Mission as "crossing frontiers"? - a New Mission Theological Reflection on the Mission Concept of David Bosch

Abstract

Despite numerous appreciations, David Bosch's multidimensional and comprehensive concept of mission is still confronted with the persistent core criticism that it is too comprehensive and does not contain a criterion by which the concept of mission can be narrowed down. As a counter-thesis, K. J. Livingston argues that the aspect of “crossing frontiers” constitutes such a criterion for Bosch's concept of mission. This paper takes up this discussion and elaborates the significance of the aspect of “crossing frontiers” in Bosch's main work Transforming Mission and in the overall framework of his mission concept. This paper concludes that while the motif of “crossing frontiers” is a not insignificant building block in Bosch's concept of mission, it is never used in a bold, contextless, and isolated way, but is accompanied by other aspects such as love and service giving. In a systematic final reflection, Bosch's mission-theological concept is appreciated in view of its uniqueness and originality.