Missions?

Missions then is less about the transportation of God from one place to another and more about the identification of a God who is already there.

Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis, Highlight Loc. 1242-44

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This entry was posted by Henry Imler on February 27, 2010 at 10:38 am, and is filed under missional. Follow any responses to this post through RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback from your own site.

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Comments (6)

#1 written by graceisunfair
about 6 months ago

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Completely agree. After all, blessed are the feet that bring the “good news,” not the feet that bring God. The good news is that God and His Kingdom are already in their midst.
#2 written by hundiejo
about 6 months ago

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You are right, Scott. And it certainly checks our hubris at the door and that is pretty difficult sometimes.
#3 written by hundiejo
about 6 months ago

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So, @graceisunfair , do you see any potential problems with viewing missions in this way? I love the idea prima facie, but it worries the hell out of me.
#4 written by graceisunfair
about 6 months ago

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What are some examples of potential problems? I'm an eternal optimist, and so often forget to think about problems, haha. I think that one positive aspect of this approach is that it typically includes a goal of empowering locals, rather than trying to have outsiders continue to be in leadership roles. After all, despite arguments towards the objectivity of outsiders, locals who have lived in a culture and community their whole lives are much more equipped to understand the problems and nuances of their own society.
#5 written by hundiejo
about 6 months ago

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There is a constant fear of not unearthing God enough, leaving too much of the cloud behind, so to speak.

You list the wonderful benefits (esp of empowering *local* leaders). But there is the danger of syncretism.
#6 written by graceisunfair
about 6 months ago

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I'm by no means an expert, but I've found in my *very* limited experience that people in other countries with very limited exposure to the Gospel (well, at least in countries where there isn't heavy religious belief) people don't come with the same baggage that people in America do. When they hear good news, they tell their friends about it because they don't know any “better.”

Syncretism is certainly a danger. But isn't it everywhere? For example: http://bit.ly/93qsu3