Redefining Mission

I've just read and re-read that chapter in Brian McLaren's book on Mission and his understanding of the subject. I found it fascinating and i need more time to chew it over.
Anyway here's a summary of it:

Saving souls from the dehumanizing effects of hostility to God and other(s).
As souls have a body and a body needs the air, planet and creation. We endeavour
to 'save' all these aspects.
Salvation from the effects of misguided, distorted, dysfonctional religion.
Saving decision: a choice not to live for our own selfish interests alone.
But for the common good, the good of all creation.
God saves us from the evil effects of greed, pride, fear and hostility.
(Remember human beings bear God's image, therefore they are good)
Freedom of religion - not getting people from other religions to come over to
our Christian religion. People can choose to do so. That's their choice.
Calling (everyone) to welcome Jesus in their community and invite them to
watch as he transforms temples of stone into temples of humanity.
Inviting to be born again - not once but an ongoing transformation.
Alter Call (not Altar Call) - a calling to alter our self-understanding of God
as revealed in the human-kindness of Jesus. To discover a God who needs no
appeasement but who seeks to bring all things into joyous reconciliation.
Also, an invitation to alter our self-understanding and discovering a new identity.


Now as I said i'm still processing Brian's ideas.
It's a call to a new understanding of mission that certainly rocks the boat of old colonial
type mission.
This new approach calls for both respect for the other and humility on our part.
I can see that Jesus didn't come to start a new religion called the Christian religion but came to show the Way to all humanity in every culture and religion. The Way of peace and salvation from our hostility towards God, our fellow human beings, ourselves and creation.
The central message of Jesus was and still is the Kingdom of God is here - among us and not yet come in its fulness. Jesus taught and demonstrated with his life what that Kingdom looks like. One of peace, reconciliation and love. The Kingdom (or as Brian refers to it) the Commonwealth of God - transcends all religions and all cultures. So I can understand the concept of 'freedom of religion' - as the Jesus Way - the Kingdom/Commonwealth Life is not 'contained' by a single religion - so the call to 'welcome' Jesus into your community (which could be read religion or culture) - will in fact transform the community to live out the Commonwealth of God - within its cultural/religious context. And therefore there would not be a need to change religion. But as a consequence of welcoming Jesus and following Him the community/religion/culture would be transformed.

I once read somewhere that Jesus came to make us more human. In the context of mission - our hope is to see ourselves being more Christlike which is to be a better human - full of human-kindness.