Hello;

Should missiology be studied as a field of knowledge unto itself or subsumed under a larger category of study, such as becoming a branch "Practical Theology" and how should missiology be treated in a seminary?


Also,

How many Reformed Seminaries have a missiology department or a dept. of intercultural studies?


Are there a lot?

Why or why not would they have or not have such a department?

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Pergamum


"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
-- David Livingstone

According to A. Kuyper (Encyclopaedie der Heilige Godleerdheid), missiology (Prosthetics, as he called it) is a didactic discipline in the diaconiological group of subjects. It shares this position with subjects such as homiletics, catechetics, and liturgics. Kuyper's structuring of theological encyclopedia was influential in Europe, but aside from one or two ghettoes, basically ignored in North America.

Personally, I don't think it matters a whole lot where one places it in the theological curriculum. I've seen it argued that missiology really should be seen as the discipline which integrates all the others. That could be done too.

According to my older (2004) copy of EMIS' "Directory of Schools and Professors of Mission and Evangelism," at least RTS and the RPCNA seminary in Pittsburgh have separate missions departments. There may be more...

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Wes Bredenhof
Co-pastor, Langley Canadian Reformed Church
Langley, British Columbia
www.bredenhof.ca

Hmm.....prosthetics....something unnatural that enables mobility....a funny label for missions.

__________________
Pergamum


"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
-- David Livingstone

Kuyper insisted on giving a Biblical Greek name to each discipline. Prosthetics came from the Greek "prostithemi," the word used in Acts 2:47, "The Lord added [prostithemi] daily those who were being saved to the church."

__________________
Wes Bredenhof
Co-pastor, Langley Canadian Reformed Church
Langley, British Columbia
www.bredenhof.ca

J H Bavinck - 'An Introduction To The Science Of Missions' may offer some answers. Worth reading!

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Independent Reformed Baptist Church (NE England, nr. Durham)

Yes, Bavinck is definitely worth reading. After more than 50 years, his book is still the standard Reformed text on the subject.

Bavinck follows Kuyper's approach.

__________________
Wes Bredenhof
Co-pastor, Langley Canadian Reformed Church
Langley, British Columbia
www.bredenhof.ca

"Science" of missions?

__________________
Pergamum


"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
-- David Livingstone

Zendings-wetenschap (translates literally as "science of missions") was the older Dutch way of saying "missiology." More contemporary Dutch writers use "missiologie."

__________________
Wes Bredenhof
Co-pastor, Langley Canadian Reformed Church
Langley, British Columbia
www.bredenhof.ca