Emerging Voices In Global Christian Theology

There are some new voices emerging in Christian theological conversation these days. They do not speak with American or Western European accents, but reflect their settings in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since they come from many places, the theological questions they ask are not ones we are used to in the West. They are as likely to speak of ancestor worship or political oppression as they are of church growth or evangelism. One thing is clear: we cannot listen to their cries of hope (or despair) without being deeply moved. This book gives an opportunity to listen in to important conversations going on in different parts of the world. These Christian theologians do not respond to a common set of questions, but are setting their own agendas of theological discussion. With some general introductory comments, these pieces are meant to stimulate an appetite for further exploration. There seems little doubt that the major voices in theology in the next generation will share these non-western accents.

There are some new voices emerging in Christian theological conversation these days. They do not speak with American or Western European accents, but reflect their settings in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Since they come from many places, the theological questions they ask are not ones we are used to in the West. They are as likely to speak of ancestor worship or political oppression as they are of church growth or evangelism. One thing is clear: we cannot listen to their cries of hope (or despair) without being deeply moved. This book gives an opportunity to listen in to important conversations going on in different parts of the world. These Christian theologians do not respond to a common set of questions, but are setting their own agendas of theological discussion. With some general introductory comments, these pieces are meant to stimulate an appetite for further exploration. There seems little doubt that the major voices in theology in the next generation will share these non-western accents.

In recent decades there has been a seismic shift in world Christianity. Whereas formerly Christianity existed as a Caucasian Euro-American phenomenon, the majority of Christians today reside in the Southern Hemisphere, or the Global South. And what is true for the demographics of Christianity has followed lockstep for its theological developments. The era of German theologians setting the tone for global church are gone. Today, some of the loudest and most creative voices in theology speak from the emerging contingencies of the Global South, for example, promoting Latinx, Black, Caribbean, and Asian theologies and their influence often influences the conversation in the United States and Europe. In addition, just as the center of Christianity has moved geographically from north to south, so with theological seminaries in the west, which have declined as training centers for clergy. These events coincide with new theological centers are opening in Asia, Africa, Oceania, and Latin America. The bottom line is—contemporary Christianity today looks significantly different than it did a century ago, and publications have been slow to acknowledge, let alone describe and elaborate upon, this major shift to the largest religion in the world. These shifts guide our intentions in this book. Such a reference book, which could also be used as a textbook, therefore is very much needed. In fact, there is nothing like the contents of this single-volume book in the publishing market which allows for high-quality, interdisciplinary, and international dialogue.

Christian theologians and students are aware that evangelicals in the Majority World now outnumber those in North America and Europe, and many want to know more about emerging voices in the global church. At the same time, these voices are largely absent from Western evangelical theology. Stephen Pardue seeks to bridge this divide by arguing, biblically and theologically, that it is imperative for Western evangelical theology to engage with the global church, and he provides examples of how this can be done. Case studies throughout the book illustrate opportunities for fruitful engagement with non-Western theology in various areas of Christian doctrine. Readers will be given an introduction to the riches available within the worldwide body of Christ and learn how to engage productively with the global church.

Emerging and missional church movements are an increasingly global phenomenon; they exist as holistic communities that defy dualistic Western forms of church. Until now, many of the voices from these movements have gone unheard. In this volume, Ryan Bolger assembles some of the most innovative church leaders from around the world to share their candid insider stories about how God is transforming their communities in an entirely new era for the church. Bolger's new book continues the themes that he and Eddie Gibbs established formally in their critically acclaimed Emerging Churches and situates new church movements within this rubric. It explores what's happening now in innovative church movements in continental Europe, Asia, and Latin American and in African American hip-hop cultures. Featuring an international cast of contributors, the book explores the changes occurring both in emerging cultures and in emerging and missional churches across the globe today.

As the church in the global south continues to grow at a rapid pace, the question of how to develop local theologies becomes more and more urgent. This book charts a path forward through exegetical, theological and cultural analysis by scholars who are wrestling with the issues in their own situations around the globe. The contents were developed under the auspices of the World Evangelical Alliance Theological Commission at the Oxford contextualization consultation. This book was published in partnership with the World Evangelical Alliance.

The-five volume Oxford History of Protestant Dissenting Traditions series is governed by a motif of migration ('out-of-England'). It first traces organized church traditions that arose in Britain and Ireland as Dissenters distanced themselves from a state church defined by diocesan episcopacy, the Book of Common Prayer, the Thirty-Nine Articles, and Royal Supremacy, but then follows those traditions as they spread beyond Britain and Ireland--and also analyses newer traditions that emerged downstream in other parts of the world from earlier forms of Dissent. Secondly, it does the same for the doctrines, church practices, stances toward state and society, attitudes toward Scripture, and characteristic patterns of organization that also originated in earlier British and Irish dissent, but that have often defined a trajectory of influence independent of ecclesiastical organizations. The Oxford History of Protestant Dissenting Traditions, Volume V follows the spatial, cultural, and intellectual changes in dissenting identity and practice in the twentieth century, as these once European traditions globalized. While in Europe dissent was often against the religious state, dissent in a globalizing world could redefine itself against colonialism or other secular and religious monopolies. The contributors trace the encounters of dissenting Protestant traditions with modernity and globalization; changing imperial politics; challenges to biblical, denominational, and pastoral authority; local cultures and languages; and some of the century's major themes, such as race and gender, new technologies, and organizational change. In so doing, they identify a vast array of local and globalizing illustrations which will enliven conversations about the role of religion, and in particular Christianity.

Global theology represents one of the most important trends in theology today. What does it mean to do theology in a global context? How can Christian theology be understood as a conversation between different parts of the world and various streams of Christian history? This concise introduction explores the major issues involved in rethinking theology in light of the explosion of world Christianity. Combining the voices of a Western and a non-Western theologian, it integrates Western theological tradition with emerging global perspectives. This work will be of interest to theology and missiology students as well as church leaders and readers interested in the changing face of world Christianity.