The current report summarizes the “Scripture as a Narrative Record of God’s Mission” chapter from the book Introducing Christian Mission Today by Michael W. Goheen. The focus of this part is the description of how Scripture conveys the message of God’s mission to the readers. In other words, the author argues that Bible’s narrative should be perceived as a literary whole that recognizes the mission as its central element instead of one of the sub-themes.
In the chapter, the author emphasizes the significance of such terms as narrative, literary whole, and plot in the discussion of the Bible. Goheen (2014) notes that people frequently tend to focus on specific lines from Scripture, ignoring the overall narrative and its message. The author argues that it is more appropriate to emphasize the “narrative” and follow the development of the “mission” (Goheen, 2014, p. 38). It means that one must examine God’s, Israel’s, Jesus’, and the Church’s missions to understand the true meaning of the concept and the message of Scripture. Personally, I agree with this position and believe that focusing on the overall narrative of the mission can help one understand what believers should do. Learning about each of its aspects, such as helping others and bearing witness to Jesus, is crucial for Christians who want to deepen their knowledge about faith.
In this report, I have examined Goheen’s perspective on Scripture’s narrative and how it reflects the fundamental meaning of the mission. In this sense, the essence of my writing focuses on how believers can interpret the Bible to deepen their knowledge of faith and Christianity in general. I believe that a thorough understanding of mission can become a guiding light for many people as Scripture’s narrative transparently conveys the message of God’s and Israel’s (or believers’) missions.
Reference
Goheen, M. W. (2014). Introducing Christian mission today: Scripture, history and issues. IVP Academic.