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The Global Conversation


The Conversation Continues: Reader's Comments
Readers respond to Christopher J. H. Wright's "Whole Gospel, Whole Church, Whole World"

Displaying 11–20 of 27 comments.

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Joerg Dechert, Germany

November 02, 2009  3:39am

"Unfortunately one can still detect a subtle sense that somewhere between Malachi and Matthew, all that changed." - Well, could it be that the challenge just got greater when the gospel moved out of its Jewish-only context (where the Old Testament focus of the Kingdom on justice and peace was prevalent and nonnegotiable) and into the Greek world? I'm not suggesting that Paul misrepresented the whole Gospel when addressing pagans (that would be most of us) - but the stakes are higher because the local body of believers now has to live out and incoporate justices and peace and reconciliation and protection of creation - since the context we live in does not now about Gods heart for these things from its own (Old Testament) tradition anymore. So "whole gospel" in the "whole world" does really need the "whole church" - meaning we cannot communicate the gospel as an isolated personal transaction for salvation only ...

Shakeel Samuel, Pakistan

October 31, 2009  11:46pm

I was in Tranform World South Asia conference on missions in Kathmandu, Nepal, as one of the delegate from Pakistan. It was very blessed conference and I was worried with the present bad security situation and critcle time from where the Christans in Pakistan are passing through, that has been revealed to me that in these situation God is there to provide oppotunities for evangelism, to show with your works and words that what is Gospel all about. I am interested to be a part of Lausane convention to listen and learn more while staying with the other believers, but it seems that I am to late. May God bless you all. Amen

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Pastor Freddy Lusimba NSenga, South Africa

October 31, 2009  10:01am

I am Pastor Missionnary from DRC in South AFrica. I am leading a Church with 200 + members and would like to participate at the Congress. We believe that this conference will help African People for evangelism. I will contribute more by grace of God.

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COSMAS ILECHUKWU, Nigeria

October 29, 2009  11:01am

One of the greatest deterrant to christian witnessing has been the problem of a divided church, taken a divided gospel, to a divided world. This is the reality of our time. If Laussane III can figure out how to effectively get the whole church (whether roman catholic, orthodox, protestant, holiness, pentecostal, charismatic or what have you), to take the whole gospel(evangelical, the word of faith, prosperity, holiness, healing etc) to the whole world, it would have set the stage for the emergency of a new world that where love ethic of Christ will be the order of the day. This would demand a new theology as big as the world.

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Lucien Jones, Jamaica

October 29, 2009  8:02am

This week i was very impressed with the Deutronomy call and that echoed by Jesus in Mark's Gospel, for us to love our neighbour as ourselves, as the second of the two great commandments. I suspect, but am not sure if it was C. S Lewis who gave birth to the observation that your neighbour - made in God's image - is the closest resemblance to God we will ever meet. The commandment and the observation then taken together suggests that each person we meet in life presents a rare opportunity for us to love our neighbour and witness to them the life of Christ, in its wonderful totality, living in us - "we always carry around in us the death of Christ so that the life of Christ may be in us" , said St. Paul to the church in Philippi. Perhaps we need to get back, or attend more closely, to that basic fact, and evangelism, involving the whole church and the whole gospel, will spread like wild fire across the whole world.

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Elder Donna Motley

October 28, 2009  3:12pm

Lets really face the facts I believe that true meaning of WHOLE Gospel, Whole Church, Whole World has to be teach through the whole global world of Churches, organizations and not just the traditional sermons of what has been heard and seen around the world before this fire can really ignite, how many Christians leave their churches empower on world mission and world evangelism.

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Tuvya Zaretsky

October 28, 2009  2:01pm

As a very young man, I was blessed by the sharp focus on evangelism that was at the heart of the 1974 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation.The theme then was "Let the Earth Hear HIS Voice." The Christian message is in the gospel - for which no one needs to be ashamed, because in it is the power of God unto salvation, to the Jewish people and to all the nations (Ro. 1:16-17). Considering how the "social, economic, and political dimensions of the Old Testament relate to Christian mission" is certainly important as one develops missiological strategies. However, it is the gospel message, the good news of salvation in the anointed redeemer for sin, that produces personal convertedness, spiritually transforms individuals and comes to characterizes the church.

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Mel Lawrenz

October 28, 2009  8:08am

I've been a pastor for 30 years, and "the whole church bringing the whole gospel to the whole world" has been a faithful compass for us at Elmbrook Church. The idea of the whole church is an unattainable goal in this life (because of ever-present sin and fragmentation), but, on the other hand, the only goal worth aiming at. http://www.wholechurch.org

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ifrahim Mathew

October 28, 2009  3:11am

The Participants of Cape Town should study & learn from the Taliban of Afghanistan.Their passion for their cause is surpassing Christian's passion for their cause.

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Timothy Austin

October 27, 2009  10:29pm

Dr Wright has hit the nail on the head! Many local churches, especially in my country India are saved, satisfied and self-serving! They find that "the whole world" in "the whole church" and therefore "the whole Gospel" should be limited to the local church itself. They wear these comfortable blinkers and say that we are satified with our missionary work! No wonder para church organisations have sprung up, some church based while a number of others "independant" ideologically, philosphically and even financially of the church. Still, God in His mercy is extending His Kingdom even in our land.

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