POSTMISSION
Ed. Richard Tiplady
Paternoster. 151 pages. £8.99
ISBN 1 84227 165 2
Mission leaders ought to read this book. So should church leaders concerned about the small number of people offering for long-term service as ministers or missionaries - and about the drop-out rate among those who do. Could the attrition rate be less to do with 'young people lack staying power' than with outmoded mission structures?
It may not be the 'last word' on Christian Mission in the post-modern world - but it could be a 'first', in that here we have the combined thoughts of a number of respected Generation-X mission workers from different countries, all of whom have earned their spurs in some form of mission leadership. They write with the honesty and integrity you would expect of a generation that values reality and authenticity.
The opening section of the book is particularly enlightening, giving useful insights into the thinking of this 'emerged and greying' generation - who are probably a critical hinge between those who have led mission in the 20th century and the young people of today and tomorrow. Lots to talk about, whatever generation you are in!
Perhaps stronger on questions than answers, I leave the reader to assess if there is much merit in the practical proposals with which the book ends. For any who fear that postmodernism signals the end of all things good, though, the middle section will be reassuring.
Overall, PostMission perhaps lacks sufficient theological reflection and self-criticism. Postmodernism may not be set against the gospel in the same way as it negates modernism. But the gospel confronts all cultures (including those of postmodernity) while connecting with what is good in them. We should indeed welcome postmodern questions - without dulling the cutting edge of the Bible's timeless answers. In this, older Christians have an acknowledged part to play: '[We] are aware that without the loving and respectful fellowship of our modernist colleagues we risk a syncretism with post-modernity that is every bit as grave as evangelicalism's acceptance of modernity's value system in previous generations' (p.32).
Personally, I appreciate the challenge of fresh thinking, and warm more to youthful questioning than the conservative traditionalism that so often stifles innovation in church life and mission. But I wonder if this book's writers and readers might have been served better by slightly more critical comment from an older brother?
For young people who are open to face the challenge of a life-commitment to Jesus in a mission that takes us to the ends of the earth till the end of the age, I could suggest better books. But worth a visit to www.postmission.com!
Alistair Hornal
Pastor, Bradley Stoke Evangelical Church
