Daniel and God’s Mission in Babylon: Lessons for the Modern Church

Abstract

The study explores Daniel’s missiological approach to the Mission of God within the Babylonian culture and its missiological lessons for mission among diverse cultures in the modern church. The paper employed a mix of qualitative and library-based approaches, with the book of Daniel, chapters 1-6, as the central area of focus. This approach analysed primary and secondary data from scholarly and religious texts, which were selected based on relevance, with validity ensured through cross-referencing of the data. Data were coded to identify central themes and refined through an iterative analysis process. The study found that in mission, a balance between presence and proclamation is crucial, and missionaries should consider every place as an opportunity for mission. Overall, the study asserts that following the example of Daniel, missionaries should remain faithful, be courageous, and active in their mission in diverse contexts. They should uphold cultural adaptability, spiritual integrity, and strategic engagement as methods that can be employed for mission in the contemporary church. Missionaries should embrace humility, cultural awareness, and strategic planning to understand cultural contexts while staying true to biblical truths as Daniel did. The study recommends training church leaders and members in cultural adaptability, context-aware communication, respectful cross-cultural engagement, and prayer as missiological approaches for missions in diverse cultural environments.