Group presentation questions: Theology of Missions
- Pool of discussion questions for Theology of Missions
class
- Thought-provoking discussions can be had on the
theological basis for missionary calling, the fate of the unevangelized, the challenges of
non-Christian practices, and the encounters of Christianity with diverse cultures and other
religions.
- The complexities of contextualization and the dangers of
syncretism must be faced in tackling the issue of how far one can go in adapting the Christian
faith to new cultures while retaining its essence.
Theology of Missions
The Theology of Missions class will be divided up into groups of 4 or 5 people. Each group
will select one of these questions (two groups may not use the same question), which they will
research together and prepare a presentation for the entire class.
This list of questions is not closed. That is, the group may ask for permission to deal with a
variation of one of these questions or even with a question not listed here.
Group presentations will be enriched if quotations and illustrations from the literature on the
topic are used liberally.
Theological questions for discussion
- What happens to the unevangelized heathen who die without ever having heard of Jesus?
What are the various positions that have historically been taken (and by whom) on this
question?
- How far can one adapt the Christian faith to a new culture and it still be Christian? (Issues of
contextualization versus syncretism). "Indigenous" was a word once
used in connection with this issue.
- Is Jesus the only way to God and to salvation?
- Is there a theological basis for believing that God does impress or call some people to be
missionaries? If so, what is it?
- Can traditional non-Christian ceremonies be integrated into Christianity?
- How should Christians treat the reverence for ancestors expressed by the Chinese and other
peoples?
- What is the irreducible minimum that one should consider to be the authentic gospel
message? That is, what should be the requirements for Christian baptism?
- What are the main issues a person from another religion should consider in converting to
Christianity?
- What about Jews? Should we try to convert them? Why or why not?
- What should we make of liberation theology's view that Jesus is a political hero to be
imitated as much as He is a divine figure to worship?
- Are all religions worshiping the same god/God even though each one says different things
about Him/Her/It?
- What do Jesus and Paul have to teach us in our encounters with other religions?
- What guidelines should one use in developing contextually appropriate materials and modes
of Christian expression for various cultural groups?
Is your group a healthy one?
-- Howard Culbertson,
Pointers on Creating Good Discussion Questions
- Avoid yes/no questions: That type of question limits discussion and can shut down a conversation quickly.
- Encourage exploration: Questions like "How do you think...?" or "What are the implications
of...?" invite deeper thinking.
- Ensure that questions are relevant to the central theme or objective of the discussion.
- Ask questions that require participants to connect ideas or concepts.
- Ask questions that make participants reflect on their beliefs or challenge commonly held views.
- Questions that require comparing, contrasting, or synthesizing information tend to provoke richer discussions.
- Formulate questions that can be answered in various ways. These will encourage people to see different perspectives.
- Be specific and clear in what you're asking.
- Questions that invite participants to share their own experiences or viewpoints often lead to more engaging discussions.
- Tailor the complexity of the question to the knowledge and experience level of the participants.
- To avoid excluding some participants, stay away from overly technical language or niche references that only a few people would understand.
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