We focus our attention this week on reading James, 1 Peter, and Hebrews missiologically with our guest, Professor Abeneazer G. Urga. He is an adjunct faculty member with Columbia International University, and he teaches also at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Professor Urga is a co-editor of the monograph, Reading Hebrews and 1 Peter from Majority World Perspectives (Library of New Testament Studies 700, T.&T. Clark, 2024).
He is also listed as the primary editor of the books series, Reading Hebrews Missiologically, Reading James Missiologically, and Reading 1 Peter Missiologically (with Jessica A. Udall, Edward L. Smither, and Linda P. Saunders as co-editors). I paraphrase from the editors’ own words: these studies target globally-minded ministers, students training for the mission field, and missionaries who want to wrestle with theological and biblical insights from Scripture. They suggest that the General Epistles are often overlooked with regard to missiology, and they hope that these studies will help fill in the gap. They plan to produce some more upcoming volumes on Revelation, 2 Peter & Jude, and the Epistles of John.
Here is my interview with Prof. Urga:
The Interview
Oropeza
From your perspective, how should a person read the Bible “missiologically”?
Urga
A missional reading is a reading that makes God’s saving acts the heart of scripture since the Fall until the eschaton as presented in the entire corpus of the Scriptures. In agreement with Christopher Wright, a missional reading contends that God’s mission in rescuing sinners is the basis for the Bible. As such, it should be read in light of that.
When we come to the New Testament in particular, we see God’s mission being carried out through the ministry of Jesus, his disciples, and the church that was birthed through them. Hence, when we read the New Testament texts, we should ask:
“Why is God doing his rescuing mission through Jesus, the disciples, and the early church?”
“What message is being conveyed through their missionary activities?”
“What methods are being utilized to convey the message of God?”
These are the very questions that form the structure of our books—we look at missionary motives (the why), message (the what), and methods (the how) in Hebrews, or 1 Peter, or James.
Oropeza
Let’s refer to the Epistle of James as an example. What method or procedures do you recommend for reading James missiologically?
Urga
If we read James seeking to find “Go ye and make disciples of all the nations!” we will not find it, and this is what has led many to explicitly or implicitly say that James is silent on mission. But if we expand our definition of mission from only “Go ye!” to include other facets of missionary activities, we will see that James has much to offer in terms of wisdom, encouragement, and guidance for modern missionaries.
Oropeza
What are some insights you have uncovered from particular passages in James that you attribute to reading James this way?
Urga
A number of contributors have fleshed out the holistic aspect of mission; that is, mission encompasses not only proclamation or evangelism alone but also serving the whole person. In part owing to the fact that many of our contributors are from the Majority World or have spent many years living and working in Majority World contexts, we seek to go beyond the dichotomy of prioritism versus holism.
We articulate instead the more typically non-Western Christian view, which does not see sharing the Gospel and serving physical needs as in competition with each other but rather as two aspects of showing the love of God that work inextricably hand in hand.
Oropeza
Well put. And so how does this tie in with James?
Urga
This hand-in-hand view is exemplified in passages like: “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world” (James 1:27). Also, “ If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:15-17).
Oropeza
What are some insights you have uncovered from particular passages in 1 Peter by use of this same type of reading?
Urga
Employing a missiological reading of 1 Peter reveals that the church, despite its marginal diasporic status and identity, is expected and empowered to be God’s agent of sharing hope while living holy and good lives and honoring others, even those that persecute them.
By doing this, they “proclaim the excellencies of Him who called [us] out of darkness and into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Read with a missiological lens, 1 Peter showcases how the church was and is supposed to endure suffering and various trials while holding on the enduring hope and explaining the hope that they have to their hostile neighbors (1 Peter 1:6-7; 3:13-17).
Their endurance, suffering, trials and minority status is a vehicle to promulgate the hope that is in them both through words and good deeds
Oropeza
Excellent! What about Hebrews?
Urga
Reading Hebrews missiologically helped us to uncover the fact that Hebrews is not merely about perseverance or purely about internal matters. Rather, the perseverance of the saints has missiological implications. The church is called to persevere and proclaim the good news to others.
Lack of perseverance in the faith is a sign of lack of confidence in the better high priest, who offered the better sacrifice and who is in the better tabernacle. He is mediating and interceding on behalf of God’s people while they struggle with sin, the flesh, and the defeated devil. As such, the author urges his audience not to “throw away your confidence which has a great reward” (Heb 10:35). Such exhortation was given to the church to help her focus on her missionary responsibility, which is to proclaim “such a great salvation” (Heb 2:3) handed down to her by the faithful witnesses of the good news.
In short, the missiological approach has enabled us to move beyond a reading that merely explicates the perseverance of saints and internal church matters, and highlight that Hebrews is also concerned about proclaiming the good news (Heb 2:1–4; 4:1–3; 11:13–16).
Oropeza
Thank you, Professor Urga, for sharing this approach!
To watch a clip on reading the James missiologically, click here.
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