Empowering destitute people towards transforming communities

2.2Mission as mediating comprehensive salvation

For Bosch (1995:393) the scope of salvation, however we define salvation, determines the scope of the missionary enterprise. He continues, reflecting that mission in the early church interpreted salvation in comprehensive terms, even though there were different understandings of mission among New Testament authors. He subsequently proposes “comprehensive salvation” as the way forward for missions.
Comprehensive salvation would obviously include a very personal appeal. In this sense Schroeder (2006:3) states that the gospel is both a report (indicative) and an appeal (imperative), a “Good News report” linked to Jesus and an exhortation to appropriate that Good News as one's own. "God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.... Therefore, we appeal to you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2006:3). In this regard, it would seem that Paul in the Bible places more emphasis on the (personal) process of salvation; a process that begins in this life when one encounters the living Christ, but will only be completed with the coming triumph of God (Bosch, 1995:394).
Swinton (2000:54) emphasizes the relational aspect of sin as the reason we need salvation. He states that “sin is fundamentally a relational concept”: where sin is defined as the breaking of human – Divine relationships. For Swinton (2000:54), the committing of individual sinful acts must be recognized as a manifestation of humanity’s sinful state, where human sinfulness is not primarily the committing of such acts, but a position, an attitude that the person adopts towards God, and consequently to other human beings. In this sense comprehensive salvation would then also include reconciliation to God.
At the same time salvation must be viewed as the salvation of this world, in this world (Aagaard, 1974:429-431). Salvation in Christ is salvation in the context of human society en route to a whole and healed world (Bosch, 1995:399). In this regard Luke in the Bible employs salvation language in respect of a very wide spectrum of human circumstances: the termination of poverty, discrimination, illness, demon possession, sin etcetera. For Luke, salvation is present salvation that realizes itself in this life today, and that terminates economic, social, political, physical, psychological and spiritual suffering (Bosch, 1995:393).
Salvation is as coherent, broad and deep as the needs and exigencies of human existence (Bosch, 1995:400). Therefore, a comprehensive understanding of salvation must urge us to minister with people in their total need, meaning in terms both of individual need and that of society; soul and body; present and future. In our current world context, one of poverty, marginalization, war, chaos and suffering, to introduce positive change and transformation is to mediate salvation (Bosch, 1995:399-400).
Missions, therefore, imply being involved in the ongoing dialogue between God, who offers His salvation, and the world, which – enmeshed in all kinds of evil – craves that salvation (Gort, 1988:205). Part of a comprehensive understanding of salvation is the realization that salvation does not lie within the grasp of the church to dispense, it is not at our disposal and it is not something we can bring about (Bosch, 1995:397).
In terms of the destitute, we must therefore interpret salvation in a comprehensive way, which does not just mean that we must mediate encounters with the living Christ, but also that we must mediate the termination of suffering as it features in their lives and in the context of our society. We need to discover ways to minister salvation to their total need.

2.3Mission as the quest for justice

Social justice was always at the heart of the prophetic tradition of the Old Testament (Bosch, 1995:401). The call for social justice is echoed today by the likes of Boff (1987; 1993); Gibellini (1987); Grigg (1992); Gutierrez (1975; 1996) and others. Gutierrez goes as far as to state boldly that injustice is not an accident: it is part of the workings of the capitalist system (1975:117).
However, in terms of the link between evangelism (the commission to announce the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ) and social justice (the call to responsible participation in human society), problems and questions arise. Are they two separate aims of mission, or should we view them as one? Which is more important, which comes first? (Bosch, 1995:401-407)
Plant (2004:3) takes it as axiomatic that evangelism and the quest for justice both constitute essential aspects of Christian mission, because he considers mission to comprise both evangelism and the quest for justice (Plant, 2004:3). It would seem that we should view this as a two sided coin: the mission of the church includes both the proclamation of the Gospel and its demonstration (Bosch, 1995:407), where proclamation would be perceived in terms of evangelism, and demonstration as working for social justice. Boff (1993:131) adds that preaching the cross of Jesus today requires the committing of oneself and all one’s energies to a world where love, peace and a community of brothers and sisters, a world where openness and self-surrender to God, will be less difficult. This represents a call to a world of justice!
In terms of mission with the destitute, this point clearly highlights the need for the proclamation of the gospel as well as for advocating social justice in a society where various forms of injustice lead to destitution.

2.4Mission as evangelism

Mittelberg (2000:20) observes that there can be little doubt that evangelism should be central to the lives of the church and its people. However, many problematic questions arise when we try to define evangelism, such as: are evangelism and mission synonyms or not? Bosch (1995:411) attempts to answer these questions in averring that he views mission and evangelism not as synonymous, but as indissolubly linked together and inextricably interwoven in theology and praxis.
Without entering a full discourse on the nature of evangelism, some valid points made by Bosch should be emphasized, since they impact on our mission with the destitute.
Bosch (1995:412) perceives mission to be much wider than evangelism. For him, mission denotes the total task God has set the church for the salvation of the world, but always related to a specific context of evil, despair, people and being lost. Evangelism therefore is the part of mission that engages in the proclamation of what God has done, is doing and will do, on a personal level, to people (Bosch, 1995:411-414). As Gutierrez (1988:xxxvii, xli) puts it: evangelism should be perceived in terms of its nature, as mediating the good news of God’s love in Christ that transforms life, proclaiming, by word and action that Christ has set us free.
Bosch (1995:413) also makes it clear that evangelism does aim at a response, since there is a call to “repent, and believe the gospel”. This call is to make specific changes, because “metanoia” (to repent) does involve the total transformation of our attitudes and styles of life. As such, evangelism is also an invitation to the world to share in the hope we as Christians have. Gutierrez (1990:13) adds to this insight when he defines evangelization as the sharing of the good news that has changed our lives: evangelization thus becomes the communication and sharing of this joy.
Bosch (1995:413) very strongly asserts that evangelism should never deteriorate into coaxing, much less into threats: people should turn to God because they are drawn by God’s love, not because they are driven by fear of hell.
Whereas mission definitely evidences a broader aim and scope than only the human community, evangelism deals directly with people in a personal fashion (Bosch, 1995:416). Even so, evangelism is not only verbal, since we are called to witness in word and deed to give an account of the hope that lives in us (Bosch, 1995:420).
While it may seem that Bosch’s definition of evangelism might be more confined to proclamation leading to a response of sorts, I choose to understand evangelism as a comprehensive action of salvation ministering to people in their total need, that is, in terms of individual need and the need of society; soul and body; present and future. Such a comprehensive understanding of salvation would manifest itself in the action of the church striving towards the termination of economic, social, political, physical, psychological and spiritual suffering. This is sometimes termed “evangelization” as opposed to evangelism, where evangelization ministers a comprehensive salvation that includes evangelism, which would focus more on proclamation (by word and deed) leading to a response.
Hence I concur with David Apple (1994:16): "To spread the kingdom of God is more than simply winning people to Christ. It is also working for the healing of persons, families, and relationships. It is doing deeds of mercy and seeking justice. It is ordering lives and relationships and institutions and communities according to God's authority.”
In doing missions with the destitute, evangelism becomes an indispensable aspect, where we continue to proclaim with word and deed the gospel of hope and salvation to people on a personal level. However, at the same time we are cautioned not to coax or shove, not to judge, but rather to continue witnessing as best we can. We point to Christ in such a way that people are drawn to Christ by God’s love.