Samuel Escobar's Theology of Global Mission Explored

Introduction to Samuel Escobar and Global Mission

Samuel Escobar is a well-known theologian within the Latin American community and is regarded as one of the principal participants in the International Congress on World Evangelism held at Lausanne, Switzerland in 1974. He has also served as president of the United Bible Societies and of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students, and has contributed immensely to the subject of global mission both in theory and in practice. Contemporary Christian missions are compelled to engage with global trends and the forces of globalization in order to remain relevant, as opposed to the patterns that were predominant in the early third millennium of the Christian era.

Escobar makes a significant contribution to — and exerts considerable influence on — contemporary global mission by exploring the new realities and forces of a globalized world, as well as by critically assessing the context of a vastly dynamic mission field that holds to earlier pedagogical teachings and beliefs while also shifting toward highly secular content. Escobar also presents a substantially Bible-based theology of global mission, particularly regarding how Christians are to undertake missionary work (Taylor, 2000). This paper examines Escobar's theses on global mission, compares and contrasts his theological contributions against those of other theologians such as Tillich and Rahner, explores the foundations upon which his theses rest, and critiques the idea that Christian theology is contextual by engaging with other theological schools from both American and global settings.

Analysis of Escobar's Thesis in The New Global Mission

In his book The New Global Mission, Escobar provides a history of missions within the context of globalization, post-Christian culture, and postmodernity. He argues that "the heart of mission" is the drive to share the good news with all — to cross every border with the gospel (Escobar, p. 13). Escobar discusses how God is using Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia to propel and perpetuate the practice of global mission. He also demonstrates how Christian mission has become the responsibility of the global church rather than merely the responsibility of churches in any single region.

Escobar further indicates that there is a "new balance of numerical and spiritual strength in the Christian world" (Escobar, 2003, p. 15). Regional churches that traditionally participated in mission ventures have seen the scales shift, and churches from previously unlikely or non-traditional regions now join actively in mission work. This participation of diverse churches from different regions helps to fortify Escobar's argument that Christianity is a truly global phenomenon. The practice of Christianity in these contexts expresses the Protestant conviction of the decisive importance of Scripture as the source of the Christian faith and presents mission as the means through which God extends his church (p. 131).

Escobar's perspective on cross-cultural missionary strategies is that good mission must follow the example set by Jesus Christ, who transcended cultural boundaries and entered the culture of others with the gospel. As Escobar states, "If Christ is at the center of the gospel and of missionary activity, his way of being God's missionary also becomes a pattern for life and mission" (p. 106).

Escobar also connects social activity with evangelism, arguing that the two cannot be separated. He writes: "I also believe that providing relief and service cannot be divorced from evangelism, because the world needs both their presence and their proclamation" (Escobar, 2003, p. 151). This standpoint is reflected in statements by the U.S. Congress on Evangelism, which emphasized the centrality of faithfulness to biblical standards in carrying out evangelism and mission (p. 145). Escobar elaborates this notion through his treatment of mission philosophies and methodologies. When presenting ideas about the structure of missionary movements, he stresses that Christian institutions are vital to implementing Christian mission (p. 19).

Escobar's Contextual Theological Approach

On the political and social realities of the time, Escobar constructs a theological approach that embraces and accounts for the challenges presented by both factors. As presented by Escobar, there are four lines of thought in Jürgen Moltmann's systematic theology that are deemed important to the concept of missiology — in particular his eschatology. The notion of eschatology opens up the future, points to the Trinitarian nature and working of God, addresses the Christian theology of history, and indicates the scope of salvation. According to Moltmann, there is a need for an open approach to the future of history, since this is what allows room for the mysterious and unpredictable works of God; to do otherwise would diminish the people's hope for the future (Greenman, 2012). This assertion is central to missiology in that it attempts to explain the plans of God and his identity as he enacts those plans.

In his book, Escobar stresses how social and political realities have impacted the Latin American theology of mission, and argues that any sound theological approach in the current era must necessarily account for such realities within society. Moltmann's eschatology is understood to serve as a starting point for conducting missiology. Systematic theology is the foundation for missiology, and therefore both Escobar's and Moltmann's views on theology fully support the notion of systematic theology as a basis for mission.

Escobar also shares theological themes that include the importance of remembering that God uses the weak to confound the strong. Unlike theologians such as Karl Rahner, who argues that Catholic theology before the Second Vatican Council had a kind of defensive mentality against the world, Escobar affirms that many religions have proclaimed God's truth through the Bible. However, Escobar proposes that the Bible — understood as the basis of biblical Christology — is the foundation of globally carried-out missions, and that human beings cannot afford to embrace a missiology that runs counter to social and political realities.