Mission in the Way of Paul: Biblical Mission for the Church in the Twenty-First Century: 80 (Studies in Biblical Literature) - Hardcover

Little, Christopher R.

9780820476353: Mission in the Way of Paul: Biblical Mission for the Church in the Twenty-First Century: 80 (Studies in Biblical Literature)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0820476358 ISBN 13: 9780820476353

Publisher: Peter Lang Publishing Inc, 2005

What relevance does the Apostle Paul have for the mission of the church in the twenty-first century? By investigating his socioeconomic background, examining his doxological orientation in mission, delineating how and why he shared resources in the first century, and then relating all this to what has been called the contemporary International Partnership Movement, this book demonstrates that when the church engages in cross-cultural mission and ignores Pauline orthopraxy, it places unnecessary obstacles in the path of the missio Dei. Therefore, Mission in the Way of Paul: Biblical Mission for the Church in the Twenty-First Century is pertinent for any course devoted to learning from and implementing biblical models of mission today.

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Review:

-Books of the nature of 'Mission in the Way of Paul' call for evaluation on at least four bases: the importance of the subject matter, the quality of the research, the logicality of the development, and the validity of the conclusions. This one passes every test. A reader whose primary interest is in the person and career of the Apostle Paul, for example, would be amply rewarded were he or she to read only that portion of the book dealing with the socioeconomic status of Paul. Or, again, someone who is desirous of building a bibliography on Paul and Pauline mission would benefit immeasurably simply by overviewing the fifty-plus pages of relevant works and references provided. Most of all, any and all who really want to understand where missions are today and where we ought to be heading tomorrow should not only study these chapters carefully, they should ponder their challenges prayerfully.- (David J. Hesselgrave, Author of 'Planting Churches Cross-Culturally')
-Christopher R. Little feels deeply that today's mission enterprise has reached a critical point with respect to the way it is being carried out. He addresses the unmatched qualities of the apostolic mission with an intense focus on Paul as a mission entrepreneur. Little is convinced that if we are to claim, even understand, Paul the theologian, we must also take seriously his methods. The principles that guided Paul, he believes, must be rediscovered. Little's thesis is that Paul, firmly but lovingly, taught that churches must be shown how to take responsibility for their own life, especially in the area of finance. While self-support has long been an issue in missiology, Little has reopened the discussion because he is convinced that many mission organizations today, including those committed to world evangelization, have ignored Paul's practice and methods.- (Dean S. Gilliland, Author of 'Pauline Theology and Mission Practice')"

About the Author:

The Author: Christopher R. Little has been involved in mission on four continents with four organizations. He earned his Ph.D. in intercultural studies from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where a version of this book received the Theology Award from the School of World Mission. He is also the author of The Revelation of God Among the Unevangelized: A Missiological and Evangelical Contribution to the Debate and several articles on mission in various journals.

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