What is the church's mission in this world? What message does it proclaim, and who is to proclaim it? The mission, says Darrell Guder in this book, is to complete the work of salvation that God began in the incarnation of his son Jesus Christ. The message is the gospel — the good news of the incarnate Christ. And the messengers are the Body of Christ — the church — who have been called to be his witnesses. Only as we understand Christ's incarnation and the church's role in proclaiming its meaning, according to Guder, can we understand our calling to be witnesses of God’s salvation. / Written out of Guder's wide-ranging experience as a minister and professor in the United States and Europe, and especially his work with the Fuller Seminary Institute of Youth Ministries and with Young Life, the book will challenge students and educated laypersons to grapple with serious theology about the church as it relates to what Christians are doing daily about their faith.

Be My Witnesses: The Church's Mission, Message, and Messengers

History

Guder, Darrell L.

World

Wm. B. Eerdmans-Lightning Source

Western society is now a very different, very difficult mission field. In such a situation, the mission of evangelism cannot succeed with an attitude of "business as usual." This volume builds a theology of evangelism that has its focus on the church itself. Darrell Guder shows that the church's missionary calling requires that the theology and practice of evangelism be fundamentally rethought and redirected, focused on the continuing evangelization of the church so that it can carry out its witness faithfully in today's world. In Part 1 Guder explores how, under the influence of reductionism and individualism, the church has historically moved away from a biblical theology of evangelism. Part 2 presents contemporary challenges to the church's evangelical ministry, especially those challenges that illustrate the church's need for continuing conversion. Part 3 discusses what a truly missional theology would mean for the church, including sweeping changes in its institutional structures and practices. Written for teachers, church leaders, and students of evangelism, this volume is vital reading for everyone engaged in mission work.

The Continuing Conversion of the Church (The Gospel and Our Culture Series (GOCS))

Religion & Spirituality

Christian Books & Bibles

Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Distillation of crucial issues for the church by one of the leading voices in missional theology Since the publication of the groundbreaking volume Missional Church in 1998, there has been wide-ranging engagement with the theme of the missional church. One of the leading voices in the missional church conversation, Darrell Guder here lays out basic theological issues that must be addressed for the church to serve God faithfully as Christ's witnessing people. Guder argues that there are major consequences for every classical theological locus if the fundamental claims of the missional church discussion are acknowledged. In Called to Witness he delves into these consequences, saying that we need to keep doing missional theology until it is possible to leave off the "missional scaffolding" because, after all, mission defines the very essence and calling of the church.

Called to Witness: Doing Missional Theology (Cospel and Our Culture Series)

In this provocative book, Guder argues that the incarnation of God in Jesus provides the foundational model for the practice of Christian missions in the world today.

The Incarnation and the Church's Witness (Christian Mission & Modern Culture)

Morehouse Pub Co

The exhibition of the kingdom of heaven is a gift of grace that flows through our hearts and souls to reach out to the world to manifest or reflect Christ's presence in the world.

Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World

Witherspoon Press

For several years, argues Guder, contemporary Christian churches have often thought of their mission efforts as simply one more program of the church. In addition, outsiders have rightly criticized Christian mission efforts as exercises in cultural imperialism. In this provocative book, Guder argues that the incarnation of God in Jesus provides the foundational model for the practice of Christian missions in the world today. The incarnation is the culmination of God's activity and presence in the world, says Guder, for in this event God initiates the healing of a broken world. Using literary, historical, and social approaches to scripture, Guder claims the contemporary church should return to an "incarnational mission" in which the practice of Christian witness is "shaped by the life, ministry, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus."

The Incarnation and the Church's Witness

Wipf and Stock

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