Missionary Communication

Extract

What has the missionary to communicate? It is primarily “the given Word, the essential and unvarying Gospel”, the kerygma, “ the kind of speech which is likely to draw men into the Christian community” as contrasted with “ the kind which is required for the further instruction of those already within it”. Professor John Baillie in his Whitby paper gives from the New Testament accounts of our Lord's own kerygma, and those of St. Peter and St. Paul. From these it is evident that the Christian kerygma has two parts; on the one hand, there is a statement of events that have happened or are about to happen, events that we may call “ the mighty acts of God ”; on the other hand, there is a call to repentance and faith; part is in the indicative and part is in the imperative mood. The only adequate way of stating facts and of giving commands is for human beings the spoken or written word, and the emphasis at Whitby on the Gospel being proclaimed by life does not alter the fact that it is “ by the foolishness of preaching ” as a general rule that it has pleased God “ to save them that believe ”. Dr. Van Dusen has most clearly expressed what may be called the Whitby view: “ The Word is principally to be communicated —not through ideas, or even speech but through life … Preaching, theology, the Word spoken, the Word formulated, are not to be undervalued.