Book reviews
Reviews of the books shaping mission thinking and practice. Page 3 of 40 · 954 in all.
Cabbages in the Desert: How God Transformed a Devout Muslim
It is no secret that the missionary effort is no longer exclusively from the West to the rest. Missiological practices, likewise, are increasingly traveling in multiple directions. We in the West have a lot to learn from the Global South, such as the ideas contained in this book.
Natural Theology: Five Views
When Psalm 19:1 says, “the heavens declare the glory of God,” what is it that the heavens are actually saying? Does the second of God’s books, the book of nature, say anything about God that is not known from the first of God’s books, the book of Scripture? This question is the subject of this fascinating, but…
Building Community Through Hospitality: Insights from Ethiopia for America’s Loneliness Epidemic.
In Building Community Through Hospitality, an EMS monograph series dissertation publication, Udall encourages American churches to learn from Ethiopian perspectives on community and interdependence to resolve the hyperindividualism fueling their loneliness epidemic.
Finding Direction to Redeem the Nations: Navigating Missions Misconceptions
Don Dent addresses the everybody is a missionary and missions is everything adages through clear responses to 40 missions misconceptions. He identifies the “what, why, how, and who of missions” (xii) and navigates through the confusion.
Evil: A North Korean Christian Refugee Perspective
Dr. Ryan Klejment-Lavin’s interview-based research on North Korean refugees in South Korea breaks some very interesting new ground in the study of theodicy and how humans react to evil and their own suffering.
Why Study History? Reflecting on the Importance of the Past
It is almost cliché to note how few people care about history, at least in the United States. John Fea, history professor at Messiah University, counters that Christians especially can benefit greatly by engaging in historical study. Fea’s argument is convincing.
Missions on Point: The Local Church at the Heart of Ecclesiology and Missiology
There is a problem with missions in the local church. In fact, according to David C. Meade, the local church has abdicated its “biblical role and responsibility to mission agencies” (16). The role of the church is central to world missions, asserts Meade.
Understanding Spiritual Abuse: What it is and How to Respond
The reality of living in a fallen world gives rise to the human capacity for harm and abuse, leaving individuals with the lasting effects of trauma. For Christians seeking to help others heal from trauma, this task can often feel overwhelming and under-resourced, especially when the trauma comes from within the church.
A Just Mission: Laying Down Power and Embracing Mutuality
After immigrating from Ethiopia to the United States to attend university at a Christian college, Haddis shares her perspective on what it truly looks like to live out the Great Commission.
Should I Be a Missionary?
Should I Be a Missionary? by Andy Johnson is a concise and accessible guide published as part of the 9Marks series of Church Questions. This short, instructive book addresses a pressing question many Christians face: “Am I called to be a missionary?” Johnson provides biblically grounded advice to help readers discern…
Community of Missionary Disciples: The Continuing Creation of the Church
“The point of the church is not the church” (86). Stephen Bevans – widely regarded as one of the leading missiologists of our day and professor emeritus of mission and culture at Catholic Theological Union – makes this central claim in various forms.
A New and Ancient Evangelism: Rediscovering the Ways God Calls and Sends
Evangelism in much of the Western church is often associated with intrusive strangers on airplanes, formulaic salvation sales pitches, or street preachers promising brimstone through bullhorns.
Leading from Below: Lessons from the Crucible of Global Mission
The book is a call for Christian courage for believers (including missionaries) who are afraid and anxious in this scary world.
Cuckoos in Our Nest: Truth and Lies About Being Human
Until a few weeks ago, I had never encountered a European Cuckoo, but after reading Iain Provan’s Cuckoos in Our Nest, I see them everywhere – not the birds themselves, but what they represent.
Missional Life in Practice & Theory: Essays in Honor of Gailyn Van Rheenan
Missiology is self-consciously a hybrid discipline. Surprisingly, not many people balance the hands and the head appropriately in the missional endeavor.
Africa Bears Witness: Mission Theology and Praxis in the 21st Century
It is widely understood that the center of global Christianity has shifted southward; indeed, “we could easily conclude that Africa has the most missionaries in the world” (11). Yet, there is still a significant need for understanding the mission theology and praxis of these African missionaries. Africa Bears Witness…
Reading 1 Peter Missiologically
Is 1 Peter 3:15 the only verse in 1 Peter useful for missions? Reading 1 Peter Missiologically answers with a resounding No! The book asserts that the entire letter of 1 Peter has much to contribute to the what (message), how (method), and why (motive) of mission (vii).
How Do I Get Started in Evangelism?
This small book seeks to present a simple useful approach to personal and group evangelism that is both practical and theologically solid. Mack Stiles is a missionary who spent 20 years in the Middle East.
Eight Million Exiles: Missional Action Research and the Crisis of Forced Migration
Christopher Hays’ Eight Million Exiles presents an innovative approach to addressing forced displacement through Missional Action Research (MAR). Rooted in Colombia, the project integrates theological reflection, social scientific inquiry, and ecclesial engagement.
Missiological Triage
Missiologists have long argued that their discipline is upheld by theology and the social sciences. The association is only natural, since missions is about bringing theological good news to real people.
Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition
The practice of hospitality is a command for all Christians. In this 25th anniversary edition of Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as a Christian Tradition, Christine Pohl rescues hospitality from the realm of domesticity and cozy tea parties and places it squarely in the sphere of vital Christian discipline.
Equipping for Global Mission
An educator friend was fond of saying, “We educate children; we train dogs; but we equip people for ministry.” This compendium of essays presented at the annual gathering of the Evangelical Missiological Society focuses on designing education and equipping for missional impact.
Networking the Black Church: Digital Black Christians and Hip-Hop
Networking the Black Church: Digital Black Christians and Hip-Hop is an influential work that explores the intersections of Black faith, hip-hop, and Black digital media. Erika D. Gault, Director of the Center of African American Religious Life at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and…
Soul by Soul: The Evangelical Mission to Spread the Gospel to Muslims
This book by Adriana Carranca is a remarkable non-judgmental look at Christian missionary work amongst Muslims. It is remarkable because Carranca identifies herself as a “secular journalist” (22).