The Missionary-Theologian: Sent into the World, Sanctified by the Word

by E.D. Burns

Gospel doctrine is the lifeblood of mission. Most missionaries in church history have, in preparation for the field, committed themselves to rigorous study and extraordinary theological training, but there has been a move away from that in recent times. E.D. Burns contends that this is dangerous, leaving those who need it most ill–equipped to deal with the difficulties mission life brings. This brotherly and friendly plea challenges those who are already in, or are considering joining, the mission field to rest in Christ’s work and abide in His Word.

Genres: Theology, Christian

264 pages, Paperback

Published July 3, 2020

Reviews

[Claire Syers]

A very timely read. It so clearly explained the role of a missionary as teachers and sharers of the Word, and challenged the modern approach of methodologies and strategies to "win people over". It is only Christ who does that, through the God-breathed scriptures.
"The sweet subjective experience of God's love always emerges from knowing the objective truth of His love in Christ"

[Landon Jones]

Best book on missions that I’ve read so far.

[Brian Pate]

Really good book. Burns issues a call for missionaries to also be theologians, with plenty of examples of the bad fruit that comes from divorcing missiology and theology. The book is a patchwork of essays on the gospel-centered life (ch. 1), the missionary call (ch. 2), and the missionary's walk with God (ch. 3). He helpfully addresses issues such as the mission (ch. 4), contextualization (ch. 6), leadership (ch. 7), and the message of the gospel (ch. 8).

However, his treatment of the sending church (ch. 5) was less helpful. He claimed the Bible is silent on church polity (p. 128), aiming some not-so-subtle jabs at 9 Marks, but it was unclear exactly where his disagreement lay. It seems that Burns is reacting to some personal experiences with heavy-handed authority from stateside churches.

I only had minor critiques of this book: I wish he had clarified the chapter on the sending church, smoothed out the essays so they don't feel stitched together, and written with a positive rather than reactionary tone. Other than that, Burns has provided some mature and needed reflections on the current state of missions.

[Matthew Bennett]

This was a book filled with lots of very important points drawn from the author’s extensive experience serving in various locations around the globe. Burns calls for what should be the obvious expectation that a missionary be a theologian of considerable study, skill, wisdom, and gifting and that the centerpiece of missions work should be the proclamation of the Gospel, the teaching of the Scriptures, and the training of local exegetes and theologians. It should be obvious, but it is not practiced very consistently, so Burns’s book is timely and important.
Particularly helpful is his section on the missionary as a global theologian.
One aspect of the book that seems a bit lacking is a common thread or structural logic to the book. The content is quite good-though at times it remains general and unspecific-but at times the themes seem to jump from one line of thought and tone to another without a clear and immediate link.
This is a book that is worthy of time and reflection, though and I recommend it to those who are both being sent and those who are sending missionaries.

[Chas Morse]

E. D. Burns writes a much-needed book for those desiring to serve our Lord in Missions.

Problem Stated: The last generation of missionaries have been woefully untrained theologically. There seems to be a lack of thoughtfulness, discernment, care, and wise long-term planning in missions. Additionally, It is a commonplace to separate missions from theology … Christian action from Christian doctrine revealed in Scripture.

Theology in missions is a necessity, not a luxury!

Burns reminds the would be missionary that any attempt to serve the Lord in the pressure cooker of the mission field that is not solely resting in Jesus and His victorious work and written word can easily dissolve into non-kingdom productivity.

Theme: When the Holy Spirit propels Bible-centrality that motivates the heart, instructs the mind, and consecrates the life of the missionary to Christ, fruit bearing in mission will inevitably result.

In other words, the book argues “for the happy union between the discipline of theology and the practice of missions, yet always expressed out of gratitude for the Sovereign grace of God in the person and work and glory Christ alone to save us and commission us (the missionary) for such an honorable task.”

Again, this is a great book dealing with the fundamentals of Biblical missions.

Chas Morse

[Kyleigh Dunn]

This book needs to be way more widely known! It is phenomenal and will strengthen and encourage you, whether you're a missionary, a pastor, or a church member seeking to pray and care for the missionaries in your life. Most of the content was familiar to me from general theology or ecclesiology specifically, but Burns applies it to missions, demonstrating what it means to be a Word-centered missionary.

[Jacob Brien]

Don’t get me wrong, this is a valuable, thought provoking book. I think it asks a lot of very good questions and helps its readers seek to break down common assumptions perhaps we don’t even realise that we hold about God’s great work among the nations. I loved Burns’ reiteration that one who is sent must be one who is so on the solid foundation of Christ and grounded in the living Word. He rightly challenges those who enter into the field with a solely humanitarian or cultural unity perspective or a post-modern view of sharing the offence of the cross. Not to mention that the last chapter and the conclusion were 🔥.

In my eyes this isn’t the place for a debate, but I reduce my review to 3 stars because of how often throughout the whole first half of the book I struggled with some of his hard line definitions of what it means to be someone who is actually sent and capable of doing the work of fulfilling the Great Commission, as well as his distinguishing between what was starting to feel like regular church people and THOSE people who go. I personally have witnessed great abuse on both sides of the field with this very us and them mentality I felt he was leaning toward. While I will not pretend to ignore the realities behind the abuses of passive go-ers or not being people living out our lives and our relationships with the Word of God and time in heartfelt prayer at the forefront regardless of culture, language, perception, or any other barrier we think or feel might be there, I take his definitions and words with a grain of salt. Pondering particular contexts, stories, and experiences in and around my life, I had many times of asking myself if his words were nearly making those void of being “real”. Take my words in the same way though. Test everything against the Word. I hope we are both humble enough to know and declare publicly that we have so much to grow in and seek understanding about.

Let us all labour on with joy and perseverance no matter the nation we call home.

[Thomas]

Solid, Challenging Resource for Anyone Contemplating the Mission Field

This book raises the bar concerning the standard missionary expectations that most churches have. You want to serve Christ on the mission field? You better hit the books and learn the Bible and theology, and you better become a man of prayer. Loved the book, and I will be recommending it to those I am training for ministry.

[Elizabeth ‘Andy’ Terrall]

Burns argues for the necessity of both the missionary’s life and work being founded on the centrality of the Bible. Effective evangelism of a people group and sustaining one's own commitment and dedication on the mission field through hardships and trials requires holding the Christocentric Word central. This book discusses how theology and missiology should work together and why they are necessary for gospel-centered missions.

[Michael H.]

Great book! Very well written and great layout of information. Every person wanting to serve cross culturally should be required to read this book. Every pastor/church leader should read this as well. Great insight and very convicting.

[Colin]

Awesome book for aspiring missionaries to see the important pillars of being a missionary and preparing for the long road ahead. This is also a great book to encourage 'veteran' missionaries no matter where they are.

[Devon]

Overall a good emphasis on the need to focus on the Bible and theology as central to the missionary endeavor. I thought he had good things to say but the tone of the book seemed a little abrasive. Also I think his approach to contextualization is helpful but I find it a bit narrower than my own.

[Dr. Z]

Really helpful perspective on missions, would recommend to prospective missionaries or churches who support missionaries.

[Wilson]

I'd recommend to all considering this calling.

[Michael Schmid]

A good book showing the importance of how different aspects of missions and missionary life must be grounded in and shaped by Scripture.