World Mission of the Church (WM601) January 4-27, 2017; M,W,F, 1-4 pm Instructors: Dr. Kevin Xiyi Yao Office Hours (Yao): 9-11 am, Every M, W, F. (Always best to make appointment) Office Location: Christie Wilson Center for World Mission Contact Information: E-mail: xyao@gordonconwell.edu; Tel: 978-930-3011 Byington Scholar: Biao Liu (bliu@gcts.edu) Course Description and Objective To preach the gospel to every person is the command the Lord Jesus Christ has given to each Christian. And it is the defining mandate of the Church. This course is an introduction and overview of the mission of the Church. The Learning Objectives of this course are stated as follows: Learning Objectives 1. Students will assimilate an overview of the biblical foundation of missions and will formulate a biblical understanding of missions. 2. Students will examine the historical progress of missions throughout the ages, grasp the characteristics of various paradigms in mission history, and become acquainted with key figures and epochs in the modern Protestant missionary movement. 3. Students will enhance their awareness of the interactions between missions and their cultural and social contexts and will foster an understanding of the cross-cultural nature of Christian missions. Students will become acquainted with the methods and approaches of contemporary mission studies. 1
4. Students will examine the key issues and current trends in the contemporary global missions, and get familiar with the developments of the churches in non-western world. 5. Students will deepen their commitment to Christ great commission and will strengthen their faith in the universality and truthfulness of the gospel and the vitality of missionary movement. They will be challenged to develop or re-confirm their identities as a member of world Christian community. Requirements A. Mission Statement / Reflection (40%) By the end of this course, each student is required to write a mission statement / reflection paper. The contents: (1), why mission is important; (2) the Biblical foundations of mission; (3) what major lessons we can learn from mission history; (4), what is the mission approach or strategy relevant in today s context. (5) what is your roles you envision in world mission? 8-10 pages, double-spaced. Please write down your mail box numbers. Due Date: Feb. 7 B. Book Report (25%) Each student is required to write a report on Borthwick, Western Christians in Global Mission. The length of the report: five to six pages, double-spaced. The contents: the summary of the book contents, the impact the book has upon you, and other personal reflections and comments on the book. Please write down your mail box numbers. Due Date: Feb. 7 C. Group Project and Presentation (35%) The entire class will be divided into study groups. Each group will select a region (East Asia, South and Southeast Asia, West Asia and North Africa, South America, Sub-Saharan Africa), or a country, or a people group in foreign countries, or even an ethnic minority group in North, and study its culture, history, population, mission history, mission needs, mission challenges and strategies. You need to study a region or a people you are not familiar with. In the final weeks of this term, each group is required to present their findings to the class in 20 minutes. By briefly surveying each region s history and culture, 2
your presentation should focus on current mission opportunities and challenges. After your presentation, each group should submit a project folder containing the outline of your presentation and supporting materials (articles, book chapters, photos, diagrams, etc.). Due: January 25 & 27 Students attendance is important. Attendance will be taken. Two or more absences without explanation will lead to deduction of your grade. Your participation in class is strongly encouraged. The interactions between students and teacher or your questions and comments are highly desirable. Required Textbooks Borthwick, Paul, Western Christians in Global Mission: What s the Role of the North American Churches? Downers Grove, ILL, 2012 (ISBN 978-0-8308-3780-9). Goheen, Michael W., Introducing Christian Mission Today, Scripture, History and Issues, Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2014.(ISBN 978-0-8308-4047-2) Guthrie, Stan, Missions in the Third Millennium, 21 Key Trends for the 21 st Century, Paternoster Press; 2000 (ISBN 1-84227-042-7). Tennent, Timothy C., Invitation to World Missions, A Trinitarian Missiology for the Twenty-first Century, Grand rapids, MI: Kregel Avademic & Professional, 2010 (ISBN 978-0-8254-3883-7). Other Texts Included in Readings Bosch, David J., Transforming Mission, Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 2011 (ISBN978-1-57075-948-2). Gallagher, Robert L. and Paul Hertig eds., Landmark Essays in Mission and World Christianity, Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2009 (ISBN 978-1-57075-829-4). Winter, Ralph D., and Steven C. Hawthorne, eds., Perspectives on the World Christian 3
Movement (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2009) Topics and Required Readings Part I Biblical Foundations Day 1 (Jan 4) Introduction: review of syllabus; the contemporary situation Three basic questions of mission theology: what, why, how is mission? Gallagher, ch.1: Reflections on Biblical Models of Mission (Bosch) John Stott, The Bible in World Evangelization. (Winter, Ralph D., and Steven C. Hawthorne, eds., Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2009). Tennent, 15-51 Goheen, 106-111 Missions in the Old Testament Goheen, 34-52 Tennent, 15-51, 105-124 Walter Kaiser, Israel s Missionary Call. (Winter, Ralph D., and Steven C. Hawthorne, eds., Perspectives on the World Christian Movement.) Bible verses for reflection: Genesis 1-11,12:1-3; Exodus 19:4-6; Deuteronomy, 4:6-7; I King 8: 41-43, 8:59-60; I Chronicles 16:8-36; Psalm 22:27-28, 67; Isaiah 42:1-4, 45: 22-23, 49:6; Daniel 7:13-14; Zachariah, 9:9-10 4
Day 2 (Jan 6) Missions in the New Testament Goheen, 52-61 Bosch, 15-42 Tennent, 125-157, 409-415 Bible verses for reflection: Matthew 24:14, 28:18-20; Mark16:15-16; Luke 2:29-32, 24:46-47; Acts 1:8 Day 3 (Jan 9) Paul s Mission Theology and Practice Guest Lecture: Dr. Eckhard Schnabel: Missions of Early Church Goheen, 61-72 Tennent, 438-443 Bosch, 125-135 Bible verses for reflection: Romans 10:11-15, 15:20-21; Galatians 3:8; Part II Historical Progress of World Mission Day 4 (Jan 11) The Missions of the Early Church The Missions of the Eastern Church Bosch, 42-56, 185-194, 216-218 Goheen, 117-134 Tennent, 229-240 5
Day 5 (Jan 13) The Roman Catholic Missions in the Medieval Times The Protestant Missions since the Reformation Goheen, 134-142 Tennent, 240-248 Bosch, 241-243 Missionary Movement in the Modern Times Goheen, 142-151 Tennent, 248-283 Bosch, 349-353 Day 6 (Jan 16): Holiday, No Class Part III The Contemporary Trends in the Missionary and Global Church Day 7 (Jan 18) New Developments in Mission Theology: Missio Dei, Missional Church; Evangelism and Social Involvements; Church and Missions; Home Arena: New Paradigms for Mission Agencies Goheen, 25-27, 73-86, 152-186 Guthrie, Part I Tennent, 53-73, 371-379, 387-393, 454-457 Day 8 (Jan 20) New Missionary Initiatives, Strategies, and Issues Contextualization; Evangelism and Missions; The Unreached Peoples; The 10/40 Window; Church Growth; Short-Term Missions, Four Spiritual Laws, etc. 6
Goheen, 264-295 Guthrie, Part II Tennent, 355-370 Day 9 (Jan 23) The Rise of World Christianity and its Impacts The Missions from non-western World; Immigration; Urbanization; the Charismatic Boom Guest Speaker: Dr. Bobby Bose: Church and Missions in India Goheen, 187-224, 370-400 Tennent, 379-386,419-431, Guthrie, Part III Globalization and its Cultural Consequences; Religious Freedom; and Religious and Cultural Pluralism, Insider Movement, etc. Goheen, 331-369 Guthrie, Part IV Tennent, 459-483 Day 10 (Jan 25) Presentations Day 11 (Jan 27) Presentations Project File Due Feb 7: Book Report and Mission Statement Due 7
All topics and required readings are subject to change without notice. Selected Bibliography Aikman, David, Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power (Regnery Publishing, 2003). Barrett, David B. ed., World Christian Encyclopedia (Oxford University Press, 1982). Barrett, David B., Todd M. Johnson, eds., World Christian Trends (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2001). Bednarowski, Mary Farrell, Twentieth-century Global Christianity (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2008). Borthwick, Paul, A Mind for Missions, 10 Ways to Build your World Vision ( NAVPress, 1987). Bosch, David J., Transforming Mission, Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1991). Cardoza-Orlandi, Carlos F., Mission: An Essential Guide ( Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2002). Edwards, David L., The Future of Christianity, An Analysis of Historical, Contemporary and Future Trends within the Worldwide Church (Morehouse-Barlow, 1987). Elmer, Duane & Lois McKinney, eds., With an Eye on the Future ( MARC, 1996). Engen, Charles Van, Mission on the Way, Issues in Mission Theology ( Grand Rapids, MI: baker Books, 1996). Escobar, Samuel, The New Global Mission: the Gospel from Everywhere to Everyone (Downers Grove, ILL: InterVarsity Press, 2003). -------, A Time for Mission, The Challenge for Global Christianity (Inter-Varsity Press, 8
2003). Gallagher, Robert L. and Paul Hertig eds., Landmark Essays in Mission and World Christianity (Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2009). Greenway, Rogers S., Go and Make Disciples!, An Introduction to Christian Missions ( P & R Publishing, New Jersey, 1999). Guthrie, Stan, Missions in the Third Millennium,21 Key Trends for the 21 st Century (Paternoster Press; 2000). Isichei, Elizabeth, A History of Christianity in Africa from Antiquity to the Present ( Speck, 1995). Jenkins, Philip, The new faces of Christianity: Believing the Bible in the Global South (Oxford University Press, 2006). ------, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (Oxford University Press, 2002). Johnson, Todd M., and Kenneth R. Ross eds., Atlas of Global Christianity (Edinburgh University Press, 2009). Mandryk, Jason, Operation World, 7 th Edition, (Colorado Springs, CO: WEC International, 2010). Martinson, Paul Varo, ed., Mission at the Dawn of the 21 st Century, A Vision for the Church( Minneapolis, Minnesota: Kirk House Publishers, 1999) Newbigin, Leslie, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society (Eerdmans, 1994). ---------, The Open Secret, An Introduction to the Theology of Mission (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995) Ott, Craig and Harold A. Neland, eds., Globalizing Theology: Belief and Practice in an Era of World Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006). 9
Ott, Craig and Stephen J. Strauss, Encountering Theology of Mission, Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues (Grand rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010). Plummer, Robert L., & John Mark Terry, eds., Paul s Missionary Methods in His Time and Ours (Downers grove, ILL: IVP Academic, 2012) Sanneh, Lamin, Whose Religion is Christianity?: The Gospel beyond the West (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2003). Sanneh, Lamin and Joel A. Carpenter, eds., The Changing Face of Christianity: Africa, the West, and the World (Oxford University Press, 2005). Schnabel, Echkard J., Early Christian Mission, Vol 1: Jesus and the Twelve; Vol. 2: Paul and the Early Church (Downers Grove, ILL: InterVasity Press, 2002 Senior, Donald, and Carroll Stuhlmueller, The Biblical Foundations for Mission (Maryknoll, N.Y.: Orbis Books, 1984). Smith, David, Mission after Christendom, Emergent Themes in Contemporary Mission (Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, 2010). Snyder, Howard A., Global Good News, Mission in a New Context ( Nashville, Abingdon Press,2011). Sunquist, Scott W., Understanding Christian Mission, Participation in Suffering and Glory (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013). ISBN: 978-0-8010-3615-6 Taylor, William D., ed., Global Missiology for the 21 st Century, The Iguassu Dialogue (Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Academic, 2000). Tennent, Timothy, Encountering Theology of Mission: Biblical Foundations, Historical Developments, and Contemporary Issues (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2010). ------, Theology in the Context of World Christianity: How the Global Church is influencing 10
the Way We Think about and Discuss Theology (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2007). Thomas, Norman E., Readings in World Mission (London: SPCK, 1995). Tucker, Ruth, From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, A Biographical History of Christian Missions ( Zondervan, 1983). Van Rheenen, Gailyn, Missions, Biblical Foundations and Contemporary Strategies, 2 nd Edition (Zondervan Academic, 2014) (A Pracitcal Study) Yoder Jhn Howard, Theology of Mission, A Believers Church Perspective, (IVP Academic, 2014), ISBN978-0-8308-4033-5 Walls, Andrew & Ross, Cathy,ed., of Global Mission ( Maryknoll, New York: Orbis Books, 2008). Mission in the 21 st Century, Exploring the Five Marks Wijsen, F.J.S and Robert Schreiter, eds., Global Christianity: Contested Claims (New York: Rodopi, 2007). Winter, Ralph D., and Steven C. Hawthorne, eds., Perspectives on the World Christian Movement (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 2009). Wright, Christopher, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible s Grand Narrative ( IVP Academic, 2006). 11