In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Defining and applying missional hermeneutics to Biblical text.
• Four approaches to read and interpret the scripture missionally, including their advantages and limitations.
• How to live faithfully to God and get closer to the universal aspects of scripture.

Resources & Links:

Proposals for a Missional Hermeneutic by GR Hunberger

Reading the Bible Missionally by Michael W. Goheen

Follow Mission ONE on Instagram | @partnerwithmissionone

Learn more on mission1.org

Show Notes:

How can we use hermeneutics to see the Bible through new eyes? Today, we are analyzing GR Hunsberger’s Proposals for a Missional Hermeneutic article in order to fully explore four different approaches to interpreting the Bible missionally. We’ll apply these four aspects to a missional reading of scripture as we weigh their individual advantages and disadvantages. What is the difference between interpreting text with missional direction and missional purpose? How does culture and location affect missional hermeneutics? Why is it important to have conversations like these, and what do they achieve? Our goal this episode is to bring you one step closer to missions & missional theology, to the authority of scripture, and to the word of God! Join us in finding different ways to read and enjoy the Bible!

00:00 What are four different approaches to interpreting the Bible missionally?

02:00 How did you interpret the article?

04:30 Defining missional hermeneutics to distinguish “mission” and “missions”.

08:00 Can mission be considered an attribute of God? Why or why not?

12:35 Are Hunsberger’s four hermeneutical approaches sequential?

14:00 How can we use missional direction to interpret the Bible missionally?

17:20 What are the advantages of missio Dei language?

19:20 What is the power of the story?

23:05 How can we read scripture with missional purpose?

26:25 Does this perspective keep us at a self-help level?

28:20 Analyzing the link between missional purpose and missional story.

31:35 How is the Bible interpreted with cultural context?

35:00 Does this give people permission to ask non-interpretive questions outside of their community?

37:00 What is the effect of community, culture, and location on Biblical interpretation?

39:45 What is limiting about localizing interpretation?

43:40 How does the Bible engage culture?

46:25 What is the difference between this approach and the first approach?

49:50 How does having various perspectives and interpretations bring us closer to the universal demands of scripture?

51:45 Why do conversations like these help us in missions?

53:35 How does this conversation reinforce the authority of scripture relative to the mission of the church?

55:15 What book do we recommend for more missional hermeneutics?

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• The difference between systematic theology and Biblical theology, and its impact within the church of India.
• Biblical theology in missions of the church in India.
• Contrasting and intersecting linear thinking versus cyclical thinking.
• Effective gospel contextualization in the context of culture in India.

Resources & Links:

Follow Mission ONE on Instagram | @partnerwithmissionone

Learn more on mission1.org

Show Notes:

Are you ready for a trip around the world? This episode features Dr. Bobby Gupta, the President of the Hindustan Bible Institute and College, here to share in our conversation of contextualization, missions, and theology in the church of India. Our podcast today will focus on the contrast between systematic theology and Biblical theology and its impact within the church in India. What does the church in India look like? Why has Biblical theology played such a crucial role in disciplining India? What is the response to Biblical theology in India?

Afterwards, we explore effective gospel contextualization in the context of Indian culture, and its role in spreading the word of God in India. Along the way, we’ll discuss indigenizing missions in the church of India, linear thinking versus cyclical thinking, the challenges of spreading theology in Eastern nations, and much more! Join us as we figure out the key to discipling the nations!

0:00:00 Meet today’s special guest, the President of the Hindustan Bible Institute and College with a PhD in Intercultural Studies from Fuller Seminaries, Dr. Bobby Gupta!

0:03:30 What is the story of Bobby Gupta?

0:08:10 What is the profile of diversity in India?

0:10:20 How can we engage with unreached peoples in India?

0:14:00 What are the strengths and weaknesses of the church in India?

0:16:50 How would you define systematic theology?

0:20:30 How would you define Biblical theology?

0:25:10 Mission ONE midroll ad.

0:26:15 What category do most systematic theologies start with?

0:29:00 Why was the contrast between Biblical and systematic theology key to discipling India?

0:33:15 Linear thinking versus cyclical thinking.

0:37:20 What is the intersection of linearity and cycles within the Bible?

0:40:15 How have you seen the word of God impact someone from a Hindu background?

0:46:10 How does Biblical theology relate to effective gospel contextualization?

0:48:25 What are some examples of this?

0:51:15 Why is effective gospel contextualization beginning from Biblical theology crucial in the context of India?

0:55:15 What has been the response to Biblical theology in India?

1:00:20 What are the challenges of spreading theology in Indian culture?

1:04:30 What is essential to healthy contextualization?

In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Contextualization of Paul’s letter to Romans.
• Collective identities, status, and individualism in Biblical context and within our modern day world.
• Honor-shame dynamics of collective identity.

Resources & Links:

Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes by Jackson Wu

Defending Shame by Te-Li Lau

Reading Romans Backwards by Scot McKnight

Follow Mission ONE on Instagram | @partnerwithmissionone

Learn more on mission1.org

Show Notes:

How did Paul reframe humanity’s universal problem in his letter to Romans? Today we’ll be taking a lens to Romans in order to contextualize the text for the present day. We’ll break down all the ways that Paul relativized, reframed, and re-narrated ideas of collective identity and status within Romans. Then, we use this perspective to explore status & identity in our modern culture in comparison to the Biblical world. Join us for a compelling journey of contextualization throughout Romans!

00:50 How does Paul frame his letters to the Romans?

03:05 Why is Paul’s mission to Spain the driving force behind his letter?

05:20 How did the Greeks dishonor God through their prejudice against barbarians?

07:00 Where does status come from?

09:15 How does Paul renarrate status and collective identity?

12:30 Why is it helpful to understand collective identity status in Biblical context?

15:35 What is the common dynamic between Romans 3:9 and 10:12?

17:15 What is Paul trying to say about collective identity?

19:15 Honor-shame values within collective identity.

23:00 What makes status and identity challenging in our own culture?

25:45 Polarization in the modern world and in the Bible.

29:05 What is the universal problem of humanity? How does Paul reframe this in Romans?

31:55 What leads to eternal life in Romans 2?

34:30 What other resources merge missions and theology in Romans?