What is the Church's mission? What does it mean to participate in
God's mission personally? How do "mission" and culture interact and
conflict?
This book articulates various evangelical views regarding the church's
mission and provides a healthy, vigorous, and gracious debate on this
controversial topic. In a helpful Counterpoints format, this volume
demonstrates the unique theological frameworks, doctrinal convictions,
and missiological conclusions that inform and distinguish the views:
- Soteriological Mission: Jonathan Leeman
- Participatory Mission: Christopher Wright
- Contextual Mission: John Franke
- Ecumenical-Political Mission: Peter Leithart
Each contributor answers the same key questions based on their biblical
interpretations and theological convictions:
- What is your biblical-theological framework for mission?
- How does your definition of mission inform your understanding of the
church's mission?
- How does the Mission of God and Kingdom of God relate to the mission
of the church?
- What is the gospel?
- How does your view on the gospel inform the mission of the church?
- How do verbal proclamation of the gospel, discipleship, corporate
worship, caring for the poor, social justice, restoring shalom,
developing culture, and international missions fit into the church's
mission?
The interactive format helps readers get a clearer picture of why
different conclusions are drawn and provide a fresh starting point for
discussion and debate of the church's mission.
The Counterpoints series presents a comparison and critique of
scholarly views on topics important to Christians that are both
fair-minded and respectful of the biblical text. Each volume is a
one-stop reference that allows readers to evaluate the different
positions on a specific issue and form their own, educated opinion.
