Reading Hebrews Missiologically is a collection of twelve essays which, according to the editors in the preface, contribute answers to the question, “Does the book of Hebrews contain a theology of mission?” The book of Hebrews is often understood as prioritizing the motivation and rescue of believers in danger of “falling away” or apostatizing. However, the contributors to this volume also argue that Hebrews does contribute to our understanding of missiology. The editors have helpfully organized the first eleven chapters into three units: “The Missionary Motive of Hebrews,” “The Missionary Message of Hebrews,” and “The Missionary Method of Hebrews.” Each unit has either three or four chapters. A fourth unit contains a single chapter, a review, and a response to the preceding chapters.

The editors have included a preface that provides a summary of each chapter (pp. ix–xi), and at the end of the volume is an introduction of the contributors (pp. 194–197) and a Scripture index (pp. 198–201). Most contributors have PhDs, and many have or are presently serving in a missionary organization, as faculty members, or both. The contributors represent perspectives from all over the world, which is evident in their chapters. I will briefly summarize each chapter before drawing attention to several chapters that did a masterful job of expositing the book of Hebrews and integrating that element into a missiological topic.

The first unit of four chapters explores motives of missions contained in Hebrews. In chapter 1, “Hebrews and Missions: Renarrating the World in Christ,” Matthew Bennett argues that Hebrews uniquely retells the biblical storyline in light of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus “so as to make sense of the gospel for those unfamiliar with the Scriptures” (p. 4). He contrasts this retelling with Islam’s claim of continuity with the biblical storyline. In chapter 2, “Missio Dei as the Grand Narrative in the Epistle to the Hebrews,” Linda Saunders also focuses on the biblical storyline as Missio Dei. She argues that Heb 1:3 and 2:16 portray Jesus as the image of God and the seed from Abraham. In chapter 3, “Christ Outside the Gate,” Allen Yeh focuses on Hebrews 13:13 and the biblical author’s summons to bear the reproach of Christ outside the camp. His primary point is to expand this exhortation in light of some of the contributions of Liberation Theology. In chapter 4, “The Incarnation and the Mission of God,” Michael Naylor argues that the incarnation of Jesus was necessary to God’s mission. His argument discusses the importance of Jesus as Davidic heir, Psalm 110, and Jesus as human priest.

The second unit of three chapters explores the missionary message of Hebrews. In chapter 5, “Missional Hospitality in Hebrews,” Edward Smither argues that missional hospitality is reinforced in the book of Hebrews as a mission method. After discussing hospitality in the biblical narrative, he offers several other texts in Hebrews that reinforce this idea before examining the key text of Heb 13:2. In chapter 6, “Hope as an Anchor,” Jessica Udall reviews the concept of “pilgrims” in the OT before discussing how Hebrews cast believers as pilgrims who should grasp hope as an anchor. In chapter 7, “Mission Hope in a Storm-Tossed World,” Irwyn Ince reminds readers that Jesus’s role as prophet, priest, and king has completed salvation and can offer calm amid chaos.

The third unit of four chapters discusses the missionary methods found in Hebrews. In chapter 8, “Evangelism in the Epistle to the Hebrews,” Abeneazer Urga critiques those who argue that Hebrews does not contain an exhortation that promotes verbal proclamation of the gospel. He discusses three texts—2:1–4; 4:1–3; and 11:13–16—which either directly or indirectly promote a verbal proclamation. In chapter 9, “Superior Communication Skills,” Sigurd Grindheim argues that the church’s mission is “most effective as a witness of the Lord when that witness is borne out through suffering and humility, rather than when it comes from a position of power” (p. 135). He demonstrates this through Hebrews’ portrayal of Jesus’s suffering, and then critically examining “incarnational theology” as a method. In chapter 10, “African American Missiological Use of Hebrews,” Jessica Janvier demonstrates how the book of Hebrews was used by African American Christians to bring about conversions and to offer a corrective to an aberrant Christian theology that promoted slavery. In chapter 11, “From Milk to Meat,” Sarah Lunsford evaluates several significant mission methodologies of the past 100 years through the lens of discipleship presented in Hebrews 5:11–6:3. While acknowledging the success of these movements, she also demonstrates how discipleship must involve theological instruction for the goal of maturity and obedience in righteousness.

In the final chapter, “Looking through Three Hermeneutical Lenses,” Robert Gallagher offers a critical analysis of the essays in regard to their understanding of the book of Hebrews, and their contribution to “mission.” I found several insightful observations which resonated with my own analysis.

Several chapters do a masterful job of drawing out the central message or a significant theme in Hebrews and then clearly demonstrating how the message or theme should integrate into modern missiology. Space does not permit a fuller description of the merits of these chapters; however, I found Bennett, Naylor, Smither, Grindheim, and Lunsford to be excellent examples of Hebrews’ contribution to modern missiology. Not all the chapters are balanced well regarding the exposition of Hebrews and application to missiology. Several chapters only minimally interact with Hebrews. However, readers can read this volume and appreciate how Hebrews is viewed as contributing to God’s mission in the world.

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