David Bosch Analysis

Great Essays
David Bosch, considered to be a foremost mission theologian, presents thorough scholarship drawing upon a vast number and breadth of sources, covering the entire chronological scope to the present era of NT church history from a "emerging ecumenical paradigm of mission" perspective in an amazingly compact fashion. The epochal treatment of missions by Bosch is notable, also in it’s scope from Primitive Christianity, Hellenistic period, middle ages Roman Catholic, Reformation, Modern Enlightenment and finally the Ecumenical.

Strengths and Weaknesses Bright flashes of hope exist when I read orthodox theology stated in a fresh way from Bosch as when he states that the NT is both a mission history and a mission theology. I think this is wonderful,
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So far one area, and perhaps the only area of textual criticism (lower) that has benefitted me is the demonstration that Scripture is accurate to the original manuscripts. The general consensus given was, not that material is missing, but that there may be minor copy inclusions that do not affect the overall reading. Dr. Bill Mounce in his NT survey class instructed us that the Bible that we have is 100% sufficient to present the Gospel. I dream of a rewritten Transforming Mission without higher textual criticism and liberalism. As a remedy, I fantasize Bosch choosing contemporary leaders in conservative study such as: Reymond, Frame, Poythress, Carson, Sproul, Murray, Kaiser, Grudem, Ridderbos, and D.Moo. From these scholars there is one key point that makes them stand apart from the liberal scholars in their firm position on accepting the inerrancy of Scripture. One may ask what is the importance of holding to the inerrancy of Scripture? I believe Dr. Walter R. Martin explains well that once our theology becomes corrupt then our view of Christ is changed. Idolatry is the very thing that Bosch warned us against saying idolatry “allegiance to anything that is false.” At that point we become idolaters, we create our own personal …show more content…
There wasn’t a single exception. This corrupt Bibliology then lead them to the next step. Their Theology began to be touched by it, their view of the Cross, the Virgin Birth were both immediately questioned; then came the miracles of Christ. And finally they had emptied the Gospel of all its content; they were simply using the outward shell so that they go on collecting money from the people and the churches; because they knew that if the people in the pew knew that they were apostate, they’d throw them out. So the strategy was hang on to the trust funds; hang on to the money we’ve got; hang on the properties we control, and we will gradually educate the laymen into this new approach to theology.

I believe that Dr. Martin’s research is clear of the danger of false doctrine is, I am not sure if Bosch was properly apprised of the dangers of liberal teaching. Bosch easily could have chosen a strong conservative appeal to Scripture to address all the issues that concerned him. Yet many liberal scholars are quoted to the exclusion of stronger Biblical teaching. I could illustrate scholars quoted by Bosch such as Newbigin, or Raushenbusch or N.T. Wright on this point. I will choose only one example in Karl Barth. Many see him as brilliant, Yale University honors Barth and held a colloquium in memorial of Barth 1969 on January 28th. Prof. Dale Martin of Yale

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