The God Who Is with Us: Theology of Mission in the Doctrine of Revelation

Contemporary theologies of mission need to establish a link between God's trinitarian economy and ontology. Benjamin H. Kim argues that this repair is found in reexamining Barths doctrine of revelation, which moves the locus of mission from God's trinitarian sending to his trinitarian revealing. Dietrich Bonhoeffer's concept of person recovers the meaning of mission by locating it first in the person of Christ and second, in the collective person of the church existing as the Christ community.

Format: Hardback
Length: 238 pages
Publication date: 15 October 2022
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Contemporary theologies of mission heavily emphasize the concept of the missio Dei, which asserts that the responsibility for mission rightfully belongs to the triune God over the church. However, current accounts struggle to establish a clear connection between God's triune economy and ontology. In simpler terms, the issue at hand is the gap between God's actions and his essence. Benjamin H. Kim contends that a necessary repair is required for missio Dei theology, and this repair can be found by reevaluating Barth's doctrine of revelation. By doing so, the focus of mission shifts from God's triune sending to his triune revealing. Dietrich Bonhoeffer further advances this repair by introducing the concept of person, which serves as the unity of action and being. This approach brings mission back to its original definition, which aimed to describe the inner-trinitarian relationship between God and humanity. Bonhoeffer's description of revelation in terms of personhood provides an account that is more aligned with the core insights of the missio Dei.

The concept of person reclaims this meaning of mission by placing it first in the person of Christ and then in the collective person of the church, which exists as the Christ community. Thus, Bonhoeffer's understanding of revelation in terms of personhood offers a more faithful account that captures the essence of the missio Dei.

Weight: 510g
Dimension: 160 x 237 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781978715301