The Ascension and the Renewal of Mission

We live in an age of increasing anxiety about the future of the church, as many are asking about what makes the church relevant within the world today. The true relevance of the church, however, is not found by looking to the world, but above the world. The theological backdrop of the church’s mission is Jesus’ ascension into heaven. The distinctness of Christian mission emerges from these strange cosmological events, as Christ’s ascension gives the church’s mission a heavenly orientation. This lecture will show how the renewal of mission depends upon having a clear vision of the ascended Christ.