DESCRIPTION:

A central theme of the Scriptures is the mission of God as it relates to the present and coming Kingdom of God. By this is meant the sovereign, living God exercising absolute reign in and through history, and establishing a covenant relationship with the people of God redeemed, and called to be God's instruments among and for the nations. This means continuity with the Old Testament expectation and New Testament fulfillment. This also means Jesus Christ is the "hinge of history," the Great Commission is the culmination of Jesus' teaching on the Kingdom of God, and the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is the climactic event which creates the Church and completes the Christ event. From Pentecost onward the mission of the Church has to be viewed eschatologically because the glorious appearing of the Kingdom at our Lord's coming marks the end of the Church's mission. There is no separate "theology of mission" distinct from a theology of the Spirit and the Church, as developed in Pauline theology of mission.

• develop a missiological hermeneutic which will be applied to Scripture;

• re-read the Bible to understand the nature of God's mission in Scripture;

• allow biblical understanding and mission practice to influence one another;

• develop a practical missions' application based on biblical theology of mission.

A biblical study of the lives of Abraham, David, Jonah, Jesus, and Paul as they interact with the other nations, and provide contemporary models of mission. MT520A will meet for the second week of a required two-week intensive residency for the MA in Global Leadership from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students will do pre-seminar readings and assignments. MT520B will involve post-seminar readings and completion of post-seminar assignments in the students' ministry contexts after they return home.

1. The Bible (a minimum of 50 chapters of the Bible are to be read, the equivalent of 100 pages). During the class students will read selected passages from Genesis, Exodus, 1 & 2 Samuel, Jonah, and Luke-Acts.

2. Glasser, Arthur F., Charles E. Van Engen, Dean S. Gilliland, and Shawn Redford. Announcing the Kingdom: The Story of God's Mission in the Bible. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003. Available on Kindle. ISBN: 978-0-8010-2626-3, $30.00.

3. Gallagher, Robert L. and Paul Hertig, eds. Landmark Essays in Mission and World Christianity, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2009. ISBN: 978-1-57075-829-4, $35.00

4. Three Additional Required Texts from the following:

Gallagher, Robert L. and Paul Hertig, eds. Mission in Acts: Ancient Narratives in Contemporary Context. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis, 2004. ISBN: 978-1-57075-493-7, $34.00.

Kaiser, Walter C. Mission in the Old Testament. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 2003. ISBN: 978-0-8010-2228-9, $13.99.

Piper, John. Let the Nations be Glad! The Supremacy of God in Missions. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993. ISBN: 978-0-8010-3641-5, $16.99.

Van Engen, Charles E., Nancy Thomas, and Robert L. Gallagher, eds. Footprints of God: A Narrative Theology of Mission. Monrovia, CA: MARC/World Vision, 1999. ISBN: 978-1-88798-314-3, $17.57.

Bright, John. The Kingdom of God. Abingdon, 1957. ISBN: 9780687209088. Pub. price $27.00.

De Ridder, Richard. Discipling the Nations. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1971.

Kraybill, Donald B. The Upside Down Kingdom. Scottdale: Herald, 1990.

Ladd, George, E. The Gospel of the Kingdom. Eerdmans, 1959. ISBN: 9780802812803. Pub. price $14.00.

Padilla, René. Mission Between the Times. Eerdmans, 1985. ISBN: 9780802800572. Pub. price $20.00.

Scherer, James. Gospel, Church and Kingdom. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1987.

Shenk, Wilbert, ed. The Transfiguration of Mission. Herald, 1993. ISBN: 9780836136104. Pub. price $19.99.

MT520A (Summer 2011)

1. Participation in the Seminar--class attendance is required throughout the intensive. (30%)

2. Three Book Reviews (Glasser and two of the other required textbooks). (45%)

3. Three personal reflection papers on selected chapters from Landmark Essays in Mission and World Christianity. (15%)

4. A missiological reflection paper on Genesis 11:27-25:12. (10%)

MT520B (Fall 2011)

1. One Book Review of the remaining required texts. (15%)

1. A personal reflection paper on the course. (5%)

2. Students will write a thematic paper tracing a biblical theme of missiological significance through the Old and New Testaments. The theme will be selected by the student and related to the student's pilgrimage in ministry, and the mission of the people of God touching the nations. The paper should develop the missiological meaning of the theme chosen, and demonstrate the missiological implications for ministry in the student's particular context. (60%)

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: Assignments are to be submitted according to the syllabus. The final grade is only given if all the work is completed.