EMQ » April–June 2021 » Volume 57 Issue 2
By Paul Borthwick
InterVarsity Press, 2020
176 pages
US$16.00
Reviewed by Hoon Jung, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA.
Mission 3:16: God’s One-Verse Invitation to Love the World is written to explain the meaning of mission by taking a careful look at John 3:16. Through a valid exegesis of the verse, the author deals with God as the initiator, the motivation, the foundation, the value, and the significance of mission (13–14). Although many prominent missiologists such as Christopher J. H. Wright have already dealt with John 3:16 as a foundational text for mission, this book is worthy of reading because the author dissects the verse meticulously, going beyond ways that other missiologists have addressed this verse.
There are several notable strengths of this volume. The first is that the author addresses weighty topics of missiology with a readable style. For example, the author demonstrates that God is the initiator of mission by using the phrase “For God” as leverage. This is relevant to the discussion of missio Dei. He also touches on the topic of marginalized people and migration as mission that is one of the most important issues in contemporary missiology (50). Readers will have a straight-forward introduction to such missiological topics through this work.
Second, the author helps his audience enter into the book’s key concepts by telling personal stories that warm the reader’s heart and promote a passion for mission. For example, dealing with the phrase “so loved” in chapter three, he illustrates true love as the underlying motive of mission through a conversation he had with a Muslim woman after the Boston Marathon bombing in April 2013.
Third, the useful “Next Steps” sections at the end of each chapter offer practical discussion topics relevant to the main concepts in the chapter. These resources can help church leaders and mission practitioners lead to constructive conversations about their ministry.
A possible limitation of the book is that, if the author had offered more academic insights, this book would have been more useful for wider audiences such as students of missiology who want to dive into the more academic issues. For example, although the author is concerned about marginalized people, he does not indicate the complexity of the problem. Since the author is not only a mission practitioner, but also a prolific writer and a professor of global Christianity, he could have included this.
However, because of its many strengths, this well-written book is a must-read, especially for church leaders, mission practitioners, and entry-level students of missiology who need a succinct and significant theological basis for mission.
For Further Reading
Goheen, Michael W. Introducing Christian Mission Today: Scripture, History and Issues. IVP, 2014.
Wright, J. H. Christopher. The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative. IVP, 2006.
