The Force

No, this is not about Star Wars. In the textbook for Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, one of the authors talks about two types of forces in the world of missions: the expansive centrifugal force and the attractive centripetal force.

The idea behind the attractive force is that, like centripetal force in physics, it draws people in to learn more about God and the Christian life. Similarly, the idea behind the expansive force is that it sends missionaries out to spread the gospel, like centrifugal force in physics.

But there's one problem with this analogy: centrifugal force doesn't exist. The outward motion of an object on a rotating platform is not caused by any force; it's caused by momentum and inertia, which is simply the velocity of an object that drives it to continue in a certain direction unless otherwise pushed in another direction. Centrifugal "force" is the object's natural tendency to move in an outward direction.

To continue with the physics analogy, let's look at centripetal force now. Centripetal force, unlike centrifugal force, does exist. It is an inward force necessary to keep a rotating object on its circular course. Imagine a penny on a rapidly spinning turntable. Naturally, the penny will move outward. But if we were to apply centripetal force on the penny, the penny would remain unmoved from its original position on the turntable. Centripetal force keeps the rotating object moving in the right direction by pressing the object inward against the object's natural outward tendencies.

So what does all this mean for the analogy used in the Perspectives textbook? Does the non-existence of centrifugal force make it inapplicable to the idea of the mission mandate? No; in fact, it actually strengthens the mandate. See, if centrifugal force is the natural outward motion of an object in physics, why shouldn't the centrifugal force of missions be the natural tendency of Christians to go out and spread the gospel? After all, we have the Spirit in us. We have the joy of Christ and the hope of salvation. Shouldn't that give us enough spiritual momentum to want to go out and tell others about what we have so that they can have it too? There should not have to be an outward force to missions; it should just happen. And as for centripetal force, the Holy Spirit provides the necessary inward force to keep us on track to reach heaven. When Christians naturally move outward to preach, the Spirit moves in those who hear and pulls them inward so they'll want to learn more. Unbelievers, men of the world, will not want to hear the gospel unless the Spirit leads them to curiosity and desperation. In this way, the Spirit acts as the centripetal force against the natural centrifugal "force."

So let's restate the analogy from the textbook. The expansive centrifugal force is not an actual outward force, but the natural tendency of those who are saved to move outward to share their salvation with others. The attractive centripetal force, though, can only be created by the Holy Spirit, because without Him, unbelievers would continue outward and away from Christ; but with the Spirit's guidance, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, and the dead will come to life as they draw closer to the Lord Jesus Christ.