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Editorial

Editorial 2013 was a particularly significant year for mission studies in that the World Council of Churches presented its new statement on mission and evangelism: Together towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes (2012). This is the first official WCC statement since Mission and Evangelism: An Ecumenical Affirmation in 1982 and its appearance justified a plenary session on mission at the General Assembly which took place in Busan, South Korea in November – the first plenary on the topic of mission since 1991. Comparison of these two statements made thirty years apart throws into relief shifts in theology of mission. The 1982 statement emerged towards the end of the Cold War when the world was firmly divided into East and West. Ronald Reagan in the USA and Margaret Thatcher in the UK were leading neoliberal policies which encouraged consumerism and self-help in contrast to the values promoted in the Communist world. Meanwhile the Third World was experiencing poverty exacerbated by super-power backed conflict or by military dictatorships which justified themselves on grounds of securing the nation against Communism and also protected a rich elite. The 1982 statement is concerned about the “arms race” and the “monstrosity” of human http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Mission Studies Brill

Editorial

Kim, Kirsteen
Mission Studies , Volume 31 (1): 1 – Feb 26, 2014
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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
Subject
Other
ISSN
0168-9789
eISSN
1573-3831
DOI
10.1163/15733831-12341304
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

2013 was a particularly significant year for mission studies in that the World Council of Churches presented its new statement on mission and evangelism: Together towards Life: Mission and Evangelism in Changing Landscapes (2012). This is the first official WCC statement since Mission and Evangelism: An Ecumenical Affirmation in 1982 and its appearance justified a plenary session on mission at the General Assembly which took place in Busan, South Korea in November – the first plenary on the topic of mission since 1991. Comparison of these two statements made thirty years apart throws into relief shifts in theology of mission. The 1982 statement emerged towards the end of the Cold War when the world was firmly divided into East and West. Ronald Reagan in the USA and Margaret Thatcher in the UK were leading neoliberal policies which encouraged consumerism and self-help in contrast to the values promoted in the Communist world. Meanwhile the Third World was experiencing poverty exacerbated by super-power backed conflict or by military dictatorships which justified themselves on grounds of securing the nation against Communism and also protected a rich elite. The 1982 statement is concerned about the “arms race” and the “monstrosity” of human

Journal

Mission Studies – Brill

Published: Feb 26, 2014

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