James Philippo sailed to Jamaica
in 1823 as a missionary with BMS. He
arrived in a context of brutal slavery on the island with great suffering and
death as part of everyday life. He was
sent to preach the gospel, but could not do so without also challenging the
practice of slavery. I had the privilege
of visiting the church that he planted in Spanish Town that remains standing
and thriving to this day. Many African slaves paid the ultimate price of their lives as they fought against slavery. For their
stand against slavery Philippo and other BMS missionaries like William Knibb
faced persecution, imprisonment and beatings.
Their message of liberation was of necessity woven into their fight for
liberation of the oppressed.
Every text has a context. If someone says, “I love you”, the differing
contexts of a romantic meal with one’s wife, or gazing at a slick and shiney
new car, then the knowing the context is vital.
In the same way speaking of faith needs to be understood in terms of the
context. Jesus himself spoke and lived
out his mission in context. So for
example his words “Go and sin no more” cannot be properly understood apart from
his compassionate encounter with a woman for whom the religious people were
practically baying for her blood. Jesus too stood up for the weak and the oppressed. He both proclaimed and demonstrated freedom.
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| Freedom Tree outside Philippo Baptist Church, Spanish Town, Jamaica |
This week I am coordinating a
series of seminars for Baptist leaders from across the world that gives
opportunity to hear how we try and hold together text with context in mission both historically and today. How we hold together the proclamation and
demonstration of the Gospel is frequently described by the term ‘integral
mission’. Mission is to be integral not
in that two separate things are pushed together, but rather that they are
inseparable and form two aspects of a whole and complete expression of God’s
love.
It is my privilege to send time
with people across the world hearing how they are trying to work out the
challenge of holding together text with context, or words with
actions, in a way that honours God – people who try to follow humbly in the
footsteps of Phillipo, Knibb and others before them. Every early Baptist church in Jamaica has a 'Liberty Tree' planted outside and buried beneath lie the shackles of slavery. The tree is a reminder of both emancipation from slavery and freedom in Christ.
