| 25th
February, 2007
NILS
VON KALM
Credible
Witness: Companions, Prophets, Hosts & Other Australian
Mission Models
Darren Cronshaw
Published by UNOH Publications, 2006
In
this, his first book to be published, Darren Cronshaw lays
the groundwork for effective and relevant mission in Australia.
"While
not expressly stating it, Cronshaw clearly draws us
to the best example of mission that we could have
- God Incarnate."
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Flicking
through this book before I bought it, I was reminded of John
Smith’s Advance Australia Where?, written in
1988 as a search for the reasons behind the extraordinary
lack of meaning in a nation like ours which has everything
one could materially ask for in life. In fact, Cronshaw refers
to Smith in Credible Witness, and provides us with
a detailed and fascinating recollection of the spiritual history
of this nation. I must admit to a sense of cynicism when I
began reading that Australia has a long history of spirituality,
as I was always of the opinion that this ‘Great South
Land’ is one of the most godless nations on the planet.
Cronshaw, however, debunks that myth by describing the very
deep sense of spirituality of the first Australians, then
delving into the history of Anglo-Irish settlement, looking
at the perspective of bush workers, Eureka, the labour movement,
servant leadership in the context of the Anzac legend, and
the strong sense of multiculturalism that draws Australians
together from many walks of life. He cleverly uses all these
analogies to develop effective models of mission to the various
aspects of Australian culture.
Referring to theologian Frank Rees and his term "fair
dinkum ministry", Cronshaw wants to go further by showing
that this term does not apply to our indigenous people, or
to people who have come to settle here from distant shores.
Still seeing this term as a useful analogy though, Cronshaw
says “being a credible witness involves being fair dinkum
to both Scripture and culture".
"We
need models of mission that are both faithful to the Bible
and authentically Australian," he writes.
However, far from saying that his models are the only way
to do mission in Australia, Cronshaw goes on to state that
“mission can be imagined and expressed by various models
that describe different emphases…models derived from
our own culture and history…will best enhance the theology
and practice of mission in Australia”.
While not expressly stating it, Cronshaw clearly draws us
to the best example of mission that we could have - God Incarnate,
coming to our world in a form of credible witness that we
could relate to, speaking to our own defective humanity, revealing
to us Himself in order that we might become more fully alive,
more whole, more fully in His image. For those with a passion
for credible, contextual, relevant mission to Aussie culture,
I recommend this book unreservedly.
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