Loading ...The Need for Navigators in Post-Modern Times–3
On the other hand, the short-comings of the map readers are the strengths of the navigators. As the map readers are blinded by tradition, the navigators are led by principles from the Word of God. The map readers are afraid of pushing past tradition because of the fear of falling off the horizon, while navigators are courageous because of the confidence in guiding people into the horizon of the future. A navigator has the ability to gage culture and the Bible to provide a faithful response to the changing climate of the world. Instead of relying on the mental maps from the past, the navigator has the skill in reading the signs of the seas to continue to minister in areas where those who have limited talent are afraid to tread. The navigator is not guided but blind courage, or erroneous interpretation of the text, or the pull of culture, but by the theology of the Word of God. The navigator is able to read the Word of God to provide a Biblically faithful response to the issues of the present day. The Apostle Paul was an ancient navigator of imparting the Word of God to an unknown land. Of course Paul traveled through the world spreading the good news, but what really makes him a master navigator was his ability to navigator the gentile world. His background was predominantly Jewish which made him a master map reader, but he was able to transcend this limitation by applying theology of God’s grace to the forbidden world of the gentiles. Instead of rejecting the gentiles like the majority of his Jewish brethren he boldly traveled into the new culture of the day to spread the message of Christ. He used his understanding of the nature of God, the sacrifice of Christ, and the mission of evangelism to guide his theology in leading the Gentiles to salvation. He fought for the elimination of the typical Jewish practices of circumcision and the observation of holy days because he realized that these were part of the map of the Jews but not the requirements of God (Romans 14:13). This was why Paul became the missionary to the Gentiles because he had the ability to navigator through culture using the Word of God. Acts 28:28 speaks of his intentions. “Let it be known to you therefore, that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will also listen.” Instead of staying in the map of the Jews which stated that only Jews could be included in the kingdom of God, he was able to travel over the horizon into the new world of salvation for all man.
Related posts:
- The Need for Navigators in Post-Modern Times–1
- The Need for Navigators in Post-Modern Times-4
- Characteristics of Navigators
- Map Readers and Navigators
- Read “The Post-American World”
About The Author
What you are talking about is being a “missiological theologian” or a “ministry practicioner.” The missiological theologian understands that interpreting scripture is not done just for recovering neat information about documents that are centuries old. Instead, interpreting scripture is done so that God’s people can continue to live out the mission of God in both faithful and relevant ways for each generation and culture. This requires an engagement with scripture (as well as the issues that have developed from scripture throughout history) but it also requires an engagement with contemporary people and culture.
Too many Christians act as the we can just lift up the pages of scripture and slap them down on the current culture as is and that this will work (though it never does). They fail to account for the occasional nature of scripture. Our job is to engage scripture so that we can hear the gospel story told in scripture and then help our context become shaped by that gospel. Of course if we are talking about an issue like slavery, it is easy to see how the gospel should be applied. But take an issue like women serving in ministry/church and there is wide-spread disagreement among people who all share the same convictions regarding the inspiration and authority of scripture. But this is where we need to extend grace to each other, since we all will not arrive at the same conclusions on every issue.
Grace and peace,
Rex
i think the diffrence between the 2 is right brain and left brain thinking.
Left sees and reads and puts into action.
Right senses and hears and applys to people.
and the 2 have boath concrete and abstract applications.
its not like we all can have both right and left concrete and abstract.
its one or the other.
or the 2 in the one without the other.
im sure that makes no sense.