In review:
The Mission of God,
Christopher J.H. Wright

It's considered by many to be the seminal work on the biblical basis of mission, but for CMS-NSW Associate General Secretary Malcolm Reid, Christopher Wright's The Mission of God is a mission meal that leaves a bitter aftertaste.

The Mission of God by Chris Wright is a masterpiece, widely proclaimed as the most comprehensive treatment of the biblical basis of Christian mission in print. For me, The Mission of God was like eating a deeply satisfying meal - but a meal that leaves you with a nagging, bitter aftertaste.

Wright's agenda is very clear from the outset. He intends to develop a biblical theology where:  "Mission is...a major key that unlock[s] the whole grand narrative of the canon of Scripture" (p. 17). Wright begins in Luke 24 where the resurrected Jesus explains that the Scriptures had foretold his suffering and resurrection, and inextricably links this message to proclamation to the nations (Luke 24:44-48).  Then, as Wright proceeds to examine the God of mission revealed in the Bible, his call is clear: every Christian has a role as an agent of this mission.

This argument is the centerpiece of the first section of The Mission of God, and the wellspring from which the rest of the book flows. The following three sections of Wright's book concentrate on the God of mission, the people of mission, and the practical outworking of this missional theology in our world.

A hearty mission meal

Wright is an Old Testament scholar par-excellence, and I found myself swept up with his clarity and his exegetical depth and breadth.  One of the most impressive aspects of The Mission of God is Wright's masterful application of the great truths of the Scriptures, such as the monotheism of God, to an understanding of mission.

Wright's approach to election is very helpful. The body of Christ is called to be a separate people reflecting biblical values not for the sake of our own salvation, but for the sake of mission.  Our holiness, the fruit of the gospel, is missional  - our Sprit-inspired distinctiveness works to draw those around us into covenant community. The holiness of God's people is not to take the place of gospel proclamation, but to create opportunities and contact points so that people's ears are open to the gospel.

Also, Wright's chapter on idolatry is one of the best treatments of the topic I have read. Idols, he argues, can be either or both constructs of humans and of Satan. We manufacture idols from things that entice us, things that frighten us, or things that we trust. Our part in God's mission at this point is to challenge the idols in our church communities because they render our witness fruitless. And so, Wright speaks provocatively into a Western church immersed in materialism and individualism: "God cannot 'wear' people who are sodden and soiled with the rotting rags of idolatry" (p.187).

An unpleasant aftertaste

The Mission of God is very long and at times repetitive. Sometimes I just wanted to yell out, "l've got it! Let's move on now!"  I was also disappointed that there was not a significant treatment of creation and the fall, since these are the foundations of a scriptural understanding of the redemption. Without a nuanced understanding of sin, the power of the gospel - the message of God's mission - is undermined. It loses its punch.

However, these two drawbacks weren't the source of the bitter aftertaste left in my mouth. Wright defines mission broadly to include political, social, and economic dimensions alongside the spiritual. To be sure, we are increasingly seeing a shift towards this sort of integrated vision for mission in evangelical thinking. But to my mind, Wright presumes too much that we have accepted this approach. The results are deeply problematic: any action that reverses the damage of the fall, or anything that God does in the world, becomes our mission - and in the process, proclamation of the gospel can become sidelined.

Hence, ecology, for instance, becomes as much a part of the mission of the people of God as gospel proclamation.  I get the feeling Wright doesn't want to go down that track too far; he does argue for the centrality of the cross. But this is where his open-ended definition of mission ends us leading us.

In his influential Goldsworthy Trilogy, theologian Graeme Goldsworthy offers an approach to biblical theology that is essentially Christocentric. Wright doesn't think The Mission of God is contrary to this. But to change the emphasis of biblical theology just a little - to adopt an all-encompassing understanding of God's mission - is to run the danger of weakening the gospel message.

There are real benefits in maintaining a distinction between the gospel and the fruit of the gospel. The fruit of the gospel may include involvement in all sorts of commendable activities, like making our houses energy efficient or caring for the poor, and these may be great contact points for the gospel. But these activities are not mission per se.  If we make them our mission, the clarity and the cutting edge of the gospel may be diluted and ultimately lost. We may end up doing everything except telling people the gospel - the very reason that Jesus came into the world.

Gospel proclamation is Jesus' mission, and ours. I'm sure Chris Wright is committed to sharing the gospel. But I am a little troubled by where he leaves us after the last page of The Mission of God. It left a bitter taste on my tongue.

Conclusion: Read it!

Despite these niggling concerns, I think The Mission of God is must-read for people who are serious about God's mission in Australia and overseas. It's a book that will get you thinking - and that's definitely not a bad thing.

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