Dalit perspectives on Wisdom and mission; Bible study resource on displaced children; and finding free Missiology books

Welcome to my newsletter, ‘Bible, Mission, and More’, where I share what’s on my mind as I teach, research, and write on the Bible and mission, children-at-risk in the Bible and contemporary society, Psalms and Wisdom Literature, and a range of other topics. I teach at All Nations Christian College in the UK, though views are my own.

Each Friday I’ll share something I’ve read, something I’ve written or recorded, something on learning and teaching, and a quote to take into the weekend.

Something read – K. Jesurathnam on a missional perspective on Dalit interpretation of the Wisdom Literature

K. Jesurathnam’s ‘Dalit Interpretation of the Wisdom Literature with Special Reference to the Underprivileged Groups in the Hebrew Society: A Mission Perspective’ is an important study examining themes of poverty and justice in Proverbs, Job, and Ecclesiastes, and reflecting on them in the light of mission from a Dalit perspective.

Jesurathnam begins by giving a context to the OT wisdom books, noting themes of order, conflict, and ethics. I was struck by a theme of ‘coping’ with life’s complexities – I’m more used to reading about flourishing. The article then examines some themes of poverty in each of the three wisdom books, drawing out different ideas and emphases. It then weaves these ideas into contemporary issues and experiences of Dalits.

Strikingly, Jesurathnam points out that marginalised communities like the Dalits are not just ‘recipients’ of mission activity. See this week’s quote of the week for more on this.

You can read this chapter (and, indeed, the whole of the volume it is part of) for free here: Mission at and from the Margins: Patterns, Protagonists and Perspectives

See this week’s learning and teaching, below, for more on this book series.

Something written – free Bible study resource on displaced and vulnerable children

More than a Statistic: God’s Heart for Displaced and Vulnerable Children is a free Bible study resource you can view at this webpage or download from my Academia page. The seven sessions look at Gen. 1-3; Deut. 10:12-22; 2 Kgs. 5:1-5; Psalm 10; Isa. 1:10-31; Matt. 2:13-15; and James 1-2. Here is the blurb:

In this series of Bible Studies we will be exploring different parts of the Bible that will help us to consider God’s heart for vulnerable and displaced children and young people. Much of the material could apply beyond these age groups but our intent is to focus on what the Bible might say about younger people. We have sought to highlight different parts of the Bible to illustrate the variety of texts that address the issues. The resource is aimed at small groups of Christians who want to consider prayerfully how the Bible might shape our attitudes and actions towards displaced young people. It might also serve as guiding notes for sermon preparation or other talks. The point in each of these studies is not to explore all aspects of the passage; rather we want to highlight themes that resonate particularly with the ideas of displacement and vulnerability, and especially in relation to children and young people. We pray it will be a useful resource to you in your ministry.

Learning and teaching – Finding free Missiology books

Finding accessible and high-quality resources is important for every student, especially when studying remotely. The Edinburgh Centenary series was produced by Regnum over several years and, to quote the publisher’s website, ‘grew out of the Edinburgh 2010 conference [marking the centenary of the influential Edinburgh 1910 conference]. Initially conceived as a modest attempt to capture the key themes and outcomes of the conference, the series grew to 35 volumes with over 600 contributors from every part of the global church.’

The series covers a wide variety of mission topics by scholars from all over the world. Most of the volumes can be viewed and downloaded for free at Oral Roberts University’s Digital Showcase website. For a complete list of the series see Regnum’s website.

Volumes in the series include:

Creation Care in Christian Mission; Bible in Mission; A Learning Missional Church; Mission and Power; Mission Spirituality and Authentic Discipleship; Global Diasporas and Mission; Holistic Mission; Theology, Mission and Child; Theology, Mission and Child; The Lausanne Movement; Mission and Postmodernities; Called to Unity: For the Sake of Mission; Witnessing to Christ in a Pluralistic Age; The Reshaping of Mission in Latin America; Reflecting on and Equipping for Christian Mission; Mission in Central and Eastern Europe; Freedom of Belief & Christian Mission; Foundations for Mission; The Church Going Glocal; The Church Going Glocal; Witnessing to Christ Today; Witnessing to Christ in North East India; Orthodox Perspectives on Mission; Mission Then and Now; Mission Continues; Mission At and From the Margins; Life-Widening Mission; Interfaith Relations after One Hundred Years; Evangelism and Diakonia in Context; Evangelical and Frontier Mission; Engaging the World; Ecumenical Missiology; A Century of Catholic Mission; Pentecostal Mission and Global Christianity; Mission Today and Tomorrow; Mission as Ministry of Reconciliation; Korean Church: God's Mission Global Christianity

Quote

‘Mission from a Dalit perspective is not simply to be understood as a mission to the Dalits as if they are at the mercy of others to sympathise with them and need some acts of charity to relieve them from their predicament. Rather the mission of the church should be a way of life as mission with and mission from Dalits. Mission with and from and also for Dalits should include redefining the identity of Dalits to restore the lost image of God to them. This means that the oppressive and dehumanising structures of the church and society must be challenged and radically changed.’

From K. Jesurathnam’s ‘Dalit Interpretation of the Wisdom Literature with Special Reference to the Underprivileged Groups in the Hebrew Society: A Mission Perspective’, in Mission At and From the Margins: Patterns, Protagonists and Perspectives, edited by Peniel Jesudason, Rufus Rajkumar, Joseph Prabhakar Dayam, and and I P Asheervadham (Oxford: Regnum, 2014), 179-199 [192].

Thanks for joining the journey and see you next week,

Tim