Paradigm Shifts of Church History Essay

As described by Bosch in his foreword he talks about the title as ambiguous. Transforming rouse be an adjective used to describe mission. Mission preserve be understood as not the effort that transforms reality, but something that is itself beingness transformed. Lets now look at the primary paradigm shift. 1. Primitive Christianity . go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the blessed Spirit, and teaching them to practise everything I bugger off commanded you. 2 The enormous commission has to be taken into account with the lie in of Matthews gospel where we see the road of mission to the gentiles is open. The Mission of Jesus was to breakdown boundaries and to include all, eventide those who were seen as enemies. god invites all and it is those who respond that are accepted. Early Christian mission was focused barely on the Jews. Mission to the gentiles came as a spin-off mission.Early Christian mission invol ved the soul of Jesus and it was political and revolutionary. The revolutionary aspect was seen in the new relationships it brought among Jews, Greek, free, slave, rich, poor, women etc. The early church building had to lettre de cachet their understand (martyria) with their blood Martyrdom and Mission says Hans von Campenhaussen belonged together. 3 2. The Patristic Period (The Eastern church service) Mission in the Patristic (first fathers) period is thoroughly church centered which squiffys that the church is the aim the fulfillment of the Gospel, quite a than the instrument or means of mission4.In Orthodox thinking, mission is the place of liturgy (public worship). A witnessing federation is a community of worshippers. Also Orthodox mission is founded on the love of God as seen in John 316. The church began to progress too, the apostles and itinerant preachers were replaced by bishops and deacons and later too was the reclusive feat (which was the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote ones self to spiritual work). Mission to the non-Roman Asia get around mainly by the Nestorian monastic orders (who emphasized the disunion between the human and divine natures of Jesus).In 1054 the great schism took place between the Eastern and Western church. This was the beginning of the Orthodox church and the Catholic Church. Constantine go the headquarters of the Empire from Rome to Constantinople and the church began to compromise with the state politically. The church became secularised and Salvation was a gradatory progress that leads to the divine. 3. The Medieval Roman Catholic Period Then the master told his servant, Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 5 Where the early church took its missioner text from John 316 talking about the love of God, the Roman Catholic Church had the focus of compelling them to come in. They argued that there was no salvation outside the forma l social rank of the RC Church. The Roman Empire had become linked to the RC Church. The Catholic Church became extremely influential over the evoke and loyalty to the state meant being loyal to the church. Islam became increasingly popular in the East leading to the amaze of Constantinople in 1453. Pope Alexander VI divided the colonized world into two for mission purposes. single was under the King of Spain and the other under the King of Portugal. The mission of the church was linked to the mission of the state. They move Missionaries to the colonized territories. Europe was broadly seen as Christian and therefore no real need for evangelism. The monastic movement may have been the reason was so much authentic Christianity evolved in Europes dark ages. Reformation Period (the Protestant Paradigm) I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. 6 Martin Luther had a realization that Gods righteousness did not mean Gods punishment and wrath, but his gift of grace and mercy in which anyone could be saved. Bosch storied that the Protestant missionary paradigm tended to vary from various extremes. Bosch shows that although the idea of mission was there among the Protestants, their involvement was limited. This was due(p) to (a) their primary task was to reform the church (b) contact with non-Christians was little (c) they were struggling to survive (d) denial of the monastic orders meant they denied themselves access to important services and (e) their own internal struggles.Luthers reformation made little soul of this world, Calvinism in Holland (developed Luthers doctrine of justification by faith) and Puritanism in England (the Protestant church regarded the Reformation of the Church of England as incomplete and sought to simplify and regulate forms of worship) did. Bosch then refers to Gisbertus Voetiuss threefold model of the theology of mission. He s ees these dimensions as (a) conversion of the Gentiles (b) planting of the church and (c) the glory and manifestation of divine grace (he aphorism the churches of old and new standing as equal)7.Enlightenment Period Mission during this period was diverse and miscellaneous than ever before. The change from medieval to enlightenment thinking made the supernatural redundant and the natural attracted more than attention. God, the church and the nobles were no longer revered, but nature was. This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 8 The raider comes only to steal and kill and destroy I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. 9 Then Jesus came to them and said, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. thereof go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I ha ve commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. 10 During this period as you cease see from the scriptures above, the main sense of mission was the urgency of the coming of the new millennium.The modern missionary enterprise has been greatly influenced by the enlightenments concept of ecclesiastical and cultural expansion. These were in the church and state. village and Christianisation went together, and were two sides of the same coin. Later, during the enlightenment the two went onto separate paths, forces of renewal and the second awakening. 6. Ecumenical Period The church turned from being an institution to being the body of Christ with its outlook on mission being revitalized and seen afresh.Missionary conferences began to emerge as Bosch referring to Gunther ecclesiological reflections of missionary conferences from Edinburgh 1910 to Mexico City in 196311. The Missio Dei concept first surfaced in 1952 at the Willingen Conference12. The idea of God as a missionary God13. Mission as stated by Bosch is as follows meditating salvation the quest for justice evangelism contextualization, liberation, inculturation common witness ministry by the holy people of God, witness to people of other living faiths and as action in hope. Bosch looks at the life of Jesus with what we can learn for mission today.