John Michael Morris is (or was) a professor of missions at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (SBTS). In this article from SBTS’s Southwestern Journal of Theology, he contrasts two conflicting approaches to discipleship that are both based on different interpretations of Matthew 28:20, namely the phrase “teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” CPM proponents typically take the “minimal discipleship position” while others take the “thorough discipleship position.” The former is the quicker approach since it emphasizes obedience only to what a disciple knows. The second is slower since it includes teaching the whole counsel of the Word of God. Morris himself argues for the thorough discipleship position in this article. He also gives a number of examples of missionaries and theologians who take different sides on the issue. This is an important issue regarding CPM because it affects how long the discipleship process should take with disciples.
Read it here. 15 pages.
Citation:
John Michael Morris. “Contrasting Missiological Positions in Regard to Matthew 28:20.” Southwestern Journal of Theology. Volume 57. Number 1. Fall 2014.
