Miroslav Volf and Pamela Ebstyne King discuss God's mission to make the world His home, church's need for ministry models, the concept of dynamic stabilization in modern society, contrasting realms of Babylon and New Jerusalem, preparing Earth for God's arrival, embracing identity and mission in God's love, and the mandate of fullness in Christian life.
The church's mission aligns with God's mission to make Earth God's home, shifting focus from escape to engagement.
Thriving involves embracing uniqueness and connectedness to live fully for God and others.
Models of ministry and mission should nurture healing and growth, affirming individual worth and contributions.
Deep dives
The Mission of the Church: God's Homecoming Vision
The podcast episode delves into the concept of the mission of the church being aligned with preparing the world as God's home. It emphasizes that the church's mission is an extension of God's mission, with the goal being God's homecoming on Earth. It presents a shift from an emphasis on escaping to engaging with the world, specifically focusing on the New Jerusalem as the ultimate creation goal.
Thriving as Becoming One's Full Self in God's Service
The discussion introduces the idea of thriving as a process towards becoming one's full self with and for God and others. It challenges traditional notions of conformity and individual success, highlighting the importance of uniqueness and connectedness. Thriving is about living into and leaning into the fearfully and wonderfully made identities to bring glory to God through reciprocating selves.
Enabling Healing and Thriving in Ministry and Mission
The episode calls for models of ministry and mission that nurture healing and thriving, enabling individuals to grow and contribute in preparing God's home on Earth. It stresses the importance of curating environments that affirm individual worth, unique strengths, and opportunities for contribution. The discussion emphasizes engaging with full selves in God's ongoing work.
Living Out God's Mandate for Abundant Life
The podcast proposes rethinking John 10:10 as a mandate rather than a benefit, highlighting the call to engage fully in God's ongoing work for a flourishing world. It envisions the current era as a time for Christians to shift from a focus on escaping to an active participation in preparing God's home on Earth. The aim is for individuals to thrive as integral parts of God's ongoing creation.
Embracing Reciprocity and Full Engagement with God's Vision
The episode underscores reciprocating selves engaged in preparing God's home, necessitating full engagement with God, others, and self. It champions authenticity in unique identity while fostering connectedness and a sense of belonging. Thriving is contextualized as active participation in the unfolding narrative of preparing the Earth as God's dwelling place.
In this session of the 2021 Missiology Lectures, “The Mission of the Church: Abundant Health,” Miroslav Volf reflects on God’s mission to make God’s home in the world and among the wholeness of creation and all its creatures. In response, Pamela Ebstyne King speaks about the church’s need for models of ministry and mission that enable us to grow into our full selves—with and for God, and with and for others.
Miroslav Volf is Henry B. Wright Professor of Theology and founding director of the Yale Center for Faith and Culture at Yale University, and Pamela Ebstyne King is Peter L. Benson Associate Professor of Applied Developmental Science, PhD psychological science program chair, and executive director of the Thrive Center for Human Development.
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