Category — Newbigin

The church is missionary in its very nature and thus missionary in its actions wherever it may be found.  And yet, if this is true (which I thoroughly believe it to be), then by what means does the church keep from sliding into inwardness and inaction.  As the saying goes ‘- if everything is mission, nothing is mission’ (attributable to Stephen Neill, I believe).  Lesslie Newbigin addressed this problem as early as 1958 … 

“… there is a missionary dimension of everything the Church does.  But not everything the Church does has a missionary intention.  And unless there is in the life of the Church a point of concentration for the missionary intention, the missionary dimension which is proper to the whole life of the Church will be lost.”  One Body, One Gospel, One World (1958, reprinted in 1960), 43.

The question become … at or in what point is the missionary intention of the church to be concentrated?  From the pulpit and in the sermon?  In the formation of its members?  In and through its budget?  In its corporate life, as it moves through and deals with society and culture?  Mission is only an intention, an abstract ideal, unless acted upon by the church via appropriate means.  The church must not assume it is missionary because of its nature or intention.  Rather, it must seek to realize its missionary dimension as it proclaims, disciples, spends money, and interacts with its neighbors.

J. E. Lesslie Newbigin (1909-98) stands as one of the towering figures of the 20th century.  As missionary, theologian, ecumenist, and churchman, he uniquely addresses the trinitarian nature of mission, the gospel in culture, and the church’s role in God’s mission.  Ten years after his death, he is read more than ever. 

Newbigin.Net contains an extensive bibliography and document archive of Newbigin’s writings.  Much of the same information is located at http://www.newbigin.net .  However, the strength of the CD version is the powerful AskSam search engine.  I have done several searches and found it to be amazingly easy to use.  The back of the CD case reads: “It contains a comprehensive record of his writings, over two hundred items written by him-including, for example, items such as the previously unpublished ‘The Mission of the Triune God’, and his classic The Other Side of 1984 - and notable interactions with his thought. … This CD is a must for every student of Newbigin’s thought.” 

Lesslie Newbigin provides a prophetic voice for the church’s mission in the 21st century.  Newbigin.Net turns up the volume of this voice.  You can purchase your copy through the Gospel and Our Culture Network.