MISSION THEOLOGY

Allen, Roland. 1962. Missionary methods: St. Paul’s or ours? Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Bevans, Stephen B. and Roger P. Schroeder. 2004. Constants in context: A theology of mission for today. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Bosch, David J. 1991. Transforming mission: Paradigm shifts in theology of mission. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Hesselgrave, David J. 2005. Paradigms in conflict: 10 key questions in Christian missions today. Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel.

Hiebert, Paul G. 1999. Missiological implications of epistemological shifts: Affirming truth in a modern/postmodern world. Harrisburg, PA: Trinity Press International.

Explores the question of epistemology, or theory of knowledge, and its impact upon how we view and do missions in todays world. Examines three specific theories of knowledge--positivism, instrumentalism/idealism, and critical realism.

Jenkins, Philip. 2002. The next Christendom: The coming of global Christianity. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Taking a global view, this volume is a landmark analysis of the enormous growth of Christianity in the southern hemisphere and its revolutionary implications for both the church and political landscape in the 21st century.

Newbigin, Lesslie. 1995. The open secret: An introduction to the theology of mission. Rev. ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Niebuhr, H. Richard. 1951. Christ and culture. New York, NY: Harper & Row.

Sanneh, Lamin. 2003. Whose religion is Christianity? The gospel beyond the West. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Schnabel, Eckhard. 2004. Early Christian mission. 2 vols. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

Senior, Donald and Carroll Stuhlmueller. 1983. The biblical foundations for mission. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Shenk, Wilbert R. 1999. Changing frontiers of mission. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Van Engen, Charles. 1996. Mission on the way: Issues in mission theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

Van Engen, Charles, Dean S. Gilliland, and Paul Pierson, eds. 2000. The good news of the kingdom: Mission theology for the third millennium. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Walls, Andrew F. 1996. The missionary movement in Christian history: studies in the transmission of faith. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Walls, Andrew F. 2002. The cross-cultural process in Christian history: Studies in the transmission and appropriation of faith. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Weston, Paul, comp. 2006. Lesslie Newbigin, missionary theologian: A reader. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

MISSION ANTHROPOLOGY

Conn, Harvie M. 1984. Eternal word and changing worlds: Theology, anthropology, and mission in trialogue. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Hiebert, Paul G. 1985. Anthropological insights for missionaries. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

Missionaries must understand the people they serve in their historical and cultural settings. They must understand themselves similarly. Otherwise, the author warns, missionaries may proclaim a meaningless and irrelevant message. One source of help in this essential quest is the field of study called anthropology. The author, an expert in this field, taps its insights for missionaries in a way that few others do.

Hiebert, Paul G. 1994. Anthropological reflections on missiological issues. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

Anthropology's contributions explored for cross-cultural understanding of epistemology, globalism, urbanization, church planting, spiritual warfare.

Hiebert, Paul G. 2008. Transforming worldviews: An anthropological understanding of how people change. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

A leading evangelical anthropologist/missiologist provides students of intercultural ministry with an understanding of worldview and a strategy for effective, long-term ministry.Changes in behavior and belief are considered major indicators that Christian conversion has, indeed, taken place. Hiebert, one of our generation's leading missions anthropologists, asks us to add in a third factor: worldview. He goes on to elaborate on its meaning and what he sees as its far-reaching implications.

Hiebert, Paul G. and Eloise Hiebert Meneses. 1995. Incarnational ministry: Planting churches in band, tribal, peasant, and urban societies. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

Kraft, Charles H. 1996. Anthropology for Christian witness. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Kraft, Charles H. 2005. Christianity in culture: A study in Biblical theologizing in cross-cultural perspective. Rev. 25th ann. ed. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Sanneh, Lamin. 1989. Translating the message: The missionary impact on culture. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

CONTEXTUALIZATION

Barr, William R. 1997. Constructing Christian theology in the worldwide church. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Bevans, Stephen B. 2002. Models of contextual theology. Rev. ed. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis

Stephen B Bevans's Models of Contextual Theology has become a staple in courses on theological method and as a handbook used by missioners and other Christians concerned with the Christian tradition's understanding of itself in relation to culture. First published in 1992 and now in its seventh printing in English, with translations underway into Spanish, Korean, and Indonesian, Bevans's book is a judicious examination of what the terms "contextual theology" and "to contextualize" mean. In the revised and expanded edition, Bevans adds a "counter-cultural" model to the five presented in the first edition -- the translation, the anthropological, the praxis, the synthetic, and the transcendental model. This means that readers will be introduced to the way in which figures such as Stanley Hauerwas, John Milbank, Lesslie Newbigin, "and (occasionally) Pope John Paul II" need to be taken into account. The author's revisions also incorporate suggestions made by reviewers to enhance the clarity of the original three chapters on the nature of contextual theology and the five models.

Dietrich, Walter and Luz Ulrich. 2002. The Bible in world context. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

In the West, the Bible is largely read and studied abstractly, without context. This is unfortunate since the meaning and value of Scripture are rooted, first, in the contextual situations of its readers. The West has much to learn from voices in places like Latin America, Africa, and Asia, where people are reading and studying the Bible in direct relation to the often trying circumstances of their daily lives.The Bible in a World Context is an engaging work that offers a fresh look at the subjects of Bible reading and hermeneutics from a global perspective. Three rising scholars representing three distinct geographical regions each contribute to the volume a programmatic essay on hermeneutics and a shorter Bible study on Luke 2:1-20, the account of Jesus' birth. In showing the role that context plays in interpretation, these chapters demonstrate a contextual hermeneutics that brings familiar biblical texts to life in new and important ways.

Dyrness, William A. 1990. Learning about theology from the Third World. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Dyrness, William A. 1992. Invitation to cross-cultural theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

"Invitation to Cross-Cultural Theology" seeks to extend the study of theology to the way in which lay communities of Christians endeavor to shape the world by their faith. Using narratives of experiences with God as source material, Dyrness sets out to discover the framework, both explicit as well as implicit, that guides their lives as Christians. Testimonies are heard from very different communities around the world: the Akamba in Kenya, the Maya in Guatemala, the house-church members in China, the squatters in metro Manila, and middle-class Americans from Northern California. The theological themes that emerge not only give expression to God's working in various contexts, but provide clues as to the shape theological discussion should take in these places. In the final chapter, the author discusses the various ways in which Christ and salvation are being addressed in these communities today.

England, John C., Jose Kuttianimattathil, John Mansford Prior, Lily A. Quintos, David Suh Kwang-sun, and Janice Wickeri, eds. 2004. Asian Christian theologies: A research guide to authors, movements, sources. Vols. 1-3. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

England, John C. 1981. Living theology in Asia. London: SCM Press.

Flemming, Dean E. 2005. Contextualization in the New Testament. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

To provide a model for today's missionary efforts, Dean Flemming examines how the New Testament authors--particularly in Acts, Paul's letters and the Gospels--contextualized the gospel for particular cultures and/or communities. This is an excellent book with sometimes surprising insight concerning the writing of the New Testament, using contemporary beliefs and culture.

Hesselgrave, David J. and Edward Rommen. 1989. Contextualization: Meanings methods, and models. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

Hwa, Yung. 1997. Mangoes or bananas? The quest for authentic Asian Christian theology. Oxford: Regnum.

Ott, Craig and Harold A. Netland, eds. 2006. Globalizing theology: Belief and practice in an era of world Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker.

Parratt, John, ed. 2004. An introduction to Third World theologies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Schreiter, Robert J. 1985. Constructing local theologies. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

In the midst of the tremendous vitality that today's Christians are showing, one set of problems emerges over and over again: how to be faithful both to the contemporary experience of the gospel and to the tradition of Christian life that has been received. How is the community to go about bringing to expression its own experience of Christ in its concrete situation? And how is this to be related to a tradition that is often expressed in language and concepts vastly different from anything in the current situation? These problems are the subject of this book.

Schwarz, Hans. 2005. Theology in a global context: The last two hundred years. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans.

Shorter, Alyward. 1988. Toward a theology of inculturation. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis.

Tennent, Timothy C. 2007. Theology in the context of world Christianity: How the global church is influencing the way we think about and discuss theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Van Rheenen, Gailyn, ed. 2006. Contextualization and syncretism: Navigating cultural currents. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.