Multicultural Kingdom

Christianity in the UK today is faced with growing cultural and religious diversity. Christian migrants bring with them new ways of doing theology, new styles of worship, and new expressions of the faith. Increased levels of migration mean that the Church needs to reconsider what a ‘mission-shaped church’ looks like. ‘Multicultural Kingdom’ explores some of the causes and implications of ethnic diversity on the British Christian landscape – and the implications on the landscape of theology itself. Why, it asks, do we prefer to remain segregated in our ecclesiology? Why indeed, do several churches of different ethnic heritage use the same building for services on Sunday but do not get to worship together? Articulating for the first time an extensive ‘multicultural missiology’ for the UK church, the book will offer an essential new perspective for scholars and practitioners alike.

How do ethnic and cultural diversity affect spiritual formation? The authors of A Many Colored Kingdom explore Christian formation and teaching in the church, with a particular focus on intercultural and interethnic relationships. Well-qualified to speak on issues of diversity, the authors describe relevant aspects of their own personal journeys; key issues emerging from their studies and teaching germane to race, culture, and ethnicity; and teaching implications that bring right practice to bear on church ministry. A final chapter contains a conversation among the authors responding to one another's insights and concerns. This book will be required reading for those engaged in as well as those preparing for a life of teaching and ministry in our increasingly multicultural world.

In an age of unsurpassed globalization, Melba Maggay reminds us of the beauty of unique cultures no matter how small their imprint on the world may seem. Yet these cultures do not exist in isolation, but have a complex interrelation with one another, be they monoliths such as western capitalism or subsistence communities like El Nido on the island of Palawan, the home of the author’s ancestors. This rich global tapestry is a gift from God, yet not without imperfection, sin or hardship. It is these realities to which we must apply the gospel in our own lives and in missiology. This book gives a prophetic call to proclaim the good news and do justice in and towards every culture under the sun, while demystifying some of the major narratives that inform worldviews across the globe today. And it is the kingdom of God for every tribe, tongue, people and nation that brings true global unity.

This topical book examines the debates around contemporary conflicts between liberal democracies and increasingly vociferous special interest groups within society. It analyses the way a new sense of difference and the growth of multi-culturalism are straining modern notions of citizenship and rights, looking in particular at how ethnic conflicts in Eastern Europe have escalated to international tragedies, while in the US and Canada, race, ethnicity and radical feminism are at the heart of a social conflict which challenges national identity and the unity of the state.

In an age of unsurpassed globalization, Melba Maggay reminds us of the beauty of unique cultures no matter how small their imprint on the world may seem. Yet these cultures do not exist in isolation, but have a complex interrelation with one another, be they monoliths such as western capitalism or subsistence communities like El Nido on the island of Palawan, the home of the author’s ancestors. This rich global tapestry is a gift from God, yet not without imperfection, sin or hardship. It is these realities to which we must apply the gospel in our own lives and in missiology. This book gives a prophetic call to proclaim the good news and do justice in and towards every culture under the sun, while demystifying some of the major narratives that inform worldviews across the globe today. And it is the kingdom of God for every tribe, tongue, people and nation that brings true global unity.

The second edition of this source book contains essays and annotations on a number of issues related to multicultural education. The authors define multicultural education as a process-oriented creation of learning experiences that foster an awareness of, respect for, and enjoyment of the diversity of our society and world. Inherent in this definition of multicultural education is a commitment to create a more just and equitable society for all people. This book, then, offers suggestions relevant to the teaching of all children, all teaching and curricular decisions, and every aspect of educational policy.

The increasingly multicultural fabric of modern societies has given rise to many new issues and conflicts, as ethnic and national minorities demand recognition and support for their cultural identity. This book presents a new conception of the rights and status of minority cultures. It argues that certain sorts of `collective rights' for minority cultures are consistent with liberal democratic principles, and that standard liberal objections to recognizing such rights on grounds of individual freedom, social justice, and national unity, can be answered. However, Professor Kymlicka emphasises that no single formula can be applied to all groups and that the needs and aspirations of immigrants are very different from those of indigenous peoples and national minorities. The book discusses issues such as language rights, group representation, religious education, federalism, and secession - issues which are central to understanding multicultural politics, but which have been surprisingly neglected in contemporary liberal theory.

In the 1950s and 1960s, immigration bureaucrats in the Department of Citizenship and Immigration played an important yet unacknowledged role in transforming Canada’s immigration policy. In response to external economic and political pressures for change, high-level bureaucrats developed new admissions criteria gradually and experimentally while personally processing thousands of individual immigration cases per year. Making Middle-Class Multiculturalism shows how bureaucrats’ perceptions and judgements about the admissibility of individuals – in socioeconomic, racial, and moral terms – influenced the creation of formal admissions criteria for skilled workers and family immigrants that continue to shape immigration to Canada. A qualitative content analysis of archival documents, conducted through the theoretical lens of a cultural sociology of immigration policy, reveals that bureaucrats’ interpretations of immigration files generated selection criteria emphasizing not just economic utility, but also middle-class traits and values such as wealth accumulation, educational attainment, entrepreneurial spirit, resourcefulness, and a strong work ethic. By making "middle-class multiculturalism" a demographic reality and basis of nation-building in Canada, these state actors created a much-admired approach to managing racial diversity that has nevertheless generated significant social inequalities.