Democratising Mission
And How Migration Does This.
Welcome to “Global Witness, Globally Reimagined.” You get a glimpse here of the kind of work that I do both at Church Mission Society and Missio Africanus where I help students of all levels (from unaccredited courses to PhD) explore the theological (and missiological) implications of the rise of World Christianity. In the newsletter, I focus on the subject of global witness in the context of the twenty-first century. Every Thursday, I share a thought that has spoken to me in the week, one or two resources that I trust will be helpful to you, and three exciting quotes about mission to give you something to think about as you go through your day. I pray one of these will energise you.
NB: Please note that I will soon start tailoring most of my content towards paid subscribers. There will still be occasional posts open to everyone, but most will be for paid subscribers. If you appreciate the newsletter and are able to pay for a subscription, please consider doing so.
1. Thought I Can’t Shake Off
Migration was a normal part of human existence when Jesus walked up and down the land between Nazareth, Galilee, and Jerusalem. Technically, his family had migrated from Bethlehem to Nazareth, where he was raised. But before he even reached Nazareth as a young boy, he had to experience the life of an immigrant — he had to taste the diaspora experience (and I am sure, just like it does with many of us today, that experience stayed with him for a long time). Nazareth and the surrounding villages had many migrants — Gentiles — probably more in number than the Jews in the region. (This is why Matthew translates Isaiah’s “Galilee of the nations” (Isa. 9:1-2) to Galilee of the Gentiles (Mat. 4:14-16)). In these early decades of the Roman Empire —Augustus had just colonised Galilee and Judea when Jesus was a young boy — the presence of the imperial forces was visible throughout the land. Of course, Jesus had Roman soldiers in mind when he told his followers to go the extra mile (Mat. 5:41). In less than thirty years, the land was colonised enough for the people to reject their Messiah and choose Caesar— “We have no king but Caesar!” (Jhn. 19:15).
Yet, it was in this context, at the margins of a newly colonised land, that Jesus trained his followers to “make disciples of all nations.” The good news of the Jewish messiah sounded like rebellion and treason to the imperial machinery. He came to do the dangerous work of setting captives free, and at that time, the captives had to be freed from Roman oppression. He was never on the side of the Empire. His entire ministry was to subvert Caesar’s empire with God’s kingdom. Just like the Empire did with many other messianic figures of his era, it ensured he was stopped (helping spread his spiritual influence in the process).
In the context of the empire, making disciples of all nations was never really about sending out well-funded missionaries from Rome but the work of peasant migrant workers, traders, sea-farers, and others, moving from one part of the empire to another (and beyond) and while doing this, sharing with their neighbours the good news that the shalom-ful Jewish messiah — not the violent Caesar — is God. It is for this reason that migration is central to the work of glorifying Jesus among the nations. Migrants from poor countries play an important role, just like those missionaries sent from rich countries.
Can we rethink the whole adventure?
2. Resources I am Enjoying
Video: Jehu J. Hanciles: Globalization and Migration: The Movement of God's World
Prof Jehu J. Hanciles will be the keynote speaker at our conference next month. He will help us think through the place of migration in the shaping of the global witness both in history and in our world today. I am sharing this video today as a preview of some of the issues we will wrestle with in the conference.
3. Quotes I am Pondering
[We] need to challenge and teach Christians how our unbelieving neighbors (i.e., people from all over the world, which include non-Christian Anglos) need Jesus Christ as well, not only those on the mission fields ‘out there’ (overseas). — Chandler H. Im
We are called to ‘make disciples of all nations’ (Matt. 28:19); with immigration, the nations show up on our doorstep. The mission field has crossed our borders and settled into our communities as our coworkers and neighbors. — Jenny Hwang Yang
We need friends and equal partners in the common mission and not mere donors and recipients in mission … Friendship is a responsibility and not an opportunity, and so is mission today. — Raj Bharath Patta
I pray that you will be faithful to the work God has for you this week.