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Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context
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Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Dec 14, 2015

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Page 1: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Mission-Shaped Evangelism

Listening to God in the cultural context

Page 2: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Double listening

Two ears one mouthUse accordingly in

mission

Failure to enter the other persons world leaves us like the tourists who keep speaking louder in their own language

To the Mission Context

To the essence of the Christian Inheritance

Page 3: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Post-modernity? Modernity to Postmodernity

I tell my story

I choose my beliefs

I buy my identity

The logic of consumerism

Page 4: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Age in 2005

pe

rce

nta

ge

of

po

pu

lati

on

under 15

monthly

Post-Christendom?

9% monthly

26% De Churched

65% Non Churched

76% of New Christians Come from 26% De-Churched

finding faith today 1992

This section of the population is older and decreasing over time

Church attendance 2005

Page 5: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Post-Christendom?

Not just about church attendance– Grace Davie,

- Believing without belonging and vicarious faith• But changing belief• Fading of occasional office• Decline in Christian identity

– Stages in the decline of Christendom not a new way for it to persist

Page 6: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Belief in God

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1947 1981 1990 2000

life force

personalGod

Page 7: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Infant Baptism C of E 2007

0102030405060708090

100

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

percentage of births by year

Page 8: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Church Weddings 2007

0102030405060708090

100

1900 1910 1920 1930 1940 1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

percentage of marriages by year

Page 9: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Christian Affiliation UK

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

date

pe

rce

nta

ge

of

po

pu

lati

on

Page 10: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Christian Affiliation 2001

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100

Age in 2001

pe

rce

nta

ge

of

po

pu

lati

on

Page 11: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Christian Affiliation

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

1981 1999

15-29

30-49

50 +

Page 12: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Builders (born 20s+30s) in 2005

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

raised inchurch

nowattend

monthly +

christianaffiliation

raisechildren

to believein God

believe in

life force

personalGod

Page 13: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Boomers (born 40s+50s) in 2005

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

raised inchurch

nowattend

monthly +

christianaffiliation

raisechildren

to believein God

believe in

life force

personalGod

Page 14: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Gen-Xers (born 60s+70s) in 2005

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

raised inchurch

nowattend

monthly +

christianaffiliation

raisechildren

to believein God

believe in

life force

personalGod

Page 15: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Gen-Yers (born 80s+90s) in 2015?

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

raised inchurch

nowattend

monthly +

christianaffiliation

raisechildren

to believein God

believe in

life force

personalGod

Page 16: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Post- Secularism?

• Post-modernity - multi-faith in a post-secular age– Post-modern move from truth as fact to truth as

experience - From universal truth to true for me may be different to true for you.

– Rejection of objectivity for subjectivity– Personal belief re-enters the public square– Any and every belief …. All are equally unprovable– All of this much to the annoyance of Richard

Dawkins…….and Christians?

– Religion once more on the agenda but any religion with no way back to Christendom …..indeed is Christianity disadvantaged compared to the alternatives?

Page 17: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

‘Spiritual’ experience in 2000 Vs 1987

55% saw a patterning of events – up 90%

38% felt God’s presence – up 41%

37% had answered prayer – up 48%

29% felt sacred in nature – up 81%

25% the presence of the dead – up 39%

But what are they But what are they experiencing?experiencing?

25% the presence of evil – up 108%

1987 48% report a spiritual experience - 2000 risen to 76%

Page 18: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

The ‘excluded middle’

• Paul Heibert– Many traditional religions have a sacred

dimension about the Gods and secular dimension to do with the non-spiritual but also a middle ground of the superstitious and everyday spiritual. He saw this as missing from Christianity,

– This area very much addressed by new spiritualities

Page 19: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Believe in an afterlife

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Page 20: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Believe in restless spirits

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Page 21: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Believe in Karma

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Page 22: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Experience of fortune telling, Tarot, astrology, psychics, palmists

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Page 23: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Australian Gen Y – like Britain?

Floating 46 %

‘new spiritual’ 23%

Religious 17%

Non believing

14%

Rationalist humanist

Includes neo pagans and followers or frequent participants in the esoteric/occult

Moral relativism, pick ‘n’ mix, truth in all religions but not just one, something ‘out there’ occult and paranormal experienced

BUT open rather than committed or seeing as important

Page 24: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Japan Britain

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

religiousattendance

reigiousaffilitaion

belief inGod

religiousattendance

religiousaffiliation

belief inGod

percentage population 2000

annual

festivals

monthly

Page 25: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Consumer Christianity?

Page 26: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Consumer Christianity?

• God the cosmic therapist?• Cruise liner – or Battleship?

John Wimber

• Church shopping?– Looking for what I get out of it– Looking for the one that does things my way

• Buying religious product?– Baptisms & weddings– Rosaries– Retreats– Christmas Carols

Page 27: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Mission-Shaped Evangelism

Listening to God in the Christian tradition

Steve Hollinghurst Oct 10

Page 28: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Jesus, mission and other faiths• The Vision of the kingdom of God (cf Luke 5-8)

– Radical values of inclusion leading to transformation and reversals of status – the sinful, the unclean, women, the non-Jew ( in spite of Jesus claim to only be sent to the ‘lost sheep of Israel’)

– The use of parables • Making disciples who will make disciples

– The parable of the sower (Luke 8) followed by sending of The 12 (Luke 9) and 72 (Luke 10) as Jesus has been sent (John 17) (apostolic church). To make disciples in all cultures (Matt 28)

• Weakness and vulnerability the marks of the missionary– Sent to be the guests of those they are to witness amongst– Becoming as servants and children (Mark 9)– The small things leading to great change – mustard seed

and yeast in dough

Page 29: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Crossing culture - The Early Church

• In Jerusalem– The Pentecost Sermon to Jews Acts 2– The Jerusalem church Acts 4– The Hellenists – fresh insight & Persecution

• In Judea and Samaria– The dispersal of the Hellenists– Philip – the Samaritans & Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8

• To the ends of the earth– Peter and Cornelius Acts 10– The Church in Antioch Acts 11– The Gentile mission from Antioch

Page 30: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Paul does ‘double-listening’

• Acts 14 – Lystra– After healing a crippled man the crowd think Paul and

Barnabas are Hermes and Zeus.– Paul reasons from nature not scripture to explain his

faith….and struggles to communicate

• Acts 17 – Athens– Paul goes round the temples learning about Greek belief

– we see the results in his address to the Areopagus.– He debates with the philosophers in the market

place….and struggles to communicate – they call him a ‘spermalgos’ – someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about!

Page 31: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Paul’s two sermons

• Jesus is the expected messiah who will fulfil the prophets and law

• He was killed as a sacrifice but rose

• He has been appointed judge and we must now change the directions of our lives

• We are all searchers after God

• The God of the universe doesn’t live in temples

• That God has set a day to judge the nations so we must now change the directions of our lives

• The judge will be Jesus who was raised from the dead

Mission in Christendom is like Jewish Mission

Jews …….and…….Greeks?

Page 32: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Paul and Paganism

• Following the Jewish legacy – God can be found in Pagan religion but is revealed to be

more than those religions show and not all of it is to be accepted.

• This can be used to aid mission – eg Lystra, Athens Ephesus

• The issue of food sacrificed to idols (I Cor 10) – ‘Give no offence to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of

God, just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many so that they may be saved.’ (vs 32-33)

• The Roman approach to religion must be avoided

Page 33: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Incarnational mission – Phil 2Jesus as part of Trinity

Takes on the form of those to whom he is sent

God exalts him

All must kneel before him

How might this passage influence our thinking on mission?

Page 34: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Incarnational mission – Phil 2

• We take off our current form and put on that of those we seek to reach and affirm their culture

• We die to ourselves in incarnation in order to be obedient to God

• God will use this to exalt Jesus

• All must come to accept Jesus as Lord and this will involve challenging culture as people become like Christ.

Page 35: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

The limits to incarnation

1 Cor 9:19-24– Though free I have become a slave in order to

win people (Philippians model)– As a Jew to Jews, as a Greek to Greeks– All things to all people so by all means I might

save some. For the sake of the gospel…

• But– As an African to the Africans…as a Goth to

Goths…as criminal to criminals…as a prostitute to prostitutes?

• Jesus like us in every way but without sin

Page 36: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Mission: shift to Christendom

• Early Church incarnate in local culture– Greek Church - Paul uses poetry to Zeus– Roman Church - Jesus as Orpheus– Coptic Church - the image of Isis becomes Mary– Celtic Church - Jesus the Druid (Columba)– Germanic Church - the Heliand

• Christendom one faith one empire– The Saxon Church and the war band– Synod of Whitby - the date of Easter; monks hair– Mission ends within empire, – becomes conquest beyond it

• Modernity evangelism recovered in Christendom– Individuals called to belief in a Christian country– Aimed at intellectual conviction and crisis conversion

Page 37: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Mission-Shaped Evangelism

In the twenty first century

Steve Hollinghurst Oct 10

Page 38: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

A new Reformation?

400 BC

600 AD

1500 AD

2000 AD

Judaism

Early Chur

ch

Christendom

Reformation

?

Eternal Gospel

Changing expression – David Bosch ‘Transforming Mission’

Page 39: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Mission in Christendom

• Mission (abroad)

– Cultural export Vs Inhabiting local culture

• Evangelism (at home)

– Calling people back to ‘the national faith’

Page 40: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Learning from foreign mission

• “Do not call people back to where they were (they never were there)

• Do not call people to where you are, as beautiful as it may seem to you

• But travel with them to a place neither of you have been before”

Vincent Donovan – ‘Christianity re-discovered’

Page 41: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Changing Mission?

• From: sharing the Gospel in “come to us” mode

• To: Exploring Church in “go to them” mode

Church Missions

Courses

‘Seeker’ Services

To boldly go where no church has gone

before

Page 42: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

From individuals to all creation

Restoring the whole story of salvation

sin salvation

creation

New creation

Individuals savedIndividuals saved

All creation savedAll creation saved

Page 43: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

God’s Mission & God’s Kingdom

• The transformation of people linked to the transformation of creation – Romans 8, 2 Cor 5– Reconciliation as a reversal of the fall– Humanity restored to God’s image as missionary to

creation

• Social transformation linked to evangelism – Any Gospel that does not proclaim and seek to bring

about God’s Kingdom fails to understand Jesus and God’s mission

– Any Gospel that does not set people free from sin will never achieve social transformation

Page 44: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Three levels of mission community

Page 45: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Who are on the way?

Bounded set ? Or..

Page 46: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Who are on the way?

Bounded set ? Or…….Centred Set?

Page 47: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Who are on the way?

Bounded set ? Or…….Centred Set?

Page 48: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

A new apologetics?

• Hearing – relating to what is going on in people’s lives not assuming a pattern

• Holistic – not just brains but people drawn to God• Hopeful – assume God is at work in others, ‘see what God is

doing and join in’• Humble – we have a lot to learn too from God and others,

including those of other faiths and no-faith• Hidden – the parable tradition – people ignore the obvious

answer but explore the open ended.• Heavenward – focus on where we are going and invite

people on the journey

Page 49: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Lessons for sharing faith• People increasingly come to faith through experience rather

than changing thinking• People want to grow spiritually and will take support in this

seriously• Sharing faith is welcomed. Telling others what they share is

wrong simply closes the conversation• People aren’t interested if Christianity is true but if it is

inspiring and life changing• with the internet everything is public be consistent• We need to know how we will handle issues of gender, the

environment, evil, other-faiths• Avoid Christian language like sin, salvation, redemption etc

people don’t understand it or misunderstand it – but we still need to talk about them but with different words

• We need to live as if what we say really does work• Remember God transforms people not Christians

Page 50: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Resources

Page 51: Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10 Mission-Shaped Evangelism Listening to God in the cultural context.

Steve Hollinghurst Nov 10

Evangelism is…..

• Not getting people to Church ………………..….……..

but getting people to be Church• Not taking God to people …………………………………

but seeing what he is already doing in their lives• Not first about getting people into heaven ……………

but getting heaven into people• Not saving people from the world ..…………………..

but allowing God to transform them

as part of a plan to transform the world also

Your Kingdom come your will be done Your Kingdom come your will be done

on earth as it is in heavenon earth as it is in heaven