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The Presbyterii fidelium (Priesthood of the faithful or the priesthood of all believers), is an important tenet of Protestant-Reformed Christianity and the foundation upon which all Reformed ecclesiology is built. Early Reformers formulated this doctrine on the basis of Sacred Scripture (Sola Scriptura) affirming salvation as the grace of God (Sola Gratia) through faith alone (Sola Fide), in the divine sending work of Christ (Solus Christus) and consequently giving all Glory to God alone (Soli Deo Gloria). Although the Missio Dei may have been fully explored, particularly from the resulting perspectives of the 1952 Willingen IMC Conference, its God-human covenant as underscoring the priesthood of all believers is rarely rationalized. Relying on available literature, this paper defines the priesthood of all believers as anchored in Sola scriptura, Sola fide, Solus Christus, and Sola gratia to understand human participation in the missio Dei. While these five solas are correctly expressed within the theological framework of the teachings of Calvinism, abbreviated TULIP, they are considered here from the broad perspective of their emergence in the 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Consequently, this contribution uses the broad perspective of both the Solae doctrines in conjunction with presbyterii fidelium with expressed intention of deepening the understanding of human participation in the context of the Missio Dei. By enriching the field of missiology with Reformed Knowledge, this article makes a contribution as it discusses the priesthood of all believers in the context of human participation in the Missio Dei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its reinterpretation in the second half of the 20th century, the Missio Dei has become a primary missiological framework that embraces human redemption as the direct work or by-product of God's intervention. Accordingly, or under the premise of divina providentia (divine providence), the Missio Dei then emphasizes God's absolute stewardship and preservation of all of His creation, which includes but is not limited to human creation. Although the idea of divine providence may understandably at times be questioned, it may equally be invoked by those in desperate search of divine salvific intervention or protection in the face of tragedy and adversity. That is to say, faith in divine providence may be relied upon perhaps to reinforce the much-desired salvivic hope amid hardships such as destructive conflicts of the world. That being said, or to the extent that global conflicts not only damage the very nature of human societies but also worsen a crisis of faith in divine existence, constant theological justification of the divine providential plan encompassing salvation remains an absolute necessity. Consequently, this paper combines both missio Dei and divine providence to form the providentia missio Dei as a systematic framework in missiology redefining divine salvific acts amid global chaos. Accordingly, both the systematic and integrative literature research methods are utilized to reconcile Divine Providence and the missio Dei into Providentia missio Dei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Christian theology, Christology remains a distinct branch of knowledge offering articulation of the hypostatic union or relationship between the divine and human natures of Jesus Christ. Its exploration of Christ's nature and identity moves from the pre-incarnation to post-ascension as enclosing Christ's birth, earthly mission, resurrection, and ascension. Consequently, or in attempting to streamline such a complex knowledge, Christological theologians developed two categorization frameworks in the form of 'topdown Christology' and 'bottom-up Christology'. When sketchily integrated into missiological frameworks, the missio Dei conforms to top-down Christology, whereas missio hominum conforms more to bottom-up Christology. In their transient articulation of Jesus Christ's identity, the missio Dei on the one hand embraces the top-down Christology while the missio hominum on the other hand or correspondingly embraces the bottom-up Christology. Accordingly, or given the lack of missiological scholarship deriving the unique understanding of the missio Dei and consequently missio hominum through Christology, this article draws on literature to weave their novel understanding as anchored by Christ's hypostatic union. Consequently, it first rationalizes the Missio Dei within top-down Christology before anchoring the Missio Hominum within bottom-up Christology. Determinedly, further studies will be required to test the novelty of this approach, as there appears to be no existential science that interprets Missio Dei and Missio Hominum through top-down-up Christology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since its reinterpretation in the second half of the 20th century, the Missio Dei has become a primary missiological framework that embraces human redemption as the direct work or by-product of God’s intervention. Accordingly, or under the premise of divina providentia (divine providence), the Missio Dei then emphasizes God’s absolute stewardship and preservation of all of His creation, which includes but is not limited to human creation. Although the idea of divine providence may understandably at times be questioned, it may equally be invoked by those in desperate search of divine salvific intervention or protection in the face of tragedy and adversity. That is to say, faith in divine providence may be relied upon perhaps to reinforce the much-desired salvivic hope amid hardships such as destructive conflicts of the world. That being said, or to the extent that global conflicts not only damage the very nature of human societies but also worsen a crisis of faith in divine existence, constant theological justification of the divine providential plan encompassing salvation remains an absolute necessity. Consequently, this paper combines both missio Dei and divine providence to form the providentia missio Dei as a systematic framework in missiology redefining divine salvific acts amid global chaos. Accordingly, both the systematic and integrative literature research methods are utilized to reconcile Divine Providence and the missio Dei into Providentia missio Dei.

In Christian theology, Christology remains a distinct branch of knowledge offering articulation of the hypostatic union or relationship between the divine and human natures of Jesus Christ. Its exploration of Christ’s nature and identity moves from the pre-incarnation to post-ascension as enclosing Christ’s birth, earthly mission, resurrection, and ascension. Consequently, or in attempting to streamline such a complex knowledge, Christological theologians developed two categorization frameworks in the form of ‘top-down Christology’ and ‘bottom-up Christology’. When sketchily integrated into missiological frameworks, the missio Dei conforms to top-down Christology, whereas missio hominum conforms more to bottom-up Christology. In their transient articulation of Jesus Christ’s identity, the missio Dei on the one hand embraces the top-down Christology while the missio hominum on the other hand or correspondingly embraces the bottom-up Christology. Accordingly, or given the lack of missiological scholarship deriving the unique understanding of the missio Dei and consequently missio hominum through Christology, this article draws on literature to weave their novel understanding as anchored by Christ’s hypostatic union. Consequently, it first rationalizes the Missio Dei within top-down Christology before anchoring the Missio Hominum within bottom-up Christology. Determinedly, further studies will be required to test the novelty of this approach, as there appears to be no existential science that interprets Missio Dei and Missio Hominum through top-down-up Christology.

Marriage is a sacred institution that represents God’s sent interpersonal relationships to proliferate humanity, rather than just the act of remaining as husband and wife. The phrase “be fruitful, multiply, and subdue the earth” is perhaps a better way to describe this missio maritatus, or marriage mission, as God instructs humanity in Genesis 1:28. God, the eternal missionary here, calls on humanity to be fruitful, multiply, and steward the earth. Although missiology has frequently examined how marriage intersects with redemptive goals within the complex framework of missio Dei, no study has formally introduced the theoretical framework of missio maritatus. This paper therefore presented the theoretical underpinnings of missio maritatus, which embraces the complexity of missio Dei and interprets Genesis 1:28 as expressing marriage missiology. It firmly based this mission’s theoretical framework on the central Christian doctrines of predestination and divine foresight. It states unequivocally that the limited traditional understanding of marriage still has issues, but it leaves it to future studies to define missio maritatus in light of contemporary marriage trends. To put it another way, despite its shortcomings, missio maritatus is a useful theoretical framework in missiology, and the scope of this paper justifies further investigation into this area. This paper makes two important contributions to the respective areas of theology: The first and most general part concerns practical theology, as it examines the intersection of marriage with broader Christian social theological teachings. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the novel development of the missio maritatus in missiology adds a new missio-theological framework which incorporates the institution of marriage with the context of the missio Dei.

This exploratory study investigated the disruption to schools ministry caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Perspectives of church leaders, Christian parents, Christian teachers and organisations involved in schools ministry were consulted using online surveys, interviews and focus groups, to examine how schools ministry could be rebuilt, incorporating reflective practice and hence bringing positive change. The severe impact of extensive school closures and restrictions strongly solidified the move from being largely provision of RE, lunchtime events and collective worship, to much broader methods in response to listening to the needs of the school (both staff and pupils in a secular/mainstream setting). A striking observation was that schools ministry was viewed in many of these case study settings as a peripheral aspect of local church ministry and often devolved to specialist organisations. Arising needs and models of ministry have emphasised the value and effectiveness of relational approaches and listening to the needs of schools and responding accordingly. This reinforces the need for collaborative approaches and long-term development of relationships between church and school. Training needs identified concerned relationship building and vision and strategy development, with many stakeholders perceiving this as the way forward to more effective ministry activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews equitable justice and the land question in South Africa from a reformation perspective. Land as the source of individual and corporate group identity and livelihood is one of the most sensitive, contentious and controversial of all debatable issues in South Africa. As such, the question is: what counts as the criteria for an amicable and lasting solution for the land question? What type of justice helpful in correcting the past injustice? An underlying precept is on restoring the broken relationship between the victims and offenders using equitable Justice, as we live together in a diverse context in South Africa. This article is designed to examine three aspects related to fair justice from the perspective of reformation: firstly, the basic conception of equitable justice; secondly, the critical application of the types of justice in handling land questions in South Africa; and thirdly, the ultimate reception of the equitable justice that the victims and offenders could acknowledge and appreciate about the land question based on the 1996 South African Constitution. Contribution: This article is meant to add value not only to how justice was and is conceived (perceived) but what is critical is the application of the types of justice as far as land in South Africa is concerned and the underlying misconceptions that go with it. Above all, the ultimate reception of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights and the South African Constitution as an incentive to address land questions in the South African context.

This article gives a missional perspective of Canaan’s curse as a blessing in disguise within the Missio Dei perspective. The pronouncement of Canaan’s curse in Genesis 9 v. 25 not only conscientised us of the fact, namely its comprehension (conception) and reception (application) but also cautioned us on how to handle it, namely, its acknowledgement and appreciation, while avoiding its misconceptions which led and still lead to diverse confusion, contestation and complication that goes with it. The pronouncement of the curse of Canaan, in Genesis 9 v. 25, presents a biblical paradox which has an apparent ‘blessing in disguise’ message. Without proper handling, this issue affected and is still affecting both the Church and the communities and their socio-political and economic aspects. The question is: what is the message uncovered for the first reader and for today? This article seeks such a message from a missional perspective by discussing three aspects, namely, the comprehension (conception), contestation (misconception) and application (reception) of the curse of Canaan. Contribution: This article adds value to the reading of Genesis 9 v. 25 and uncovers the biblical precept and missional guideline which not only conscientised us to acknowledge and appreciate the paradox in our conception and reception of Canaan’s curse but also cautioned us on how to handle misconceptions regarding Canaan’s curse to avoid confusion, contestation and complication that goes with it, which is still affecting the socio-political and economic aspects in South Africa and beyond.

The purpose of this article is to trace the evolution of the concept of missio Dei and examine the implications of each shift for the practice of mission. First, I explore the origin of missio Dei and its development from 1932 under Hitler's regime, and then I suggest Willingen's understanding of missio Dei in 1952 as an ecclesiocentric basis for mission. I then explore two more shifts in the understanding of missio Dei. Through the report on evangelism, The Church for Others and the Church for the World (1967), I assert that the report made a paradigm shift in the understanding of missio Dei as a theocentric mission with its implications for interfaith dialogue. Then, I present missio Dei as a Spirit‐centred mission based on the World Council of Churches' (WCC's) recent policy statement, Together towards Life (2013), and how to practise the concept of missio Dei as it is presented in the document by the WCC and ACT Alliance, Called to Transformation: EcumenicalDiakonia (2022). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article grapples with the Anglican Communion's Five Marks of Mission, raising questions such as: Does the Communion need a mission? Does mission need the Communion? And do the Five Marks of Mission speak to the mission of God or mission of and in the Communion? Central to the article is the anxiety about the potential consequences of mission based on historic experiences of people from colonized territories, hence the use of a decolonial approach in this article. The article is also cognizant of the coloniality that continues to influence intra‐Communion and ecumenical relations. It asks whether the Five Marks of Mission carry in them some decoloniality impulses that could fundamentally heal the wounds of the past, celebrate the diversity in the Communion presently, and re‐envision a future in which the Communion sees itself as having a role to play in the missio Dei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the second half of the 20th century, missiology has continued to elevate Missio Dei to a topic of the highest importance in theology. According to Missio Dei, the salvific mission is more theocentric than anthropocentric in that its actuality is wholly rooted in the nature of God. However, much work remains to be conducted to evaluate and reconcile the modern interpretation of the Missio Dei and its predecessor theological doctrines, to avoid illogicalities. Consequently, the responsibility to identify any discrepancies in the systematic knowledge of the Missio Dei falls on the broad shoulders of theology in general, but of missiology in particular. In keeping with this unavoidable intellectual duty, this article interrogates the literature on modern theodicies to improve the conceptualization of the Missio Dei and missionary God in the context of evil and human suffering. The inter-comparative analysis of the biblical Job serves to relate divine perfection and human suffering within process theodicy. Consequently, the intellectual enterprise of this work, with all its shortcomings, not only illuminates another facet of Missio Dei but also motivates further investigation to reconcile mission Dei with the reality of evil, free will, and human suffering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article grapples with the Anglican Communion's Five Marks of Mission, raising questions such as: Does the Communion need a mission? Does mission need the Communion? And do the Five Marks of Mission speak to the mission of God or mission of and in the Communion? Central to the article is the anxiety about the potential consequences of mission based on historic experiences of people from colonized territories, hence the use of a decolonial approach in this article. The article is also cognizant of the coloniality that continues to influence intra‐Communion and ecumenical relations. It asks whether the Five Marks of Mission carry in them some decoloniality impulses that could fundamentally heal the wounds of the past, celebrate the diversity in the Communion presently, and re‐envision a future in which the Communion sees itself as having a role to play in the missio Dei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Literature continues to document the ways in which Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQI) communities continue to grapple with or face unprecedented abuse in many nations of the world. Members of LGBTQI groups are reported to face discrimination and legal obstacles in countries like Indonesia, since its socio-cultural norms acquiescently discourage homosexuality or gender transitioning in any form. Furthermore, recent amendments to Indonesia's Penal Code, which contain provisions that may endanger the lives and safety of LGBTQI communities in unprecedented ways, have shown that such norms, if relentlessly upheld, strongly influences the direction of public policy. In light of such harmful provisions, one could argue that the rights of the LGBTQI community in Indonesia are being slowly but agonizingly crucified, perhaps analogous to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The primary proponents of this symbolic crucifixion, who conceal their intentions behind legislative modifications, seem to be politically motivated Islamic religious conservatives who publicly oppose LGBTQI rights. In light of these occurrences, this paper employs the Missio Politica framework and literature reviews to investigate the new Indonesian Penal Code and assess whether or not it violates the internationally acknowledged rights of the LGBTQI community. Drawing from literary works, it uses the term "crucifixion" in a metaphorical manner to emphasize the radical ways in which Islamic conservatism has violated LGBTQI rights over the years, and how these violations are now being formalized through Indonesia's new penal code. To be clear, this paper's accusations are not directed against Islamic teachings per se, but rather against intolerant Islamic conservatives who view LGBTQI preferences as ‘crucifiable’ sin and advocate for change of state laws to reflect such harmful sentiments. Overall, it is argued that certain sections of the recently enacted Indonesian Penal Code not only offend the LGBTQI community, but also undermine the redemptive goals of missio Dei in that country while having global contagion effects. The scope of this paper requires more research as not as much has been done to assess how certain recently enacted provisions of the Indonesian Penal Code impact LGBTQI rights in the context of fulfilling the redemptive goals of the missio Dei. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a narrative of how the collection Canaan Hymns is embedded in the context of the life and struggles of ecclesial life within the Chinese church movement, embodied in their pneumatologically-led creation, and empowered by the theology of laity and women. It argues that the ecclesiological mode of the grassroots together with the affective style of worship and reflections form the two key characteristics of a decolonizing missiology, offering an epistemology of "knowing with" in relation to missio Dei. This is followed by further examining the mission impulse, nationalistic fever and transnational currents. Contesting the ideology of atheism, a decolonizing missiology of the Chinese church movement offers a bottom-up construction in that the lived embodied experiences of everyday life in Christ within a cultural soil take priority as sources of a theology of mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The five Solas of the Reformation, Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus and Soli Deo Gloria, harmoniously or correspondingly affirm the central position of God in the work of salvation (missio Dei). The conceptualization of the missio Dei, which grew out of the 1952 International Missionary Council (IMC) reasoned on the basis of Solae doctrines, equally points to the central role of God in the work of salvation. Although the centrality of God in the work of salvation is consistently reflected through the Solae doctrine, and thus through understanding of the missio Dei, such consistency is seldom associated with the placement of the Reformed pulpit. To this end, this article draws on the available literature to show the doctrinal consistency reflected in the Solae teachings and the conceptualization of the missio Dei in relation to the placement and outlook of the Reformed pulpit. Consequently, this paper concludes that the Reformed tradition, encompassing the Solae doctrines, the conceptualization of the missio Dei, and its attitude toward the pulpit, harmoniously reflects the central role of God in the work of salvation. Within the Reformed knowledge space, this article thus makes a contribution as it discusses the placement of the Reformed pulpit in accordance with the Solae doctrines and the missio Dei, expressing the centrality of God in the work of salvation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mission of the Triune God--the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit--is the focus of this paper since the missio Dei perspective is essential to every section. To bring people from all tribes, nations, kingdoms, and languages together in eternal worship of Him, the Father sent the Son, and the Son sent the Holy Spirit. Churches and communities must partake in the mission of God in the world because the gospel of Jesus Christ must be preached. God uses the church as his instrument to proclaim his kingdom to people from all walks of life. Thus, followers of Jesus Christ who engage in the missio Dei--bring love, hope, and peace to a broken and lost world--and should be true to God's calling. God chose people to establish his kingdom and bestows blessings upon them so that they may bless every nation on the earth. God's humanity and God's entire creation are ultimately reconciled and healed by the kingdom. Through Jesus Christ, people can receive the Good News of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. This paper comes from a chapter in a larger PhD study in Missiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Missio Dei represents a missiological attempt to articulate a theocentric concept of mission with reference to the missionary nature and act of the triune God. This attempt arose as a reaction to the ecclesiocentric understanding of mission which was predominant within the Western global missionary movements in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This article briefly reviews the historical, biblical, and theological context of such an attempt, and then highlights an ongoing polarity in the employment of trinitarianism within missio Dei. The article concludes with a reflection on the implications of missio Dei for the church and Christian life in a contemporary, globalized society.

This article proposes a missiological research model, guided by three key missiological concepts: missio Dei, Christocentricity and contextuality (MDCC). The model is derived from a practical theology model that was developed by the Loyola Institute for Ministry (LIM). The new missiological model is called the LIMM model, where the added 'M' represents missional action. Since the introduction of the term missio Dei during the last century, the focus has shifted from missions initiated and conducted by the church, to the one true mission: God's mission. In the missio Dei, God sends his Son and the Spirit to the world, and through them sends people to the ends of the earth. This means that God is the sender and the content of mission Dei. The incarnation of God's message in every culture is of great importance. The LIMM model is characterized by the three key missiological terms mentioned above, and it directs the research, from defining the research topic all the way to the practical suggestions for improved ministry. If a research topic does not correlate with MDCC principles, it does not belong I the field of missiological research and another field of theology should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights key themes from history, current practice, and future directions in missiology. It traces the development of missiology as a discipline, highlighting some of the key voices, groups and movements along the way. It provides a brief overview of the history of missiology, noting voices and influences from the Majority World. The social, political, and religious changes of the twentieth century had a significant impact on missiology, and the article considers some of the missiological movements and organisations which emerged during that time. The issue of evangelism and social action in ecumenical councils receives particular attention. Contextualization and attitudes to culture are considered in some detail, and a critique is offered of some of the contemporary understandings of contextualization. Various themes in missiology are explored, including liberation; the significance of women’s voices; the increasing importance of contextual theologies; the urgency of caring for creation; issues around land; and the emergence of Indigenous voices and theologies in each of these areas. Questions of ecclesiology are also discussed from a missional perspective. The article concludes with some key questions for missiology. Colonial assumptions of mission are considered, arguing that in the non-Western world, mission and colonialism were two sides of the same coin of imperialism. Therefore, more recent missiological reflection from the Majority World is urgently needed to correct this. A non-Western approach to mission is considered via a brief study of missio Dei and the Bantu concept of ubuntu, which argues for a holistic approach to mission and careful stewardship of creation. Finally, the role of pneumatology in mission is highlighted, and an integrated understanding of divine and human action in mission is called for, based on participation in the work of the Spirit, which has sometimes been lacking in missiological reflection. The entire article is written with a commitment to listen to and learn from diverse and global voices. It considers mission from liberative, communal, and collaborative perspectives.

Literature continues to document the ways in which Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQI) communities continue to grapple with or face unprecedented abuse in many nations of the world. Members of LGBTQI groups are reported to face discrimination and legal obstacles in countries like Indonesia, since its socio-cultural norms acquiescently discourage homosexuality or gender transitioning in any form. Furthermore, recent amendments to Indonesia's Penal Code, which contain provisions that may endanger the lives and safety of LGBTQI communities in unprecedented ways, have shown that such norms, if relentlessly upheld, strongly influences the direction of public policy. In light of such harmful provisions, one could argue that the rights of the LGBTQI community in Indonesia are being slowly but agonizingly crucified, perhaps analogous to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The primary proponents of this symbolic crucifixion, who conceal their intentions behind legislative modifications, seem to be politically motivated Islamic religious conservatives who publicly oppose LGBTQI rights. In light of these occurrences, this paper employs the Missio Politica framework and literature reviews to investigate the new Indonesian Penal Code and assess whether or not it violates the internationally acknowledged rights of the LGBTQI community. Drawing from literary works, it uses the term "crucifixion" in a metaphorical manner to emphasize the radical ways in which Islamic conservatism has violated LGBTQI rights over the years, and how these violations are now being formalized through Indonesia's new penal code. To be clear, this paper's accusations are not directed against Islamic teachings per se, but rather against intolerant Islamic conservatives who view LGBTQI preferences as ‘crucifiable’ sin and advocate for change of state laws to reflect such harmful sentiments. Overall, it is argued that certain sections of the recently enacted Indonesian Penal Code not only offend the LGBTQI community, but also undermine the redemptive goals of missio Dei in that country while having global contagion effects. The scope of this paper requires more research as not as much has been done to assess how certain recently enacted provisions of the Indonesian Penal Code impact LGBTQI rights in the context of fulfilling the redemptive goals of the missio Dei.

The five Solas of the Reformation, Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Solus Christus and Soli Deo Gloria, harmoniously or correspondingly affirm the central position of God in the work of salvation (missio Dei). The conceptualization of the missio Dei, which grew out of the 1952 International Missionary Council (IMC) reasoned on the basis of Solae doctrines, equally points to the central role of God in the work of salvation. Although the centrality of God in the work of salvation is consistently reflected through the Solae doctrine, and thus through understanding of the missio Dei, such consistency is seldom associated with the placement of the Reformed pulpit. To this end, this article draws on the available literature to show the doctrinal consistency reflected in the Solae teachings and the conceptualization of the missio Dei in relation to the placement and outlook of the Reformed pulpit. Consequently, this paper concludes that the Reformed tradition, encompassing the Solae doctrines, the conceptualization of the missio Dei, and its attitude toward the pulpit, harmoniously reflects the central role of God in the work of salvation. Within the Reformed knowledge space, this article thus makes a contribution as it discusses the placement of the Reformed pulpit in accordance with the Solae doctrines and the missio Dei, expressing the centrality of God in the work of salvation.

The mission of the Triune God—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—is the focus of this paper since the missio Dei perspective is essential to every section. To bring people from all tribes, nations, kingdoms, and languages together in eternal worship of Him, the Father sent the Son, and the Son sent the Holy Spirit. Churches and communities must partake in the mission of God in the world because the gospel of Jesus Christ must be preached. God uses the church as his instrument to proclaim his kingdom to people from all walks of life. Thus, followers of Jesus Christ who engage in the missio Dei—bring love, hope, and peace to a broken and lost world— and should be true to God's calling. God chose people to establish his kingdom and bestows blessings upon them so that they may bless every nation on the earth. God's humanity and God's entire creation are ultimately reconciled and healed by the kingdom. Through Jesus Christ, people can receive the Good News of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. This paper comes from a chapter in a larger PhD study in Missiology2. .

Dissimilar to several countries of the world including some African countries such as both Namibia and Botswana, South Africa continues to be without refugee camps nor camp policy. The problems arising from the lack of such measures have become apparent in recent years, as increasing numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers living in host communities have become victims of violent situations. Among some of the challenges resulting from this absence is that during the heightening of xenophobia or at times during public protests, both unsuspecting refugees and asylum-seekers are left without protection. To this end, this paper relied upon literature and employed a missio politica framework to align the urgent need for refugee camps in South Africa with the objectives of the Missio Dei. Although South Africa is the case in point, the objective was to argue for the establishment of refugee camps in all of Africa permanently open to accommodate refugees and asylum-seekers. In this way, the main goals of the Missio Dei, especially with regard to total salvation, are achieved at the continental level. Consequently, the scope of this paper provided an opportunity to further examine a new and relatively unexplored significance of refugee camps from a theological and missiological perspective.

Missio Dei, particularly from the 1952 International Missionary Council perspective, highlights God’s unmerited grace, which invites broad human participation in the realisation of salvation (Σωτηρία) and the kingdom of God (Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ). The achievement of these goals depends on divine providence and the involvement of churches, including but not limited to the vital ministry of Bible translation. The crucial role that Bible translation plays in mission is to overcome barriers that distinguish the nations of the world and to reconcile them towards the fulfilment of the purposes of missio Dei. Although Bible translation remains an indispensable component of mission, its critical importance has received little to no scholarly attention. Once Bible translation is no longer viewed through the lens of mission, it is likely to dissolve into mere translation activities that are incompatible with the missio Dei. There is, therefore, a need for research that uncovers this indispensable function in the overall work of the missio Dei and in the realisation of its goals. Based on available literature, this article highlights the importance of Bible translation in the context of the missio Dei. Complexity theory is used to accentuate the interactive nature of Bible translations in mission context. Further research is needed to develop a holistic framework that fully integrates Bible translation into the context of the missio Dei. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article expands the interdisciplinary discourse between translation studies and theology by addressing the central importance of Bible translation work within missiology.

In the last decades since the Willingen Conference of 1952, the concept of missio Dei has been extensively studied in the field of theology, especially by missiologists. Such commendably extensive scholarship, however, seems to have taken great pains not to unequivocally identify salvation (Σωτηρία) as signifying a transitional phase in attaining the Kingdom of God (βασιλεία) as the definitive objective of the missio Dei. This paper finds it somewhat concerning that literature on missio Dei seem uninterested in distinguishing salvation as a mechanism by which the definitive objective of missio Dei (the all-embracing kingdom of God) is to be attained. Consequently, based on a literature review, it is argued here that the history of salvation in its entirety is to be regarded as the decisive key to enable entry into the kingdom of God as the definitive objective of the missio Dei. In other words, it addresses what appears to be a lack of emphasis that underscores salvation as not an end in itself, but a means to an end. While the limited scope of this paper is to distinguish between salvation as a precursor and the kingdom of God as the ultimate goal of missio Dei, it warrants future research that will expand and test the novelty of their claims. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The scope of this paper extends theological anthropology as it addresses human participation in the attainment of the primary ends of God’s mission, or missio Dei, as it were.

This article offers a missiological research model based on three key missiological concepts: missio Dei, christocentricity, and contextuality (MDCC, for short). The model is derived from a practical theology model that was developed by the Layola Institute of Ministry (LIM). The author refers to the new missiological model as the LIMM model, where the added ‘M’ represents missional action. Since the introduction of the term missio Dei, the focus has shifted from missions initiated and conducted by the church, to the one true mission – God’s mission. In the missio Dei, God sends his Son and the Spirit to the world, and through them sends people to the ends of the earth. At the same time, God is the sender and the content of the sending. The incarnation of culture is God’s message in every if great importance. The LIMM model is characterised by the three key missiological terms mentioned above. From defining the research topic, right through to the practical suggestions for an improved experience, the researcher is guided by these missiological principles. If a research topic does not correlate to MDCC principles, it is not suitable for missiological research and another field of theology should be considered.

While incidents of xenophobia, or the occurrence thereof, in some parts of South Africa, are both deplorable and deeply reprehensible, it is important never to ignore the political factors that perpetuate them. Using the interpretive method, this article drew on the literature to present or reinterpret the story of Noah's Ark in Genesis 6:13-9:29 and the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20 in a way that is aimed at defusing xenophobia in South Africa. The Missio Politica as used in this paper provided a missiological framework in which political factors perpetuating xenophobia were seen as an obstacle to the goals of the Missio Dei, particularly the complete redemption of humanity. This paper argued that the continued unlawful imposition of international sanctions against some African countries such as Zimbabwe and, moreover, the lack of refugee camps in countries such as South Africa significantly exacerbates the problem of xenophobia. Consequently, pursuant to defusing xenophobia in South Africa, this paper calls for a renewed mission that includes rejecting unlawful sanctions against African countries and establishing refugee camps not only in South Africa but in all African countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the second half of the 20th century, missiology has continued to elevate Missio Dei to a topic of the highest importance in theology. According to Missio Dei, the salvific mission is more theocentric than anthropocentric in that its actuality is wholly rooted in the nature of God. However, much work remains to be conducted to evaluate and reconcile the modern interpretation of the Missio Dei and its predecessor theological doctrines, to avoid illogicalities. Consequently, the responsibility to identify any discrepancies in the systematic knowledge of the Missio Dei falls on the broad shoulders of theology in general, but of missiology in particular. In keeping with this unavoidable intellectual duty, this article interrogates the literature on modern theodicies to improve the conceptualization of the Missio Dei and missionary God in the context of evil and human suffering. The inter-comparative analysis of the biblical Job serves to relate divine perfection and human suffering within process theodicy. Consequently, the intellectual enterprise of this work, with all its shortcomings, not only illuminates another facet of Missio Dei but also motivates further investigation to reconcile mission Dei with the reality of evil, free will, and human suffering.

Leadership praxis, development and succession can become a bloody battlefield in Africa, mainly because of economic, cultural, theological and political factors. Just like some secular leaders who fail to serve their mandate paradoxically fight for further conquest and retention of power at all costs, certain spiritual leaders miscarry Christian leadership, struggle to deliver their missionary service and tragically battle to stay in power, instead of passing the baton. Church leadership ought to be successional, transformational and intergenerational enough to disciple and develop leaders to sustain and promote other-centred missio Dei and missio Ecclesiae. Yet, the majority of Pentecostal church founders and leaders are neo-patrimonial, authoritarian and serving themselves at the expense of God’s mission. That way, they deface the missionary identity of the Church. Engaging with available literature and observing multifarious leadership trends in Africa, this article unravels problematic Christian leadership development and succession in view of Jesus Christ’s servant leadership model. It disconnects self-centred incumbents and connects the few who are Christ-like with tomorrow’s leaders. Contribution: This article advances Christian leadership development and succession in view of Jesus Christ’s intergenerational servant leadership model.

Most of the marginalised and underprivileged people across the globe live in the vicious cycle of poverty. Poverty is a thorny issue. The World Justice Project (WJP) estimated that two thirds of the world’s population are not only confronted by multiple injustices which include the civil, administrative, or criminal justices, but they are also living in a vicious cycle of being marginalised and underprivileged across the planet. The poverty-stricken victims are left hopeless and helpless due to unfair socio-economic and justice systems. Attempts are coming from different fronts on how to eradicate poverty. The researcher realised the two extreme ends of these attempts, namely the rich-oriented capitalist and the poor-oriented socialist extremist. Their debates around poverty tend more to a dichotomy contestation. The question is how can the best of their contestation be utilised for poverty eradication locally and globally. The problem that this article is addressing, is the underlying misconceptions which comes to the fore in the contestation between the rich and the poor in their attempts to eradicate poverty. When such misconceptions are left unchecked, they hinder any attempts or efforts from both sides to obey God’s missional call to eradicate poverty. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article adds the voice (value) regarding addressing the rich-oriented capitalist and the poor-oriented socialist extremist in their attempts to eradicate poverty, conscientizing them that, as they have the same make-up and Maker despite their positions and conditions in life and therefore, based on the ecodomy framework for equitable justice, they should make a conscious decision to eradicate poverty as their missional call before their Maker.

While incidents of xenophobia, or the occurrence thereof, in some parts of South Africa, are both deplorable and deeply reprehensible, it is important never to ignore the political factors that perpetuate them. Using the interpretive method, this article drew on the literature to present or reinterpret the story of Noah’s Ark in Genesis 6:13-9:29 and the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20 in a way that is aimed at defusing xenophobia in South Africa. The Missio Politica as used in this paper provided a missiological framework in which political factors perpetuating xenophobia were seen as an obstacle to the goals of the Missio Dei, particularly the complete redemption of humanity. This paper argued that the continued unlawful imposition of international sanctions against some African countries such as Zimbabwe and, moreover, the lack of refugee camps in countries such as South Africa significantly exacerbates the problem of xenophobia. Consequently, pursuant to defusing xenophobia in South Africa, this paper calls for a renewed mission that includes rejecting unlawful sanctions against African countries and establishing refugee camps not only in South Africa but in all African countries.

When the economy turned downwards across most African nations over the past two decades hitherto today, multifarious neo-Pentecostal churches correspondingly multiplied in and beyond the Global South. While it ordinarily appeared to be a revolutionary Africanisation of Christian revival through massive indigenous evangelisation and establishment of new denominations, countless leading prophetic apostles were selfishly enriching themselves paradoxically in the world’s headquarters of poverty, where the needy are multiplying and dying. Most diaconal publications engage with classical and mainline ecclesiology. Notably, minimum scholarly attention has been given to diakonia in African neo-Pentecostalism. Applying grounded theory, researching through the available literature, observation and the media, this article sought answers to issues that problematise diakonia in African neo-Pentecostalism. It unfolded and concluded that, instead of being other-centred, the generality of neo-Pentecostal leaders are self-centred, greedy opportunists exploiting the needy. Consequently, it recommended theological education, ecumenical engagement, and the establishment of an inclusive and independent regulatory body to enlighten and empower gospel ministers to revise their hermeneutics, theologies, ecclesiologies, governance and administration for the accomplishment of diakonia, as well as other dimensions of missio ecclesiae. Contribution: This article contributes to the transformational development of African Spiritualities and Leadership in Ecclesiology and Missiology by reviewing diakonia in African neo-Pentecostalism.

Dissimilar to several countries of the world including some African countries such as both Namibia and Botswana, South Africa continues to be without refugee camps nor camp policy. The problems arising from the lack of such measures have become apparent in recent years, as increasing numbers of refugees and asylum-seekers living in host communities have become victims of violent situations. Among some of the challenges resulting from this absence is that during the heightening of xenophobia or at times during public protests, both unsuspecting refugees and asylumseekers are left without protection. To this end, this paper relied upon literature and employed a missio politica framework to align the urgent need for refugee camps in South Africa with the objectives of the Missio Dei. Although South Africa is the case in point, the objective was to argue for the establishment of refugee camps in all of Africa permanently open to accommodate refugees and asylum-seekers. In this way, the main goals of the Missio Dei, especially with regard to total salvation, are achieved at the continental level. Consequently, the scope of this paper provided an opportunity to further examine a new and relatively unexplored significance of refugee camps from a theological and missiological perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Korean Christianity, interest in missional church has almost exploded in the past 15 years, with two main streams of ideas. One emphasizes that a local church should reflect the missionary nature of the Triune God in a series of activities such as worship, preaching, praise and Bible study. The other insists that since the God of scripture always calls and sends people, church members should also go to their local community. This paper reviews the current discussion on missio Dei in Korea and the creation theology of Jürgen Moltmann. Moltmann states that God’s creation continues until the end and God’s ultimate purpose is to fellowship with all creation. Kong3al Community and Ilbeot Church, located in Gang-hwa Island, South Korea, practise such fellowship between human and human, human and nature, and creation and God. For the missional church movement to proceed fully in Korea, both streams should engage each other through the osmosis of the economy of salvation and the work of creation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a long time, the Global South has been unprepared for the ecclesiastical responsibility of mission work that has been naturally part of Christianity in the Global North. This could be so because, traditionally, Christianity has been introduced in the Global South through mission work. This article examines the contemporary Missio Dei paradigm and its expression in the Global South. It begins by explaining the development of the concept of Missio Dei and proceeds to elaborate its expression and reception in the Global South. It is generally considered that to understand the paradigm of Missio Dei in the Global South, it has to be viewed through ecclesiological structures native to the Global South. Concurrently, I seek to answer this question: what is the theological implication of Covid-19 for the African Church, and which strategies are being employed to mitigate the condition within the Global South? This paper undertakes a qualitative methodology in which a systematic literature review is conducted from the available scholarly sources that leads to both theological and missiological inferences. Additionally, an extensive analysis of the concept of Missio Dei will be conducted as it relates to the Global South, demonstrating that the Missio Dei paradigm has shifted very significantly in the Global South, transforming the region from traditionally receivers of mission work to active participants in mission work. The Global South is now ready for both home and diaspora mission work. Findings and recommendations from this paper will be beneficial for current and future scholars in both theological and missiological fields.

Augustine's thoughts on human salvation not only influenced early Protestant theology but also dominated the conceptualisation of the missio Dei from the perspective of the 1952 Willingen Conference. His doctrine of synergism arguably only manifested much later in the conception of the missio Dei , which anticipated human obedience or active participation in the mission to attain the goal of human salvation. The idea of synergism in this regard, or in the context of the missio Dei , is that while salvation remains an unmerited gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ, God prescribes human cooperative involvement in its attainment. In this way people do not become unresponsive recipients of God's grace, but active and willing participants in a mission of salvation. With this in mind, this article examined the available literature on the topic of synergism in order to provide further insights into the conceptualisation of the missio Dei. The account of Noah in Genesis 5:32–10:1 and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16–20 were used to redefine the doctrine of synergism or its relevance in the context of the missio Dei. Contribution: This article recalled the doctrine of synergism in order to enrich the complex understanding of the missio Dei , essentially adding new knowledge in the field of missiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Missio Dei has both total salvation and the attainment of the all-encompassing kingdom of God as central objectives, meriting the participation of all sectors of human society. However, as the resulting circumstances of several African developing countries can attest, the unsustainably disruptive nature of Governments of National Unity (GNUs) or coalition governments contradicts such unifying divine mandate. Using South Africa's coalition politics, where the likelihood of forming coalition governments depends on who is the "better devil", this paper draws on the literature to make a strong argument against the coalition government model. Accordingly, using the framework of missio politica to test the mandate of democratic politics in fulfilling the objectives of missio Dei, it is argued that coalition government models are usually at odds with missio Dei or the mandated objectives thereof. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augustine’s thoughts on human salvation not only influenced early Protestant theology but also dominated the conceptualisation of the missio Dei from the perspective of the 1952 Willingen Conference. His doctrine of synergism arguably only manifested much later in the conception of the missio Dei, which anticipated human obedience or active participation in the mission to attain the goal of human salvation. The idea of synergism in this regard, or in the context of the missio Dei, is that while salvation remains an unmerited gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ, God prescribes human cooperative involvement in its attainment. In this way people do not become unresponsive recipients of God’s grace, but active and willing participants in a mission of salvation. With this in mind, this article examined the available literature on the topic of synergism in order to provide further insights into the conceptualisation of the missio Dei. The account of Noah in Genesis 5:32–10:1 and the Great Commission in Matthew 28:16–20 were used to redefine the doctrine of synergism or its relevance in the context of the missio Dei. Contribution: This article recalled the doctrine of synergism in order to enrich the complex understanding of the missio Dei, essentially adding new knowledge in the field of missiology.

Witness and evangelism are concepts related to how Christians participate in the mission of the triune God (missio Dei). As stated in Together Toward Life, a document published by the World Council of Churches Commission on World Mission and Evangelism (CWME), God’s mission is to share the fullness of life with all creation. God initially shared this life through the act of creation. When humanity rejected life by choosing to sin, God’s mission remained unaltered, with the Father sending the Son and the Spirit to make the fullness of life available to creation again. God’s central act to overcome death and restore life was the incarnation of the Son in Jesus of Nazareth, culminating in Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. So all people would be aware of God’s work through Jesus, Jesus commissioned his disciples to share the good news (or gospel) that abundant life is available through God’s grace given through Jesus Christ. Christians become witnesses for Jesus and practitioners of evangelism by communicating the gospel to others and inviting them to receive abundant life by likewise becoming disciples of Jesus (Ekué and Longkumer 2012: 57–58). The term witness can be used as both a noun and a verb. As a noun, it refers to one who testifies about something they have first-hand knowledge of so that others might believe in the message they share. This idea is expressed in the prologue of 1 John: ‘We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ’ (1 John 1:3). God can empower anyone or anything to be a witness. This includes individual Christians, groups of Christians, the church collectively, the Holy Bible, nature, or anything else God works through to reveal the gospel and invite others to respond. As a verb, ‘witness’ describes the wide array of activities that Christians can engage in to share the abundant life of God with others. For example, Christians can witness to the gospel through the arts, humanitarian aid, education, healthcare, acts of justice, liturgical practices, or explaining the biblical narrative. Each of these acts can extend a portion of the abundant life of God to others and, by doing so, demonstrate God’s love for creation. Evangelism is the central act of witness. As the CWME states, Witness (Martyria) takes concrete form in evangelism— the communication of the whole gospel to the whole of humanity in the whole world. Its goal is the salvation of the world and the glory of the Triune God. Evangelism is mission activity which makes explicit and unambiguous the centrality of the incarnation, suffering and resurrection of Jesus Christ without setting limits to the saving grace of God. It seeks to share this good news with all who have not yet heard it and invites them to an experience of life in Christ. (Ekué and Longkumer 2012: 67) By presenting the core message of salvation and inviting others to accept it, evangelism stands not only at the heart of witness, but of how Christians participate in the missio Dei. Expanding on a metaphor introduced by David Bosch, missiologist Dana Robert explained, the relationship of evangelism to mission is like the relationship of the heart to the body. Mission is the body […] Evangelism is the heart, both as the pump that circulates the life force and as the seat of the emotions. (Robert 1997: 4) According to Robert, mission encompasses all possible human activities to witness to the gospel. Evangelism provides a foundation in the gospel of Jesus Christ to animate and guide this activity. Even with this clarity about how the terms ‘witness’ and ‘evangelism’ relate to each other and to the larger notion of mission, there is no single definition for each term that is agreed upon by all Christians (Pope-Levinson 2020: 5). For this reason, a framework for understanding what evangelism consists of may be preferable to a single definition. We will address this below with the evangelism equation. In addition to its relationship to Christian mission, evangelism is also an interdisciplinary academic field. The field was formally established in 1973 with the foundation of the Academy for Evangelism in Theological Education as an academic guild. Initially seen as a practical theology that reflected on specific practices of the church (Abraham 1989: 2–3), the field expanded to draw from biblical studies, history, theology, ethics, and a variety of social sciences. Scholars of evangelism seek to understand how God, the evangelist, and those being evangelized relate to one another around the gospel. Evangelism scholars are often followers of Jesus who practise evangelism as well as study it. They therefore take an emic approach to their work as insiders to the Christian tradition, often with the goal of equipping Christian witnesses to elicit positive responses from those they evangelize (Teasdale 2019: 9–12). This article will first look at the origin and authorization for Christians to practise evangelism found in the Bible. Following this is a brief history of witness and evangelism using the missional paradigms described by David Bosch. Using the framework of the evangelism equation the article will then consider how Christians with different experiences, theological perspectives, and contexts have developed different understandings and practices of evangelism. Finally, it will address both criticisms and areas for future exploration related to evangelism.

The doctrine of pactum salutis has in the past sparked serious theological debate and has often been rejected because of its contradictions with Reformed orthodoxy. Among other early church fathers and theologians, the pactum salutis is found in the writings of Augustine of Hippo, Thomas Aquinas and Martin Luther. This doctrine is closely related to, or possibly overlaps with, the doctrine of predestination, as both involve the belief that God has already determined the object of his salvation. It has been criticised for, among other things, its denial or insufficiency of Trinitarian understanding and its pro-Subordinationist character. The refutation of this doctrine may be warranted, particularly when viewed in the light of contemporary missiology, particularly the Missio Dei perceptions that arose from the 1952 IMC conference in Willingen. As there is little or no research examining the rationality of the pactum salutis on the basis of or in the light of the Missio Dei, this article draws on the available missiological literature to refute its coherence, relevance and authenticity. Contribution: This article made a significant missiological contribution to the field of Christian theology, analysing the validity of pactum salutis against Reformed orthodoxy and consequently rejecting it as incompatible with the objectives of Missio Dei.

Abstract. This paper aimed to offer a study of ecological mission to construct a theological foundation of mission that bases on ecology perspective. This is considered relevant to the condition of environmental/natural damage which is increasingly affecting all living beings. This study is conducted with an eco-hermeneutic approach to the text of Genesis 1:27-28 and 2:15. From this study, it could be stated that the realization of the ecological mission is part of the fulfillment of the church's missionary character as God's partner in missio Dei. Thus, the church must be actively involved in dealing with ecological problems as part of God's mission to bring peace and salvation to the world. Abstrak. Melalui tulisan ini penulis menawarkan sebuah kajian misi ekologi dengan tujuan menghasilkan sebuah landasan teologi misi yang berporos pada lingkup ekologi. Hal ini dianggap relevan dengan kondisi kerusakan lingkungan/alam yang semakin terasa dampaknya bagi seluruh makhluk hidup. Kajian ini dilakukan dengan pendekatan eko-hermeneutik terhadap teks Kejadian 1:27-28 dan 2:15. Dari kajian tersebut dapat dinyatakan bahwa pewujudan misi ekologi merupakan bagian dari pemenuhan karakter misional gereja sebagai rekan kerja Allah dalam missio Dei. Dengan demikian, gereja harus terlibat aktif dalam penanganan persoalan-persoalan ekologi sebagai bagian dari karya misi Allah yang membawa damai dan keselamatan bagi dunia.

Churches hold different views regarding the office of deacon and role of deacons in the church. Churches also use different terms for their social ministries. This lack of a common language regarding the church’s diaconal ministry often creates confusion in the ecumenical discourse on the diaconate of the church. This article explores the hypothesis that the conceptualisation of a church’s diaconal ministry is influenced by a specific frame of reference, be it a historical perspective, a specific theology or tradition. In this case study of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) it is shown how a specific historical and theological understanding of diaconal ministry determines not only this church’s preference for the term ‘service of compassion’ but also its diaconal praxis. The article concludes with a suggestion to the DRC to consider the use of the concept diakonia in contemplation of more active participation in ecumenical disourses regarding the diaconate of the church. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: The article describes how a specific historical and theological understanding of diaconal ministry determines not only the DRC’s preference for the term ‘service of compassion’ but also its diaconal praxis. The suggestion to more actively participate in developing a common understanding of diakonia ecumenically has implications for the DRC’s ecclesiology, as well as its missional and social ministries.

This article attends to the theological foundation of the diaconate from the missio trinitatis Dei and its implications, especially for the Afrikaans-speaking Reformed churches. The missio Dei, of the Father, Son, and Spirit is directed at the realities of this life. The new heaven and the new earth are not mutually exclusive. The earth is sanctified anew, man has created anew [recreated], and our bodies are raised anew [revived]. This new earth, a new man, and new life come through the merciful dikaiosune of the Father, the diakonia of the Son, and the koinonia of the Holy Spirit. The diaconate and the missionary ministry of the church are caught in the essence of God and therefore belong to the essence of missionary ecclesiology. From the trinitarian perspective, the purpose of the diaconate is described as well as the relationship between the diaconate, the church, and the kingdom. The last part of the article deals with salvation and diaconate and the implications of a trinitarian understanding of the diaconate for the understanding of salvation. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article makes an interdisciplinary contribution to the theological discussion within the Afrikaans-speaking churches from the perspective of systematic and practical theology.

Missio Dei has both total salvation and the attainment of the all-encompassing kingdom of God as central objectives, meriting the participation of all sectors of human society. However, as the resulting circumstances of several African developing countries can attest, the unsustainably disruptive nature of Governments of National Unity (GNUs) or coalition governments contradicts such unifying divine mandate. Using South Africa's coalition politics, where the likelihood of forming coalition governments depends on who is the ‘‘better devil’’, this paper draws on the literature to make a strong argument against the coalition government model. Accordingly, using the framework of missio politica to test the mandate of democratic politics in fulfilling the objectives of missio Dei, it is argued that coalition government models are usually at odds with missio Dei or the mandated objectives thereof.

When the economy turned downwards across most African nations over the past two decades hitherto today, multifarious neo-Pentecostal churches correspondingly multiplied in and beyond the Global South. While it ordinarily appeared to be a revolutionary Africanisation of Christian revival through massive indigenous evangelisation and establishment of new denominations, countless leading prophetic apostles were selfishly enriching themselves paradoxically in the world's headquarters of poverty, where the needy are multiplying and dying. Most diaconal publications engage with classical and mainline ecclesiology. Notably, minimum scholarly attention has been given to diakonia in African neo-Pentecostalism. Applying grounded theory, researching through the available literature, observation and the media, this article sought answers to issues that problematise diakonia in African neo-Pentecostalism. It unfolded and concluded that, instead of being other-centred, the generality of neo-Pentecostal leaders are self-centred, greedy opportunists exploiting the needy. Consequently, it recommended theological education, ecumenical engagement, and the establishment of an inclusive and independent regulatory body to enlighten and empower gospel ministers to revise their hermeneutics, theologies, ecclesiologies, governance and administration for the accomplishment of diakonia , as well as other dimensions of missio ecclesiae. Contribution: This article contributes to the transformational development of African Spiritualities and Leadership in Ecclesiology and Missiology by reviewing diakonia in African neo-Pentecostalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most of the marginalised and underprivileged people across the globe live in the vicious cycle of poverty. Poverty is a thorny issue. The World Justice Project (WJP) estimated that two thirds of the world's population are not only confronted by multiple injustices which include the civil, administrative, or criminal justices, but they are also living in a vicious cycle of being marginalised and underprivileged across the planet. The poverty-stricken victims are left hopeless and helpless due to unfair socio-economic and justice systems. Attempts are coming from different fronts on how to eradicate poverty. The researcher realised the two extreme ends of these attempts, namely the rich-oriented capitalist and the poor-oriented socialist extremist. Their debates around poverty tend more to a dichotomy contestation. The question is how can the best of their contestation be utilised for poverty eradication locally and globally. The problem that this article is addressing, is the underlying misconceptions which comes to the fore in the contestation between the rich and the poor in their attempts to eradicate poverty. When such misconceptions are left unchecked, they hinder any attempts or efforts from both sides to obey God's missional call to eradicate poverty. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article adds the voice (value) regarding addressing the rich-oriented capitalist and the poor-oriented socialist extremist in their attempts to eradicate poverty, conscientizing them that, as they have the same make-up and Maker despite their positions and conditions in life and therefore, based on the ecodomy framework for equitable justice, they should make a conscious decision to eradicate poverty as their missional call before their Maker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theological challenges regarding diakonia in some of the Afrikaans South African churches. This article attends to the theological foundation of the diaconate from the missio trinitatis Dei and its implications, especially for the Afrikaans-speaking Reformed churches. The missio Dei, of the Father, Son, and Spirit is directed at the realities of this life. The new heaven and the new earth are not mutually exclusive. The earth is sanctified anew, man has created anew [recreated], and our bodies are raised anew [revived]. This new earth, a new man, and new life come through the merciful dikaiosune of the Father, the diakonia of the Son, and the koinonia of the Holy Spirit. The diaconate and the missionary ministry of the church are caught in the essence of God and therefore belong to the essence of missionary ecclesiology. From the trinitarian perspective, the purpose of the diaconate is described as well as the relationship between the diaconate, the church, and the kingdom. The last part of the article deals with salvation and diaconate and the implications of a trinitarian understanding of the diaconate for the understanding of salvation. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article makes an interdisciplinary contribution to the theological discussion within the Afrikaans-speaking churches from the perspective of systematic and practical theology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moving from diaconate of well-being to restorative justice: A case study - COVID-19. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, the Dutch Reformed congregation Toringkerk in Paarl longed to reach out to people within the local community who were in extreme need. The congregation felt powerless because of the containment and the extent of the need in poorer communities in Paarl. The general feeling was that networks should be set up in the local community, but no one knew how to start this. An innovative process of Diaconia (Service Group of the Western Cape Synod) and the Research Office (Western Cape Synod), called 'Hidden Treasures', was implemented to help the congregation with this. The result exceeded the congregation's expectations. In this article, the methodology of the Hidden Treasures process is evaluated based on the Dutch Reformed Church's intention to move from welfare to restorative justice. Suggestions are also made about how the methodology can be improved. Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This study, born out of the 2020 pandemic, has the potential to fundamentally influence the missionary diaconate of congregations. The challenge that arose for the church regarding the missional question during the pandemic period about the need among individuals and families in local communities, drew some particularly important fields of study closer together, i.e. practical theology, diaconal studies, as well as social work, development studies and sociology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]