VIRTUOUS PERSUASION

A Theology of Christian Mission

MICHAEL NIEBAUER

studies in historical and systematic theology

Virtuous Persuasion: A Theology of Christian Mission

Studies in Historical and Systematic Theology

Copyright 2022 Michael Niebauer

Lexham Academic, an imprint of Lexham Press

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Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible (NRSV), copyright © 1989, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV84) are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are from the New King James Version®. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Print ISBN 9781683595052

Digital ISBN 9781683595069

Library of Congress Control Number 2022933802

Lexham Editorial: Elliot Ritzema, Elizabeth Vince, Abigail Stocker, Danielle Thevenaz, Mandi Newell

Cover Design: Brittany Schrock

CONTENTS

Preface

The American Society of Missiology Series Preface

Part I

The Critical Task: Three Models, Three Problems

Introduction

1. Mission and the Missio Dei

2. Mission as Growth

3. Mission as Dialogue

Part II

The Constructive Task: Mission, Virtue, and the Practices of Proclamation and Gathering

4. Mission as Virtuous Practice

5. Proclamation

6. Gathering

7. Entering into the Craft of Mission: Tragedy, Tradition, and Telos

Conclusion

Bibliography

Subject Index

Scripture Index

PREFACE

This book is about the underlying and inevitable challenges faced by those who embark on the practices of mission and a call for those so engaged to morally reflect on their actions. The roots of this project can be traced as far back as 2005, when I had the extremely good fortune of starting a new church on the campus of Northwestern University with the help of William Beasley and Steve Long. In William I found someone who followed the Holy Spirit and was confident that the Holy Spirit would work in all faithful missional endeavors, no matter what the material outcome. From Steve I learned the value of consistent intellectual and moral reflection on such endeavors. This work is in many ways the confluence of these influences.

While taking Elizabeth Cochran’s class on virtue ethics at Duquesne University, I underlined a passage in Alasdair MacIntyre’s After Virtue concerning his critique of bureaucratic managers. In the margin I wrote “church planting?” That note ...

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About Virtuous Persuasion: A Theology of Christian Mission

Christians should make disciples as disciples.

Christians who are engaged in missions regularly face ethical challenges. But the approaches and standards of modern missions often further complicate, rather than alleviate, matters. Modern missiology debates what actions constitute mission work, how to measure growth, and the difference between persuasion and coercion.

In Virtuous Persuasion, Michael Niebauer casts a holistic vision for Christian mission that is rooted in theological ethics and moral philosophy. Niebauer proposes a theology of mission grounded in virtue. Becoming a skilled missionary is more about following Christ than mastering techniques. Christian mission is best understood as specific activities that develop virtue in its practitioners and move them toward their ultimate goal of partaking in the glory of God. With Virtuous Persuasion, you can rethink the essence of Jesus’s Great Commission and how we seek to fulfill it.

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Table of Contents