Author: Jonathan Dodson

Has anyone read The Forgotten Ways, by Alan Hirsch?  It looks very interesting in its proposed retooling of current paradigms and expressions of N American church.

Aaron recently asked for my recommendations on missiology texts, so I thought I would post for anyone to check them out. Aaron, please feel free to specify, if you are interested in a particular aspect of missions and missiology. I will try to recommend texts from several different angles. I will leave many out but include books that I have found particularly insightful or helpful. Feel free to add to the list!

In no particular order:

1) Anthropological Reflections on Missiological Issues, Paul Hiebert – a diverse collection of chapters with profound insights in every one, ranging from contextualization to metatheology. (this is one of my favorites)

2) From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, Tucker, a biographical study of the history of missions.

3) Whose Religion is Christianity?, Lamin Sanneh – a dialogical presentation of questions and concepts that rightly and wrongly undermine Western trends in missions. Sanneh is not an evangelical but is a profoundly insightful African missiologist.

4) The Mission of God, Chris Wright – a great biblical theology of mission by a fine scholar, missionary, theologian and Englishman.

5) Transforming Mission, David Bosch – a massive work that I have barely cracked

6) The Next Christendom, Jenkins – a look at the present center of gravity in global Christianity in the south and east

* Non-Western: Kuwame Bediako, Lamin Sanneh, Kosuke Koyama, R. S. Sugirtharajah, Rene Padilla

**Anything by Newbigin, Andrew Walls, Charles Kraft, Ralph Winter

I just checked out two new books published in 2001 and 2006 respectively: Figured Out: Typology and Providence in Christian Scripture by Seitz and Concepts of Mission by Oborji.  Anyone who likes academic biblical theology should check out Seitz in general and specific.  Oborji is an African Catholic missiologist who reviews recent missiology from an historical perspective. JRWoodward will appreciate the chapter on Missio Dei.

Cultural Encounters Journal looks very interesting.  The purpose of the journal is as follows:

Cultural Encounters — A Journal for the Theology of Culture is committed to pursuing a biblically informed, Christ-centered, trinitarian engagement of contemporary culture.

The latest issue of Encounters Journal devoted to Theology of Culture includes:

• “The Scopes Trial, Fundamentalism, and the Creation of an Anti-Culture Culture: Can Evangelical Christians Transcend Their History in the Culture Wars?” (abstract)
  Brad Harper
• “‘Who’s Fighting and for What?’: Finding a Use for the Culture Wars” (abstract)
  Christopher Zinn
• “Bumping into Ourselves: Awakening from the Sound-Bite Stupor” (abstract)
  Nathan A. Baxter
• “Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?” (abstract)
  Marilyn Sewell
• “Getting Along in the 21st Century: Building Beloved Community” (abstract)
  Georgina Rice
• “Venturing out of the Comfort Zone” (abstract)
  Zach Dundas
• “Mutuality and Particularity: Contours of Authentic Dialogue” (abstract)
  Paul Louis Metzger
• “All Wounds are Our Own” (abstract)
  Kyogen Carlson
• “Dining with the ‘Other'” (abstract)
  Domyo Sater and Matthew Farlow
• “Building the Bridge Back” (abstract)
  Donald Miller