)
• African people
• South Africa
• América del Norte
• Sudáfrica
• African
• Discipleship

Informations

• Publié par: UJ Press
• Date de parution: 12 mai 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781776402342
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 7 Mo

Extrait

Dedicated to the Majority Christian World.

Majority World PerspecIves on ChrisIan Mission

Published by UJ Press University of JohannesburgLibrary Auckland Park Kingsway Campus PO Box 524 Auckland Park 2006 https://ujonlinepress.uj.ac.za/ Compilation © Nico A Botha and Eugene Baron 2022 Chapters © Individual contributors 2022 Published Edition © Anette Janse van Vuren 2022 First published 2020 by KREATIV SA under 978-1-928478-84-3 This edition 2022

https://doi.org/10.36615/9781776402342 978-1-7764023-3-5 (Paperback) 978-1-7764023-4-2 (PDF)

Electro-setting, editor and proofreader: Myra Lochner Cover design: Hester Roets, UJ Graphic Design Studio Typeset in 12/14pt Calibri

Let us return now to the rediscovery of mission as the essential task of the church.

Nico A. Botha

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EDITORIAL

It affords us real pleasure to present this editorial on behalf of theMajority World Christian Leaders Conversation(MWCLC). The MWCLC started slowly, but surely since 2016, following a groundbreaking conversation among eleven mission practitioners from the Majority World who met in the United Kingdom somewhere between London and Oxford. At the meeting, several themes emerged under the banner ofmissionary questions and impulses of the Majority World, from the perspective of the reign of God. These themes and more find reflection in the book. However, before proceeding to the content of the anthology, a note on the concept͞Majority World͟ seems necessary. The time where terms like͞Third World͟strong currency, i gained s loŶg siŶĐe goŶe. The teƌŵ ͞MajoƌitLJ Woƌld͟ is a Ŷeǁ kid oŶ the ďloĐk aŶd ƌeƋuiƌes soŵe ĐlaƌifiĐatioŶ. The use of the teƌŵ is a strategy of avoiding concepts like͞Developing͟ or͞Third World͟ or even͞Global South͟ which are pejorative in a real sense. To speak of the Majority World is geographically accurate in that Africa, Asia and Latin America are included.

When the concept Majority World is connected to an initiative started by mission practitioners from that part of the world, new avenues of meaning and interpretation might be opened. For example, if the concept is used from the perspective of mission, the connection of such with the notion of the shifting in the centre of gravity of Christianity from the North to the South, makes for exciting reading. It is precisely this issue that triggered something in that meeting in the United Kingdom in 2016. The unspoken resolution seems to have been that if indeed the centre of gravity has shifted it will boil down to acontradictio in terminusif there is no decisive response from those Christian Leaders in the Majority World. In talking about a response, an important disclaimer is required, namely that it should neither be a reversion into an ecclesiocentric understanding of mission, nor an approach to mission as something we have to undertake. An ironic blessing bestowed on Christians in the Majority World, who have for long been regarded as objects of mission, is that they know‒perhaps better than others‒that the mission is not ouƌs, ďut God͛s. Therefore, any response can only be prompted by the Holy Spirit who is the missionary movement. It is the Spirit that has birthed the MWCLC. Another important disclaimer is that the MWCLC is not in opposition to anybody. The movement is not identified, or defined as anti-Western, but is an attempt at finding our own voice and speaking for ourselves. We believe that in itself, this is a major step towards the decolonization of mission, but not by creating a new centre or by avoiding cooperation or partnership with agencies across the world who purport to be into themissio Dei.Since the meeting in the UK at the Royal Standard, a facility named after Lord Charles Somerset, the movement has progressed in leaps and bounds seeing another major conference in Kuala Limpur in 2017 and has now been structured and organised in different chapters in Africa, Asia and Latin America. A major gathering of approximately 700 participants was planned by the Asian chapter for November 2020 but had to be postponed until 2021 in the light of COVID-19 and all the lockdown restrictions. In 2022 there will be an assembly

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organised by the African chapter, or more particularly, by the Africa Facilitation Team followed by a worldwide event in 2023.

The anthology contains a rich diversity of perspectives on mission. In that respect, the title of the anthology requires a bit of clarification.Majority World Christian Leadersare not a monolithic block when it comes to the understanding of mission. Of course, basically, there is agreement on the theological interpretation of mission as God sending the Son, sending the Holy Spirit, sending the Church. We declare that fundamentally mission emanates from the loving heart of God in Christ and the Holy Spirit. It is a movement of the Triune God and we are called to participate in the movement which finds identification in the somewhat technical termmissio Dei. Readers of the book will notice that the plural perspectivesis used as a manner of indicating the diversity of interpretations.

The book can start on no better note than with the contribution ofPeter Tarantal,who currently takes leadership in the MWCLC and performing a sterling job. He writes on leadership from an African perspective. A rather refreshing aspect of his piece is the courage to self-criticism. He shows the deficits in African Christian and missionary or missional leadership, as well as the dimensions of good Christian leadership.Nico Botha flies some kites by showing some unavoidable issues in defining the Church-mission relationship. The main thrust of his argument is that cultural, social, political and economic realities are not to be dichotomized from an understanding of Church and mission.Moses Parmar brings Christian mission and Hinduism or as he suggests͞HiŶdu TƌaditioŶs͟ iŶto conversation with one another. He lines up a number of key issues hindering the penetration of the Gospel. He proposes a contextual presentation of the Gospel that avoids the trappings of an aggressive, confrontational missionary and evangelistic approach.Patrick Fungintroduces the issue of partnerships in mission in a polycentric world. If understood correctly his main argument seems to be that partnerships in mission in our day and age can no longer be defined from an Americocentric or Eurocentric perspective, but from the point of view that there are multiple centres.MLH and GF discuss Islam͛s ŵaŶLJ faĐesin a changing context, important influences in Africa and in the Middle East and the growing Arab Christian presence in the contemporary world. They suggest valuable guidelines about how to reach out more effectively in Grace and Truth. Gideon Para-Mallamrevisits the unfinished or ongoing agenda of nation-building from an African perspective. A very refreshing aspect is his connection between discipling and the involvement of Christians in the development and building up of their respective countries. Rupen Das writes a creative piece in which he argues convincingly for the location of humani-tarianism in Missional theology. He offers a very helpful perspective of humani- tarianism in its historical context before going on to show why the matter should be part and parcel of Christian mission.Hwa Yung͛scontribution to the book, firstly engages the shift in the centre of gravity of Christianity in general and mission in particular. He identifies a number of issues and challenges relating to the shift in a presentation made as president of theInternational Federation of Evangelical Students.He secondly discussed evangelical theology of nation-building. He identifies a few basic elements of such a

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nation- building theology. Realizing that the notion of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has become a buzz word in post-apartheid South Africa,Eugene Baronengages it critically from a missiological perspective, with an emphasis on transformation and encounter. David Ruizrevisits the issue of discipleship which he defines as a call to make the Gospel available to everyone and everywhere. He offers a fresh exegetical approach to what has become known as the Great Commission with reference to Matthew 28.Krishnasamy Rajendran has mustered the courage to write on the re-evangelisation of the West. He traces the history of missions as a movement from the West to the rest with huge numbers of Western missionaries flocking to the Majority World. He engages notions like ͞uŶƌeaĐhed people͟ ĐƌitiĐallLJ aŶd pƌoposes a ŵissioŶ iŶ ƌeǀeƌse, i.e. fƌoŵ the MajoƌitLJ World to the West.Ben Abrahamengages the challenges posed to Christianity and Islam in the encounter between the two in the Middle East. In developing an Asian perspective on the matter he highlights the reality that Muslims in their numbers turn to Christianity. He 1 suggests that the image in which Christians should appear before Muslims is servanthood.

The book shows in an infallible fashion that the MWCLC is far from being a monolithic block. The ideas expressed and thoughts developed are quite diverse. In this context, the editors do not take responsibility for the views expressed in the book by the different authors.

Nico A Botha and Eugene Baron SOUTH AFRICA November 10, 2020

1 The contributors to the book have been allowed some freedom by the editors by not pinning them down on a particular reference technique. This is not a hard core academic book and for that reason leeway was granted to use their own referencing. A serious consideration has also been that mission practitioners are quite often discouraged to write and publish if the technical requirements are too rigid.

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Our confession that He is both God and fully human, is one that reformed Christians hold on to as foundational to their understanding of Jesus incarnated.

Eugene Baron

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