timjdavy Bible and Mission

Direction journal

I recently discovered a new online journal with a number of helpful issues. Direction is ‘a Mennonite Brethren forum’; here’s how it describes its development:

Direction journal was begun in 1972 as a partnership among four Mennonite Brethren educational institutions in Canada and the U.S. Eventually two additional schools joined the group, and the U.S. and Canadian Mennonite Brethren Conferences also provide support. Delbert Wiens, editor, offered the first issue of Direction to laypersons and church leaders with an invitation “to listen to each other and to think prayerfully together.” Challenges cited by Wiens for the journal to address included theological issues, the church in theory and practice, sociological problems, and discipleship matters. Neither a purely academic journal nor a denominational magazine, Direction highlights the interdependence of Christian reflection and mission.

In 1972, Direction replaced two publications: The Voice (Canadian, since 1952) and the Journal of Church and Society (U.S., since 1965). It began as a quarterly publication but changed to semiannual in 1985. Five editors, apart from guest editors, have served during the journal’s life: Delbert Wiens (1972-75), Allen Guenther (1981-89), Elmer Martens (1976-81; 1989-95), Douglas Miller (1997-2007), and Victor Froese (2007 to the present). Kindred Productions began producing the journal with the 1996 issues. An overview of themes addressed by the journal may be obtained on the Back Issues page of this site.

The idea of a Direction Web site began in the late 1990s and was developed in the winter of 2000-2001. With the journal on the Web as well as in print, its articles now become much more accessible to interested readers.

After a quick look a few articles strike me as particularly interesting, but I’m sure there are more:

Genesis 1 as Critique of Japanese Culture by Hironori Minamino

Ezekiel’s Contribution to a Biblical Theology of Mission by Elmer A. Martens

Impulses to Global Mission in Isaiah by Elmer A. Martens

timjdavy Bible and Mission

Calling all Bible and mission bloggers!

How many people out there are blogging on the Bible and mission? According to WordPress, they provide space for 290,188 bloggers and just today there has been the following activity on WordPress.com:

258,217 new posts
355,171 comments
60,395,829 words

A while ago I wrote about two of my favourite Bible and mission blogs, Brian Russell’s realmealministries and Eddie Arthur’s kouya chronicle. But how many others are there writing consistently on the dynamic interplay between the Bible and mission?

A further question: how might we define a blog as being ‘about Bible and mission’? Does it have to be exclusively looking at Bible and mission or should it just make regular contributions on the subject?

So what do you think? Drop me a line with any suggestions for Bible and mission blogs. Let’s broaden the conversation…

timjdavy Bible and Mission

Marcus Honeysett on joy, mission and the Psalms

Marcus Honeysett of Living Leadership has a post on his blog on Joy in Missions.

Reflecting on the Psalms, he says that

The purpose of proclamation is to draw a worshipping people. And it is done by worshipping people. We don’t merely proclaim him among the nations, we praise him among the nations. We extol him and publicly exult in him. We find words and phrases that express our admiration, our adoration, our wonder and amazement. Like people stop open-mouthed in front of the Grand Canyon, when they finally find some words it is usually to turn to a friend and say “wow – just look at it!” That’s what we are doing for sake of the nations of the world.

This is a very helpful angle to consider. I’ve been thinking a lot about mission and the Psalms recently: we had the Psalms community day last term and I’m putting together our multilingual Psalms scroll (more on this when it’s done!); I’m preaching three times on the Psalms over the next few weeks; we have Gordon Wenham giving the annual lecture in Bible and Mission on the nations in the Psalms on 12 May; there is a student at Redcliffe doing a very interesting dissertation on a missional aspect of the Psalms; and the June 2010 issue of Encounters will be on mission and the Psalms.

I love the Psalms!

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Exodus, Church and Mission

Exodus, Church and Mission is the title of an evening class mini-series we are running at Redcliffe College in May.

Here’s the blurb from Redcliffe’s website

Evening Classes: Exodus, Church and Mission
With Richard Johnson, Associate Lecturer in Biblical Studies

2 sessions:

Monday 17 and 24 May 2010, 7.30pm to 9.30pm

In partnership with the Centre for the Study of Bible and Mission

The book of Exodus is full of exciting stories and important teaching about God, his people, and their role in the world. This mini-series of two evening classes will help you to understand the big picture of Exodus, as well as how it applies to living as the people of God in the 21st century.

Monday 17 May – An Overview of the Book of Exodus
How does the book of Exodus fits together and how does it fit into the wider story of the Bible? As well as addressing these questions Richard will also deal practically with how we can get the most out of reading Exodus on our own or in small groups.

Monday 24 May – Themes for Church and Mission in the book of Exodus
Drawing on themes from the book of Exodus, Richard will suggest ways in which these apply to church life and mission in the 21st century.
Formerly Redcliffe’s Head of Biblical Studies, Richard Johnson is now an Associate Lecturer in Biblical Studies, runs a bookselling business, and has an itinerant teaching ministry. For more details about Richard please visit his website Qoheleth Resources.

Cost and booking
The mini-series costs £6 per session, which is payable on each night. Pre-registration is required. To book your place, contact events@redcliffe.org.

Directions: Please see our directions page for details on how to find us.

timjdavy Bible and Mission

Bible, mission and migration

Nova Research Centre, an initiative located at Redcliffe that researches and publishes on mission in and for Europe, has just published their latest news bulletin. Vista is a quarterly bulletin of research-based information on mission in Europe. The theme this issue is migration.

Here’s a snippet that picks up on a biblical theme:

European churches and mission agencies are in the vanguard of those working with migrants and 2010 has been declared a year of European churches responding to migration. The experience of koinonia outlined in the New Testament will not permit social and ethnic diversity to become divisive and the most powerful testimony to a reconciling Gospel is to live that Gospel out within reconciled communities of the Kingdom. The experience of community should always move us beyond ourselves, however, to the vulnerable, needy and lost who can be found among migrants and refugees. It should also learn how it can best integrate the migrant experiences of vibrant and vital faith with its own experiences.

And, the challenge remains, as to how best address the challenges and questions posed by the nationalist and far-right populist parties. There are precious human rights and freedoms that the church must not allow to be trampled underfoot by such movements. New ways must be found to counter destructive, divisive, and racist policies that ignore the public value of key biblical and theological insights. The diversity of the early church is a powerful reminder and stimulus to better appreciating our own European diversity and framing a more adequate response in mission.

Read the whole issue of Vista

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Biblical Interpretation for Church and World course

Brian Russell is teaching this course 26-30 July this year as part of the Doctor of Ministry programme of Asbury Theological Seminary (it will be taught at the Orlando campus).

This is how he describes the module, which also explains why I want to highlight and recommend it:

This course is part of the required core for the D.Min. degree, but more importantly it is my signature course for teaching biblical interpretation through the perspective of a missional hermeneutic of Scripture. The class focuses on reflecting critically on our reading practices and helping to shape interpreters into persons who read the Scriptures not merely for the Church but for our pre and post Christian culture.

For more details visit Brian’s blog

timjdavy Bible and Mission

The Bible in World Christian Perspective

The Bible in World Christian Perspective is the title of a book of studies in honour of Carl Armerding, formerly of Schloss Mittersill Study Centre, Austria and Regent College, Vancouver. It is edited by David W. Baker and W. Ward Gasque (Vancouver: Regent College Publishing, 2009).

Here are the blurb and contents:

The Bible is by far the most widely translated and circulated book in the world, and Christianity is by far the most globally dispersed religion. The Christian faith can no longer be said to be a “Western” religion. The axis of influence in the world Christian movement is now in the South and the East. Africa is home to the largest number of Christians, and now China, where a generation ago prospects for the faith looked most unpromising, represents the locus where the church is growing most rapidly.

Theological education has also changed radically in recent years. As the church has grown throughout the world, new forms of equipping both clergy and laity for ministry have sprung up to meet changing needs and circumstances.

Carl E. Armerding has played a major role in re-shaping theological education. He was a founding member of the faculty of Regent College, Vancouver, Canada (1970–91), a globally influential school of theology, and served as its second President (1977–88). Having given leadership to the college during the period of its greatest growth and the development of its beautiful campus, he invested the next decade- and-a-half of his life in providing innovative Christian higher education to a wide range of international students, especially those from Central and Eastern Europe, as the Director of Schloss Mittersill Study Centre, Austria (1991–2006), and at the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (1991–2002). He continues to teach and to advise students associated with these three institutions, along with others around the world. This collection of essays by colleagues, former students, and friends is an expression of appreciation for the leadership he has given to Christian higher education.

Table of contents:

1. The Bible in the World and the World of the Bible – David W. Baker
2. Exodus 22:1-4: A Case of Restitution vs. Retribution – Robin J. DeWitt Knauth
3. Eight Key Functions of Leadership – Soo-Inn Tan
4. Herodotus and Esther: A Second Look – Robert L. Hubbard, Jr.
5. Some Reflections on Paul’s Understanding of Christ as Lord – Gordon D. Fee
6. Petitionary Prayer and the Nature of God – Clark H. Pinnock
7. The Reforming Agency of a Psalm in the Later Middle Ages – James M. Houston
8. Becoming the People’s Book: A Brief History of the Bible in China – Glen G. Scorgie
9. What Evangelicals Can Learn from the Benedictines – Laurel Gasque and W. Ward Gasque
10. Apologetics Today: Learning from a Master – Michael Green
11. Old Testament Narrative and Christian Ethics – Jonathan R. Wilson
12. Turning a Blind Eye: Emmanuel Levinas, John 9, and the Blindness of Responsibility – Jeff Keuss
13. Mission as the Integrating Center of Theological Education – Jeffrey P. Greenman
14. Reading the Bible in the Global Marketplace – R. Paul Stevens
15. The Heart of Leadership is Asking the Right Questions – Peter Shaw CB
16. The Names Human and the Question of ‘Being’ Christlike – Darrell Cosden

timjdavy Bible and Mission

Redcliffe College Biblical Hebrew Week 2010

Every year Tricia Johnson (Redcliffe’s main lecturer in Biblical Hebrew) and I team up to co-teach an intensive week of Hebrew. There are two courses: one for beginners (assuming no knowledge) and one for intermediates.

Here’s the blurb from the Hebrew Week page on Redcliffe’s website. There is also a pdf leaflet and booking form available.

Biblical Hebrew Week 2010 – Sunday 20 to Saturday 26 June 2010

Two courses to choose from:
Biblical Hebrew for Beginners
or
Moving on with Biblical Hebrew

In partnership with Wycliffe Bible Translators and the Centre for the Study of Bible and Mission

Our popular intensive Biblical Hebrew week returns for its fourth successive year. Choose from either the introductory course for beginners or the intermediate programme for those wanting to develop their grasp of the language.

Beginner’s course: Biblical Hebrew for Beginners

This course is designed for people who have had no previous exposure to Hebrew, or who would like to revisit the basics. The aims of this course are:

  • To cover the basics of the language (alphabet, grammar, vocabulary)
  • To work together on a variety of Old Testament texts
  • To better appreciate the literary character of the Old Testament
  • To gain the skills and confidence to continue learning after the week has finished

Intermediate course: Moving on with Biblical Hebrew

This intermediate course is for those who have already had some exposure to Biblical Hebrew, either on their own or through studying on a beginner’s course. The aims are:

  • To refresh, consolidate and build on your existing knowledge of Hebrew
  • To work in-depth on a variety of Old Testament texts representing the different genres of the Hebrew Bible
  • To develop your exegetical skills and think through some of the interpretive issues presented by the texts

We are delighted to be collaborating with Wycliffe Bible Translators in offering this Hebrew Week. Details of their own three-week intermediate course can be found at Wycliffe’s training website

Cost:  £350 residential or £270 non-residential.
Discounted rate (20% off for those working with churches or mission agencies):  £280 residential or £216 non-residential.
This fee covers over 35 hours of class time, materials and food (and accommodation if required). Places are limited so please book early.

More information:  For more details, including answers to questions such as “I’m no good at languages; does that matter?”; “Will I be put on the spot?” and “What does a typical day look like?”, please download the pdf leaflet.

To book:  Please print and complete the booking form contained within the leaflet.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about the course, please contact Tim Davy

timjdavy Bible and Mission

Understanding and using the Bible in different contexts

SPCK sent through a review copy today of a very interesting looking book called Understanding and Using the Bible, edited by Chris Wright and Jonathan Lamb (both of Langham Partnership International). It is part of the SPCK International Study Guide Series.

About the series, Rene Padilla comments:

‘To be relevant to life, theology must be contextual. The International Study Guides are a tremendous help to people. They broaden their concept of the mission of the Church and their Christian responsibility.’

The contributors to Understanding and Using the Bible represent a variety of cultural contexts including the UK, Latin America, South and South East Asia, and Africa. Here are the blurb and contents:

The Bible claims to be, and the Church confesses it to be, the word of God, but what does this mean? Understanding and Using the Bible encourages you to take the Bible seriously, whether you are a student, pastor, lay leader or just an ‘ordinary’ believer. Packed with wisdom and examples from around the world, this helpful book shows how the Bible is being used creatively to transform lives – and how simple techniques of Bible study and exploration can be employed across countries and cultures.

The book is in two parts. Part One explores key Christian belief about the Bible and why it matters; encourages effective use and application of the Bible in different cultural and social contexts; teaches on right and wrong use of the Bible; models different possible ways of approaching and using the Bible with integrity; encourages readers to take the Bible as a whole and build a biblical worldview.

Part Two, Using the Bible, illustrates examples of applied Bible use in different contexts with contributions from a variety of authors.

Table of contents:

Part 1  Understanding the Bible
Introduction
1. Understanding the Bible as the word of God – Christopher J.H. Wright
2. Understanding the Bible as the words of human authors – Christopher J.H. Wright
3. Understanding the Bible as a whole – Christopher J.H. Wright
Selected reading

Part 2  Using the Bible
4. Using the Bible devotionally for life – Jonathan Lamb
5. Using the Bible in evangelism – Ajith Fernando
6. Using the Bible in groups – Catherine Padilla
7. Using the Bible in the context of Islam – Ida Glaser
8. Using the Bible in oral cultures – Steve Evans
9. Using the Bible with women – Emily Onyango
10. Using the Bible in the family as a guide for life – Anthony and King Lang Loke
11. Using the Bible in preaching – Jonathan Lamb

timjdavy Bible and Mission

Engaging young people with the Bible

This crucial issue is one of the subjects covered in this Saturday’s Youth Ministry course at Redcliffe. Here are further details taken from Redcliffe’s website:

Youth Ministry Course – day two: Discipleship with bite (and boots)

Saturday 27 March 2010

9.30am (for registration) – 4pm

Two buzzwords in youth ministry at the moment are discipleship and evangelism. It is all very well using these words with young people but what do they really mean on a day to day basis? And perhaps more importantly how can we get young people to engage with discipleship and evangelism? The second of three Saturdays aimed at equipping youth workers and volunteers in churches will give us ideas how to do this.

Do your young people appear unmotivated when it comes to church and especially sharing their faith? Dot Tyler from Emerging Generation will be talking about the practicalities involved in getting young people excited about their faith, and encouraging them to share that faith with others.

Where does the Bible fit into all this? How can we get young people excited about, and actively reading God’s word? Fiona Bridges has been involved in youth work for a number of years both in Australia and the UK and will look at how we can get young people engaged with the Word!

Are your young people talking about doing short term mission in some far off corner in the world, or perhaps they are planning out a gap year before heading to university? Maybe you are even planning to take a group of your young people on a mission trip. Mike Frith runs OSCAR, a website about everything to do with mission, and has also been on mission to a wide range of places himself. He will be speaking on the ins and outs of young people and mission and the issues that you, as a youth leader, should be aware of.

In addition to seminars, the day will provide plenty of opportunity for networking and finding out about resources. 

Cost: £18 per day or £50 for all three days. This will include a buffet lunch and refreshments.

For more details and to book visit Redcliffe’s website