Missiology

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The trade mission science deals with the systematic study of the history and practice of Christian mission in the context of their diverse contexts. Its beginnings go back to the Middle Ages. However, it did not become part of university research and teaching until the 19th century. Today it is represented with chairs and special institutes within many Protestant and Catholic theological faculties.

Since the beginning of the 20th century, mission science associations have been founded, such as the German Society for Mission Studies (founded in 1918). Today there are such associations worldwide, in addition to Europe and North America also in India, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and many other countries and regions.

In the area of ​​German theological faculties , missiology has been assigned to either practical theology or systematic theology . As a dual subject of "missiology and religious studies " , however, it has now established itself in many places as an independent subject. This independence is also expressed in the name of the relevant specialist group within the Scientific Society for Theology (WGTh). The name of the department is "Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology " .

history

Raimundus Lullus
Gisbert Voetius
Johann Baptist von Hirscher
Karl Graul
Gustav Warneck

As early as the medieval apologetic debate with Islam , individual theologians, such as B. Petrus Venerabilis (1092-1196) and Raimundus Lullus (1235-1316), basic missiological considerations. An independent mission theology comes from Lullus, which he published in 1272 as part of his Ars generalis ultima . In it he called (albeit unsuccessfully) to set up departments for the training of missionaries at the great universities of his time.

The first comprehensive missions science writings can be traced back to the late 16th and early 17th centuries. Around 1588, the Jesuit José de Acosta wrote his work De promulgatione Evangelii apud barbaros sive de procuranda Indorum salute , in which he systematically dealt with missionary work among the newly converted natives of America. Around 1613, the missionary work De procuranda salute omnium gentium by the Carmelite Thomas a Jesu followed , in which, among other things, the Pope's direct responsibility for the spread of the Gospel was demanded. One of the aftermath of this writing was that by Pope Gregory XV. In 1622 the Congregatio de Propaganda Fide was founded . From the 17th century onwards, this also dealt with the problems arising in India and China as a result of the accommodation of Christianity to the native religious cultures, which was reflected in various basic instructions.

In Protestantism, the Dutch Reformed theologian Gisbert Voetius (1589–1676) is considered the first missiologist. During the time of the Dutch colonial mission in Indonesia , he defined the goals of the mission in his Politica Ecclesiatica in three ways “as the conversion of the Gentiles, the planting of the Church and the glorification of divine grace”.

The demand to assign missiology its own place in the theological canon of subjects was only made in the 19th century. On the Protestant side, this was done first by Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768–1834), in the Roman Catholic Church by Johann Baptist von Hirscher (1788–1865). Both assigned missiology to practical theology. Within the Russian Orthodox Church , the linguist, Bible translator and lay missionary Nikolai Iwanowitsch Ilminsky (1822-1891) demanded a theological and scientific foundation for Orthodox missionary activity.

A controversial question since Schleiermacher has been whether missiology should be seen as an independent discipline of theology or as an integral aspect of the various main theological subjects. The latter was mostly only partially implemented due to a lack of necessary specialist knowledge. B. from Karl Heim . Due to the increasing knowledge, a subject-specific concentration became indispensable, so that special mission science teaching assignments were given, for the first time in 1801 to Johann Friedrich Flatt (1759–1843) in Tübingen.

But it was not until Karl Graul (1814–1864) that the first professorship was established. The Lutheran theology professor and lecturer in missionary doctrine Graul is thus considered the first German missiologist. His post- doctoral thesis on the position and importance of mission in the whole of university sciences was the foundation and initial spark for mission science research in the university setting. The real founder of German Protestant missiology, however, is the honorary professor Gustav Warneck (1834–1910) from Halle . In 1874 he founded the Allgemeine Missions-Zeitschrift , which in the following years became the gathering point for the various mission science endeavors. His three-volume Evangelical Missionary Doctrine was published several times and was the standard missiological work in German-speaking countries until the beginning of the 20th century.

The establishment of a chair for evangelistic studies at the University of Edinburgh in 1867 was significant for the development of missiology in Great Britain . Its first owner was the Scottish clergyman Alexander Duff (1806-1878). In Catholicism, Max Meinertz (1880–1965) and Joseph Schmidlin (1876–1944) are considered to be the founders of missiology. While Meinertz laid the foundation for missiological research with his study Jesus und die Heidenmission (first published in 1908 and second edition in 1925), Schmidlin took up his suggestions and launched the Zeitschrift für Missionwissenschaft in 1911 and became the first professor of missiology at the University of Münster appointed. In 1917 he published the Introduction to Mission Studies and in 1919 the Catholic Mission Doctrine . Both books were standard works in Catholic missiology for decades.

The professor of missiology at the Berlin University Julius Richter (1862-1940) was one of the founders of the ecumenical movement and organizers of the first world missions conference in Edinburgh in 1910 and has merits in the field of mission history.

present

It is of fundamental importance for German specialist history that the term “intercultural theology” was introduced in 2005 by representatives of the specialist group within the WGTh and members of the administrative board of the DGMW as an explanation of the term missiology. Since then, the term intercultural theology has been discussed as lively as it is controversial with regard to its relation to missiology, as can be seen from a number of recent publications.

The subject of missiology has since been included in the framework of the Protestant theology course under the label “Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology”, which has significantly strengthened the subject. However, this positive development with regard to the perception of the content of the subject missiology / intercultural theology in the university sector is also associated with the risk of losing the reference to the history of missiology via the label intercultural theology, if only to the pluriformity of global Christianity and its local variants is lifted off, but not on its cross-border interactions. While some specialist representatives see the issue of missiology as a historical relic, other specialist representatives consider the topic of missionary interactions to be more topical than ever before, as various religions appear missionary and are therefore important actors in civil society issues. In a more recent definition, both, intercultural theology and the phenomenon of missionary border crossing, are pointedly linked: “(1) Intercultural theology reflects the cross-border missionary interactions of Christian testimony that are motivated by the universal validity of its message of salvation, (2) that in interaction with the respective cultural, religious, social and other contexts and actors lead to the formation of a multitude of local variants of Christianity, (3) which are faced with the task of being aware of their togetherness, (4) normative contents of Christian teaching and practice in the tension between universality and Negotiating particularity over and over again. ”In view of the increased need for reflection on Christian forms of missionary interactions as well as those of other religious formations, the subject of missiology / intercultural theology appears to be the highest is current, for religious communities as well as for civil society on the horizon of pluralization, internationalization, globalization and migration.

Mission science teaching and research facilities in German-speaking countries (selection)

At many state universities in German-speaking countries, mission science research and teaching are carried out within the theological subjects. There are also other missiological institutions in denominational and private universities. The following list provides an incomplete overview.

Location / university / college Missiology institution Confessional orientation
University of Basel Professorship for non-European Christianity evangelical
Humboldt University of Berlin Seminar for Religious and Mission Studies as well as Ecumenics ecumenical
Theological University Dietzhölztal-Ewersbach Chair of Missiology Free evangelical
Theological Seminar Elstal (University of Applied Sciences) Chair of Missiology Baptist
University of Erlangen-Nuremberg Chair for Mission and Religious Studies evangelical
University of Friborg Institute for Mission Studies and Religious Studies; Seminar for Middle and Modern Church History (with a research focus on Church History as Mission History ) Catholic
Friedensau University of Applied Sciences Missiology Institute adventist
Free Theological University of Giessen Department of Mission Studies non-denominational, evangelical
University of Göttingen Institute for Ecumenical Theology with special consideration of the oriental church and mission history evangelical
University of Hamburg Institute for Missionary, Ecumenical and Religious Studies; Mission Academy Hamburg evangelical
University of Halle-Wittenberg Seminar for Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology evangelical
University of Heidelberg Seminar for Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology evangelical
University of Applied Sciences for Intercultural Theology in Hermannsburg formerly mission seminar in Hermannsburg evangelical
University of Innsbruck Institute for Practical Theology, Department for Intercultural Pastoral Theology and Mission Studies Catholic
International Liebenzell University in Bad Liebenzell formerly the theological seminar of the Liebenzeller Mission ; Research Center for Interculturality and Religion evangelical
University of Mainz Seminar for religious studies and missiology evangelical
University of Munich Chair for Mission and Religious Studies evangelical
University of Munster Institute for Mission Studies Catholic
Augustana University in Neuendettelsau Chair for Mission Theology and Religious Studies evangelical
Philosophical-Theological University SVD St. Augustin Major in mission theology Catholic
Philosophical-Theological University Sankt Georgen Institute for the Universal Church and Mission

Chair of Mission Studies and Intercultural Dialogue

Catholic
Vallendar University of Philosophy and Theology Department of Mission Studies Catholic
Rostock University Professor of Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology evangelical
Church University of Wuppertal Chair for Religious Studies and Intercultural Theology evangelical
University of Würzburg Endowed Chair for Mission Studies and Dialogue of Religions Catholic

Missionary Studies Associations (selection)

In the field of missiology, there are a number of academic associations that aim to promote missiological research and teaching. These include, among other things

  • the International Institute for Mission Science Research (IIMF). The institute was founded by Joseph Schmidlin in 1914 and publishes, among other things, the journal for missiology and religious studies .
  • the German Society for Mission Studies (DGMW); it was founded in 1918 shortly before the end of the First World War . Its initiator was the church historian Carl Mirbt . Until the Second World War she published only two series of missiological studies. In the post-war period, she promoted the establishment of mission science chairs and institutes. Although more than half of its members are foreign scientists, the DGMW is mainly supported by funds from the German Protestant regional churches.
  • the International Association for Mission Studies , abbreviated IAMS; it was constituted on the occasion of a mission science congress that took place in Driebergen (Netherlands) in 1972 . The IAMS sees itself as interdenominational and international. She sees her main task in the publication of missiologically relevant documentation as well as in the implementation of conferences and congresses.
  • In 1940, in the United States, mission science professors formed a non-denominational association. Its members come from both Catholic and Protestant and Evangelical universities. She gives the magazine Missiology. Practical Anthropology out.
  • The Institute for World Church and Mission (IWM) is a scientific institute at the Philosophical-Theological University of Sankt Georgen. Research and teaching are devoted to theological reflection on the missionary mission of the Church in the context of universal Church issues. The IWM was founded on June 29, 2009 by the German Bishops' Conference.

literature

  • Peter Beyerhaus : "Missionswissenschaft." In: Helmut Burkhardt, Uwe Swarat (ed.): Evangelical Lexicon for Theology and Congregation . Vol. 2, R. Brockhaus , Wuppertal 1993, pp. 1349-1351.
  • David Bosch : Mission in Transition. Paradigm Shift in Mission Theology. With a new final chapter by Darell I. Guder and Martin Reppenhagen. Brunnen , Gießen / Basel 2012, 701 pages, ISBN 978-3-7655-9561-5 .
  • Josef Glazik: Article missiology (Catholic and Protestant) . In: Stephen Neill, Niels-Peter Moritzen, Ernst Schrupp (ed.): Lexicon for World Mission . Theological Verlag R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal / Verlag der Evangelisch-Lutherischen Mission, Erlangen 1975, ISBN 3-7974-0054-3 (Brockhaus) and ISBN 3-87214-052-3 (Evangelical Lutheran Mission), p. 365 f.
  • Ulrich van der Heyden , Heike Liebau: Missionsgeschichte, Kirchengeschichte, Weltgeschichte , (Missionsgeschichtliches Archiv 1), Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 978-3-515-06732-4 .
  • Karl Müller, Theo Sundermeier (ed.): Lexikon Missionstheologischer Grundbegriffe , Berlin 1987.
  • Karl Müller: Josef Schmidlin (1876–1944): papal historian and founder of Catholic missiology, Studia Instituti Missiologici SVD, No. 47, Steyler Verlag Wort und Werk, Nettetal 1989, ISBN 978-3-8050-0246-2 .
  • Hans-Ulrich Reifler : Handbook of missiology. Missionary action from a biblical perspective , Nuremberg 2005, ISBN 3-933372-96-8 .
  • Werner Raupp (ed.): Mission in source texts. History of the German Evangelical Mission from the Reformation to the World Mission Conference Edinburgh 1910 , pp. 336–411 (Mission theological drafts of the 19th century)
  • Lamin Sanneh : Continental Shift of Faith , Edition Ruprecht, Göttingen 2013, ISBN 978-3-8469-0154-0 .
  • Klaus Vellguth : Relational Mission Studies. When mission gets in the way . In: Journal for Mission Studies and Religious Studies 101 (2017) 1–2, pp. 190–195.
  • Max Warran: Article Missionswissenschaft in der theologische Bildung , in: Lexikon zur Weltmission (edited by Stephen Neill, Niels-Peter Moritzen, Ernst Schrupp), Wuppertal and Erlangen 1975, p. 364 f.
  • Henning Wrogemann : Mission theologies of the present. Global developments, contextual profiles and ecumenical challenges. Textbook Intercultural Theology / Mission Studies, Volume 2 , Gütersloh 2013, ISBN 978-3-579-08142-7 .

Web links

Wiktionary: Missiology  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Henning Wrogemann: Mission theologies of the present. Global developments, contextual profiles and ecumenical challenges. Textbook Intercultural Theology / Mission Studies , Volume 2, Gütersloh, 265–273.
  2. ↑ Peter Beyerhaus : "Missionswissenschaft." In: Helmut Burkhardt, Uwe Swarat (Ed.): Evangelical Lexicon for Theology and Congregation . Vol. 2, R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal 1993, p. 1349.
  3. ↑ Max Warran: Article Missionswissenschaft in der theologische Bildung , in: Lexikon zur Weltmission (edited by Stephen Neill, Niels-Peter Moritzen, Ernst Schrupp ), Wuppertal and Erlangen 1975, ISBN 3-7974-0054-3 , ISBN 3-7974- 0054-3 , p. 364.
  4. ↑ Unless otherwise noted, the information in the following section refers to Josef Glazik: Artikel Missionswissenschaft (Catholic and Protestant) , in: Lexikon zur Weltmission (edited by Stephen Neill, Niels-Peter Moritzen, Ernst Schrupp ), Wuppertal and Erlangen 1975 , P. 365 f.
  5. ↑ Andrew F. Walls: Article Mission VI , in: Theologische Realenzyklopädie (study edition, part II; edited by Gerhard Krause and Gerhard Müller), Berlin and New York 1994/2000, ISBN 3-11-016295-4 , p. 46.
  6. ↑ Peter Beyerhaus : "Missionswissenschaft." In: Helmut Burkhardt, Uwe Swarat (Ed.): Evangelical Lexicon for Theology and Congregation . Vol. 2, R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal 1993, p. 1349 f.
  7. ↑ Jan. AB Jongeneel: Voetius' zendingstheologie, de eerste comprehensieve protestantse zendingstheologie , in: De onbekende Voetius (edited by J. van Oort et al.), Kampen (Netherlands) 1989, pp. 117-147.
  8. ↑ Peter Beyerhaus : "Missionswissenschaft." In: Helmut Burkhardt, Uwe Swarat (Ed.): Evangelical Lexicon for Theology and Congregation . Vol. 2, R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal 1993, p. 1350.
  9. ↑ Peter Beyerhaus : "Missionswissenschaft." In: Helmut Burkhardt, Uwe Swarat (Ed.): Evangelical Lexicon for Theology and Congregation . Vol. 2, R. Brockhaus, Wuppertal 1993, p. 1350.
  10. ↑ Julius Richter (ed.): General evangelical mission history. 5 volumes. C. Bertelsmann, 1906-1932.
  11. ^ Mission studies as intercultural theology and its relationship to religious studies. Paper by the Department of Religious and Mission Studies of the Society for Scientific Theology and Board of Directors of the German Society for Mission Studies, in: ZMiss (2005), pp. 376–382
  12. ^ Klaus Hock: Introduction to Intercultural Theology , Darmstadt 2011; Volker Küster: Introduction to Intercultural Theology ; Henning Wrogemann: Intercultural Theology and Hermeneutics. Basic questions, current examples, theoretical perspectives. Textbook Intercultural Theology / Mission Studies , Volume 1, Gütersloh 2012
  13. ↑ Framework regulations for the Protestant theology course (Pfarramt / Diplom / Magister Theologiae), under Framework regulations for the Protestant theology course.pdf. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; accessed on April 4, 2018 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.ekd.de
  14. ↑ Henning Wrogemann: Interkulturelle Theologie - On the definition and subject area of ​​the sixth subject of the theological faculty , in: Berliner Theologische Zeitschrift (32) 2015, 219-239. See H. Wrogemann: Theologie interreligious relationships , Gütersloh 2015, 413–442.
  15. ↑ Unless otherwise noted, the list is based on the information provided by the German Society for Mission Studies ; see website of DGMV: Mission Studies at German-speaking theological faculties and training institutions ; accessed on April 27, 2013.
  16. ↑ Unless otherwise noted, the information in the following section refers to Hans-Werner Gensichen, Creighton Lacy: Artikel Missionswissenschaft: Associations , in: Lexikon zur Weltmission (edited by Stephen Neill, Niels-Peter Moritzen, Ernst Schrupp ), Wuppertal and Erlangen 1975, ISBN 3-7974-0054-3 , p. 366 f.
  17. ↑ Internet presence of the International Institute for Mission Science Research: IIMF viewed on December 9, 2018.
  18. ↑ Internet presence of the German Society for Mission Studies : DGMW ; accessed on April 29, 2013.
  19. ↑ Internet presence of the International Association for Mission Studies: IAMS , accessed on April 29, 2013.