Prophetic Dialogue

"In this volume, Fathers Bevans and Schroeder address a primary challenge faced by Christians missioners today: How can they bring the Christian tradition to interact respectfully and effectively with members of other cultures and traditions from around the globe and still be prophetic?"--Publisher website

"While the intent of the editors is to honor Steve Bevans, SVD, a towering figure in the field of missiology and a longtime author of Orbis books on missiology, this book will be designed less as a festschrift than as a textbook for classroom use. Designed around the three main foci of Bevans' theology (mission, contextual theologies, and dialogical theory), it will appeal to teachers of courses in Christian mission, theological method, contextual theologies, and contemporary Third World theologies. The contributors are a who's who of contemporary mission studies in a global context, including representatives from various Christian traditions and from throughout the global church"--

Contributed articles presented at a seminar.

Embark on a journey through time and faith in 'Divine Dialogues: Prophetic Conversations Across the Ages.' This imaginative exploration delves into the heart of divine communication as experienced by three of history's most significant prophets: Moses, Jesus, and Mohammed. 'Divine Dialogues' also examines the shared characteristics that may have marked these individuals for divine communication, shedding light on the qualities revered across different faiths. The book further explores why God might choose to reveal Himself indirectly, initiating a thoughtful discussion on the nature of divine revelation. While this book offers speculation and interpretation, it encourages readers to engage directly with the source texts and to foster a sense of shared understanding among different faiths. It's not just a book—it's an invitation to embark on your own spiritual exploration. Please note: 'Divine Dialogues' is a work of creative exploration and is not intended as a theological treatise. The author encourages all readers to consult with religious scholars and texts to deepen their understanding of these conversations.

As mainstream media cries out that the millennial generation has killed everything from cereal to office jobs, it must also be asked: have millennials killed Christian missions? With the rise of new technologies, social and political movements, and increasing numbers of religious nones, the church as we know it is facing serious turmoil at the hands of this new generation of adults. Here, a millennial and a baby boomer invite the reader into a dialogue about the future of missions and the future of the Western church. From a missiological reading of the Bible to the contemporary debate over Christian social justice and the ethical dilemmas of evangelism, this book plays out the intergenerational tensions within the church, and provides a platform from which to view the present and future of an institution that is so rapidly changing.

How did the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) converse and engage with other religious believers? Did he start off with prejudice and mistrust? Or was he convivial and open-minded? This book analyses six models of the dealings in the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), specifically, but not restricted, to the siblings of Abrahamic religious believers. The six models of dialogue analysed in the book are dialogue with Ashamah, Najashi of Abyssinia, delegation of Najran Christians, different Jews of Yathrib, and emperors of Byzantine and Sassanid. The analysis applies Ibn Khaldun’s (d.1406) historical approach which the author termed as Khaldunian Hermeneutics due to the similarity between his ideas to that of Johann Gustav Droysen (d. 1884), a German philosopher, in historical hermeneutics. As such, the analysis goes beyond the dialogue content, taking into consideration the immediate and larger contextual settings, and changes of the contexts due to the passage of time. It critically considers the suitability of each model due to the difference in times and contexts. The book serves as a reference for Muslim dialogue advocates and practitioners, to provide substantial evidence of the dialogue application by the role model of Muslims – the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) whom they hold very dear to their hearts.

We all know that healthy partnerships are essential to fruitful boundary-crossing ministries, but how exactly do we create them? What barriers must be overcome, and what self-examination must we do? How do the legacies of colonialism, racism, and unhealed trauma impact missional collaborations today? In this doctoral thesis, Denyer reflects on these questions as she examines the history of relational dynamics between American and Congolese United Methodists in the North Katanga Conference (DR Congo). By surveying memoirs, magazines, and journals, and conducting in-depth interviews, Denyer presents a complex and multifaceted example of a partnership that is in the process of decolonizing. More than just a history lesson, Decolonizing Mission Partnerships presents the questions, hard truths, pitfalls, and toxic assumptions we must face when attempting to be in mission together.

Pragmatism is a philosophical school of thought emphasizing action, practices, and practical reasoning whereas prophecy is an ancient religious concept that requires belief in the reality of God. Although these two concepts seem to not be a natural fit with one another, the authors demonstrate why prophetic pragmatism is “pragmatism at its best.”