Wright On Mission: The New Consensus

Biblical

May 5

After 100 years of discussing and debating mission, there is now a consensus in the West about the nature of God’s mission in the world. According to leading missiologist, Christopher Wright (r), God is on a mission to renew the whole creation. Therefore our mission is to apply the redemptive power of the cross of Christ to all the effects of sin and evil in the surrounding lives, society and environment.

Here are some examples of what that looks like from leading New Testament scholar, NT Wright (r: they aren’t related).

The church must “go straight from worshipping in the sanctuary to debating in the council chamber—discussing matters of town planning, of harmonizing and humanizing beauty in architecture, in green spaces, in road traffic schemes, and … in environmental work, creative and healthy farming methods, and proper use of resources.
If it is true, as I have argued, that the whole world is now God’s holy land, we must not rest as long as that land is spoiled and defaced. This is not an extra to the church’s mission.
It is central.

So salvation means more than getting souls to heaven. Salvation involves political and economic justice, creation care, racial and gender equality. This is God’s mission and therefore mission of his church.

That’s the consensus. We are on a mission to transform the world.

Or are we?