"The New Global Mission" - Review

So, I just finished reading The New Global Mission, by Samuel Escobar. I actually got this book three and a half years ago from Samuel himself. He was a plenary speaker at the 2003 Urbana missions conference, and my parents had the pleasure of driving him around during the conference. His book was the book of the day on the day he spoke, and he wrote a note and signed a copy for me. I'm ashamed that I have just now read it, but I guess it's better late than never.

Samuel's main focus is the shift of the church from the West to Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The majority of Christians today no longer live in the US or Europe, but rather are found in Asia and Africa. Because of this, the church in the west must learn to separate western culture from the teachings of the church. For a long time, the modern culture of the west has impacted the teaching of the church, to the point where western concepts were taught as Bible truths. As the non-western church grows (and the western church shrinks), we are seeing Christianity practiced in ways that may seem to contradict our western perception of Christianity. We must learn from these differences, knowing that "different" does not mean "wrong" or "non-Christian."

The shift of the church from the west is accompanied by a sort of rebellion against the traditional western church by the younger generations. As the western church sees the post-modern generation grow, a new challenge is being raised. The scientific, "rational" views held by the modern generation are being challenged by this younger generation as we see the benefit of learning from other cultures, and even other religions. A friend of mine refers to his beliefs as "Zen Christianity," acknowledging the failure in the western church to evidence moral character and a holistic approach to the individual. He sees positive aspects of other religions - such as love for all, peace, and contemplation - that are lacking in the western church. We do not have to agree with other religions, but the western church can definitely learn quite a bit from the rest of the world.

In addition to addressing the modern vs. post-modern issue (with some mention of pre-modern as well), Samuel devotes several pages to charismatic and Pentecostal theology. He acknowledges that this is a touchy subject in the western church, but there are non-western churches that have developed this type of theology completely free of western Pentecostal influence. With the spiritual realm a very real part of the daily lives of those in non-western cultures, it is not surprising that there is a tendency in these cultures to embrace the Pentecostal movement. Again, you don't necessarily have to agree with them, but we can learn a lot from our brothers and sisters around the world.

I realize that this really isn't much in the way of a book review. I highly encourage you to read it if you get the chance. It's a quick read once you get into it, but it is a little slow getting started, as many scholarly books are. I think Inter-Varsity Press sells it for around $13, but you may be able to find it elsewhere for cheaper.