Text and Task: Scripture and Mission

Practical, scriptural, and contemporary, Text and Task is a series of essays on Scripture and mission. It aims to show the significance of reading the biblical text appropriately and with faithful engagement for our theology and missiology. A team of biblical scholars suggests ways forward in areas such as the implicit missional narrative of David and Goliath, the story of Solomon and his Temple building, the genre of lament, the explicit gracious message of the prophet Isaiah, Paul's understanding of divine call and gospel, and the place of mission as a hermeneutic for reading the Bible. Theological chapters engage the issues of the Trinity and the unevangelized, the missional dimensions of Barth's view of election, the gospel's loss of plausibility in the modern West, the place of preaching in mission, and the idea of belonging to a church community before one believes the gospel. Drawing together scholars from the fields of biblical studies, theology, sociology, and homiletics, Text and Task relates critically engaged textual reading to contemporary ongoing Christian life, thought, and mission.

Michael Parsons is Commissioning Editor for Paternoster Press and Associate Research Fellow at Spurgeon College, London. Previously, he was Director of Postgraduate Research at Vose Seminary, Perth, Western Australia. He lives with his wife and two children.