Ubuntu-shaped Missiology (Part 2)

Mission As a Spiritual Adventure

Welcome to my newsletter, “Global Witness, Globally Reimagined.”

I dream here about mission in a postcolonial world. Every week, I share one thought that has spoken to me, two resources I trust will be helpful to you, and three quotes about mission.

I pray one of these will energise you this week.

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1. Thought I Can’t Shake Off

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The expansive implications of the cross-pollination of missiological thought from different parts of the world seem to me to be among the most exciting things that have come with the emergence of world Christianity. There is a lot that we ought to learn from one another about making the nations disciples of Christ. Another key contribution that ubuntu theology makes to missiology is its emphasis on the work of the Spirit in mission. Ubuntu theology and, indeed, the philosophy upon which it is built is only possible because of the worldview that allows for the existence of myriads of spirits in the universe (which actually influence the human world in a big way). Of course, without the spirits (of God, ancestors, etc), ubuntu is impossible. In ubuntu perspective, therefore, mission is, above all else, a spiritual adventure. As such, an ubuntu-shaped missiology is not possible without a robust appreciation of the Spirit because the Spirit of God is always moving people and communities to follow Christ.

It is for this reason that Bishop John V. Taylor, in The Go-Between God, articulates our fundamental belief when he said, “the chief actor in the historic mission of the Church is the Holy Spirit.”¹ Mission, in this perspective, is the work of the Spirit who calls and empowers us for God’s mission. Of course, the Spirit is also already out there, preparing God’s people for the message of Christ. More important for this discourse, the Spirit seeks to keep extending the domain in which God alone is in charge, having subdued and expelled the spiritual kingdom of Satan. For this reason, an ubuntu missiology will take prayer seriously. It will call us all to prayer, with an unwavering expectation that God will answer, for we know that it is through prayer that we move the Spirit to help us. May you be encouraged to pray more this week!

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2. Resources I am Enjoying

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• Book: David Ngaruiya and Rodney Reed, The Holy Spirit in African Christianity, (Carlisle: Langham, 2022).

This is a new book—the 7th volume—in Langham’s Africa Society of Evangelical Theology (ASET) series. It is an edited volume that puts together some of the essays presented at the ASET conference that took place in Nairobi in 2021. Both David Ngaruiya and Rodney Reed are well-known scholars in the Evangelical circles in Kenya, (they have co-edited quite a few of the ASET series books). So, The Holy Spirit in African Christianity contains 8 essays, altogether authored by 12 people, discussing the Spirit in several African countries. They discuss disparate pneumatological topics such as Montanism, deliverance, Augustine’s theology of the Spirit, and the work of the Spirit among women in African independent churches. As such, it cannot be expected to sustain one thesis throughout, but I think this is a plus and not a minus. Readers will get a chance to hear about aspects of how Christians in Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Botswana, or Kenya think and talk about the Spirit. I have only had a chance to speed-read it, and I found the essays helpful. I expected that a subject like this would require more than 8 essays to be discussed properly, so I was let down a little. Thus, I think of the book as a conversation starter. There has to be more on this as I know Africans have a lot to say about the Spirit. That said, I am certain that many of you will find this book quite informative.

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Podcast: Peniel Rajkumar - Mission from the Margins: How can paying attention to the witness of the global church renew and reinvigorate Christian mission?

In this conversation, Peniel Rajkumar echoes the idea that mission should be from everywhere to everyone. He contemplates the benefits of embracing global theologies for global witness. Having reflected on his feet approach to theology and mission, Peniel challenges the West to be more open to the missional contributions and theologies from the rest of the world. Indeed, he wonders about the two-way learning that can emerge from that process. Peniel’s call is apt for effective missional partnership today, and for the revitalisation of the church in the West and, of course, the globe.

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3. Quotes I am Pondering

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• … seeing missions as a reconstruction process calls for critical engagement with justice, peace, and reconciliation in the midst of conflicts and poverty, because to engage in mission work is to participate in the work of the Triune God who creates, sustains, governs, and reconciles the universe. —Philomena Njeri Mwaura

• … mission is no longer a Western monopoly or privilege. Nor can non-Western churches be thought of as extensions of Western missionary efforts; they are self-acting agents of mission and increasingly are the major contributor to global missions. Again, mission from everywhere to everyone. —Bryant L. Myers

• Mother tongues and new idioms are crucial for gaining fresh insights into the doctrine of Christ. —Kwame Bediako

Thank you, I pray you have a missionally fruitful week.

1. The book is clear, his time in Uganda drew him to this conclusion. Similar sentiments can be heard from such scholars of mission like the legendary Lesslie Newbigin, Kirsteen Kim, and others, many of whom have witnessed the work of the Spirit in mission in cultures of the Global South.