Reading Hebrews Missiologically
Abeneazer G. Urga (PhD, Columbia International University) lectures at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology and is Director of Research at the Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA). He has served as the department head for the MA in Biblical Studies, has lectured in biblical studies at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is an adjunct professor at Columbia International University. He is a member of Equip International, SIL Ethiopia/International, and an associate member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS). He is the author of Intercession of Jesus in Hebrews (Mohr Siebeck, 2023) and co-edited Reading Hebrews and 1 Peter from Majority World Perspectives (Bloomsbury, T&T Clark, 2024), An African Introduction to the New Testament (Fortress Press, 2026), and the Reading Missiologically Series (William Carey Publishing).
Edward L. Smither (PhD, University of Wales-Trinity Saint David; PhD, University of Pretoria) is Dean of the School of Missions and Intercultural Ministry and Professor of History of Global Christianity at Columbia International University. Previously, he served for fourteen years in intercultural ministry in North Africa, France, and the USA. His previous books include Christian Mission: A Concise Global History and Mission as Hospitality.
Linda P. Saunders (PhD, Columbia International University) is an Adjunct Professor of Intercultural Communication and Cultural Anthropology at Liberty University. Previously, she spent nineteen years in cross-cultural ministry in Venezuela. She co-edited Reading Hebrews Missiologically.
Gaining New Insights from Hebrews
God’s interactions with Israel were a foreshadowing of the perfect reality in the person of Jesus: absolutely God and absolutely human. Jesus came to earth to establish his kingdom and all that God had initiated in the old covenant. There is a continuity of theological understanding as we move from the Old Testament to the letter sent to the Christians in Rome.
The discussion on the theology of mission in the New Testament usually focuses on Jesus and Paul, with minimal attention given to the General Epistles. However, Reading Hebrews Missiologically tries to fill that gap and focuses on the theology of mission in the book of Hebrews and fleshes out the unique contribution it has to the discussion of a New Testament theology of mission. The twelve contributors—from various theological, geographical, and missiological contexts—explore the missionary motive, the missionary message, and the missionary method of the Epistle to the Hebrews.
All Scripture can be read missiologically, and the letter to the Hebrews, with its emphasis on the supremacy of Christ, is no exception. We pray that this book will inspire fresh approaches to practical mission in the world today.
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Reading Hebrews Missiologically offers a collection of essays that model for us a new way of reading the Bible with our missional lenses on that is both communal and collaborative.
Harvey Kwiyani, PhDCEO, Global Connections, UK
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Rich in intellectual engagement and scholarly diversity, readers will encounter essays that draw from the best of Hebrews scholarship for a fresh missiological end.
Rev. Amy Peeler, PhDAssociate Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College and Graduate School Author, “You Are My Son”: The Family of God in the Epistle to the Hebrews
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Reading Hebrews Missiologically is a brilliant integration of missiology, theology, and biblical exegesis. It demonstrates a fruitful approach to missiological hermeneutics.
Brad Vaughn, PhD Author, Reading Romans with Eastern Eyes and One Gospel for All Nations
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Preface
Part 1: The Missionary Motive of Hebrews
Chapter 1: Hebrews and Missions: Renarrating the World in Christ By Matthew Aaron Bennett
Chapter 2: Missio Dei the Grand Narrative in the Epistle to the Hebrews By Linda P. Saunders
Chapter 3: Christ Outside the Gate: How Hebrews 13 and Galilee Locate Mission for Jesus and Relocate Mission for Us By Allen Yeh
Chapter 4: The Incarnation and the Mission of God By Michael P. Naylor
Part 2: The Missionary Message of Hebrews
Chapter 5: Missional Hospitality in Hebrews: Welcoming God and Welcoming the Stranger By Edward L. Smither
Chapter 6: Hope as an Anchor: The Missional Message of the Pilgrim People of God By Jessica A. Udall
Chapter 7: Mission Hope in a Storm-Tossed World By Irwyn Ince
Part 3: The Missionary Methods of Hebrews
Chapter 8: Evangelism in the Epistle to the Hebrews By Abeneazer G. Urga
Chapter 9: Superior Communication Skills: Modes of Divine Communication in Hebrews and the Implications for Christian Mission By Sigurd Grindheim
Chapter 10: African American Missiological Use of Hebrews: From the Antebellum Period to the Twentieth Century By Jessica N. Janvier
Chapter 11: From Milk to Meat: Implications in Hebrews for Missiological Developments in Discipleship Methods By Sarah Lunsford
Part 4: Review and Response
Chapter 12: Looking through Three Hermeneutical Lenses:
A Review of Reading Hebrews Missiologically By Robert L. Gallagher
About the Contributors
Scripture Index
Authors
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Abeneazer G. Urga
Abeneazer G. Urga
Abeneazer G. Urga (PhD, Columbia International University) lectures at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology and is Director of Research at the Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA). He has served as the department head for the MA in Biblical Studies, has lectured in biblical studies at the Evangelical Theological College in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and is an adjunct professor at Columbia International University. He is a member of Equip International, SIL Ethiopia/International, and an associate member of Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas (SNTS). He is the author of Intercession of Jesus in Hebrews (Mohr Siebeck, 2023) and co-edited Reading Hebrews and 1 Peter from Majority World Perspectives (Bloomsbury, T&T Clark, 2024), An African Introduction to the New Testament (Fortress Press, 2026), and the Reading Missiologically Series (William Carey Publishing).
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Edward L. Smither
Edward L. Smither
Edward L. Smither (PhD, University of Wales-Trinity Saint David; PhD, University of Pretoria) is Dean of the School of Missions and Intercultural Ministry and Professor of History of Global Christianity at Columbia International University. Previously, he served for fourteen years in intercultural ministry in North Africa, France, and the USA. His previous books include Christian Mission: A Concise Global History and Mission as Hospitality.
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Linda P. Saunders
Linda P. Saunders
Linda P. Saunders (PhD, Columbia International University) is an Adjunct Professor of Intercultural Communication and Cultural Anthropology at Liberty University. Previously, she spent nineteen years in cross-cultural ministry in Venezuela. She co-edited Reading Hebrews Missiologically.
- Pages: 216
- Publisher:
William Carey Publishing
William Carey Publishing
- Binding: Paperback
- Publish Year: 2023
- Vendor: William Carey Publishing
