A Response To Engel Dyrness

James F. Engel and William A. Dyrness offer a sympathetic yet courageous analysis of the challenges that North American and other Western Christian missions face.

In the days immediately following 9/11, Joseph Stowell attended a special Chicago Prayer Breakfast. He was encouraged to learn there was much interest in God and spirituality among the attendees. He was troubled, however, by the subtle implication common among the speakers that day that Jesus, with His exclusive claims, was unwelcome. That, “given the broad diversity of religions in America, we now need to give up the 'traditions' that divide those of us who believe in God. Stowell left the breakfast even more determined to preach the centrality of Christ in the church. Proclaiming Jesus is a collection of essays, written by faculty of the Moody Bible Institute in honor of Dr. Stowell, that take up the message he proclaimed, making it clear that every area of church life and ministry is about Jesus.

Evangelical churches are widely known for their commitment to mission locally and to the ends of the earth. However, in the last century, there have been profound theological and sociological changes that have impacted mission practice. Church and mission leaders have encouraged Christians to respond to the need for mission locally, especially as church decline accelerates in much of the Western world. Yet others are concerned that global mission involvement is being neglected in many local churches. This study explores the factors influencing local church participation in mission both locally and around the world. Through an in-depth analysis of the practices and perspectives among evangelical churches in Australia, the author identifies a range of theological, missiological, and organizational influences on mission practice. Though beliefs about the church, the world, and mission are important, understanding organizational principles, social capital, and the power of relational networks provides invaluable insights into church-mission practice. This book is for those who long to see local churches committed to engaging both their neighbors and the nations in mission, growing our understanding of how to encourage helpful church practices for the sake of Christ.

This book argues that it is possible for our study of the natural world to enhance our understanding of God and for our faith to inform and influence our study and application of science. Whether you are a student, someone employed in the sciences, or simply an interested layperson, Not Just Science will help you develop the crucial skills of critical thinking and reflection about key questions in Christian faith and natural science.The contributors provide a systematic approach to both raising and answering the key questions that emerge at the intersection of faith and various disciplines in the natural sciences. Among the questions addressed are the context, limits, benefits, and practice of science in light of Christian values. Questions of ethics as they relate to various applied sciences are also discussed. The end goal is an informed biblical worldview on both nature and our role in obeying God’s mandate to care for his creation.With an honest approach to critical questions, Not Just Science fills a gap in the discussion about the relationship between faith and reason. This is a most welcomed addition to these significant scholarly conversations. Ron Mahurin, PhD Vice President, Professional Development and Research Council for Christian Colleges & Universities

Reflecting thorough scholarship and decades of ministry experience, Robin Hadaway’s A Survey of World Missions examines the biblical, theological, and historical foundations of missions, as well as issues of culture and worldview, contextualization, philosophy, and mission strategy. The book is designed to assist pastors, students, missionaries, and theologians in developing sound theory and praxis for both the international and North American mission field. Through his use of field illustrations and key questions, Hadaway achieves a conversational tone, making this textbook ideal for use in both academic and lay settings.

Nurturing the Prophetic Imagination searches through biblical scholarship, theology, economics, sociology, politics, ecology, and history to discern the strands of God's justice and reconciliation at work in the contemporary world. Nurturing the Prophetic Imagination challenges Christians to engage the most troubling social problems of our time by first drinking deeply from the well of the historic prophetic traditions. Nurturing the Prophetic Imagination witnesses to a God that raises up prophets to speak at critical moments in every time, and to what it might look like for the Church to nurture the soil from which such prophetic voices spring. Rarely do such a wide variety of authors from such different backgrounds and vocations get together to name what the prophetic work of God looks like in our midst. The radical justice and reconciliation of God can be found in every corner of life, if we know where to look for it; Nurturing the Prophetic Imagination provides some guidance in this direction. Nurturing the Prophetic Imagination celebrates and seeks to build upon the legacy of eminent biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann's seminal work The Prophetic Imagination, first published in 1978, by assessing the core insights and themes he develops through a number of different lenses. These include contemporary biblical scholarship, theology, economics, sociology, politics, ecology, and church history. Nurturing the Prophetic Imagination also discusses the extent to which the Christian prophetic tradition continues to speak meaningfully within the contemporary world and thereby seeks to be a source for inspiring future generations of Christian prophets to do likewise.

This extensive work explores the changing world of religions, faiths and practices. It discusses a broad range of issues and phenomena that are related to religion, including nature, ethics, secularization, gender and identity. Broadening the context, it studies the interrelation between religion and other fields, including education, business, economics and law. The book presents a vast array of examples to illustrate the changes that have taken place and have led to a new world map of religions. Beginning with an introduction of the concept of the “changing world religion map”, the book first focuses on nature, ethics and the environment. It examines humankind’s eternal search for the sacred, and discusses the emergence of “green” religion as a theme that cuts across many faiths. Next, the book turns to the theme of the pilgrimage, illustrated by many examples from all parts of the world. In its discussion of the interrelation between religion and education, it looks at the role of missionary movements. It explains the relationship between religion, business, economics and law by means of a discussion of legal and moral frameworks, and the financial and business issues of religious organizations. The next part of the book explores the many “new faces” that are part of the religious landscape and culture of the Global North (Europe, Russia, Australia and New Zealand, the U.S. and Canada) and the Global South (Latin America, Africa and Asia). It does so by looking at specific population movements, diasporas, and the impact of globalization. The volume next turns to secularization as both a phenomenon occurring in the Global religious North, and as an emerging and distinguishing feature in the metropolitan, cosmopolitan and gateway cities and regions in the Global South. The final part of the book explores the changing world of religion in regards to gender and identity issues, the political/religious nexus, and the new worlds associated with the virtual technologies and visual media.