Regnum Edinburgh Centenary Series

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  Mission in Central and Eastern Europe: Realities, Perspectives, Trends

  Corneliu Constantineanu, Marcel Valentin Măcelaru, Anne-Marie Kool, and Mihai Himcinschi

  Central and Eastern Europe is one of the areas of the world that has undergone profound transformations during the 100 years delimited by the two Edinburgh gatherings that inspired the Regnum Edinburgh Centenary Series. It is the place in which Marxist ideology gave birth to the Communist hegemony that has impacted the European arena for over 50 years. But this is also the place where Christian Churches experienced God’s grace and provision, and even unexpected flourishing in some quarters. The present volume brings together significant contributions from over thirty theologians, missiologists and practitioners from this part of the world. The articles explore the complex missiological thinking and praxis of Central and Eastern Europe, highlight concrete missiological endeavours and pointing to the challenges and opportunities for mission in this part of the world. It also includes relevant missiological documents that emerged in the area within the past 25 years.

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  Mission and Power: History, Relevance, and Perils

  Atola Longkumer, Jorgen Skov Sorensen, and Michael Biehl

  Mission cannot ignore its engagement with power. Christian mission is unavoidably located within matrices of power structures: religion, culture, colonial power, economic and gender. It is not only in the missionary movement largely emanating from the West that Christian mission is linked to structures of power. The Christian communities of today also present significant images, practices, expressions, and sometimes exploitations of power. This volume explores the notion of power in relation to Christian mission and critically engages questions such as: What notions of power have informed mission? How have power structures been negotiated between Christian mission and local culture/religions? Which of these manifestations of power are disturbing and counter to the values of the Gospel?

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  Witnessing to Christ in North-East India

  Marina Ngursangzeli and Michael Biehl

  The Church in India has a far closer connection to Edinburgh 1910, as F S Downs points out, that one of the Indian delegates was Rev Thankan Sangma, a Garo. This little known fact is illustrative of how, on one hand, the Church in North East India is ignorant of this legacy and continues to view ecumenism poorly and suspiciously, while on the other hand the challenges faced by the Church in the region and the social, economic and political milieu it is placed in, have been largely ignored, neglected, or worse still, identified with what is generally portrayed as what the Church in India is... The book's contents deal with the nine study themes of Edinburgh 2010, spanning the ethnic, tribal and denominational diversity of the region.

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  Ecumenical Missiology: Changing Landscapes and New Conceptions of Mission

  Kenneth R. Ross, Jooseop Keum, Kyriaki Avtzi, and Roderick R. Hewitt

  This book has been prepared with acute awareness of how challenging it can be to comprehend the meaning of mission and to find direction for our own engagement in it – as individuals, churches, agencies or institutions. A key resource now available to help meet this challenge is Together Towards Life, the new mission affirmation of the World Council of Churches. This volume not only offers a wide-ranging analysis of TTL but explores the century of ecumenical missiology which underpins and informs this ground-breaking text. Every change in the global landscape has required new approaches to the practice of mission and new conceptions of its meaning. Tracing the changing landscape across the past 100 years will equip readers to develop the fresh thinking about mission that will be required today and tomorrow. This book is expected to be especially valuable in missional formation and leadership development.

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  The Reshaping of Mission in Latin America

  Miguel Alvarez

  This work describes the re-shaping of mission in Latin America in recent years. It covers a broad spectrum of Christian movements that coexist in the area. The book includes themes related to theology of mission, ecclesiology, history, social action and leadership. It is designed to serve as a guide to understand different Christian trends in contemporary Latin America. Most contributors belong to the young generation of Christian leaders emerging in different locations of the region - from the Central America, the Caribbean, and South and North America. They are sensitive to the differences that are part of denominational identity. This work is unique and calls for a meaningful and mature dialogue among Christians in the continent. Latin America is still a continent of hope where Christianity continues to grow in the midst of poverty, social and political struggles. Christian workers are seeking for unity and mutual understanding. Promising young leaders are emerging and bringing innovation, vision and dynamism to the Latin American church in every country.

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  Reflecting on and Equipping for Christian Mission

  Stephen Bevans, Teresa Chai, Nelson Jennings, Knud Jorgensen, and Dietrich Werner

  This volume looks at mission formation for all Christians and missionary formation for mission workers, agencies and churches in a changing situation of mission. The focus is on educating the whole people of God. Here is the reason for the title of this volume: Reflecting on and Equipping for Christian Mission. Theological education in the broad sense participates in the task of equipping people for God’s mission in today’s world. At the same time we affirm that all theological education is contextual and that no particular context should exercise dominant influence.

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  Evangelism and Diakonia in Context

  Rose Dowsett, Isabel Phiri, Dawit Olika Terfassa, Hwa Yung, and Knud Jorgensen

  Evangelism and diakonia belong together in the perspective of the Great Commission. Evangelism is sharing one’s faith and conviction with other people and inviting them to discipleship. Diakonia is the gospel and our faith in action and is expressed through loving our neighbor. Evangelism and diakonia are like the two blades on a pair of scissors. They give the church identity and they are functions of the church. This is not just a matter of doing evangelism and diakonia in balance and alongside each other. Rather, evangelism and proclamation have social and diaconal consequences as we call people to discipleship and to be salt and light in all areas of life. And diakonia and social involvement have evangelistic consequences as we demonstrate faith in action and witness to transformation. This ecumenical volume brings together these perspectives on integral mission.

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  Freedom of Belief & Christian Mission

  Hans Aage Gravaas, Christof Sauer, Tormod Engelsviken, Maqsood Kamil, and Knud Jorgensen

  Christian mission takes place in a world with increasing interreligious tensions, including violence and persecution. Politics, economics, religion, ethnicity and other factors play a role in these tensions. Christians too are involved in such conflicts, sometimes as those who are persecuted and sometimes as those participating in violence. ‘Freedom of religion and belief’ is a core value in the UN Human Rights Declaration. At the same time it is a core biblical value. Obstacles to and attacks on freedom of belief are therefore a central concern for witnessing to Christ. The purpose of this volume on Freedom of Belief and Christian Mission is to bring to public attention a broad overview on the history, development and perspectives on the role of mission and freedom of belief and to reflect on these issues within a context of authentic witness in mission.

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  Creation Care in Christian Mission

  Kapya Kaoma

  As the world comes to terms with the human-caused destruction of God's sacred creation, whether Global Christianity will celebrate a bi-centennial Edinburgh 2110 becomes a real question. Yet, as Creation Care in Christian Mission shows, the mounting and life-threatening ecological crisis is at the heart of the mission of God. The volume's contributing authors represent a wide range of Christian traditions and geographical regions on which they draw to initiate dialogue on creation care within the wider global Christian community. They explore hard questions relative to climate change, population growth, pollution, poverty, sustainability, economic justice, deforestation, gender, and land issues. Written with academics, missionary and development agencies, and ordinary Christians in mind, this work presents a global unified spiritual and ethical voice on Creation care. The diversity of contributors from established scholars and religious leaders makes this work a unique and critical resource for understanding human responsibility toward God's creation. The book offers hope to all Christians, for Christian mission can positively aid ecological responsibilities and actions.

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  Korean Church: God's Mission Global Christianity

  Wonsuk Ma and Kyo Seong Ahn

  Once considered as a Cinderella in church growth and mission in the post-Edinburgh Conference era, the Korean church is given its due in this book. As a guide to Korean Christianity, it contains more than thirty chapters, written by historians, missiologists, sociologists, mission practitioners, pastors, and church leaders. They come from a wide range of church traditions, and also from within and without South Korea. This volume assesses the legacy and place of Korean Christianity and its mission, provides insightful and self-critical accounts in topics ranging from theories, policies, practices, and prospects, and offers a useful overview of how the Korean church grew into a missionary church. As a non-western major mission force, it has been equipping itself and others for service by broadening the understanding of God’s mission throughout the turbulent years of imperialism, post-colonialism and globalisation. The book, concluding with reflections on the future challenges and possibilities, is intended as an important gift to the Korean church and to world Christianity.

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  Engaging the World: Christian Communities in Contemporary Global Societies

  Afe Adogame, Janice McLean, and Anderson Jeremiah

  Engaging the World deals with the lived experiences and expressions of Christians in diverse communities across the globe. Christian communities do not live in a vacuum but in complex, diverse social-cultural contexts; within wider communities of different faith and social realities. Power, identity and community are key issues in considering Christian communities in contemporary contexts. Also important is the nature and texture of mission; while a reflection on 'context' is a priority in working to improve peoples and communities.

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  The Lausanne Movement: A Range of Perspectives

  Lars Dahle, Margunn Serigstad Dahle, and Knud Jorgenson

  The Lausanne Movement has since 1974 functioned as a platform and forum for Evangelical leaders from various geographical and confessional strands. This volume gives a broad perspective on the development mission and evangelism among Evangelicals, with a particular focus on the Lausanne movement. It contains chapters about the historical, theological and missiological background and discusses key issues and concepts of Lausanne as they have emerged over the years. It and reflections on Cape Town and on Lausanne. Critical views are also included, aiming at opening up a dialogue with other views on evangelism and mission.

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  Called to Unity For the Sake of Mission

  John Gibaut and Knud Jorgenson

  The purpose of this volume on mission and unity is to bring to public attention a broad overview on the history, development and perspectives on the role of mission in the pursuit of unity and the central biblical focus on unity as a prerequisite for an authentic witness in mission. The volume raises concrete questions: If the churches can agree on unity for mission, then does this visible unity go any further than the 'mutuality, partnership, collaboration and networking' of the Edinburgh 2010 Common Call? Does the call to unity or communion imply common touch stones, structures or ministries to serve the communion of churches in mission?

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  Mission At and From the Margins: Patterns, Protagonists and Perspectives

  Peniel Jesudason, Rufus Rajkumar, Joseph Prabhakar Dayam, and I. P. Asheervadham

  This volume revisits the 'hi-stories' of Mission from the 'bottom up' paying critical attention to people, perspectives and patterns that have often been elided in the construction of mission history. Focusing on the mission story of Christian churches in the South Indian state of Abdhra Pradesh, where Christianity is predominantly Dalit in its composition, this collection of essays, ushers its readers to re-shape their understanding of the landscape of mission history by drawing their attention to the silences and absences within pre-dominant historical accounts.

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  Pentecostal Mission and Global Christianity

  Wonsuk Ma, Veli-Matti Karkkainen, and J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu

  Although Pentecostalism worldwide represents the most rapidly growing missionary movement in Christian history, scholars from within and outside the movement have only recently begun academic reflection on the mission. This volume represents the coming of age of emerging scholarship on various aspects of the Pentecostal mission, including theological, historical, strategic, and practical aspects. The more than twenty authors from all five continents, men and women, academics, mission leaders, and practitioners, offer exciting perspectives on Pentecostal movements' contributions to the search of Christian unity in global contexts.

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  Theology, Mission and Child: Global Perspectives

  Bill Prevette, Keith J. White, C. Rosalee Velloso Ewell, and D. J. Konz

  This ground-breaking volume of 16 contributors from leading child theologians, mission theologians and practitioners examines the constructive interaction of Theology, Mission and Child in fresh and intriguing ways. It is moving, profound, and practical, proposing not just ways theology can better inform mission praxis, particularly with children, but also ways 'child' can inform our understanding of God, God's mission and ours.

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  Global Diasporas and Mission

  Amos Yong and Chandler H. Im

  The movement of people from their homelands is increasing exponentially. Such waves of both immigration and migration triggered by various factors have created new opportunities for the church and its mission. This volume explores such global diasporas from both ecclesiological and missiological perspectives. Its various case studies invite reconsideration of the missionary and evangelistic task of the church in response to contemporary global dynamics. The image of the dandelion on the front cover symbolizes diverse people groups dispersed around the globe, even as the Christian imagination views such dispersal as being carried by the winds of the Holy Spirit.

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  A Century of Catholic Mission: Roman Catholic Missiology 1910 to the Present

  Stephen Bevans

  A Century of Catholic Mission surveys the complex and rich history and theology of Roman Catholic Mission in the one hundred years since the 1910 Edinburgh World Mission Conference. Essays written by an international team of Catholic mission scholars focus on Catholic Mission in every region of the world, summarize church teaching on mission before and after the watershed event of the Second Vatican Council, and reflect on a wide variety of theological issues.

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  Bible in Mission

  Pauline Hoggarth, Fergus Macdonald, Knud Jorgenson, and Bill Mitchell

  To the authors of Bible in Mission, the Bible is the book of life, and mission is life in the Word. This core reality cuts across the diversity of contexts and hermeneutical strategies represented in these essays. The authors are committed to the boundary-crossings that characterize contemporary mission – and each sees the Bible as foundational to the Missio Dei, to God’s work in the world.

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  Mission Spirituality and Authentic Discipleship

  Wonsuk Ma and Kenneth R. Ross

  This book argues for the primacy of spirituality in the practice of mission. Since God is the primary agent of mission and God works through the power of the Holy Spirit, it is through openness to the Spirit that mission finds its true character and has its authentic impact. This is demonstrated today particularly by movements of Christian faith in the global south which carry the good news to the heart of communities in every part of the world. Originating in the Edinburgh 2010 mission study project, the essays assembled in this volume show that today there is a renewal of the missionary impetus of the churches which is marked by its spiritual character. Here fresh motivation for mission is being found, moving people of faith to share the good news of Jesus Christ both within their own communities and by crossing frontiers to take the message to new contexts.

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  Mission as Ministry of Reconciliation

  Robert Schreiter and Knud Jorgenson

  This rich book offers a valuable elucidation of the importance and the understanding of mission as ministry of reconciliation. It expounds its practical implications in a variety of settings. It unites perspectives from different church traditions, including the Lausanne Movement and the Catholic Church. It takes the interfaith aspect into account and also speaks about the socio-ethical implications of mission.

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  Orthodox Perspectives on Mission

  Petros Vassiliadis

  Orthodox Perspectives on Mission is both a humble tribute to some great Orthodox theologians, who in the past have provided substantial contribution to contemporary missiological and ecumenical discussions, and an Orthodox input to the upcoming 2013 Busan WCC General Assembly. There is a long history of similar contributions by the Orthodox before all the major ecumenical events. The collected volume is divided into two parts: Part I under the subtitle The Orthodox Heritage consists of a limited number of representative Orthodox missiological contributions of the past, whereas Part II includes all the papers presented in the Plenary of the recent Edinburgh 2010 conference, as well as the short studies and contributions prepared during the Edinburgh 2010 ongoing study process.

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  Foundations for Mission

  Emma Wild-wood and Peniel Rajkumar

  This volume provides an important resource for those wishing to gain an overview of significant issues in contemporary missiology whilst understanding how they are applied in particular contexts. Contributors from around the globe and from different Christian traditions explore foundations for mission. The chapters examine in what ways experience, the Bible, and theology are foundational for mission and how they together inform the missional thought of different traditions. The book also raises questions about the continued use of foundations as a helpful metaphor mission reflection and impetus.

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  A Learning Missional Church: Reflections from Young Missiologists

  Beate Fagerli, Knud Jorgenson, Kari Storstein Haug, Rolv Olsen, and Knut Tveitereid

  This book is compiled by contributions from young missiologists from different parts of the world. It is written from the perspective of youth to be a fresh breath of air into more traditional mission thinking and mission paradigms. These reflections are valuable because of the content; they deal with relevant issues, they depict the church as a 'learning organization' cross-culturally; and they raise signs of youthful willingness to challenge and change.

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  Life-Widening Mission: Global Perspectives from the Anglican Communion

  Cathy Ross

  Each of the young Anglicans who write on the Five Marks of Mission were at the Edinburgh 2010 conference in June of that year. The articles were then reworked in Toronto a year later, so what you read here is the fruit of much labour, writing, and rewriting. These articles are also open and honest reflections from a range of young Anglicans in a variety of contexts. Here we see a glimpse of the strengths and struggles of the Anglican Communion. There is no space for complacency. The title of the book created much discussion. I still remember the excitement we all felt when our first contributor, from Hong Kong, explained to us the meaning of the Chinese character for ‘life-widening.’ We all thought that this captured the essence of how we long for mission not only to be but also to be experienced; as life–widening. Our God is a God of love, life and spaciousness so we long for the missio Dei to be practiced and received as life-widening. We hope that this book may disturb, challenge, comfort and enrich your life. We think it will disturb and challenge as you read of the hardship and injustices experienced in many parts of God’s world and creation today. We think it will comfort and enrich as you read stories of change and renewal, and as you meet the writers through their writings.