Craig Ott, Timothy C. Tennent, and Stephen J. Strauss, Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues. Baker, 2010.
Referenced in: Theology of Missions, Proposals and Formulations, Missio Dei
LifeandLeadership.com Summary
This is an excellent theology of mission from a Missional/Missio Dei perspective. It is thorough, balanced, and definitive. Those who approach this subject from a biblical and Evangelical perspective will find themselves repeatedly highlighting statements, writing in the margins, and marking pages for quick return.
The book is divided into three parts: 1) Biblical Foundations, 2) Motives and Means for Mission, and 3) Mission in Global and Local Contexts. The authors specifically set out to address the far-reaching paradigmatic shifts of recent decades. This includes “understandings of truth, biblical authority, the nature of non-Christian religions, the role of the local church, the place of social justice, spiritual dynamics, the growth of the majority world church, and many other concerns.” (vii) Though not intentionally involved in the missional/emergent conversations, it covers most of the same issues.
Here are a few reasons I appreciate this text. First, the authors are not arm-chair academics, but scholar-practitioners with considerable field experience. Second, they “make no apology that biblical authority is the North Star” that has guided their proposals. (viii) Those who come with different predispositions will still appreciate the quality of scholarship and may at times feel the burden of proof rests upon them. Third, they have a strong ecclesiology, out of the “conviction that that church as the community of the kingdom is both the primary agent as well as the chief fruit of the missio Dei in this age.” (vii) Fourth, their strong biblical and evangelical formulations do not arise out of ill-informed reactions, but are the result of seasoned scholarship and full awareness of the range of issues involved. They offer conclusions only after substantive surveys of pertinent literature, honoring the intelligence of their readers by frequent references to the original sources of alternative viewpoints. They have read the same resources as others who conclude differently, but often with better precision and appropriation. Fifth, this quality of scholarship is especially evident in their discussions of missio Dei, religious pluralism, and the integration of evangelism and social justice. Those who read literature of the missional/emergent genre and appreciate much of what they find but also come away with vague uneasiness will appreciate this volume. It captures the best of the missional/emergent spirit while providing a kind of biblical and historical equilibrium that is often lacking.
Readers who want to pursue more of the Trinitarian theology of mission as missio Dei may appreciate another work by one of the authors, Dr. Timothy Tenant’s Invitation to World Missions: A Trinitarian Missiology for the Twenty-first Century (2010). It is geared more toward global missions, but this is helpful given the fact that leading established churches in North America must increasingly be seen as a missionary enterprise. The chief benefit is the biblically exhaustive, solidly evangelical theology of missio Dei that echoes and expands an understanding similar to that found in Encountering Theology of Mission. A helpful strategy is to use the conclusion as an introduction, where Tennant presents a summary of his basic argument and his “Four Fundamentals of Missiology,” (Missio Dei, Triune God, New Creation, Global Church).
From the Publisher
This fresh, comprehensive text fills a need for an up-to-date theology of mission. It offers creative approaches to answering some of the most pressing questions in theology of mission and missionary practice today. The authors, who are leading mission experts, discuss biblical theology of mission, provide historical overviews of the development of various viewpoints, and address theologically current issues in global mission from an evangelical perspective. This readable yet thorough text integrates current views of the kingdom of God and holistic mission with traditional views of evangelism and church planting. It also brings theology of mission into conversation with ecclesiology and eschatology. Topics covered include contextualization, the missionary vocation, church and mission, and theology of religions. Sidebars and case studies enable readers to see how theology of mission touches real-life mission practice.
About the Authors
Craig Ott (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is associate professor of mission and intercultural studies at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Illinois, where he occupies the ReachGlobal Chair of Mission. He has over twenty years of missionary experience.
Stephen J. Strauss (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is professor of world missions and intercultural studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. He previously served with Serving in Mission (SIM) for over twenty-seven years, most recently as its US director.
Timothy C. Tennent (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is president of Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky.
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