Missiologist and church historian Andrew Walls begins his classic essay, “The Gospel as Prisoner and Liberator of Culture,” with a fascinating thought experiment. An extraterrestrial who is a “Professor of Comparative Inter-Planetary Religion” has come to earth to study the Christian religion. The alien visits Christian gatherings across various times and places. He finds thatContinue reading “The Gospel as Prisoner and Liberator of Culture”
Category Archives: Missiology
Future Glory in Heaven and Future Justice on Earth
I planned this discussion forum for my “Orientation to Theological Studies Course” many months ago… but the topic is especially relevant this week. One key aspect of Derek Hicks’s essay, “Eschatology in African American Theology” was the notion that for African American theologians “eschatology is woven together by thoughts of future glory in heaven and future justiceContinue reading “Future Glory in Heaven and Future Justice on Earth”
Review: Insider Jesus by William Dyrness
William Dyrness’s book, Insider Jesus, is an attempt to provide a theological framework for evaluating “insider movements.” He adopts Scott Moreau’s definition of insider movements as, “movements to obedient faith in Christ that remain integrated with or inside their natural community.” (Dyrness 2016, 133) While Dyrness does not attempt to evaluate insider movements he presentsContinue reading “Review: Insider Jesus by William Dyrness”
Review: Walking with the Poor
In Walking with the Poor, Bryan Myers presents theoretical background as well as practical direction for doing the work of “Transformational Development.” The book begins with a survey of scholarship regarding theories of development. From there Myers provides a biblical theology of development. This section surveys Roman Catholic thought on the topic before explaining howContinue reading “Review: Walking with the Poor”
Review: Aliens in the Promised Land: Why Minority Leadership is Overlooked in White Christian Churches and Institutions – Anthony Bradley
Anthony Bradley’s edited volume, Aliens in the Promised Land, is a collection of essays on the topic of minority leadership in evangelical Christian churches and institutions. These essays were complied so that evangelical institutions might learn how to adequately address issues of race that often lie underneath the surface. On the surface, it seems asContinue reading “Review: Aliens in the Promised Land: Why Minority Leadership is Overlooked in White Christian Churches and Institutions – Anthony Bradley”
The Enduring Validity of Cross-Cultural Mission
I recently read an article by Lesslie Newbigin titled, “The Enduring Validity of Cross-Cultural Mission.” It was originally presented as an address at the dedication of the new location of the “Overseas Ministries Study Center” on October 5, 1987. In this essay he discusses some of the sentiments that lie behind the center’s former useContinue reading “The Enduring Validity of Cross-Cultural Mission”
Who do Missiologists Answer to?
In an entry on “Missiology” in the Encyclopedia of Protestantism, Wilbert Shenk offers, what I take, to be a pretty broad definition of missiology. According to him it is the academic study of all dimensions of the Christian mission. He includes several aspects of what “all dimensions” actually refers to, including, “biblical and theological foundations,”Continue reading “Who do Missiologists Answer to?”
Seeking Church by Dyrness and Duerksen – Book Notes
Seeking Church, by Dyrness and Deurksen, is driven by questions that arose because of the “emerging” or “insider movements” that are increasingly being witnessed at the fringes of where Christianity meets unreached areas. These movements have led missiologists and ecclesiologists to wonder how the members of these movements fit in to the structures of theContinue reading “Seeking Church by Dyrness and Duerksen – Book Notes”
In Search of Christ in Latin America
During my studies at Fuller I came to realize something: many evangelicals are unaware of some of the great resources that are being produced by theologians around the world. There are probably some sociological reasons for this (American in general tend not to be as globally aware as the citizens of other countries) but thereContinue reading “In Search of Christ in Latin America”
The Trinity Among the Nations: The Doctrine of God in the Majority World
Theology in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has been marked by two trends. The first is a revival of Trinitarian theology. This trend has attempted to place the Trinity at the center of theology and church life. The second is a turn towards the majority world. It has been well documented that inContinue reading “The Trinity Among the Nations: The Doctrine of God in the Majority World”
