ANUARUL ACADEMIC 2003-2004 - Facultatea de Teologie "Andrei ...

exclusively a missiology “from above”, is also conceived to be a missiology “frombelow”, God’s work being discernible in secular history 123 .The document on mission quoted above offers us an inspired holisticdescription of mission:“Mission carries a holistic understanding: the proclamation and sharing of thegood news of the gospel by word ( kerygma), deed ( diakonia), prayer andworship (leiturgia) and the everyday witness of the Christian life ( martyria);teaching as building up and strengthening people in their relationship with Godand each other; and healing as wholeness and reconciliation into koinoniacommunionwith God, communion with people, and communion with creationas a whole”.However, as David Bosch pointed out:“We may never arrogate it to ourselves to delineate mission too sharply and tooself-confidently. Ultimately, mission remains undefinable; it should never beincarcerated in the narrow confines of our own predilections. The most we canhope is to formulate some approximations of what mission is all about” 124 .There is a close relation between theology and mission.“Theology, rightlyunderstood, has no reason to exist other than critically to accompany the missioDei” 125 . The theological education must serve missio Dei Triunius and Hiswillingness “to unite all things” in Christ – anakephalaiosasthai ta panta en toChristo, things in heaven and things on earth”(Eph.1,10). Unfortunately the twosubjects of great importance: mission and unity have not become the underlyingprinciples of the educational process itself 126 . We even have problems in findingthe place of missiology in the curricula. Should it be included in the practical,historical or systematical theology? Missiology is still mistaken in some places,123 Lalsangkima Pachuau, op. cit., p. 544.124 David Bosch, op. cit., p. 9.125 Ibidem, p. 494.126 None of the four models identified by Andrew Williams is explicitly missiological in intent orfocused on unity:1) The “life wisdom” or “habitus” model, seen especially in the monastic movement.2) The “scientific” model, where theology is perceived as a “science”, i.e., a disciplineof systematic enquiry and exposition.3) The “university” model ( the most common today), where theology becomes thework of theological faculties, with chairs in different specialized branches.4) The “professional” model specifically concerned with the “inner ecclesial” needs ofthe Christian community. - IRM, 94 (373,April 2005), Editorial, p.201179