What in the World? EPISODE 4: The Mission of God

For more than a century, the American church has been arguing about the exact scope and boundaries of God’s mission. Is the gospel narrowly about the redemption of people’s souls, or does it also care about redeeming the world, society, and broken systems? In other words, is justice part of God’s gospel mission? The way we answer that question has massive implications for what work we believe ultimately matters. This debate has torn the American church apart, but it’s not one shared by many of our sisters and brothers around the world where a holistic vision of God’s mission is just assumed rather than contested. Pastor Luis Luna from Honduras joins Skye Jethani to discuss why he doesn’t separate the care of people’s souls, from the care of their bodies, or the reformation of society. And how this holistic approach to mission sometimes creates problems when well-meaning American Christians bring their narrow definition of the gospel to Central America.

“Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church” by Eric Costanzo, Daniel Yang, and Matthew Soerens - https://amzn.to/3RyObjc

0:00 - Intro Interview with Luis Luna 2:41 - Luis’ community and immigration 7:51 - Americans and cross-cultural mission 16:45 - Collaborative vision of mission 20:08 - Social justice and the gospel 26:43 - Social reform Sponsor 35:09 - Sponsor - World Relief Join the Path: https://worldrelief.org/holypost/

Debrief with Matthew Soerens and Eric Costanzo 37:22 - Positive role of short-term missions? 43:15 - Measuring successful mission 47:25 - Systemic problems and changes 57:50 - Gen Z hope 1:02:54 - Credits

Other resources mentioned: Association For a More Just Society - https://www.asj-us.org Holy Post website: https://www.holypost.com/

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