Theology and Mission Between Neocolonialism and Postcolonialism J OERG R IEGER ∗ ABSTRACT In this article Joerg Rieger writes about the historical connection between colonialism and mission, and the connection between neocolonialism and mission in the present situation of globalization. Thinking on mission today, he argues, does not always see the subtle connection between mission and neocolonialism, even though it has recognized and renounced the former colonialism. While mission as “outreach” and “relationship” have some positive aspects, they can easily be tainted with neocolonial attitudes. In contrast, Rieger advocates an understanding of mission as “inreach,” by which one approaches the other as truly other, and opens oneself to be changed in the encounter. A dialogical approach to mission – indeed a “multilogical” approach is “no longer optional but essential to the future of both mission and theology.” KEYWORDS Neocolonialism, Postcolonialism, Mission Theology “To missionize is to colonize and to colonize is to missionize.” 1 Ever since the conquest of the Americas, Christian mission and colonialism have been inextricably related. And while the forms of both colonialism and mis- sion have changed over the centuries, they have continued their alliance. ∗ Joerg Rieger is Professor of Systematic Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA. Among his publications are Remember the Poor: The Challenge to Theology in the Twenty-First Century (1998) and God and the Excluded: Visions and Blindspots in Contemporary Theology (2001). Address: Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75275-0133, USA. E-mail: jrieger@mail.smu.edu. 1 In 1913, the German Roman Catholic missiologist J. Schmidlin complemented the statement of German Colonial Secretary W.H. Solf with the statement “to missionize is to colonize.” See Bosch 1991: 306. c 2004 Koninklijke Brill NV also available online Mission Studies 21.2 see: www.brill.nl