A theology of partnership in a globalized world

Abstract

God has initiated and has continued to be in partnership with humans and the rest of creation. Christians have known this partnership in the particular shape of God’s mission in Christ. Christian unity in Christ and unity in mission are the foundations of this partnership. The history of Christian mission is full of examples of this partnership, sometimes falling short or missing the mark of God’s embodiment of Christ and, at other times, contributing to the work of making the gospel become real in the lives of communities. This article continues the conversation with the hope that it contributes a critical perspective to the discourse. To carry out this task, I will weave together the theological framing and the contextual setting in order to drive home the main points of my theology of partnership in a globalized world—a theology which, I hope, would inform or guide policies and programmatic expressions of partnering churches.