Contextual Missiology of the Spirit

Wessly Lukose

• Publisher: Regnum
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781908355096
• eBook ISBN: 9781908355096
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

This book explores the identity, context and features of Pentecostalism in Rajasthan, India as well as the internal and external issues facing Pentecostals. It argues for an indigenous origin of Pentecostalism in Rajasthan, as it is a product of local Spirit revivals in the existing churches and the missionary activities of Indian Pentecostals. The book aims to suggest 'a contextual missiology of the Spirit, ' as a new model of contextual missiology from a Pentecostal perspective. It is presented as a glocal, ecumenical, transformational, and public missiology.

Chapter 6

Towards a Contextual Missiology of the Spirit

As described in the previous chapters, Pentecostalism in Rajasthan sees itself as a Spirit-led movement, and also as a product of local Spirit revivals as well as missionary activities. Despite the external and internal issues it faces, it continues to grow. This chapter presents a new model of contextual missiology in the light of the current study, referred to here as the ‘contextual missiology of the Spirit.’ Four major issues will be discussed in relation to this. First, contextual missiology is explained. Second, the theological basis for this new model is outlined. Third, the contextual characteristics of this new model of missiology are discussed, and finally the importance of a contextual discernment is explained.

There has been a tremendous change in the understanding of theology in the recent past. The contemporary global context has seen the rise of many theologies from the Majority World. It is significant that such theologies have emerged out of different contexts. As Cartledge has observed, ‘with the advent of liberation theology there came a turn to contemporary praxis as the starting point’ of theology.¹ Many, like Gustavo Gutierrez, an original thinker and a chief proponent of Liberation Theology, argue that theology is reflection that comes after action. Theology must continuously follow the pastoral action of the church, and so, instead of telling us what to do, theology must pursue action as a ‘reflection to orient it, to order it, to make it coherent, so that it does not lapse into a sterile and superficial activism.’² Nevertheless, it is wrong to assume that such a concept of ‘theology following action (mission)’ has a purely Majority World origin. In the beginning of the twentieth century, systematic theologian Martin Kahler affirmed that mission is ‘the mother of theology.’ According to him, ‘theology began as “an accompanying manifestation of the Christian mission,” not as “a luxury of the world-dominating church.”’³

Contextual Missiology

As mentioned in chapter one, missiology has become a widely established academic discipline despite its late origin as a developed field of study. The term ‘missiology’ was coined by Ludwig Rijckevorsel in1915.⁴ Although there had long been missionary activities, the foundational work for missiology as an academic discipline was done by Gustav Warneck on the Protestant side, and Joseph Schmidlin on the Roman Catholic side.⁵ The place of missiology in theology is significant in the contemporary global context. According to David Bosch,

missiology acts as a gadfly in the house of theology, creating unrest and resisting complacency, opposing every ecclesiastical impulse to self-preservation, every desire to stay what we are, every inclination toward provincialism and parochialism, every fragmentation of humanity into regional or ideological blocs, every exploitation of some sectors of humanity by the powerful, every religious, ideological, or cultural imperialism, and every exaltation of the self-sufficiency of the individual over other people or over other parts of creation.⁶

Contemporary missiology seems to be in tension with classic or traditional mission theology. As Jongeneel and J.M.V. Engelen note, the traditional theory of mission ‘looks for support in the text of the Bible, and perhaps also in church tradition’ over against contemporary mission theory, which ‘derives the agenda of missiology primarily from the world context.’⁷ In his study of the evolution of contemporary missiology, Oborji observes that ‘dialogue with the contexts … is the emerging trend in mission studies.’⁸ Malaysian theologian Hwa Yung suggests that an authentic theology must properly be grounded in ‘the pastoral and missiological practice of the church.’⁹ It is significant that a contextual missiology has emerged out of the current study on Pentecostalism in Rajasthan. However, it is necessary to understand the significance and meaning of contextual missiology before discussing its characteristics.

The Significance of Contextual Missiology

Contextual theology is a widely developed concept in present-day theology. Contemporary contextual theology is closely tied to missiology. In an edited volume of the story of the LMS and its successor bodies during the period 1945-77, Bernard Thorogood argues that there are external pressures and internal developments that shift the context of mission and that need a response, a change both in theory and praxis, meaning theology and strategies.¹⁰ However, it is not easy to develop a missiology in the contemporary global situation. According to Thomas Thangaraj, ‘the task of constructing a theology of mission’ in the present millennium is ‘significantly different from what it would have been immediately after the dawn of the twentieth’ century.¹¹ By this he meant the spirit of mission at the World Missionary Conference which met at Edinburgh, Scotland in 1910 – a significant event in the history of the Protestant missionary movement. The major thrust of the conference was ‘an invitation to Christians around the globe to join in the task of evangelizing the entire world.’¹² According to Bosch, ‘the spirit of optimism and confidence’ which prevailed at the Edinburgh Conference, ‘… represented the all-time high water mark in Western missionary enthusiasm, the zenith of the optimistic and pragmatist approach to missions.’ He claimed that although the western missionary circle in general reacted rather negatively to the Enlightenment, the mood of Edinburgh in its optimism and confidence was a clear indication of the spirit of Enlightenment. Bosch saw that ‘more than in any preceding period, Christians of this era believed that the future of the world and of God’s cause depended on them.’¹³ The closing address of John Mott, one of the leaders of the Conference, shows this spirit. He said:

We go out with a larger acquaintanceship, with deeper realization of this fellowship which we have just seen, and that is a rich talent which makes possible wonderful achievements. Our best days are ahead of us because of a larger body of experience now happily placed at the disposal of Christendom…. Therefore, with rich talents like these which we bear forth, surely our best days are ahead of every one of us, even the most distinguished person in our great company.¹⁴

However, Thangaraj argues that the optimistic confidence of the Edinburgh delegates about the evangelization of the whole world in a generation has been gradually toned down. He discusses five major reasons – World Wars I and II, the dismantling of colonialism, the resurgence of other religions, the intense consciousness of religious plurality and the rise of post-modern thought – that affected the optimistic spirit of the Conference.¹⁵ Thangaraj highlights three major shifts for constructing a contemporary missiology. First, as the word mission is ‘no longer a private property of Christian discourse,’ theology should be done in public. Second, theological construction should begin with ‘local stories.’ Third, a conversational method should be used in theology by widening the circle of conversation and dialogue between Christians and others.¹⁶

There has been a great emphasis in recent years on making local theologies, particularly by Roman Catholic missiologists. There are various terms, like ‘localization,’ ‘indigenization,’ ‘inculturation’ and ‘contextualization’ of theology, which have been used interchangeably to explain this focus. According to Schreiter, ‘despite slightly different nuances in meaning all of these terms point to the need for and responsibility of Christians to make their response to the gospel as concrete and lively as possible.’¹⁷ He evaluates the appropriateness of all these four terms in contemporary theology.¹⁸ As Schreiter observes, ‘not all attempts in theology are equally sensitive to the context,’ and so ‘they can take quite different approaches to it.’ Therefore, he uses the term ‘local theologies’ in an inclusive way to develop a broader approach.¹⁹ The history of mission has witnessed a number of mission models in various contexts, and several attempts have been made to analyze these models.²⁰ In his study of new perspectives in missiological anthropology, Louis Luzbetak discusses diverse mission models. He classifies them into three theoretical models: ethnocentric (including paternalism, triumphalism and racism), accommodational and contextual (including incarnational as well as inculturational).²¹ On the other hand, Bevans identifies six models of contextual theology: ‘translation model,’ ‘anthropological model,’ ‘praxis model,’ ‘synthetic model,’ ‘transcendental model’ and ‘countercultural model.’²² While discussing the varieties of local theology, Schreiter categorizes them into three major models: ‘translation models,’ ‘accommodation models’ and ‘contextual models.’²³

The contextual nature of Pentecostal missiology has been evident throughout the history of the movement, and although still developing, mission has been an inseparable element of Pentecostalism from its very inception. According to Grant McClung, ‘Pentecostal’ and ‘missiology’ has become ‘more synonymous than oxymoronic.’²⁴ The contextual nature of Charismatic Christianity will be argued as a prime reason for the phenomenal growth of Pentecostalism worldwide. Anderson proposes that ‘Contextual Missiology’ must be a salient feature of the twenty-first century Pentecostal missiology.²⁵ According to him,

One of the main reasons for the phenomenal growth of Pentecostalism has been its remarkable ability to adapt itself to different cultural and social contexts and give authentically contextualized expressions to Christianity. Pentecostalism is inherently adaptable to contextualization: the vibrancy, enthusiasm, spontaneity and spirituality for which Pentecostals are so well known and their willingness to address problems of sickness, poverty, unemployment, loneliness, evil spirits and sorcery has directly contributed to their growth.²⁶

Cox observes that Pentecostal capabilities to transact the contextual aspect of religion and also to equip the people to live in the hastily changing global situations are vital for its remarkable growth.²⁷ While analysing David Yonggi Cho’s theology, Anderson comments that Korean Pentecostalism should be assessed not only from within the internal cultural and religious context of Korea but also from the external influence of globalization.²⁸

Contextual Missiology of the Spirit: A New Model

As stated earlier, a new contextual missiology has emerged out of the story of Pentecostalism in Rajasthan (local story) as proposed by Thangaraj. However, this new model gives more insights into the Spirit dimension of contextual missiology, which is neglected by Thangaraj and others. Although Bosch recognizes the importance of the Holy Spirit in mission, his treatment on the role of the Spirit in contextual missiology is limited.²⁹ It is important to note that most Catholic missiologists like Schreiter and B...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Acknowledgements
• Abbreviations
• Introduction: The Problem of Pentecostal Identity
• Historical Context and Identity
• Pentecostalism in Rajasthan
• Pentecostalism and the Religio-Political Context
• Ecclesial Issues Facing Pentecostalism
• Towards a Contextual Missiology of the Spirit
• Conclusion
• Appendices
• Bibliography
• Index