Changing Face of World Missions : Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends

by Pocock, Michael, Gailyn Van Rheenen, and Douglas McConnell

• ISBN13: 9780801026614
• ISBN10: 080102661X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-10-01
• Publisher: Baker Academic

Summary

The dramatic changes that have taken place both in global society and in the church have implications for how the church does missions in the twenty-first century. These trends include the rise of postmodernism, the spiritual decline in the West and the advance of the gospel in the rest of the world, and the impact of technology on society and missions.The Changing Face of World Missions is for the mission-minded church leader or lay person who wants to understand these trends. Each chapter identifies and evaluates a trend, examines it in light of Scripture, and proposes a practical response. Important terms are defined, and sidebars help readers think through the issues on their own.

Author Biography

Michael Pocock (D.Miss., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is chair and senior professor of world missions and intercultural studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. Gailyn Van Rheenen (D.Miss., Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) retired from Abilene Christian University in 2003 to launch Mission Alive, an organization devoted to the training of Christian leaders. Douglas McConnell (Ph.D., Fuller Theological Seminary) is dean of the School of Intercultural Studies and associate professor of leadership at Fuller.

Table of Contents

Preface	7	(2)
Introduction	9	(12)
Part 1 The Global Context
1 Globalization: New York's in New Delhi, Manila's in Los Angeles	21	(24)
2 Changing Demographics: The Impact of Migration, HIV/AIDS, and Children at Risk	45	(34)
3 Religionquake: From World Religions to Multiple Spiritualities	79	(26)
4 The Changing Basis of Knowledge: From Modernity to Postmodernity	105	(26)
Part 2 The Missional Context
5 The Disappearing Center: From Christendom to Global Christianity	131	(30)
6 Changing Motivations for Missions: From "Fear of Hell" to "the Glory of God"	161	(22)
7 Increasing Awareness of Spiritual Power: The Spiritual Warfare Orientation to Missions	183	(26)
8 Innovation in Mission Operations: Creative-Access Platforms	209	(38)
Part 3 The Strategic Context
9 Working Together: Beyond Individual Efforts to Networks of Collaboration	247	(32)
10 The Changing Uses of Money: From Self-support to International Partnership	279	(20)
11 The Impact of New Technologies: Life in the Virtual World and Beyond	299	(22)
12 Contextualization: From an Adapted Message to an Adapted Life	321	(28)
Reference List	349	(24)
Subject Index	373	(12)
Scripture Index	385	(6)
Contributing Authors	391