Susan Greener on Lausanne and children; displaced children in the Bible; and navigating essay deadline season

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. You may also like to check out my Bible and Mission website.

Each Tuesday I’ll share something I’ve read, something I’ve written or recorded, something on learning and teaching, and a quote to reflect on.

Something read – Susan Greener on Lausanne and children

Following the recent Lausanne 4 congress in Seoul, Susan Greener has written an article on the Lausanne website reflecting on where children are (and are not) seen in current Lausanne conversations. It is entitled, State of the Great Commission Report Gap 3: Where are the Children?.

Following the third congress in Cape Town in 2010, Greener was involved in the push to put children, and especially children-at-risk, more fully on the agenda. This Children-at-Risk issue network produced some key resources, not least through work generated at and through a 2014 gathering in Quito. Important documents include the Quito Call to Action on Children-at-Risk, Who are Children-at-Risk: A Missional Definition and a Lausanne Occasional Paper on Mission with Children at Risk.

Greener’s new article reflects on some of the positive ways children are acknowledged in the State of the Great Commission report, a large document published in preparation for this year’s gathering. However her most important points concern the ways the report doesn’t engage fully enough with the situations children find themselves in, how the gospel relates to them, and the role they play now (as well as in the future) in God’s purposes.

In the run up to the congress the issue network produced a report, led by Viva’s Lucy Hefford that showed how children-at-risk relate to each of the 25 ‘gaps’ identified in the State of the Great Commission report: Children-at-Risk and the 25 Gaps. Like Greener’s article, it is well worth a read.

Something written – article on two displaced children in the Bible

This week I’ll be teaching on 2 Kings on the All Nations first year undergrad Old Testament and Mission module. One of the questions we’ll be asking is, ‘Who is qualified to participate in God’s mission?’ Our way into that question is to consider the story of the unnamed servant girl in 2 Kgs. 5 who is the catalyst for a remarkable chain of events that lead to the conversion of the great Syrian general, Naaman.

I sometimes use this story as a way into thinking about mission and the OT, and how God seems to delight in using the least and the unlikely. Indeed, it is a story I keep coming back to in various writing and speaking projects (see relevant previous posts here, here, and here). A while ago I wrote an article for Encounters Mission Journal called Hostility, Hospitality and Hope: A biblical reflection on two displaced children which compared and contrasted the circumstances and stories of the girl in 2 Kgs. 5 and Matthew’s portrait of Jesus around the time of the flight to Egypt (see Matt. 2:13-18).

Without wanting to draw too simplistic portraits or parallels I reflect on several themes including: their identity and family circumstances; the background to their displacement; their agency; their recipient community; the paranoia of the powerful; and their stories’ resonances with contemporary images of displacement and vulnerability.

You can find the article on my Academia page. The link is to the pdf of the whole issue which also includes articles on the theme of hospitality by Rosie Button, Colin Edwards, and Chris Ducker: Hostility, Hospitality and Hope: A biblical reflection on two displaced children

Learning and teaching – when essay deadline season is upon you

At All Nations we are at the ‘business end’ of term where assignment deadlines are coming thick and fast. The other day I ran a workshop where we talked about how to navigate intense periods like this in a healthy way. We talked about six things we can do when the pressure is on.

Look up – be prayerful as you go about your day. As I’ve discussed in previous posts on prayer and studies (here and here) there are different ways of bringing prayer into our studies, and our studies into prayer. They can fuel each other.

Look in – be mindful of how you are doing in the midst of everything. We are whole beings so keep a check on your whole self; how are you doing with sleep, exercise, diet, and so on. It’s easy to let things like these slip but this ends up being self-defeating.

Look down – when you are working, work. Learn ways of focusing on the assignment in front of you, which could include breaking it down into small chunks that you can concentrate on. Organise yourself as a way of being kind to yourself. Remember things like the phone proximity effect and Parkinson’s law.

Look away – when you are not working, don’t work. Look to do other things that will help you to switch of and recharge you. And, crucially, don’t feel guilty about this essential activity. You might also take this advice literally while you are studying as well. A colleague of mine likes to tell everyone to go and look out a window every half an hour or so; i.e., look away from your screen and give your eyes a break from working close up.

Look across – who is across the desk from you, either literally or figuratively? Don’t get so absorbed in your own deadlines and stresses that you block out other people. Be mindful of your fellow students: how are they doing? How can you support them, and how can they support you? Studying can be solitary at times but it doesn’t have to be lonely. How can you make the most of your learning community, whether physical or digital?

Look beyond – yes, it’s a busy period but try to keep things in their proper perspective. This season will come to an end; you will get everything done, and what you are doing now will be further investment in the long obedience of discipleship. And that’s why you are studying in the first place.

All this is easier said than done, of course! Why don’t you pick one or two categories to work on the next time you are in a busy season?

Quote – Walter Brueggemann on fear and love

‘Fear makes us selfish. Fear makes us do crazy things. Fear turns neighbors into threats. Fear drives us into a desperate self-sufficiency and a yearning for privatism. Fear drives to greed and idolatry. Fear refuses the other. And now we live in a culture of fear... perfect fear drives out love.’

Walter Brueggemann, ‘All Seminary Chapel: Dr. Walter Brueggemann “1 John 4:7-21” Podcast, Fuller Theological Seminary, 29 April 2015 c. 8:00mins (quoted in my article, above)

Thanks for joining the journey and see you next week,

Tim