After an unintended hiatus from posting, here are some thoughts about thinking historically as a Christian mission researcher:
Along the lines of such exemplary, contemporary mission historians as Andrew Walls and Dana Robert, the Bible strikes me as conveying “history” to be an ongoing, multi-generational, worldwide-universal, living, and covenantal God-creation interaction that involves divine-human commitments and responsibilities. Faithful and responsible historical views will not restrict the Lord of Hosts’ worldwide and macro-historical dealings by focusing primarily on one’s own heritage or generation. The triune God’s historically decisive covenantal acts of creating and redeeming his world are centrally important, not mine and my generation’s - despite what my self-absorbed context and its syncretized individualistic Christian spirituality might alluringly insist.
Within macro divine-creation history, we human beings walking the earth today play only very small parts in the grand drama that also includes those who have gone before and those yet to come. We today also cannot know our generational location between Jesus’s two comings - despite what certain eschatological schemes might insist. Accordingly, for those of us involved in Christian mission research - whether focused on historical or contemporary situations - our roles are small and partial, albeit essential and meaningful.
A strictly scientific (even with a Christian veneer) view of history and of research might focus on “raw data,” “snapshot” patterns, and tested techniques (whether all of which are understood as humanly, divinely, or synergistically produced) to be studied and harnessed for fulfilling the Christian responsibility to help all peoples learn of Jesus and so fulfill Matthew 24:14. A more artistic historical view might stiff-arm away data and strategy in favor of simply serving faithfully within immediate circumstances and trusting God to take care of his sovereign purposes. Within a divine-creation covenantal view of history (such as that sketched earlier), for its part Christian mission research appreciates the small and partial, yet essential and meaningful, role of its findings to help Christians meet their covenantal responsibility as Spirit-empowered and Spirit-led witnesses. A covenantal view of history recognizes that much of God’s redemptive work - for example, giving witness through the heavenly bodies, leading the magi from the east to worship Jesus, mercifully dealing with the Ninevites by bring Jonah to them - takes place quite apart from his followers’ efforts (well informed or not).
In short, those involved in mission research play limited but important roles within the ongoing, living, and worldwide drama of redemption, which is accomplished in Jesus Christ and orchestrated, however and whenever he pleases, by the triune God himself. Historical research in particular aids us to praise and thank God for his faithful, determined, and zealous commitment to fulfill his covenant. It also helps us to learn about, appreciate, and honor those servants who have preceded us, including how they have followed Christ in various contexts and circumstances. Besides being valuable in its own right, such knowledge adds to God’s people’s collaborative discipleship as we continually discern and decide how best to serve the cause of the gospel within living history’s ever-changing contexts and circumstances.
