A Reminder.

Is Christian mission about preaching the gospel or doing acts of justice? Some say you shouldn’t ask either/or but both. This is reductionistic I feel. If you were to give $100 to “missions” (a label not particularly effective but it will do), how much of it would you want going to a Bible School and how much would you want going to the building of say…a well? Good question. It’s being debated a lot.

I wonder why Paul walked away from Cyprus in Acts 13:2. There was fruit in his gospel ministry there but the task was far from complete. According to Rodney Stark, “Syrian Antioch was the cite of recurring devastation by way of war, fire, floods,  earthquakes, epidemics, famines, etc. Paul knew his call was to preach the gospel, to win the hearts of people, both the rich and poor back to God.”(1) He had to keep moving. There was more preaching to do.

Paul knew that people’s reception of the gospel was of first importance (1 Cor. 15:3). It is what makes the church, distinctly Christian. First came Paul’s preaching through Macedonia. What followed was a Christian movement of charity, dignity for all social classes and gender equality in Cyprus and then slowly throughout the Roman Empire.

You see this progression again in the English revivals.  The Wesley/Whitfield revival brought the gospel back to the people. It was then followed up by Wilburforce’s abolition movement and various nineteenth century social reforms.

Mission Without The Gospel?

The liberal movement of the early 20th century tried to do mission without the Christian gospel. It has since bankrupted their mission. Here’s a good historical overview from Ed Stetzer that surveys the debates of yore. The rhetorical echoes of their arguments can be heard today in evangelical (or perhaps what they would even call “post-evangelical”) circles.

The recent edition of the Mission Handbook records that for registered “missions” organizations there was a decrease of 11.9% for evangelism/discipleship ministries but an increase of 65.8% for educational programs as well as an increase of 14.6% in relief and development activities from 1998 to 2000. In addition, 35.1% of the total income given for overseas ministries was in relief and development.”(2)

To some, this is a great stat. To others, the writing is on the wall for another conservative/liberal missions schism like what we saw in the 1920-40’s with the mainline churches and the fundamentalists. As I always say, time will tell.

Will evangelicals remain true to the gospel distinctives, ensuring that their works of justice always flow out of their doctrinal beliefs or will they abandon them altogether. After all, doesn’t doctrine just divide us? 

I appreciate this quote from a journal article I was reading by Dr. Christopher Little:

“The most disturbing fact confronting the church in the 21st century is not an imbalance of material resources  but rather the unequal distribution of  the light of the knowledge of  God in Jesus Christ.”(3)

1-Stark, Rodney. The Rise of Christianity San Francisco, CA HarperCollins, 1996

2-Wellver, Dorsey, Northcutt  Mission Handbook 2004-2006 Wheaton, IL 

3- Little, Christopher. “What Makes Mission Christian?” Mission Studies, 2005.