BB407 - Biblical Theology of Mission

  • 0 Standard Tuition Fee
  • 4
    Credit Points
  • 0.125 EFT 
  • 7
    AQF level
  • biblical studiesUnit Discipline

Prerequisites

This unit can be counted as a Biblical Studies (BB) unit or as an Evangelism and Missiology (EM) unit, towards the Ministry and Practice department requirements of a course, or towards the Bible and Language department, but not both.

Exclusions

EM305

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will

A. Know and understand

  1. The biblical foundations of Christian mission
  2. The nature and purpose of God as a missionary God
  3. The role of humanity in the purposes of God

B. Be able to

  1. Explain the biblical foundations for mission
  2. Discuss the nature and purpose of God as a missionary God
  3. Analyse the role of humanity in the universal purposes of God
  4. Present an Analytical evidence-based perspective on the biblical theology of mission

C. Be in a position to

  1. Integrate perspectives from their other theological studies into the biblical theology of mission
  2. Use perspectives from the biblical theology of mission for personal understanding and in ministry contexts
  3. Apply the biblical theology of mission to contemporary missionary issues

Content

Section A: Old Testament Perspectives

  1. God, Creation and the world; human sin and the effects of the fall.
  2. The missiological significance of Babel and the Flood.
  3. The Abrahamic covenant; God and Israel: election, covenant and responsibility.
  4. Yahweh versus Baal; Israel and the nations; universal hope in the Psalms.
  5. The missionary emphasis of the prophets; the Servant of the Lord.
  6. The kingdom of God in the Old Testament; inter-testamental hopes, nationalistic and universal.

Section B: New Testament Perspectives

  1. The synoptic Gospels and the ministry of Jesus; the Kingdom of God and the ministry to Israel; the place of the gentiles; the missionary mandate.
  2. The Gospel of John: the “world” and its need; the children of God; Abrahamic sonship; Jesus and his own as “sent”.
  3. The Holy Spirit in the mission of the church; missionary principles in Acts; ethnic barriers and cross cultural mission.
  4. The Pauline theology of mission:
    1. Jew and Gentile in Christ; the new humanity and the renewal of creation.
    2. The mission of the church and the powers; conflict, suffering and mission;
    3. Mission and future hope; the consummation of all things in Christ.

Set Readings

Prescribed

Blauw, J., The Missionary Nature of the Church; A Survey of the Biblical Theology of Mission (London: Lutterworth, 2003).

Bolt, P. and M. Thompson (eds), The Gospel to the Nations: Perspectives on Paul's Mission: in honour of Peter T. O'Brien (Leicester: Apollos, 2000).

Gilliland, D. S., Pauline Theology &Mission Practice (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 1996).

Kaiser, W. C., Mission in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000).

Köstenberger, A. J. and P. O’Brien, Salvation to the Ends of the Earth: A Biblical Theology of Mission (Leicester: Apollos, 2001).

Larkin, W. J. et al, Mission in the New Testament: An Evangelical Approach (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1998).

O’Brien, P. T., Gospel and Mission in the Writings of Paul: An Exegetical and Theological Analysis (Grand Rapids; Carlisle: Baker; Paternoster, 1995).

Peskett, H. and V. Ramachandra, The Message of Mission: The Glory of Christ in All Time and Space (Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2003).

Piper, J., Let the Nations Be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions (2nd ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003).

Van Engen, C. E. et al, The Good News of the Kingdom: Mission Theology for the Third Millennium (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 1998).

Wright, C. J., The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative (Nottingham: IVP, 2006).

 

Recommended:

Mathiesen, G. K., A Theology of Mission: Challenges and Opportunities in Northeast Asia (Minneapolis: Lutheran, 2006).

Sanders, J., No Other Name: An Investigation Into the Destiny of the Unevangelized (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2001).

 

Classics:

Bosch, D., Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 1991).

Newbigin, L., The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1989).

Verstraelen, F. J., et al (eds), Missiology: An Ecumenical Introduction (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995)