Mission Shaped by Promise—Lutheran Missiology Confronts the Challenge of Religious Pluralism

Synopsis: Utilizing resources from Martin Luther and the Lutheran tradition, this study offers an understanding of the gospel as promise as key to addressing the challenge of relating the missio Dei to a generous, constructive approach toward the religious other. In its construction of a Lutheran missiology, it retrieves and reappropriates four resources from the Lutheran tradition: the gospel as promise, the law/gospel distinction, a theology of grace as promise of mercy fulfilled, and a theology of the cross utilizing the hiddenness of God. The law of God as accusing yet webbing humanity to its Creator; the gospel as the comforting promise of mercy; and the hiddenness of God as mystifying form the overarching framework within which the Lutheran missiology presented here seeks to engage the religious other by dialectically relating gospel proclamation and dialogue. Such a view of "mission shaped by promise" offers the paradox of God being both revealed and hidden in the cross as a distinctive contribution to an interreligious dialogue centered on the ambiguity and hiddenness of God. Endorsements: "The gospel is a promise; faith is trusting that promise. This is the cornerstone of Luther's theology. Kaariainen takes that cornerstone and builds a theology for Christian mission on it. He does so by attending to today's global context awash in a sea of faiths. Along the way, he weaves Luther's axiom into conversation with major voices in current, ecumenical mission studies. It's a game-changing accomplishment." --Edward H. Schroeder, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology, Christ Seminary-Seminex "Focusing on God's personal approach to fallen human beings in his incarnation and his verbal way of creating and re-creating reality, Kaariainen puts core insights from Martin Luther to use. Against the background of growing up in the mission field and serving there now, Kaariainen addresses the challenge of universalism, with Martin Luther's concept of the promise of God, expressed in Christ, conveyed through forgiveness. A new and exciting challenge to concrete missiological thinking." --Robert Kolb, Professor of Systematic Theology Emeritus, Concordia Seminary, "Mission Shaped by Promise [is] a strong, refreshing breeze blowing through the sails of missiology. The theology of mission has often bypassed the Reformation in its search for new impulses and insights. This book holds great promise because it draws from the heart of the Reformation tradition the nature of the gospel itself. It will be significant for rethinking the foundation of mission." --Rick Bliese, President, Luther Seminary "Utilizing classic Lutheran resources, Kaariainen rigorously engages contemporary Roman Catholic missiology from an irenic, ecumenical stance. His proposal for mission as promise, employing the concept of the hiddenness of God in dialogue and proclamation, exhibits 'generous orthodoxy' and contemporary Lutheran thinking at its best. A creative, invaluable contribution to missiological discourse today!" --Miikka Ruokanen, Professor of Dogmatics, University of Helsinki Author Biography: Jukka A. Kaariainen is associate professor of systematic theology at China Lutheran Seminary in Hsinchu, Taiwan, Republic of China.