Wounded in Mission: Where in the World Are You from? Identity and Suffering in Discipleship and Witness

Abstract

This essay examines the missionary calling and character of the people of God. The argument is made that the call to discipleship has significant implications for how Christians understand their identity. To be a disciple means to submit to a kingdom and a way of life that challenge the powers of this world and nationalistic understandings of identity. Discipleship also implies that following Christ entails bearing the wounds of a broken world as a testimony to the work of Christ. The key themes of discipleship, suffering and identity are examined through an analysis of biblical passages in the Gospel of John and some of Paul’s letters.