Meticulously faithful to Bosch's great work, Stan Nussbaum offers readers a companion to bring into relief the major themes of this great classic in missionary history and theology. The book is a chapter-by-chapter introduction, complete with page references to Transforming Mission for every theme developed. It contains 25 figures and diagrams to help the reader see patterns and is written to make it easier to penetrate and grapple with the questions that define Christian mission in our age

This book investigates the role of the laity in the Asian Church. Lay people have three responsibilities: proclaiming the Gospel, be a witness of life, and the triple dialogue with the cultures, the religions, and the poor. Focusing on the triple dialogue, the bishops of Asia have offered fresh ideas to address three global trends in society: the revolution in communications technologies which blurs the cultures; the conflicts between followers of different religions; and the advance of globalisation which leaves in its aftermath the poverty of the masses.

2016 IVP Readers' Choice Award Many people have given up on the church. But that doesn't mean that they've given up on God or Christianity. In many cases, it was merely that local church congregations were not the best context for missional people to live out their sense of God's call. The good news is that God is raising up vibrant movements of Christians in a vast array of vocations around the world: disciple-making ministries, missions, relief and development, social activism, advocacy and much more. These are all strategic ways to live for the kingdom-in venues beyond the local church. Wherever movements of the gospel have occurred, visionary people and apostolic structures have been essential. Mission leader Sam Metcalf shows how God has always worked through entrepreneurial individuals and organizations that launched out in fresh ways. He gives biblical and missiological foundations for missional movements, showing that what has often been called "parachurch" is an equally valid manifestation of the church. Affirming the strengths of apostolic personalities, Metcalf shows how they can be deployed to cross cultural barriers, renew secular societies and transform the nations with the power of the gospel. God may be inviting you to join what he is doing around the world. Answer the call and discover how God can use you beyond your imagination.

This major textbook is a newly researched historical study of Evangelical religion in its British cultural setting from its inception in the time of John Wesley to charismatic renewal today. The Church of England, the Church of Scotland and the variety of Nonconformist denominations and sects in England, Scotland and Wales are discussed, but the book concentrates on the broad patterns of change affecting all the churches. It shows the great impact of the Evangelical movement on nineteenth-century Britain, accounts for its resurgence since the Second World War and argues that developments in the ideas and attitudes of the movement were shaped most by changes in British culture. The contemporary interest in the phenomenon of Fundamentalism, especially in the United States, makes the book especially timely.

The term "charism" is drawn originally from Pauline literature and refers to a gift given by the Spirit for the upbuilding of the body of Christ. Since the mid-twentieth century, Christians from a broad spectrum of theological positions have applied this term, in varying ways, to groups within the Church. However, no book thus far has provided a rigorous and sustained critical investigation of this idea of ecclesial charisms. In Division, Diversity, and Unity, James E. Pedlar provides such an investigation, drawing on biblical and systematic theology as well as literature on church renewal and ecumenism. Against those who justify denominational separation in order to preserve particular gifts of the Spirit, Pedlar insists that the theology of charisms supports visible, organic unity as the ecumenical ideal. Division, Diversity, and Unity argues that the theology of ecclesial charisms can account for legitimately diverse specialized vocational movements in the Church but cannot account for a legitimate diversity of separated churches. Pedlar tests and develops his constructive proposal against the fascinating and conflicted histories of two evangelistic movements: the Paulist Fathers and The Salvation Army. While the proposed theology of ecclesial charisms stakes out a legitimate and important place in the Church for specialized movements, it excludes any attempt to justify the permanent separation of an ecclesial body on the basis of an appeal to an ecclesial charism.

Prosperity Gospel, a controversial strand in global Christianity, relates material wealth to divine blessing. Originating in American Pentecostal milieus, it is most successful in Africa. Authors from four continents present interdisciplinary, multi-sited and comparative analyses of Prosperity Gospel in Africa and beyond. Prosperity theologies adapt to varied political contexts and travel outside Pentecostalism into the wider religious arena. Its components trigger discourses within ecumenical Christianity and are transformed in transnational Christian networks of migrants; they turn up in African shrine religion and African Islam. Pastures of Plenty maps the evolving religio-scapes of Prosperity Gospel.

Evangelist and Pastor Eric A. Folds was born and raised in West Virginia. He is a former member of the Army's 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne), and a Persian Gulf War Veteran. He was also a former United States Army Recruiter and paratrooper. He was baptized with the Holy Spirit at a revival held at New Birth Pentecostal Holiness church in Fayetteville, North Carolina while stationed at Fort Bragg on March 23, 1988 at 7.35 p.m. The revivalist at that time was District Elder Clifton Jones of the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World. Eric Folds accepted his call to ministry on January 1, 1989 and was licensed and ordained by the Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, Inc at the organization's national convention in Chicago, Illinois in 1991 after completing the organization's ministerial introduction course and ordination preparation courses from Aenon Bible College. Pastor Folds is the founder and the Pastor of The Christian Church of God, Inc. of Milwaukee, Wisconsin a tax-exempt 501c(3) organization. If you live in or around Milwaukee Wisconsin you are welcome to visit at 10.a.m. on Sunday at 3801 W. Center Street. He is a witness to others about the Good News of the Kingdom wherever he travels. He has also been a treatment foster care parent in Milwaukee Wisconsin and the President and CEO of a foster care agency known as "Brighter Destinies" in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Evangelist Eric Folds has currently devoted his time to the ministry and has been highly involved with helping others and spreading the gospel message. He has been writing for many years. He is an Evangelist first and foremost and spreads the gospel news wherever he travels. He is married to Kimberly Folds, a court reporter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and has two sons Gabriel Folds and Joshua Folds.

Focuses on the period leading up to the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

Muslims who come to Christ face momentous spiritual, psychological and social obstacles that drive many to abandon their faith. Often conversion and discipleship are framed by individualistic Western models that do not acknowledge the communal cultural forces that constrain and shape new believers. Effective discipleship requires a more relational, holistic process of Christian identity development and spiritual formation in community. In this comprehensive resource, missiologist Don Little engages the toughest theoretical and practical challenges involved in discipling believers from Muslim backgrounds. He draws on New Testament principles, historical practices and interviews with seasoned disciplers ministering in a dozen countries across the Muslim world. Addressed here are key challenges that believers from Muslim backgrounds face, from suffering and persecution to spiritual warfare and oppression. Also included are implications for the role of disciplers in church planting among Muslims.

First published in 1926. 'These documents are full of intimate interest' Times Literary Supplement 'A serious and intensely interesting piece of work' The Guardian The Jesuit missionaries were some of the earliest Europeans to find their way into the Mogul empire in the sixteenth century. Spending more years at Akbar's court than others did months, and traversing his dominions from Lahore to Kabul, and from Kashmir to the Deccan, they undoubtedly sowed the seeds of British influence in the East. Reproducing, or summarizing the most valuable of the missionaries' letters written prior to 1610, this volume makes available the illegible and scattered primary sources on the reign of the Emperor Akbar, and as such, forms the earliest European description of the Mogul Empire.

This book takes a new look at the impacts of Christianity in the late-nineteenth-century China. Using American Baptist and English Presbyterian examples in Guangdong province, it examines the scale of Chinese conversions, the creation of Christian villages, and the power relations between Christians and non-Christians, and between different Christian denominations. This book is based on a very comprehensive foundation of data. By supplementing the Protestant missionary and Chinese archival materials with fieldwork data that were collected in several Christian villages, this study not only highlights the inner dynamics of Chinese Christianity but also explores a variety of crisis management strategies employed by missionaries, Christian converts, foreign diplomats and Chinese officials in local politics.

This book explores some of the challenges presented to church and mission from the contemporary culture of globalization and how this affects Christian spirituality in various ways. The attention is primarily focused on contemporary East Asian urban life, but from the assumption that this may not be all that different from what is experienced in urban contexts in other parts of the world. The authors all share an affiliation with institutions related to the Norwegian Mission Society and its work in East Asia.

This is the only book that addresses the relations between religion, Protestant missions, and empire building, linking together all three fields of studyby taking as its starting point the early eighteenth century Anglican initiatives in colonial North America and the Caribbean. It considers how the early societies of the 1790s built on this inheritance, and extended their own interests to the Pacific, India, the Far East, and Africa. Fluctuations in the vigour and commitment of the missions, changing missionary theologies, and the emergence of alternative missionary strategies, are all examined for their impact on imperial expansion. Other themes include the international character of the missionary movement, Christianity's encounter with Islam, and major figures such as David Livingstone, the state and politics, and humanitarianism, all of which are viewed in a fresh light. This monumental study shows that the missionary movement had a far more complex and ambiguous relationship with the Empire than has previously been thought, and will be widely welcomed by students and scholars of imperial history and the history of religion. -- .

The Japanese and the Jesuits examines the attempt by sixteenth century Jesuits to convert the Japanese to Christianity. Directing the Jesuits was the Italian Alessandro Valignano, whose own magisterial writings, many of them not previously translated or published, are the principle source material for this account of one of the most remarkable of all meetings between East and West.
Valignano arrived in Japan in 1579. In promoting Christianity, he always sought the support of the ruling classes, but an important part of his strategy was also to have the missionaries adapt themselves thoroughly to Japanese customs, etiquette and culture. He was insistent that they must master the Japanese language, and he brought to Japan a European printing press, which turned out grammars and dictionaries for the missionaries, and works of instruction and devotion for the Japanese Christians.
Following Valignano's death, Christianity was proscribed and missionaries banished from Japan. This does not detract from his remarkable achievements. He understood perfectly well that foreign missionaries by themselves were not capable of converting Japan to Christianity, and one of his principal concerns was the training of Japanese Jesuits and priests, and breaking down the barriers between them and the Europeans. Few people have ever been more acutely aware of, or grappled more determinedly with, problems in Japanese-Western relationships.

Jose de Acosta's De procuranda Indorum salute: A Call for Evangelical Reforms in Colonial Peru contextualizes and analyzes the deployment of Catholic missionary forces in the Andes. Its exhaustive approach to the ecclesiastic and political reforms of late-sixteenth-century Peru exposes the philosophical and legal underpinnings of Spain's colonial policies. As this book analyzes Jose de Acosta's De procuranda Indorum salute, one of the most important treatises of the colonial period, it explores influences and intentions and reveals context and subtext. Comprehensive in its appraisal of Acosta's intellectual achievement, this book is essential for scholars and students of this early period of Christian and European expansion in the Americas. Not only does Gregory J. Shepherd examine Acosta's missionary manual against the controversial backdrop of Las Casas and Sepulveda, but he also reconstructs the political atmosphere surrounding Toledo's massive and intrusive transformation of Andean life. Most importantly, this text carries out a thorough study of the ideologies - Christian, Jesuit, and European - underlying Acosta's appeal for political, social, and ecclesiastic reform.

We love to share good news with the world. We tweet about a great new restaurant, we share pictures of our newborn child and we celebrate about receiving that sought-after promotion. We are evangelists for many great things. So why don't we do the same with Jesus? Simply put, Jesus is awkward for most of us. He's like that uncle who is really funny inside the family circle, but truthfully you would rather not take him anywhere. You know Jesus is great news. He is changing your life, he is giving you purpose and he has saved your soul. So how can you move out of your comfort zone and beyond the awkwardness to share the life-transforming power of God with others? Apostolic evangelist Beau Crosetto has spent years working with college students and churchgoers to help them break through to people in their everyday lives. Here, he moves you not only beyond the awkward feelings but through them so you can confidently take hold of evangelistic opportunities you encounter everywhere you go. In this practical, personal guide, Crosetto takes into account reasons we are not sharing our faith--the negative image of slick or pushy evangelists, the fear of not knowing enough or the dread of saying the wrong thing. He also reveals a dangerous lack of vocational empowerment in most churches today, reminding us that Ephesians 4 calls us to five roles: apostle, prophet, evangelist, shepherd and teacher. Why do we seem to be empowering only the pastoring roles of shepherd and teacher? If we are serious about the Great Commission, we must be serious about activating all five. People eager to hear the good news about Jesus are waiting for you, desperate for answers and guidance. If you grab hold of that reality and learn to listen to the nudgings of the Holy Spirit, you will be prepared to push past the awkwardness and step into the God moments waiting for you.

Wherever we turn in God's world we find his fingerprints, not just in the glories of the countryside but also in the tangled web of human life and culture. With all the contradictions and ambiguities we encounter and experience... we must never allow ourselves to forget that God is in the world, laughing, singing, shouting, whispering, healing, weeping, reconciling, enabling, resisting, forgiving... He has not given up on it and neither should we.' - From Chapter 9, 'Positively worldly' 'I was one of the original members of Holy Joes, and The Post-Evangelical is a great snapshot of what happened on the fringes of church in the UK in the 1990s. But 20 years on, it endures as a classic commentary on understanding why church fails to connect with people who define themselves as "spiritual and religious". Essential reading.' - Maggi Dawn, Dean of Chapel and Associate Professor of Theology and Literature, Yale Divinity School 'I first met Dave Tomlinson when I was a student some forty years ago. Twenty years later I was fascinated to read his reflections on his spiritual journey when he brought out the first edition of The Post-Evangelical, which provoked much debate and discussion. Another twenty years have passed in which its importance and influence have become clear, while the debate and the journey have continued to develop for all of us. It is a privilege to have had Dave as my parish priest for the last decade or more, so I warmly welcome this Classics edition - and look forward to where we are going next!' - Richard Burridge, Dean of King's College, London and Professor of Biblical Interpretation

Amy Carmichael was a remarkable leader. She lived her life out of a strong belief in a God who is real, all powerful and who provides for all our needs. She had a deep love for people and a determination to help them. She provided a home, an education and health care for hundreds of girls and boys whom she rescued from the jaws of an evil Indian practice of selling children to temple prostitution. When Amy Carmichael first arrived in Dohnavur, India, it was a barren plain; she transformed it into a valley of springs. The Dohnavur Fellowship she established survived the turbulent times of two World Wars, regular outbreaks of disease and persistent spiritual attack. Amy authored nearly forty books that continue to inspire and challenge many all around the world. "Joanna Williamson is a gifted storyteller who is able to weave together the narrative of Amy Carmichael's life with excerpts from her writings which draw the reader intimately into one of the most well-known missionaries to ever enter India. This story is filled with life, conviction, pathos and poignancy and is engagingly presented." Dr Timothy C. Tennent - President, Asbury Theological Seminary and Professor of World Christianity

This book examines the career of Rufus Anderson, the central figure in the formation and implementation of missionary ideology in the middle decades of the nineteenth century. Corresponding Secretary of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions from 1832 to 1866, Anderson effectively set the terms of debate on missionary policy on both sides of the Atlantic and indeed long after his death. In telling his story, Harris also speaks to basic questions in nineteenth-century American history and in the relationship between American culture and the cultures of what later came to be known as the third world.

An important work for the nineteenth century history of East Africa. It contains a new introduction with a biographical sketch of Krapf.

Frederich Stanley Arnot was among the first of the Plymouth Brethren to take the gospel to Africa in the late 19th-century missionary expansion across the Kalahari desert, opening Protestant missions in Barotseland, Angola and Katanga in the 1880s.

Ever wonder why people fall asleep in church? It happens. We?ve all seen it. We shuffle into rows of seats that grow more comfortable with every new fundraising campaign. We slouch down and settle in for an hour or so, as singers and storytellers and preachers and teachers take their turns filling our ears. And almost without fail, at least one of us nods off while listening to the greatest story ever told. The church was not meant to be like this. The church was meant to be on its feet, in the world, making all things new. The church was meant to be sent. Kim Hammond and Darren Cronshaw want to help us--all of us--rediscover our sentness. Dive into Sentness, and explore the six postures of a church that's keeping pace with God's work in the world. Rediscover the gospel that first quickened your pulse and got you up on your feet, ready to go wherever Jesus called you. Get Sentness, and prepare to get sent.

The Future of Church Planting in North America looks to Jesus as the model for life and ministry as he said, "As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you". In exploring this passage, the author asks, what does this passage mean in church-planting terms? How do we apply the concept of being "sent" within contemporary North America? This region of the world, much like the Middle East in the early first century, is populated by a mosaic of people from all nations, tribes, and language groups. Dr. Emetuche argues that church planting by the majority of the North American churches has been unduly influenced by cultures and traditions rather than by a well-thought-out missiological application of theological convictions. Examining the life and ministry of Jesus as found in the Gospel of John as well as the New Testament church plants, the author makes a strong case for a multicultural church planting as a model for the future. Dr. Emetuche maintains that church planting is about the transformation of lives and cultures through relationship with Christ and, therefore, involves spiritual warfare. Consequently, communities formed through this union in Christ transcend culture, tradition, and national allegiances and become multicultural.