We Need Another Pentecost

Everyday

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.

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1. Thought I Can’t Shake Off

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This coming Sunday is Pentecost in our Evangelical tradition. It is a great opportunity to reflect on an aspect of the work of the Spirit in our efforts to witness for Christ in the world. I am reminded of a song my community loved back in Malawi in the 1990s, (entitled “Send the Fire,” written by William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, in 1894).

Thou Christ of burning, cleansing flame, Send the fire! Thy blood-bought gift today we claim, Send the fire! Look down and see this waiting host, Give us the promised Holy Ghost, We want another Pentecost, Send the fire!

I remember the first time I heard this song very well. I was a teenager, we sang it in Chichewa, and it was one of the most impactful things I had ever seen. Thirsty people cried out to God for a fresh outpouring of the Spirit and God answered their prayers. Shaped by many experiences of this nature, I grew up believing this is what all Christians believe and do. Then, St Gallen happened.

In St Gallen, I was thrust into a context where enthusiastic expressions of the faith were generally non-existent (where they existed, they were at the very margins of society). Talk about culture shock. Of course, I have since then seen numerous African Christians experience the same shock. It is the most disorienting experience. While in St Gallen, I also realised for the first time that a post-Christian society is possible. Growing up in Malawi, many of us believed Europe to be a fervently Christian continent. The realisation that Europe has become post-Christian scared the lights out of me. I was immediately deeply troubled by several questions. How did Europe end up this way? What in the world had happened in the land of Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli, of von Zinzerdorf and, indeed, here in the UK, of Evan Roberts? Is the Spirit at work in Europe like it is in Africa?”

I believe there are many pieces to the story of how many Europeans became secular, and I am sure the Enlightenment played a big role in this. Four hundred years of almost exclusive belief in reason, logic, and science, at the expense of religion and spirituality has led us to the massive secularisation that we see in Europe today. This coming Sunday, we will celebrate the Spirit pouring out onto us like rain to a dry land. May God cause us to want to receive the gift of the Spirit. May we be energised both in our walk with Christ and in our bearing witness for him on a daily basis.

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2. Resources I am Enjoying

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• Podcast: Global Mobilization Network, This Is Our Tribe: “Quantity vs Quality?” (Modern Day Korean Cross-Cultural Missions. Feat. Henry Lee, Mission Korea)

This episode of the “This is Our Tribe” podcast from the Global Mobilization Network welcomes Pastor Henry Lee from Korea. Lee is the director of Frontiers Korea and chair of Mission Korea. He begins his conversation by reflecting briefly on the evolution of mission mobilisation in Korea, highlighting how the gospel was “indigenous” to the context even before the advent of classical missionaries. Lee welcomes “quantity” in sending out missionaries but stresses greater attention to the “quality” of the mission agents before they are sent out. He also notes that, for effectiveness in cross-cultural missions, mission agencies would find their “uniqueness and a common ground” by sharing the identity and culture of the people they serve. Plus, missionaries must create a safe space to share “not only their successful stories but the story of mistakes and failures.”

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3. Quotes I am Pondering

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• If Western missiological thinking fails to detect, or struggles to understand, the nature and global significance of the new non-Western missionary movement, for instance, this is largely because the Western experience provides few obvious guidelines or models that can be usefully applied to the new realities. — Jehu Hanciles

• Mission is not just the Church’s activity in another culture local or abroad, but is a frontier of belief, conviction and commitment. —Philomena Njeri Nwaura

• In the broad sense, the missionary is the messenger of the gospel who announces reconciliation between Christ and the world, human cultures, sectors of society, as well as local and international arenas. — Peter Maribei

I pray that you will be faithful in whatever God calls you to do this week.