Celebrating the life and ministry of Andrew Walls

Passing along a tribute to a scholar and missionary that introduces a new world through a heartfelt goodbye.

I stumbled upon an article I really enjoyed from Joshua Robert Barron at Missio Dei online journal. The article was a tribute to professor, and his mentor, Andrew Walls who recently passed, August 12, 2021. Walls served two terms as a missionary in Africa, then spent a career as a professor at Aberdeen and later Edinburgh with many distinguished marks along the way. The piece is more than an academic article as it was emotionally stirring while not less than academic by introducing Walls passionate research in World Christianity and the history of Missions. It took a friendship to write, yet it included all the citations to honor a scholar's work. Missions is more than a "numbers game" because the Kingdom is about relationships, and Barron's article combines heart, head, song, and scholarship to honor a late mentor.

Here are two reasons I'm passing on the article.

The idea of polycentric missions

As a missions pastor and teacher, I constantly ask myself, "How does reaching people for Jesus look different in a globalized world?" Satisfying answers simultaneously have to deal with the fact we are becoming more similar while keeping distinctives among peoples, groups, and sub-groups in the combined spaces we share.

Barron spends a lot of time on how Walls pioneered the study of World Christianity that develops the spread of Christianity as serial in nature, meaning that each new pocket among nations or peoples will need to self-theologize for the future of thinking Christian in their culture. Barron speaks of an "A-ha" moment for Walls when he was reflecting on second century Christians in the Greek world for wisdom for ministry today. He realized he was in the middle of the same phenomenon of second generation Christianity in his context in Sierra Leonne. Christian history was not progressive from the West, but serial through contexts. Implications he drew were how to help Christians in his area ask and answer the questions they need corporately in order to live a thoroughly Christian life in Africa. The paradigm radically changed how Walls thought, taught, and ministered.

The Poem - Baobab Falls

I have to admit, I love good storytelling and metaphor. Barron's ending emotionally moved me and taught me at the same time. The entire article reviewed a paradigm to think "in Christ" within an African cultural mindset. Then Barron invited the reader into a eulogy that was thoroughly African and exceptionally Christian. Some of the imagery I caught, some was missed; but the experience is an example of being able to appreciate the mosaic Jesus is building in the world. It was a vulnerable invitation that allowed me to participate in honoring a man I didn't know and I'm better for it.

I encourage you to check out the article and spend 20 minutes taking the journey of an example on how to reflect on missions in a globalized world.