If the church takes seriously the fact that North America is now a mission field, this has tremendous implications for congregations. One of the most important implications is that many of the assumptions that have guided the development of the church over the past several centuries are now in need of critique and redefinition (e.g., denominations, individualism, and success).
Another implication is that the church will increasingly need to recognize that its own location in the present culture is no longer at the center, but at the margins. Being on the margins, however, can provide fresh opportunities for thinking about offering confident witness as the church.
- Craig Van Gelder in Confident Witness – Changing World
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Thanks for reviewing this book, Brad. So much to read and not enough time to do so.
The church as a mission field then and now is a hazy issue for me. When was North America not a mission field? If it ever were, it would have been only a small window of time.
As to the critique, I agree that redefinition is sorely needed. A new Christian culture (an intense training in the Christ-centered life) within the church needs to develop and is slowly happening. This will be years in the making and hopefully it will be endemic and systemic enough to last.
Fresh thinking for sure. Necessity is the mother of inventions.
upon reviewing what I said:
I meant North America as mission field…