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The Interaction Between the Mission Theology and the Practices and Publicity of Six British Evangelical Mission Agencies

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The Interaction Between the Mission Theology and the Practices and Publicity of Six British Evangelical Mission Agencies The Interaction Between the Mission Theology and the Practices and Publicity of Six British Evangelical Mission Agencies. Edwin David Arthur Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Leeds, Leeds Trinity University School of Arts and Communication and School of Social and Health Sciences December, 2018 - 2 - The candidate confirms that the work submitted is his own and that appropriate credit has been given where reference has been made to the work of others. This copy has been supplied on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. The right of Edwin David Arthur to be identified as Author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. © 2018 The University of Leeds and Edwin David Arthur - 3 - Acknowledgements I am extremely grateful to Professor Kirsteen Kim who saw value in this project and was willing to take me on as a student. Thanks are also due to professors Denis Kobzev and Graham Roberts for their supervision and support. I wish to acknowledge my gratitude to the leadership of Wycliffe Bible Translators for allowing me to take a period of study leave in order to pursue this research and to the trustees of Wycliffe for funding my studies. This research would have been impossible without the participation of the directors of six different mission agencies who consented to be interviewed and to provide me with background information on their organisations. As in everything else in my life, immense gratitude is due to my wife, Sue, for her patience, support and encouragement. Soli Deo Gloria Dedication This thesis is dedicated to the memory of James Leonard Arthur, who during his final illness predicted that his then twelve-year-old son would, one day, obtain a PhD. It’s been a canny wait, but this is for you, Dad. - 4 - Abstract Evangelical mission agencies are organisations which exist in order to promote the dissemination of Christianity around the world. They do this through overt proclamation of the Christian message and by serving the populations they encounter through a range of activities including medical work, education and advocacy. This study examines the way in which the theological position of six British evangelical mission agencies has an impact on their practices. Four significant issues in mission theology are identified from the literature and the agencies are classified into different groups according to their alignment with these issues. By examining the literature produced by the six agencies, the practices of the organisations in the different groups were compared and contrasted. There is no obvious correlation in the practices of the agencies who were assigned to the same group on the basis of their theological position, nor are there any clear differences between those assigned to different groups. The conclusion is that the agencies’ positions with regard to these particular theological issues have a limited impact on their practices. The study considers the reasons for this disconnect between theological values and actions. Because of their structures and innate pragmatism, the agencies are ill- equipped to reflect on their principles and practices from a theological standpoint. Today the church is growing worldwide, while experiencing a recession in Western Europe. These changes mean that the rationale for British mission agencies is in question and also that a new paradigm for mission is developing. The ability of British agencies to react to these changes will, to a large extent, depend on their capacity to reflect theologically on their situation. An appendix to this study provides suggestions for steps that agencies can take to face these issues. - 5 - Table of Contents Acknowledgements ............................................................................. 3 Abstract ................................................................................................ 4 Table of Contents ................................................................................ 5 List of Tables ..................................................................................... 17 Chapter 1 Introduction ..................................................................... 18 Evangelical Mission Agencies ..................................................... 18 The Crisis in Mission ................................................................... 20 Demographic Roots of the Crisis ........................................ 20 Theological Roots of the Crisis ........................................... 21 Responses to the Crisis .............................................................. 24 Overview of this Study ................................................................ 25 Research Questions ............................................................ 26 Structure .............................................................................. 26 Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................... 26 Chapter 2: Evangelical Mission Agencies ................... 26 Chapter 3: Methodology .............................................. 27 Chapter 4: Elements of A Mission Taxonomy ............. 28 Chapter 5: Overview and Classification of the Results 28 Chapter 6: Comparing and Contrasting the Agencies 29 Chapter 7: Conclusions and Recommendations ......... 29 Summary ..................................................................................... 29 Chapter 2 Evangelical Mission Agencies ........................................ 30 Introduction ................................................................................. 30 Evangelicalism ............................................................................ 30 Origins of Evangelicalism .................................................... 30 Evangelical Distinctives ....................................................... 31 Conversionism ............................................................ 32 Activism ....................................................................... 32 Biblicism ...................................................................... 32 Crucicentrism .............................................................. 33 Other Distinctives ........................................................ 33 Schismatism ....................................................... 34 Pragmatism ........................................................ 34 Evangelicalism as a Phenomenon ...................................... 35 - 6 - Socio-Political Evangelicalism .................................... 35 Defining Mission .......................................................................... 36 Reflections on Mission ........................................................ 38 The Necessity of the Cross-Cultural Transmission of Christianity .......................................................... 38 Paradigms of Mission .................................................. 38 Is Mission the Correct Term? ...................................... 39 Evangelicalism and Mission ................................................ 39 The Evangelical Mission Movement ........................... 42 Reference to the Bible ........................................ 43 Exemplary Figures ............................................. 44 Historic Figures .................................................. 45 Publications ........................................................ 45 Low Entry Threshold .......................................... 46 Missionary Conferences ..................................... 46 Creating Coherence Through Exclusion ............ 47 The Value of Pithy Sayings ................................ 47 Reflections on These Features .......................... 48 Mission Structures ....................................................................... 49 Justification for Mission Structures ...................................... 50 Roman Catholic Structures ......................................................... 51 Protestant Structures .................................................................. 52 Evangelical Structures ................................................................ 52 The Importance of Faith Missions ....................................... 54 Winter's Three Eras of Mission ........................................... 56 Changing Terminology ........................................................ 57 Aid and Development Work ................................................ 57 A Working Definition of Evangelical Agencies .................... 58 Evangelical Mission Agencies and Pragmatism .................. 59 International Mission Structures .................................................. 62 The Evangelical Alliance ..................................................... 62 Early Evangelical Alliances ......................................... 62 The WEA Today .......................................................... 63 The World Council of Churches .......................................... 63 The Origins of the WCC .............................................. 64 - 7 - The WCC and Evangelicals ........................................ 65 The Lausanne Movement ................................................... 66 The Origins of Lausanne ............................................. 66 Lausanne Today ......................................................... 67 Lausanne and
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