Mission & Evangelism

For what its worth, here's an essay I wrote for the Missions in the Contemporary World course here at college entitled: "How are 'mission' and 'evangelism' related?".

There are some thoughts on the relationship between creation and the new creation, and a post-millenial hope. I conclude:

If mission is all that God sends his people into the world to do, then the Christian prayer and task is to look to God for the transformation of the all the nations and every aspect of individual and community life by the proclaimed gospel. Evangelism is thus the indispensable core and priority of the Christian mission, which involves bringing everything in conformity to that gospel. The gospel that Jesus Christ is Lord which the church proclaims implies the whole of her mission to live under Christ’s Lordship.

Evangelism and Social Action (updated)

Pastors (and potential pastors and interested others), please read Revd Dr David Field's paper, "Not The Least Lash Lost" on the argument: "evengelism is all that really matters because nothing else lasts into eternity".

I'm only 9 pages in and I'm hooked.

I tried to write an essay last term on: "What is the relationship between mission and evangelism?". I tried to say that a creation-affirming post-mil vision gives us the bigger project of bringing all things in this creation and all people under the Lordship of Christ through the gospel in the power of the Spirit in obedience to the Word and over the centuries. I used the model of Jesus' resurrection body to talk about continuity between our endevours in mission here and now and the final product: the same universe transformed and renewed with all our works taken up into it.

David Field's paper feels like what I should have said.

Update: Well, I've just finished reading it. Edifying. Fun. Quite brilliant. If you find it a bit speculative in places, don't let that put you off: the case is made.