Steven Paas, Challenging Western Christians and Their Neighbours: Be Participants in the Mission of Jesus, At Home and Abroad, Eugene, Oregon (USA): Wipf & Stock, May 2020
Join the Mission of Jesus!
This concise study searches for what is needed to awaken or strengthen the faltering missionary consciousness of Western Christians with regard to their own environment. In Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit the whole missionary enterprise of God, the Missio Dei, started and continues; by Him and His Holy Spirit it will also be accomplished and finished. All Christians are meant by Jesus to be participants in His mission. The apostles had to start at home, in Jerusalem, Judea and Galilee. Consequently, for today’s Christians participation in the mission of Jesus expresses itself in their relationship with people next-door, those who are not religious, and those who are of other religions and cultures. The mission field is in our direct vicinity, where we daily meet the people we may know.
Brief content
Following an introductory survey of the mission words of Jesus, in five chapters the author discusses the starting point and the goal of mission, followed by his view of the assumed common grounds or points of contact between the Christian faith and the religions and cultures of the world, the self-image of superiority in Western culture, and the relationship of Western Christianity with Israel and the Jews. In chapter seven he discusses theological views of the scope of the atoning work of Jesus, which potentially strengthen missionary consciousness or weaken it.
Subsequently, in two chapters, a number of common evasive arguments and hindrances among Christians are described, which have weakened or paralyzed Christian mission in the West. Throughout, the author emphasizes the trinitarian character of mission, the Missio Dei, the being-sent of Jesus Himself by God the Father, and consequently His great commission, in which the disciples and their successors partake. By the work of the Holy Spirit the call for participation has continued to challenge the hearts and minds of all Christians of all times and places. Because of this, by definition, the congregation (church) is a missionary organism, which has far reaching consequences for her organisation as an institute and for the attitude of faith of her members.
In the final chapter, the author calls on Christians to admit to God their own weakness and imperfection, and consequently their inability to be partakers of Christ in mission in their own strength. The Holy Spirit leads to repentance and conversion, thus pushing back dodging behaviour and hindrances. He paves the way for trusting the invincible power of the One who has been sent and who sends others: Jesus Christ. In Him the whole of mission has started and has continued; by Him it will also be accomplished and finished. All Christians are meant by Jesus to be partakers of His mission. That is the is the main conclusion of this study.
The footnotes and the bibliography account for the sources that are used. Although the book is meant to reach a wide readership of Christians, and possibly of a number of non-Christians, who are not theologically trained, the author has also meant his study to relate to the current scholarly debate on mission.
Recommendations
‘Dr. Steven Paas, a former missionary to Malawi, succinctly presents a brilliant missiology for Western Christians, many of whom are locked op in a neo-colonialistic concept of missions. Paas shows that any kind of superiority thinking damages the missiological essence of the Church, and the Biblical impact on mission. He encourages Western Christians and their neighbours of other (non-)religious and cultural backgrounds to be obedient to Jesus’ great commission.’ Rev. Willem-Henri den Hartog is Coordinator in Southern Africa for the Dutch mission organization GZB, and a Pastor of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian (CCAP) in Malawi.
‘Steven Paas has won his spurs in the fields of mission and evangelism. As a theologian and as a thoroughbred missionary and evangelist, he knows what he is talking about. He discusses serious theoretical and practical missiological questions, for example regarding the themes of election and general reconciliation. What obstacles hinder us to engage in the practice of mission and evangelism? What do the Scriptures say about these matters? Firmly, Paas points out an accessible way. He offers Biblical reflection and encourages to further study.’ Rev. Jan van ’t Spijker, Assistant Professor of Missiology & Evangelism, Theological University Apeldoorn, The Netherlands.
‘Steven Paas provides wise reflections on Christian mission drawn from decades of mission and evangelism experience. He guides the reader through the biblical foundation for missions, objections to missions, and how to overcome individual and corporate obstacles to effectively sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with non-Christians. Highly recommended.’ Dr.Alexander E. Stewart, Academic Dean and Associate Professor of New Testament at Tyndale Theological Seminary, The Netherlands
‘God has called the Church of Christ to be His servant in the Missio Dei. Once Christians have realised that the tri-une God Himself is the driving power of this missionary movement in the world, they can never again have a narrow view of the Church. Such an understanding changes the concepts of pastoral care, diaconate, catechetical instruction, preaching and – even – of the budget of the congregation. I am warning those who prefer to close their eyes to the outside world, and retreat to their own familiar congregational or denominational corner. This book will disquiet them.’ Rev. Peter L.D. Visser, Missionary Pastor and Consultant in a European setting.
ABOUT STEVEN PAAS, PH.D
Steven Paas (1942) is a theologian (church history, missiology). He worked in successively the Netherlands and Malawi. In his early years he served as a commissioned officer in the Dutch army. Subsequently, he was a journalist, a secondary school teacher, a seminary lecturer and a pastor. In 1965 he graduated at the Royal Military Academy in Breda, and in 1966 at the Russian language department of the School for Military Intelligence in Harderwijk. He qualified for the teaching of English and Religious Education through various teacher training colleges. Paas graduated from the University of Amsterdam (MTh) and in 1996 from the Theological University of Apeldoorn (PhD -Theology). He was trained at the Hendrik Kraemer Institute for missionary work in Africa. During his Malawi period (1997-2007) Paas taught future ministers at Zomba Theological College and was ordained as a minister of the Church of Central Africa Presbyterian. He mainly published in the fields of: (1) Western and African church history and mission, (2) views of ‘Israel and the Church’ in comparison to the Christocentric interpretation of prophecies in God’s revealed plan of salvation, and (3) the lexicography of Chichewa, a widely spread language in South-Central Africa. His wife Rita and he live in the Netherlands. They have 5 children and 15 grandchildren.
