Communicating Christ In Asian Cities

Communicating Christ in Asian Cities: Urban Issues in Buddhist Contexts is the sixth volume in a series produced from the annual SEANET Missiological Forum held in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It developed from a keen awareness that certain urban concerns for evangelistic mission must be addressed in a unique way when viewed within the myriad and complex cultures found within Asian Buddhism. All authors included here write from many years of experience as Evangelical mission theologians, scholars, pastors and practitioners working within Asian urban Buddhist contexts. This book is divided into three sections with the first focused on foundational issues of ministry within the framework of Asian Buddhist cities. The second section includes four chapters addressing several contextual issues specific to peoples within Asian Buddhist cities. The final section includes three chapters on the topic of strategic means of evangelization found useful in specific Asian urban Buddhist contexts.

"This second edition of texts from the FABC-Office of Social Communication comprises all documents originating from this office since 1996 up to the beginning of 2008"--Introduction.

What happens when an expatriate missionary is thrust into a context where the standard of living is so divergent that perceived or actual wealth suddenly becomes the strongest draw of attraction? What actual message is communicated through the wordless witness of the Western Christian missionary lifestyle? Is attention to so-called good news now so financially focused that other foundational issues become overshadowed? This issue becomes even more complicated when the missionary arrives clueless about personal privilege, ignorant of the envy of others, and carries the mistaken attitude that others think similarly. SEANET proudly presents Complexities of Money and Missions in Asia for all who are asking such questions. From seven different indigenous and expatriate perspectives this volume deals with the perceptions of money specifically from those seeking to serve obediently in the Buddhist contexts of Asia. SEANET serves as a networking forum wherein groups and individuals can meet to reflect and strategize together on topics particular to their collective mission. SEANET does not promote one particular strategy or one particular theology but seeks to learn from models of hope that show what God is doing around the world. Each year the annual SEANET conference brings together over one hundred and fifty practitioners who are privileged to live and serve throughout the Buddhist world. The chapters of this volume represent seven of those voices from the network.

In non-Western contexts, Christianity has often been viewed as the religion of foreigners with a hidden political agenda. Sharing the gospel in non-imperialistic ways can be challenging, particularly in Asia. Every location to which God calls his messengers has its own rich history that should be shared with gospel workers and local people. Those desiring to serve interculturally must learn as much as possible about the past before joining that history. Are we learning from the past, or are we simply repeating the same mistakes in our own times and places? No culture in the world is a blank slate; rather, we can look for the initiating, inviting work of the missio Dei already emerging from within every surprising source. This book showcases the writings of sixteen reflective practitioners who offer insights based on their study and experience of history. These women and men come from a wide variety of cultural and theological backgrounds. Their stories include: An American who brought Protestant Buddhism to Sri Lanka A Norwegian Lutheran who started a Christian monastic community in Hong Kong A local scholar who led a faith movement in China that nearly overthrew the government A Thai villager who became an evangelist and a silent-film star Highlighting key people and places, Emerging Faith surveys several Christian movements found in the mission history of Asia. If you wish to challenge your thinking and respond to God’s invitation to participate in the global context, look here for encouragement and guidance.

How do Christ followers celebrate unity in the midst of diversity? How do we become the people of God in more than name only? A unifying Christ-centeredness demands living out kingdom values and bearing witness to transformation in and through a multitude of cultural manifestations. We struggle to serve, worship, and witness in the midst of this age-old challenge. This collection of perspectives comes from settings where the good news of Jesus has not been the dominant historical norm. All contributors in this volume are practitioners. They have a deep appreciation for the cultural heritage and important moral values found in Buddhist contexts. We believe these chapters hold valuable lessons that speak to all of the family of faith. Here you will find a wide range of topics and approaches that address what it means to become the global body of believers. These can speak to you wherever you are called to participate with God’s work in the world. Christ followers are in the process of becoming what will one day culminate in a huge and startling celebration of people from all of God’s beloved creation. If you are interested in hearing from those discovering what that might look like outside traditional packaging, this book is for you.

Is the Christian concept of grace anathema to the social structure of merit-making found in Buddhist karmic communities? Are all Buddhist forms of merit-making purely for religious purposes to assuage cosmic consequences or are there other reasons? Are there not Christian churches who operate under a legalistic view of God's divine wrath and are in essence living as karmic communities of the Christian type? The result of discussions about these and other questions is the volume you now hold in your hand. SEANET proudly presents what is number 14 in its series of missiological reference texts, Gift and Duty: Where Grace and Merit Meet. Each of the ten authors presented here represent a particular perspective, both Christian and Buddhist, that can inform the other. The goal of this volume is to lead to a deeper understanding of the significance of diverse religious and cultural perspectives.

This is the fourth and latest volume in the Buddhist World series which includes Sharing Jesus in the Buddhist World, Sharing Jesus Holistically with the Buddhist World, and Sharing Jesus Effectively in the Buddhist World. Compiled from papers presented at the annual SEANET Missiological Forum in Thailand, Communicating Christ in the Buddhist World delivers fresh insights from mission theologians and practitioners. The first four chapters reflect on the theological framework by which Christians can fulfill the biblical mandate to evangelize and transform peoples. The next five chapters consider the significant sociological issues that have arisen in the Christian encounter with Buddhist peoples. The final three suggest some strategic ways forward for effective evangelism in the Buddhist world. May this book challenge the international Christian community to find better ways of relating to and approaching people of other faiths!

There is a profusion of missional issues emerging in the Asian fields that call Christ's followers to actively witnessing the Truth. Missionaries from different continents have come to serve the Asian nations, and yet, these God's loving missionaries' effectiveness often seem to have left in the shade by some damaging fruits and (sometimes) being too much of Westernness stemming from a diversity of lacking knowledge particularly the local contexts to contextualize, and lack of preparation. The irrefutable finding is appealing within the Asian mission study in regard to the essentiality in equipping the Christians so that the ministries in Asia will experience the effectiveness in cultivating the diverse contexts (cultures) with the text (Scripture) they have. Many principles and practical information from this book grew out of the authors' experiences and the reflection of Missiologists and scholars such as Andrew Walls, Christopher Wright, Kazoh Kitamori, Paul Hiebert, etc.