By Samuel George
Locating the Debate
Conversion and mission are two sides of the same coin. When we are
so focused on the outer work, we often overlook and often forget that inner
transformation, transformation, and preaching must go hand in hand. The mission
outside is an extension of the conversion inside. It is an outward expression
of inward conversion Both arms of Christian ministry should be given equal
importance. Conversions and missions. Rather, only internal conversion
can/should lead to missions outside. This article seeks to place the debate on:
Conversion with 'IN' for missions with 'OUT' in the context of the biblical
account of Peter's conversion (?) in Acts 10. Peter's inner conversion led him
to missions to the Gentiles - Cornelius and his family.
Defining terms
Conversion
The basic characteristic of conversion is a radical change in the
existence of the convert. It is interesting that Jesus' public ministry began
with the call to “Be converted!” As the prophet often warned in this way, the
call to repentance and repentance is not a new idea for his listeners. The
Hebrew word "shub" is used to express the concept of change. It
signifies the call to Israel to turn away from idols (Jeremiah 7:9), injustice
and immorality (Isaiah 55:7). In the rabbinic writings, the coming of the
Messiah is connected with the conditions of conversion and repentance of the
people, 3 In the New Testament, the Greek words Metanoia and Epistrophe are
used. These are used synonymously in the New Testament. Both terms mean a
radical turning of the whole person and a return home. Thus, biblical
conversion indicates an intense desire to return to the Lord and divine
friendship. A brief note on the confusion surrounding the terms conversion and
proselytism is in order here.
Conversion or proselytism?
In the last few years, the topic of conversion and
proselytism has taken on a very political color. There are times when the two
are used synonymously in the Indian context. Is there a difference between the
two and are these definitions useful? Is Jathanna pointing this out?
The clear terminological distinction between
"conversion" and "proselytism", which has often been made,
may be of some help theologically and missionally within intra-Christian
discourse, but does not seem to have any serious consequence in the wider
sphere of inter-religious relations today. It is better to use the term
"conversion both religiously-phenomenologically and theologically to
denote a radical religious change with its vertical and horizontal dimensions, This
conversion behavior is necessary through coercion or unfair persuasion or
persuasion methods to represent the conversion model.
Conversion in the Indian context has a very different paradigm,
especially in the context of religious pluralism and missions. However, in this
article we approach conversion – conversion as an internal process –
differently. Conversion implies radical changes that are part of personal,
family and community life, and religious conversions should be situated within
this wider horizon of life and thought without being entirely separate. In this
sense, conversion is a freturn, “a radical transformation of oneself and the
community of faith. It is a radical rethinking and re-visiting of the basics.
It is a re-understanding of basic values in the light of existential
realities.
Mission The words mission and missionary do not appear in most
English translations of the Bible. The word mission comes from the Latin words
mitto, "to send" and missio, "to send." The Jesuits
Ignatius Loyola and Jacob Loyner first used the term "mission" in
1544 to describe the spread of the Christian faith. In 1588, Loyola wrote:
"By mission I understand journeys and actions carried out from city to
city for the sake of the word of God." The term mission came into common
use in the seventeenth century. Previously, terms such as apostolate or
apostolic office were mostly used." The absence of the word
"mission" in the English Bible does not guarantee the absence of the
concept of mission in the Bible. The concept of mission, i.e.
"sending" is quite prominent in the Bible. The Greek New Testament
uses two words to describe submission: pempo and apostello. These terms are
used more or less synonymously to describe God sending angels and prophets, the
Father sending the Son, the sending of the Holy Spirit, and the sending of
disciples."
Mission
There is often confusion among students of missiology regarding
the mission vs mission debate. For clarity, here are some mission definitions:
The word "mission" is basically a catch-all word that
includes everything that God sends His people into the world to do.
Missions are God's people who, through the church, bear witness to
the reality of God as a sign, foretaste and presence of the kingdom.
Mission is the self-sending creative and redemptive action of the
triune God for humanity and the world. Its ultimate goal is the consummation of
God's kingdom and the salvation of God's people.
"Mission" is the divine activity of sending agents,
whether supernatural or human, to speak or do God's will, to further God's
purposes for judgment or redemption.
Until the 1950s, the terms mission and missions were generally
used synonymously to describe the spread of the Christian faith, usually by
missionaries—persons deceived by the church?—with an express calling and
mandate to preach the gospel to people who have never heard. and gather
converts into churches. This usually involved crossing geographical or cultural
barriers. The establishment of schools, hospitals, orphanages and various other
works of compassion or economic development were often approached to this task,
but usually regarded as secondary or supporting. "? This understanding has
since undergone major changes in many circles.
From the 1960s, the term mission (singular) began to be used more
broadly to describe all of God's sending activity: God's mission in the world -
Missio Dei. Mission describes not only the tasks of missionaries, but the very
broadcasting mandate of the church as a whole. Stephen Neill rightly mentioned
in 1966, “The age of missions is over; the age of mission began.”18 The term
mission (plural) began to be used more narrowly to describe various specific
efforts of the church to fulfill the task of mission in the world, usually related
to the spread of the gospel. and the expansion of the kingdom of God.
Mission is therefore God's broadcasting activity with the aim of
reconciling with God and bringing fallen humanity from all peoples, nations and
languages into God's kingdom.
Case study
Peter's Missionary Conversion to Cornelius - Acts 10:1-11:18
the story is set against the background of the conversion of
Cornelius (mission to the outsider), but in many ways it is also the story of
the conversion of Peter (conversion with in). It takes place in the context of
Caesarea, whose population was largely pagan. It is the administrative center
of Rome and the headquarters of the army. So it's no surprise to find a
centurion named Cornelius there. He is a 'God to be feared'. Luke notes that
Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian cohort, is a pious man (2); upright and
God-fearing (22); he feared God with all his household (2); he generously gave
alms to the people (2); the whole Jewish people speak well (22); he constantly
prayed to God (2). Let us compare these qualities with those of Peter. Without
the grace of God, he doesn't stand a chance. The early church experiences the
initial shocks of the impending "severing of the umbilical cord from its
'mother'" - the Jewish context. Peter, as the leader of the church, must
make a decision and make his position clear. He has been a "fencer"
ever since. Peter lived in the stubborn Simon in the city of Joppa.
I spent some time with Simon the Tanner in Joppa. (9:43). He
lodges and enjoys the hospitality of a tanner who trades in "dead
bodies". Leviticus 11:39-40 declares anyone who touches the carcass of
even a clean animal to be unclean; a tanner (even a Jewish one) would be
permanently unclean. Which does not make Peter impure by his own conviction:
“By no means, Lord? for I have never eaten anything profane or unclean.”
(10:14) His stay with the Jewish tanner for a certain period of time means that
he had already come to the opinion that the laws of purity did not apply to the
Jews and those who associated with them.
He let h. to bring up within the formidable barriers of
Judaism. It was difficult for him to thin these barriers. However, he took his
position on racial purity further. of the Christian gospel on tricky ground.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is caught between the clean and unclean debate.
Ariarajah rightly points out,
Peter learns, perhaps for the first time, that religious laws
established by religious traditions are not the boundaries within which God
works. Such religious laws are often necessary and help ensure identity,
cohesion and meaning for particular religious communities. Many of these may
have been shaped by specific cultural and historical needs rather than a deep
understanding of God and his relationship to humanity. The real problem starts
when these laws are given.
Universal validity and are considered to be the defining limits of
God's own activity. Peter had to undergo a conversion process in order to meet
Cornelius and tell him about Jesus Christ. To meet Cornelius, God needed to
change Peter the way he saw people. 23 It should be clear that "that which
God has cleansed you should not be called evil" (10:15). . The monster
said to him, "Look, three men are looking for you, now get up, go
downstairs and go with them, don't hesitate, because I sent them." (10:19-20).
Obeying the command of the Spirit of God, he comes to the house of Cornelius.
He is amazed at the reception he has received from the 'Gentiles'. His idea of
racial purity had previously blinded him to such acceptance. He explains his
conversion experience in his own words. Missions are not possible without his
conversion. Although late, he understood now. He said: "You know that it
is illegal for a Jew to associate with or visit other people, but God told me
that I cannot call anyone from the world a field or unclean person.
So when I was sent, I came without objection” (10:28-29).
What is interesting here is that no specific law forbade Jews from associating
with Gentiles. It was a consequence of the ordinance of purity, the Jews
refused to eat the food of the Gentiles (cf. Daniel 1:8-16). Peter went beyond
these deeply rooted habits because God told him to (10:28). And to the
amazement of Peter and those who accompanied him, "the Holy Spirit came
upon those who heard the word" (10:44). Now Peter cannot deny the
possibility of beginning baptism to the Gentiles. "This spirit replaced
the organization with a single disciple. To prove the truth of what had
happened, they invited him to stay for a few days" (10:49; Acts 16:15)
"If you judge me against the righteous Lord, come and live in my
house"), that Peter did what they asked. Conversion with "IN" is
not only about the individual in the mission process with OUT. There should be
efforts to convert religious communities. There must be a chain reaction of
conversions. When Peter and his followers in Jerusalem were confronted by the
'circumcised believers', he had to defend his action.
He says: "The Spirit
told me to go with them and make no difference between them and us"
(11:12). He continued: “If God gives us a gift that we give when we put our
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who am I to oppose God? (11:17). The conversion
of the individual leads to the conversion of the community- "When they
heard this, they were silenced.
Praising God, they said, "Therefore God gives repentance to
Gentiles so that they may live." (11:18). What is most important in this
story is that the early church had to face the reality of the universality of
God's salting. The early Church did not expect a "reverse mission" -
a mission from the Gentiles. The Church is the sole representative and patron
of the mission. isn't it? How can it be the subject of a mission? Well, this story
is a 'correction of the notion that God only speaks to the church. This is a
sharp reminder for the Church that God's voice was, is and will be heard even
by those outside its parameters - “If God gives them gifts as we give them when
we put our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who am I to defend God? (11:17
a.m.).
Change "IN" to "OUTPUT" activities - review and call to action
India has been at the forefront of missions for centuries. A
considerable number of Indians are Christians today. And Christian missionary
activities are aggressively pursued in our country. In the context of today's
rise of right-wing nationalist and Hindutva ideology, a serious debate and
dialogue about missions is needed. This is not to be done because of the
"fear psychosis" created, but because it should be the way forward
for missions in India. Of the many missions in India, I have narrowed my focus
to three: namely corruption, economic inequality and pluralism.
Corruption, conversions and missions
A cursory reading of books/articles on missions in India
would yield interesting information. Very rarely do we find corruption as a
mission challenge. Why? A renowned Indian missiologist, the late Dr. Siga
Arles;
Corruption is seen as common and sweet as Ladoos in India, said a
reporter in a popular magazine: The mission to clean up is a challenge – but
one hears the question, “How can the Church help clean up a nation when there
is enough corruption within? its rank-and-file members?” An internal
reformation is urgent so that “the church will be the church”. One of Modi's
battle cries during the general elections (2014) was to bring back black money
stashed outside the country. Well, we are yet to see tangible efforts on that
front. The Church in India has been extremely vocal in its criticism (criticism
as a mission) of Modi and his right-wing politics. We rarely look at ourselves.
The Church in India and its related institutions today have become citadels of
extreme corruption (Am I generalizing or trivializing the problem? Well, I am
only quoting the general voice of the common man and woman in the church). A
cursory glance at social media, online posts and newspaper entries would show
us the harsh reality of corruption in the church. Isn't this an important
challenge for the mission of the church? Jathanna rightly pointed out the
malaise facing the church today
The relative inability of Indian Christianity to present the
Christian faith in a language and through a system of symbols that would be challenging
and meaningful to others, and the weak public witness of the Indian churches
regarding their position as united as the sanctified and united body of Jesus
Christ, which incorporates the values of the Gospel into the ecclesiastical
and social life, must be taken seriously. In this regard, in varying degrees,
the failure of the Indian Church to lead an exemplary life in the public
sphere, due to internal administrative corruption, litigation and
denominationalism, despite the enormous amount of service in the educational
and medical spheres of life, the Indian Church needs to be taken seriously and
solve. An internally corrupt church cannot be in missions with the outside.
Only an internally healed church can profess and promote the healing mission of
the church.
Economic differences, conversions and missions
The Human Development Report 2014 by the United Nations
Development Program (UNDP) ranked India 135th on the Human Development Index
(HDI). In the UNDP report, which included 187 countries and territories,
India's position is well below that of Sri Lanka (73). India ranks 10th in
terms of income development, but lags behind neighbors such as Bangladesh and
Pakistan in education and healthcare. Is this not a glaring irony of a nation
marching to glory in the global scenario? India of the 21st century is known
for its great economic growth, military strength and technological prowess
especially in the field of information technology.
Looking at inequality in income, health and education, the report
found that inequality in access to health decreased, remained constant in
education, but increased by two percentage points with respect to income. The
report urges a three-way policy to get the world out of the mire it is stuck
in: universal provision of social services, stronger social protection and a
return to full employment policies. All this would require a strong and active
role of the state. Citing recent estimates of providing a universal basic
old-age and disability pension, basic child care benefits, universal health
care, social assistance and a 100-day job guarantee, the report says India
would need to spend only about 4% of its GDP to provide all of this .34 The
above statistics are only a few stark realities of the "globalized
shining" India. The economic gap between rich and poor has reached an
all-time high. In the name of development, most social programs are reduced in
budget allocations. In such a scenario, poor and marginalized India is staring
at a very bleak future. The mission in India must deal with this question and
we cannot proceed further without it. The Church in India needs an internal
conversion in the matter of economic stewardship. "There shall be no need
among you..." (Deuteronomy 15:4); “There was not one needy among them, for
all who owned land or houses sold them and brought in the proceeds of what was
sold. These were the feet of the apostles, and it was distributed to everyone
as anyone had need” (Acts 4:34-35).
It needs an inner conversion of "generously giving alms to
all people" (Acts 10:4) Since the churches lived the kenotic approach,
"spending" for missions, as a model for our modus operandi. Arches
must declare and realize solidarity with the poor and suffering masses instead
of allying themselves with the capitalists. The poor should be able to find
space and fearlessly insert them into the process of economic growth and
missions, which should go hand in hand. Mission activity should be able to
suggest corrective measures for negative trends in the economy from the
perspective of the kingdom. Churches should be able to find such involvement as
a practical appropriation of the celebration of life in Christ. All this is not
possible without the church turning internally/internally to the aspect of
economic parity. Its internal economic parity will be externally visible and
reflected through missions to the world in which it engages.
Pluralism, conversion and mission
Economically poor India is surprisingly culturally and religiously
diverse. Nowhere else in the world is the influence of religion so pervasive,
so pluriform, so strong and it affects the existential life of every Indian
very deeply. 36 For an Indian theologian/missiologist, the Indian situation is
truly dismal. It is involved in missions to a very large, intensely diverse and
densely populated subcontinent that is home to more than 15% of the world's
population. The staggering size of its population is uniquely matched by its
astounding diversity. With less than 3% of its population being Christian,
India is one of the least Christian nations in the world. Diversity is the
hallmark of this great nation in almost everything: culture, religiosity,
language and people. It was the cradle of the great religions of Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and other religious sects. For centuries, different
religious communities coexisted peacefully in this country. However, any
unifying efforts in the name of cultural-religious identities, regional
aspirations or any similar hegemonic activities have led to communal disharmony
and destruction of communities. Mathew writes;
These efforts and subsequent riots challenged peaceful coexistence
and attempted to create various communal and ideological interest groups, some
of which became highly malignant and extremist in style of intent and
functioning. Christian missionary operations are also no exception to such an
attitude. In the midst of such a challenging situation, our real human
responsibility is to bring people of all religions, ideologies, political
parties, regions, with different interests to build.
A new India where the Christian gospel and testimony must also
play an important role. The current context of India is so explosive where
divisive politics has become the hallmark of the current government and
communal flare-ups are so common that we don't even bother to notice. In such a
situation, the idea of plurality, conversion and mission demands our utmost
attention. If not, we as a community are headed for more trouble. We need
honest introspection and "outreach" made possible by the
"intra-Christian dialogue of the various churches within themselves and
with each other - Conversion with "IN".
The Peter-Cornelius incident we talked about earlier is also very
relevant in the discussion of the missions of the Church in India, where we
have religious and cultural pluralism. The explicit understanding that
"God shows no partiality and everyone who fears God and does what is right
is acceptable to God" should lead the Indian Church to a reversal in our
approach to people of other religions and cultures and to recognize their
richness and mutual enrich, encourage and be corrected and guided. Remember
that it is the Heavenly Beings who direct the earthly actions throughout the
Peter-Cornelius story, illustrating an enduring truth: that "God has made
it his task" to receive the Gentiles as his people (cf. Acts 15:14); it
did not happen by human initiative.
Final remarks
The burden of missions with "OUT" lies in conversion
"IN" the community of faith. Renowned missiologist Lesslie Newbigin
rightly pointed out this connection. He called conversion a 'return to the
covenant to associate with one another and to know and participate in God's
rule in this world, which included not only an internal relationship of faith
but also an external behavior and visible fellowship'. Furthermore, he did not
hesitate to affirm: "This immediate and internal turning inward...
includes membership in the community." "The New Testament knows
nothing of a relationship with Christ that is purely mental and spiritual, not
incorporated into any of the structures of human relationship. The basic creed
of every new convert includes faith not only "in the finality of God's
revelation in Jesus Christ, But also in the necessity of this group as part of
the response to this event. “If the Bible speaks of following the conversion
that Jesus set at the beginning of his ministry, it should be. This is because
it is a "visible community" that is formed thanks to the deliberate,
concrete and sovereign calling of Jesus, who was converted. the first disciples
and every disciple thus converted is placed in it. For Newbigin, True
Conversion includes both a new creation from above, which is not only an act of
expansion of an existing community, but also a relationship to an existing
community of believers.
The case study of the conversion of Peter and his subsequent
attempt at missions to the Gentiles is a valid direction in which the debate on
Conversion and Missions in India should go. In this approach, the
interconnectedness of internal conversion and external mission must be properly
understood and emphasized. The Church in India "lost its focus on missions
because it neglected the aspect of internal conversion". It can only
reflect (the mission) what it owns. 'The shallow church offers a 'shallow
gospel to the people'.
Such a gospel is a 'status quo gospel'. The missions of the church
reflect its inner life and standards. A shallow, dull life can only reflect
such a mission mandate The Church in India needs to return to the act of
retrospection and acts of inner cleansing.
It must be realized that God is the author of both conversion and
mission.
The church must understand that internal conversion leads to
missions outside. What is reflected outside is the inside reversed life.
Missions are the "inverted" life of the Church.
Conversions and missions go hand in hand. One cannot be
overemphasized at the expense of the other.
Radical missions require a radical conversion on the part of the
religious community.
A radically transformed community would lead to radically
transforming missions, which in turn would create a radically transformed
society and nation. This should be the focus of missions in India.
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