Beyond Fragmentation

Bernard Ott

• Publisher: Regnum
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9781870345149
• eBook ISBN: 9781870345149
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Beyond Fragmentation is an inquiry into the development of mission studies in evangelical theological education in Germany and German-speaking Switzerland between 1960-1995. This is carried out by a detailed examination of the paradigm shifts which have taken place in recent years in both the theology of mission and the understanding of theological education.

PART ONE

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1

Subject, Context and Objectives

1. General Introduction to the Subject

When in January 1997, in the context of the Mennonite World Conference’s (MWC) Assembly in Calcutta, India, fifty educators from more than twenty countries gathered for a Consultation on ‘Theological Education on Five Continents’, Larry Miller, Executive Secretary MWC, called this consultation ‘one of the most important events’ of the Mennonite World Conference, pointing to its role in leadership training and identity formation. He concluded that ‘international reflection on theological education and transnational pooling of educational resources are not only timely but vital’ (Heisey and Schipani:iii). This focus on the critical role of theological education in the life of the church is by no means limited to churches in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. Other recent international gatherings on theological education, such as ‘The Consultation on Institutional Development for Theological Education in the Two Thirds World’ at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies in the summer of 1995,¹ and ‘The Global Consultation on Ecumenical Theological Education’ of the WCC in Oslo in August 1996,² have all pointed in the same direction: the renewal of theological education is imperative for the future of the Christian church.³

This is the focus of this thesis. It intends to contribute to this global and ecumenical search for the renewal of theological education for the church in its mission. This will be accomplished by focusing (1) at the level of theory: on theological education in general and on mission studies in particular. Recent paradigm shifts⁴ in the theology of mission as well as in theological education will be traced and synthesised in such a way that criteria for the analysis of theological education can be deduced. (2) At the level of praxis:a selected group of schools will be analysed in the light of this theory.

In accordance with the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies’ emphasis on Reflective Practitioner Leadership, which means ‘resourcing those involved in ministry … to engage continually in reflection on their experience in ministry’ (OCMS), this thesis focuses on evangelical theological education in Germany and German-speaking Switzerland, the context in which the author himself is involved in theological training.⁵

2. Foreground and Background

a) Foreground: Evangelical Bible Schools and Seminaries in Germany and Switzerland

This study analyses evangelical theological education in Germany and German-speaking Switzerland with special reference to mission studies. The focus is on the examination of a selected number of evangelical Bible colleges and seminaries (hereafter the Schools). The Schools are closely related to the evangelical mission movement. Most of the Schools understand themselves as mission training centres. They have founded the Konferenz Bibeltreuer Ausbildungsstätten (KBA), an association which incorporates thirtysix schools (see Appendix A). Many of the Schools are also members of the European Evangelical Accrediting Association (EEAA) which facilitates accreditation comparable to internationally recognised degrees.

These schools should be viewed as the educational wing of the evangelical mission movement in their respective countries. Evangelical missions in German-speaking Europe presently include at least eighty mission agencies supporting more then 2500 missionaries. In 1995 80 per cent of German Protestant missionaries working abroad were connected to the evangelical movement (Schrupp:146; em 4/1989:58, cf. Ustorf 1994:112; Reifler:66) most of whom were trained in the Schools. In the period considered in this study (1960 to 1995) more than 10,000 students have graduated from these institutions.⁶

The history of this significant tradition of theological and missionary training has never been investigated, nor has it been subject to critical analysis (Holthaus 1993:318). This study intends to contribute to a better understanding of this particular movement of mission training in the German-speaking world, to identify its significance in the context of the larger Christian community and to critically analyse its performance.

b) Background: Paradigm Shifts in Mission and in Theological Education

Walter Hollenweger raises the disturbing question which stands at the outset of this investigation: What is the future of Christian mission and of mission studies in the western world in the light of the changing world situation? It is in the face of this challenge that this study engages in self-critical reflection on western theological training. Consequently, the Schools will be examined in the light of the developments within the world Christian movement in the second half of the twentieth century. This global background scenery takes the following shape:

(1) PARADIGM SHIFT IN WORLD CHRISTIANITY

Hollenweger reminds us of the fact that ‘the majority of Christians now live outside the western world and [that] they are very different from us.’ Mission can therefore no longer be understood as it was in the colonial era. The community of missiologists would certainly agree with Hollenweger’s assessment. Terms such as ‘crisis,’ ‘change’ and ‘new directions’ are frequently used when referring to developments in the western world and in mission in the post-war period. In recent studies the term ‘paradigm shift’ has often been used in reference to the tremendous changes which have shaped the world situation in the post-colonial era (Bosch 1991; Scherer and Bevans 1992:IX; Werner 1993:44–47; Wietzke:437–38). Scherer and Bevans have summarised this changed situation as follows:

(1) We now live in a pluricentric, rather than a western-dominated world; (2) structures of oppression and exploitation are today being challenged as never before; (3) a profound feeling of ambiguity exists about the value of western technology and development and the older idea of ‘progress’; (4) we inhabit a shrinking global village with finite resources, and this calls for growing mutual interdependence; (5) humans are for the first time aware of their capacity to destroy the earth and make it uninhabitable for future generations; (6) societies everywhere now seek their own local cultural identities and reject slavish imitation of western models; (7) freedom of religion and greater awareness of other faiths force Christianity to re-evaluate their own earlier attitudes toward other faiths (Scherer and Bevans 1992:IX).

But the world situation is not all that has changed: the face of the world Christian movement is experiencing equally dramatic shifts (Myers: 1993): (1) Over half of all Christians live in the Two Thirds World (Myers: 5); (2) traditional denominational churches are shrinking while Pentecostal/charismatic and non-white indigenous churches experience rapid growth (Myers: 4); (3) ‘more cross-cultural Protestant missionaries will be sent from or within the Two Thirds World countries than from the West by the first decade of the twenty-first century’ (Myers: 10); (4) ‘the church in the West will increasingly look to the church elsewhere in the world for example and direction’ (Myers: 34). All these changes call for a response from the church in the west.

(2) PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE THEOLOGY OF MISSION

The changed world situation raises questions about traditional western Christianity. The word ‘crisis’⁷ has become common currency as a description of the situation of the western church and its missionary endeavours. Christians in the west have been forced to face the changes and to respond in an appropriate manner. Hollenweger calls for self-critical reflection within the western church. Again, this has been confirmed by missiologists of all confessional traditions. Carl E. Braaten (:55) speaks for many others, saying, ‘The church becomes a witness against itself when it refuses to criticise its own structures and functions in light of the changing missionary situations in the world’. There is broad agreement in the assessment of the state of affairs: the global situation of the world Christian movement has changed in such a way that we, as the western church, are called to a thorough reassessment of our western understanding of the gospel, the church and mission (cf. Ustorf 1994:135–38; Shenk 1993a). In 1991, the South African missiologist David Bosch presented a comprehensive view of ‘an emerging ecumenical missionary paradigm’ under the title Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission, reflecting the changes which have taken place and pointing towards the third millennium.⁸ In the same manner, Dietrich Werner, referring to the development of ecumenical discussion on mission from 1961 to 1991, speaks of a ‘dramatic process’ of change in missionary thinking which has taken place in the last thirty to forty years (1993:23).

(3) PARADIGM SHIFT IN THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION

Athird observation is on the level of theological education. Again, critical questions, crisis and the call for new directions can be observed. The traditional models of theological education employed in western university and seminary training have been severely criticised (Farley 1983; Duraisingh:37). Not only has it turned out to be a western model with minimal effectiveness in the Two Thirds World, but there is also an increasing awareness that this traditional model is not even adequate in the western world (Newbigin 1978b). The main limitations are (1) its heavy emphasis on detached academic reflection, (2) the one-sided deductive accumulation of knowledge, (3) the required residential presence for many years, (4) the professional orientation, (5) the limited access, (6) the institution-centredness (7) and the high costs (Kinsler 1981:3–24).

The early 1960s brought experimentation with new ways of leadership training in missionary situations. New models, commonly referred to by the broad term Theological Education by Extension (TEE), were created and developed over the years (Kinsler 1981, 1983; Youngblood; Padilla ed. 1988; Ferris 1990a). This has caused a thorough rethinking of theological education, both in ecumenical⁹ as well as in evangelical circles.¹⁰ In 1983, Andrew Kirk (:46) analysed the situation as follows:

Third World Christians are not only challenging the theologically literate of the Western world to embark on a theological discussion more engaged with the changing realities of daily life, but they are also questioning the assumptions which have dominated theological education for at least one hundred fifty years. The challenge to discover new models of theological thinking implies a change in current patterns of training.

3. Aim and Objectives of the Study

a) General Aim

In the light of the above considerations, the general aim of this inquiry can be stated as follows: To synthesise the global and ecumenical paradigm shifts...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• Abbreviations
• Part One Introduction
• Part Two History Evangelical Theological Education in German-Speaking Europe in Context
• Part Three Theology of Mission: German Evangelical Theology of Mission in the Light of Paradigm Shifts in Mission
• Part Four Theological Education: Evangelical Theological Education in the Light of Paradigm Shifts in Theological Education
• Part Five To Change or Not to Change? Summary and Outlook
• Appendix A List of the KBA Schools
• Appendix B Ecumenical Conferences from 1910 to 1991
• Appendix C Consultations of the Lausanne Movement between 1974 and 1989
• Appendix D The Frankfurt Declaration 1970
• Appendix E The Lausanne Covenant 1974
• Bibliography
• Index