What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission

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What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission (eBook) Pub. Date: 9/8/2011 Publisher: Crossway
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What Is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission Pub. Date: 9/28/2011 Publisher: Crossway Books
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What is the Mission of the Church?: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom and the Great Commission (MP3 - Unabridged) Pub. Date: 4/25/2011 Publisher: christianaudio.com

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Overview

Christians today define mission more broadly and variably than ever before. Are we, as the body of Christ, headed in the same direction or are we on divergent missions?

Some argue that the mission of the Church is to confront injustice and alleviate suffering, doing more to express God’s love for the world. Others are concerned that the church is in danger of losing its God-centeredness and thereby emphasize the proclamation of the gospel. It appears as though misunderstanding of mission persists.

Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert believe there is a lot that evangelicals can agree on if only we employ the right categories and build our theology of mission from the same biblical building blocks. Explaining key concepts like kingdom, gospel, and social justice, DeYoung and Gilbert help us to get on the same page—united by a common cause—and launch us forward into the true mission of the church.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781433526909
Publisher: Crossway Books
Publication date: 9/28/2011
Pages: 283
Sales rank: 155,592
Product dimensions: 5.40 (w) x 8.40 (h) x 0.80 (d)

Meet the Author

KEVIN DEYOUNG (MDiv, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary) is senior pastor at University Reformed Church in East Lansing, Michigan. He is the coauthor of Why We Love the Church and other award-winning books.

GREG GILBERT (MDiv, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is senior pastor of Third Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the author of What Is the Gospel?

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Average Rating 4.5

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Benj-O

Posted November 24, 2011

Solid "Dig Deep" Theology with a Hesitancy of Style

© 2011 Crossway, Wheaton, Illinois There is a reason that I have to read what all the ¿thinkers¿ are writing about all the ¿big¿ issues involving the church. I¿m a little slow in the thinking department, and it often takes me a little longer to digest the meat and potatoes of all the arguments. Consequently, I may ¿like¿ ideas being supported on two opposite ends of an argument¿simply because the argument is well-presented. Aside from being behind the curve, another drawback to this approach is that others are finishing the books ahead of me and I may stumble upon someone else¿s reaction to the work before completing my own assessment. Having said that, I just finished this new book by my friend Greg Gilbert (pastor of Third Avenue Baptist Church in Louisville, KY; author of What Is the Gospel?) and his friend Kevin DeYoung (pastor of University Reformed Church in East Lansing, MI; author of several books including Freedom & Boundaries, and Just Do Something). Their mission with this book is to define the mission of the church and address the fixation that many young church leaders have begun to place on Social Ministry and Shalom. [I did get a glimpse at some of the links provided by Ed Stetzer while I still had a couple of chapters to go, and may have colored my view, but I¿ll try not to let that affect my review.] In their attempt to define mission for the church and to carry on the on-going conversation with some theological hiccups kept by the more social minded of our brethren the authors have a tendency to sound more like a high school debating team than burgeoning theologians. Statements that assure the reader that ¿as we can see¿ crop up periodically, regardless of whether the case has been truly made or not. One thing to remember when posing an argument is that just because something is clear in your mind does not mean that it has been made clear to your audience. Another thing that gives me pause is the authors¿ argument for ¿the law of moral proximity.¿ Understanding the premise behind their argument, I would readily agree with what they have to say on the matter. The problem comes in when one carries the argument to a logical end¿which would lead the Christian to be only concerned with those with whom they have a vested interest¿such as a brother-in-law or local community. Now, having touched on those matters, let me get to the meat of the book¿Biblically-based approach to what the church should do. That hearkens us back to their final analysis: that Christ Himself issued the mission of the church to the church in the form of the Great Commission. The exegesis is well done (we would expect no less), and the dogged commitment to approaching the world from a biblical view are second to none. [Since I¿m writing this review on Thanksgiving Day, let me say] I am thankful that these two young ministers have released this book. If we can reach beyond some of the stylistic quirks in the presentation of the material, we have an excellent study that challenges us to make disciples and teach them. Part of doing this is doing good in and around our world, but it cannot be done without addressing the spiritual needs of those with whom we come in contact. I have to give DeYoung and Gilbert 4out of 5 reading glasses. ¿Benjamin Potter, November 24, 2011
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JamieCaldwell

Posted October 12, 2011

A Must Read for anyone asking big questions about the church (and her mission).

What should we be doing? It's an innocent and an important question. However, it is also one of the most controversial questions being asked by the church today. We want to know, amid all of the noble possibilities, what our mission is. Should we go green, drink fair trade coffee, buy Toms, help the poor, evangelize the lost, make (good) art, plant churches, become monastic, or some combination of all these and a million more things?

Navigating this minefield of "mission" has always been a full-time job for church leaders, but the bandying about of undefined words and catch phrases - like social justice, mission, missional, missio dei, the welfare of the city, redemption, cultural mandate, and shalom - has made this task even harder. What we need at this crucial juncture is a clear starting point for our conversation. Thankfully, Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert have given us just that in their new book (released by Crossway), What is the Mission of the Church: Making Sense of Social Justice, Shalom, and the Great Commission.

DeYoung and Gilbert's book is a refreshing plunge into a clear river of Biblical scholarship that is both deep and wide. Its corrective, but not combative, tone provides a significant break from the muddied waters of confused conviction that often stifle this important conversation. If you want to be a biblically missional follower of Jesus, then this book needs to find a home in your library. It will challenge you to define the words you use. It will travel the breadth of Scripture to answer common questions and correct popular misconceptions. Most importantly, it will offer a very clear answer to the very difficult question: What is the mission of the church?
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