Missional God, Missional Church

"As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21).With the reality of broad-scale secularization in the West and the attendant cloud of insignificance hanging over the church, is there any hope for the re-evangelization of the West? In this comprehensive theology of mission, Ross Hastings directs the fretful gaze of the church to the trinitarian commission of John 20. There we find Jesus granting peace to his disciples by breathing his Spirit on them. He formed them into his community of shalom. Leaving their locked room, these "sent ones" went out to participate in God's own ongoing mission to the world.Hastings also tackles the dual challenges of isolation from and accommodation to the surrounding culture. Building on the works of David Bosch, Lesslie Newbigin, Christopher Wright and Darrell Guder, the author corrects numerous dichotomies that hinder the church. In the power of the Spirit the gathered church is spiritually transformed and also scattered as it proclaims God's forgiveness and freedom.This comprehensive theology of mission opens possibilities for renewal of faithful effort as we join in Christ's mission to the world.

W. Ross Hastings (PhD chemistry, Queen's; PhD theology, St Andrews) is the Sangwoo Youtong Chee Professor of Theology at Regent College, Vancouver. Among other books, he is the author of Missional God, Missional Church; Total Atonement; and The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. He also serves as an Anglican priest at St. John's Vancouver and enjoys watching rugby, soccer, and cricket. He lives in Vancouver with his wife, Tammy. They have five children and nine grandchildren.