Bakke, Ray. 1997. A Theology as Big as the City. Downers Grove, IL. InterVarsity Press.
Ray Bakke is Chancellor and distinguished professor of global urban ministry at Bakke Graduate University in Seattle, Washington. He founded International Urban Associates (IUA) in 1989. IUA has developed and facilitated a network of more than 100 urban-based church and mission leaders in many of the largest cities of the world. Bakke has extensive experience in urban ministry having worked in more than 200 large cities on six continents. He has also authored The Urban Christian: Effective Ministry in Today's Urban World (InterVarsity, 1987).1
The thesis of this book is that the primary challenge of the church regarding the city is theological. (14)
Bakke takes 26 chapters to develop and defend his thesis. In the first chapter, Bakke tells his story of how he was pushed and led into urban ministry. Chapters 2 through 13 are an exegesis of a consistent Old Testament theme of the city. In these chapters, Bakke discusses the role of the city in God’s mission to reconcile his creation. Chapter 14 is a look at the role of the city in the intertestamental period. Chapters 15 through 24 continue the exegesis of the city, but from a New Testament perspective. Chapter 25 is committed to describing some of the author’s urban ministry heroes and heroines. The final chapter is Bakke’s conclusion of his theology of the city and it includes a listing and description of ten tensions or themes that he sees as critical to a balanced approach to urban ministry.
I liked this book very much and believe that the author did an excellent job of defining and defending his thesis. His personal storytelling style of writing evidences his extensive experience and adds great authority to the book. This book was a paradigm shifter for me. In particular, there are two different themes that I see having a major impact on my current ministry context. First, the church must repent of its nationalistic tendencies. Second, the missionary strategies of Paul were city oriented, which is something that I must learn to embrace as a sender.
In several chapters, Bakke addresses how our nationalistic tendencies are not a part of the plan of God. He shows from the stories of Jonah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Ruth, the Jerusalem Council in Acts and several others that “the whole gospel for the whole city is what’s required” (100), not just for those who are like us. He also points out that Stephen’s sermon, in Acts 7, seems to be focused on calling into question “Israel’s ethnocentrism and geographical patriotism” (141). For this, Stephen was killed. He then points out that many Americans are guilty of a similar thing by “wrapping the gospel in the U.S. flag” (141). This type of ethnocentrism is nothing short of a sin against God and his plan to redeem all peoples. We, the church, must repent of this if we are going to join in God’s plan.
In Chapter 19, Bakke outlines Paul’s urban missionary methods. First, Paul always approached cities instead of rural areas. The key is how Paul approached each city he went to. Paul’s wisdom was in realizing that no two cities were the same. Paul “varied the three m’s - the message, the meeting place and the methodology - to better reach the different audiences of those cities” (154). We must learn to do the same. We must learn to seek where the Holy Spirit is already at work in a particular context and then design our strategies around such. Paul’s methods show that this is both an acceptable and effective approach to finishing the task.
1 Board of Regents - BGU.edu - Bakke Graduate University. http://www.bgu.edu/profiles/regents (accessed February 14, 2009).
Comments