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Mission as the creation of a God-ward culture : God’s mandate to Adam, Abraham and Jesus

Thesis(PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018.

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Other Authors: Kgatla, Selaelo T.
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2019
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Kgatla, Selaelo T.
author_browse Kgatla, Selaelo T.
author_facet Kgatla, Selaelo T.
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Thesis(PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018.
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
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license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2019
publishDateRange 2019
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spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/70992 Mission as the creation of a God-ward culture : God’s mandate to Adam, Abraham and Jesus Kgatla, Selaelo T. u29535396@tuks.co.za Kamukwamba, Derek Gary UCTD Mission theology Biblical narrative Kingdom of God Adam Abraham Jesus Cultural mandate Theology theses SDG-04 Theology theses SDG-16 Thesis(PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2018. The traditional definition of the term mission has always carried with it the connotation of redemption or salvation and because of this salvation and redemption are seen as the central tasks of mission. It is with this understanding that Piper declares that “when this age is over and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, mission will be no more” (2010:17). If this is so why were Adam and Eve created, and what mandate did God give them? And why will the redeemed be gathered in the New Creation (Revelation 21-22)? Are they without a task to carry out? If they all have tasks given to them by God who created and redeemed them, is it possible to come up with a definition of mission that embraces their tasks as well, thereby freeing the term mission from the redemption or the salvation connotation? This study investigates the possibility of coming up with a definition that does not carry with it the salvation or redemption connotation, and one that sets the term free, thereby locating mission in all the divisions of the biblical storyline or the biblical grand narrative: namely, the creation, the fall, the redemption and the consummation or the new creation. To do this the study takes the following as its working definition for mission: “the reason or purpose of one’s existence”. Thus, mission lies in the question of why we were created. God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth and over all the creeping things that creep upon the earth”(Genesis 1:26). Using this definition and the theme of the kingdom of God, the study demonstrates that God’s mission to human beings and to the whole created order comes to us through the call of Adam, the call of Abraham and the call of Jesus. The study acknowledges that these three personalities mark the three phases in God’s plan and purpose for mission. If these three Adams are taken out of the picture, mission cannot be fully understood. Looking at the call of Adam, the call of Abraham and the call of Jesus, the study notes that in the call of Adam God sets the pattern for his kingdom. Adam’s call to mission is the foundation of all that is to come. In the call of Adam, humanity is called to “represent God’s kingship through the whole range of human life on earth” (Peskett &Ramachandra 2003:37) to share in God’s reign. Thus, humanity is to be the people of the kingdom: “God’s people in God’s place under God’s rule enjoying God’s blessing” (Roberts 2002:32). All the calls to mission that follow after Adam’s call are about reclaiming that which was lost. In other words, these calls are more of a journey back to that which was lost; it is more a question of establishing a community that will live up to God’s mandate to Adam. It is from this point of view that the study takes its title “Mission as the Creation of a God-ward Culture: God’s Mandate to Adam, Abraham and Jesus”. This has been humanity’s mandate from creation and will continue to be its mandate until the consummation. Even though God’s call comes on different levels and under different circumstances or stages in human history, the primary goal for mission still remains the same: that of bringing about and affirming the reign of God. This is the reason for humanity’s existence in every generation. ae2025 Science of Religion and Missiology PhD Unrestricted SDG-04: Quality education SDG-16: Peace, justice and strong institutions 2019-08-12T11:18:45Z 2019-08-12T11:18:45Z 2019/04/03 2018 Thesis Kamukwamba, DG 2018, Mission as the creation of a God-ward culture : God’s mandate to Adam, Abraham and Jesus, PhD Thesis, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd <http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70992> A2019 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70992 en © 2019 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Mission theology
Biblical narrative
Kingdom of God
Adam
Abraham
Jesus
Cultural mandate
Theology theses SDG-04
Theology theses SDG-16
Mission as the creation of a God-ward culture : God’s mandate to Adam, Abraham and Jesus
title Mission as the creation of a God-ward culture : God’s mandate to Adam, Abraham and Jesus
title_full Mission as the creation of a God-ward culture : God’s mandate to Adam, Abraham and Jesus
title_fullStr Mission as the creation of a God-ward culture : God’s mandate to Adam, Abraham and Jesus
title_full_unstemmed Mission as the creation of a God-ward culture : God’s mandate to Adam, Abraham and Jesus
title_short Mission as the creation of a God-ward culture : God’s mandate to Adam, Abraham and Jesus
title_sort mission as the creation of a god ward culture god s mandate to adam abraham and jesus
topic UCTD
Mission theology
Biblical narrative
Kingdom of God
Adam
Abraham
Jesus
Cultural mandate
Theology theses SDG-04
Theology theses SDG-16
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70992