Engaging the Bible in Mission Theology Scholarship: A Biblical Theology of Mission or a Missional Biblical Theology? 3. Towards a hermeneutic for missional Biblical theology Hermeneutics has to do with how one approaches interpretation in the various tasks of theology.  In this posting, I would like to present in outline form how I believe we should approach a hermeneutic for missional Biblical theology.  While my proposal will actually offer a perspective on hermeneutics beyond the task of Biblical theology itself, this is necessary if we intend to relate mission theology and practice to Biblical theology.  While this may read somewhat theoretically, it is intended to guide the practice of interpretation for missional Biblical theology. The Four Tasks of Theology A fairly standard way to consider the tasks of theology is to see them in terms of two tasks of Biblical interpretation and two tasks of construction.  I suggest labelling these tasks as follows: [1] 1. the e

Engaging the Bible in Mission Theology Scholarship: A Biblical Theology of Mission or a Missional Biblical Theology? 2. Christopher Wright and a Missional Biblical Hermeneutic Christopher Wright’s The Mission of God [1] is one of the most significant works written on missions from a Biblical perspective.  Thus my own study will begin with his consideration of hermeneutical issues for engaging the Bible in mission theology.  Wright’s first two chapters of The Mission of God need to be read together in articulating a missional hermeneutic.  There is a sense in which the first chapter is a ‘missional hermeneutic’ for missions and the second chapter is a ‘missional hermeneutic’ for Scripture, but the distinction is not that clear.  While my own approach to the subject will be quite different, Wright’s observations are helpful.  The points listed here are my numbering, not Wright’s. Chris Wright first argues that we must go beyond present approaches to mission and search for a b