Missio Dei And The Means Of Grace

The missio Dei concept has shifted missiological thinking from an anthropocentric view of mission to the understanding that the church and persons are participants in the missio Dei. A Wesleyan perspective of grace and the means of grace inform the development of a theology of participation in the missio Dei that overcomes the repetitive articulations of mission as simply being human action or divine action. Through the means of grace, Christian disciples participate in the missio Dei as those transformed by God's love and those through whom that love embraces and transforms the world. Missio Dei and the Means of Grace: A Theology of Participation offers a profoundly simple approach and understanding to twenty-first-century missiology that is applicable for all persons, all ages, and all ecclesial expressions of the Christian church, as participation in the missio Dei through the means of grace is understood to be a holistic way of life where spiritual formation is understood as inseparable from justice ministries.

The missio Dei concept has shifted missiological thinking from an anthropocentric view of mission to the understanding that the church and persons are participants in the missio Dei. A Wesleyan perspective of grace and the means of grace inform the development of a theology of participation in the missio Dei that overcomes the repetitive articulations of mission as simply being human action or divine action. Through the means of grace, Christian disciples participate in the missio Dei as those transformed by God’s love and those through whom that love embraces and transforms the world. Missio Dei and the Means of Grace: A Theology of Participation offers a profoundly simple approach and understanding to twenty-first-century missiology that is applicable for all persons, all ages, and all ecclesial expressions of the Christian church, as participation in the missio Dei through the means of grace is understood to be a holistic way of life where spiritual formation is understood as inseparable from justice ministries.

This landmark volume, the first of two, assesses the prospects and promise of Lutheran theology at the opening of a new millennium. From four continents, the thirty noted and respected contributors not only gauge how such classic themes as grace, the cross, and justification wear today but also look to key issues of ecumenism, social justice, global religious life, and the impact of contemporary science on Christian belief.

In Holiness and the Missio Dei, Andy Johnson takes the reader on a biblical journey that explores the question of what holiness or sanctification has to do with God's mission in the world. He refuses to relegate the idea of humans becoming holy to the realm of individual inward piety or legalism, on the one hand, or to the realm of the impossible prior to Christ's return, on the other. Using a missional lens to guide the reader into a theological engagement with Scripture, Johnson argues that God's primary means of making us holy is through our participation in his saving, reconciling mission to bring creation to its intended destiny. As we become and remain part of an ecclesia, we are corporately and personally shaped by the Spirit into the image of the cruciform Son through participation in the missio Dei, and thereby are being restored into the image of the holy God--the imago Dei. This book is written primarily for church leaders, for students, and for academics who are interested in missional readings of Scripture. It will challenge those who read it to re-articulate the church's becoming holy as being inseparably connected to its active participation in God's mission.

The Witness of God is a constructive revision of Trinitarian missio Dei theology. In it John G. Flett argues that the neglect of mission as a theological locus has harmful consequences both for understanding the nature of God s connection with world and the corresponding nature of the Christian community.

There can be no doubt the positive influence the Lausanne Movement has had on current approaches to evangelical global missions since its inception in 1974. But as with all things made and organized by humankind, it should not be above critique. Dr. Sarah Nicholl asserts spirituality, now often seen as an individual rather than communal endeavour, has been disconnected from the missional practices in the movement. In bringing together missiology, mission practice and spirituality, she joins a chorus of scholars calling for more integration between areas of theory and practice. This book defines this synergy as “integrated mission,” and to illustrate what this mission can look like draws upon the writings and lives of four mission-oriented Christians: John Wesley, St. Ignatius of Loyola, Orlando Costas and Fr. Segundo Galilea. This book reasons all believers practising this way of mission will be animated, rooted and participatory with the triune God in the missio Dei to the world.

This book goes right to the heart-the heart of the missional problem-and offers a powerful solution. God's Sending is a call to join Him in something beyond self, beyond a congregation, and beyond a denomination. God is calling us to much more. His Great Sending is His heartbeat for the world that He wants beating in and through you. Readers will learn to re-arrange their understanding of Scripture and life around God's Mission...no longer arranging God's Mission around their self-centered lives. Each chapter in this collection of writings from renowned authors connects God's heart to your own through a deep dive into Scripture. The Great Sending will begin new conversationsin the church around the Great Sending (Missio Dei) and lead laity, congregations, and pastors to let God change the direction of local churches that are collapsing under protectionism and self-preservation. The Great Sending is about opening up to God's heart for the world. Let this book challenge you and call you to see God's Mission and move your life to join God in the Mission.

In seven chapters, Willimon examines United Methodism and the ways it has made and continues to make a difference in his life. In an inspiring and enlightening way, he writes of his pride in being part of a church that has grown from one man's experience to a worldwide movement covering the globe with its message. A learning guide for groups and individuals is included. Chapter titles: Because Religion Is of the Heart Because the Bible Is Our Book Because Religion Is Practical Because Christians Are to Witness Because Christians Are to Grow Because Religion Is Not a Private Affair