THE CENTRALITY OF GENDER JUSTICE IN PROPHETIC CHRISTIANITY AND THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH RECONSIDERED

In the paper, I examine from a feminist perspective the traditional concept of mission and its practice in the Christian church. I argue that the Christian church and tradition have been experiencing the eclipse of the prophetic voice, which is a core message of Christianity, and the call for justice of the prophetic tradition is thereby overlooked in the understanding and practice of mission today. I contend that among other forms of justice issues gender justice has been most neglected. The authentic mission of the church is to be related to God's justice, and to envision for the just community, a situation in which shalom, peace and prosperity of all living beings prevail. Moving from an ecclesiocentric to a theocentric generated mission, the Christian church today has to respond to the call to action for justice as an act of participating in the missio Dei. Women everywhere have been excluded from leadership roles in the church and society, even though women experience patriarchal/kyriarchal oppression differently according to their race, class, social status, sexual orientation, or educational background. Women outnumber men in the Christian church, generally speaking, but the minority dominates the majority in Christian institutions and churches. Furthermore, men dominate the public discourse in theology and ministry, which makes women remain second class citizens in the church. This unfairness creates gender injustice in many forms. In this context, participating in God's mission means transforming the world of domination and exploitation from patriarchy/kyriarchy into the new reality of justice rolling on like a river. Struggling for and fostering radical justice and equality for all living beings is the mission of prophetic Christianity.