Come and See

The mission of the Church is to introduce the person of Christ to individual human beings who by faith enter into communion with God. This does not involve adapting information to a particular context, but rather establishing the context prescribed by God for the presence of Christ wherever we happen to be among the peoples of the world. Contextualization, then, creates a new invitational core context which is host to the presence of the divine person. This is defined with the help of the gifts of ecclesial Tradition, which enables conditions that facilitate communion, and which thus helps us engage the world.

Dr. Rommen brings together unique perspectives from his training as an Evangelical and his current ministry as an Orthodox priest; and offers this lively and important consideration of the nature and contextualization of Christian mission in the midst of the many challenges posed by contemporary life. He writes with fluency, grace, and a deep sense of commitment. This is an important and highly useful book for all who are interested in communicating the faith.
— John A McGuckin, Nielsen Professor of Christian History, Columbia University, New York

Forward by David J. Hesselgrave

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: Contextualization and the Challenge of the Gospel-as-Person

1. The Theological Roots of the Gospel-as-Person
2. On Human Personhood
3. On Contextualization

Chapter 2: The Place of Divine Presence

1. The Church as the Place of Divine Presence
2. Sacrament as the Concretization of the Field of Divine Presence
3. Implications for the Process of Contextualization

Chapter 3: The Core Context of Mission

1. Holy Scripture
2. Apostolic Succession
3. Liturgical Structures
4. Councils
5. Hagiography
6. Iconography

Chapter 4: The Conditions of Communion

1. Divine-Human Communion: The Spiritual State of the Inviter
2. Human-Human Communion: Engaging the Invitee
3. Human-Divine Communion: Accepting the Invitation

Chapter 5: Engaging the Fields of Personal Presence in Cyberspace

1. Preliminary Observations
2. Can the Invitational Context Exist in Cyberspace

Conclusion: The Great Reversal