Some emphasize Christian mission as verbal proclamation and "saving souls." Others focus on global justice issues or relief and development work. Can we do both?
In this classic book, John Stott shows that Christian mission must encompass both evangelism and social action. He offers careful definitions of five key terms--
Through a thorough biblical exploration of these concepts, Stott provides a model for ministry to people's spiritual and physical needs alike.
Ultimately, Stott points to the example of Jesus, who modeled both the Great Commission of proclamation and the Great Commandment of love and service. This balanced, holistic approach to mission points the way forward for the work of the church in the world.
A ballenced biblical look at issues surrounding missions and evangalism| Posted December 05, 2009
In Christian mission in the modern world, John Stott seeks to communicate the biblical meaning and importance of mission, evangelism, dialogue, salvation and conversion.
In one way this is a book for the specific time in the church’s history a few decades ago when it was originally written. Stott quotes and analyzes heavily the books, conferences talks and academic papers that were having a significant impact on discussions of mission and evangelism. Most of these would be unfamiliar to most reading the book now which can make a few spots a little hard to get through.
While the voices have changed the arguments tend to stay the same. Even with the shift from modernism to postmodernism to wherever we are going next, questions like what it means to evangelize, how to understand the Christian responsibility for social justice and how Christians should approach dialogue remain important. Stott provides a solid biblical analysis of these issues. It is particularly helpful in dealing with the currently fashionable idea that just doing good is an acceptable substitute for actually telling people about the gospel. On the flipside, it also rebuts those who would preach but not help with peoples practical needs.
Despite the dated content, I very much recommend it for an evenhanded look at issues of evangelism and mission that remain contentious but important today.
