That is why in light of the heavy push at Tulsa toward a more subjective expression of faith due to the impact of postmodernism, I have immersed myself in reading on the issues. The easiest thing in the world is to sit at a safe distance and cast support or dissent solely on the basis of who the mouthpiece is. Lord knows there have been too many who have taken that route. Rather than accept or discard something on the basis of who said it, I would rather investigate the claim before making my evaluation.
The recent push toward a "missional theology" prompted by the rising cultural tide of postmodernism is, in my estimation, overwhelmingly positive. Missional theology seeks to form within each disciple of Christ a thirst and passion for missions. Traditionally, missions has been viewed as ministry relegated to third world countries. Missionaries have been pigeon-holed as people always seeking financial support with their reports and video presentations ready at the drop of a hat.
But missional theology emphasizes a dramatic shift in missions. Must a person go to foreign soil to be a missionary? Can a person be a missionary at home, living out the mission purpose of Jesus with the people in his or her own backyard?
Mike Cope, during his presentations at Tulsa, did a wonderful job in articulating multiple avenues for people in real-life situations (such as public school teachers) to serve as missionaries to people within their circle of influence.
Listen to this description of missional theology. It cuts to the chase in defining the validity of missional theology.
It is time for the church to take discipleship seriously. Another way of saying this is to say that we must get over ourselves; the church isn't a cruise ship that functions for the comfort and pleasure of its members - otherwise we'll book passage on another line. We must get over the worldly selfishness we have brought as baggage into the Body of Christ. We must get over the church-as-building syndrome and learn to be church-as-people-in-transformation. Only then will we be evangelistic. Richard Halverson was correct in pointing out that the apostles never had to do the exhorting and scolding and programming that churches do today in the name of evangelism. Among those people who remembered the presence of the Incarnate Christ in their midst, outreach with the gospel issued as effortlessly as light from the sun; evangelism really was automatic, spontaneous, continuous, and contagious for them - and must become so for us (Shelly and York, The Jesus Community, p. 181-2).
