relationalrealism

A Hybrid World: Diaspora, Hybridity, and Missio Dei

Reviewed by Juno Wang. A Hybrid World addresses the growing reality of hybridity among people on the move in the twenty-first century, a reality that brings opportunities and also challenges for the mission of God. The book is mainly a compendium of papers from a hybridity in diaspora mission consultation held in 2018, sponsored byContinue reading “A Hybrid World: Diaspora, Hybridity, and Missio Dei”

Spiritual Warfare: Overcoming Demonization

Enoch Wan. Christian leaders may not be in total agreement on the how’s and why’s of demonization of Christians, yet they all recognize the fact that Christians could be demonized. Therefore overcoming demonization is an essential aspect of Christians’ warfare against sin, self, Satan (& evil spirits). The controversial debate on the possibility and extensivenessContinue reading “Spiritual Warfare: Overcoming Demonization”

Christian Missions to Diaspora Groups: A Diachronic General Overview and Synchronic Study of Contemporary USA

Enoch Wan and Linda Gross. This paper is a diachronic overview of Christian missions to diaspora groups in general and a synchronic study of current efforts in contemporary USA. Definitions and explanations of several key-terms are offered below for the sake of clarity. http://ojs.globalmissiology.org/index.php/english/article/view/59/171

Towards a Theology of Relational Mission training – an Application of the Relational Paradigm

Enoch Wan and Tin V. Nguyen. In the famous “Batman begins” Hollywood film, when asked about his name, Bruce Wayne, the actor who played the Batman character, answered, “It’s not who I am underneath [the mask], but what I do that defines me.” This statement succinctly defines the American culture – a function-oriented culture inContinue reading “Towards a Theology of Relational Mission training – an Application of the Relational Paradigm”

A Theology of Partnership: Implications for Implementation by a Local Church

Enoch Wan and Geoff Baggett. Christian faith and practice are to be grounded in sound theological foundation and “Christian partnership” is no exception. The purpose of this study is to define and describe “a theology of partnership” that will serve to guide a local church to illustrate such a theology in action. http://ojs.globalmissiology.org/index.php/english/article/view/62/183

Missionary Training for the Twenty First Century: Biblical Foundations

Enoch Wan and Mark Hedinger. Christ’s instructions have not changed; the church still has the responsibility and privilege of sharing the gospel with all nations, making disciples who will be obedient to everything that Christ commanded. The instructions are clear; we must cross the boundaries of cultures to make such disciples. The message of theContinue reading “Missionary Training for the Twenty First Century: Biblical Foundations”

Rooting for Rivals: How Collaboration and Generosity Increase the Impact of Leaders, Charities, and Churches

Peter Greer, Christ Horst, and Jill Heisey. Christ-centered faith-based organizations have a unique opportunity to link arms and collectively pursue a calling higher than any one organization’s agenda. This book reveals how your ministry can multiply its impact by cooperating, rather than competing.

The Church and Its Vocation: Lesslie Newbigin’s Missionary Ecclesiology

Michael W. Goheen. This volume presents Lesslie Newbigin’s ecclesiology to a new generation about the church in a pluralistic world. Michael Goheen clearly articulates Newbigin’s missionary understanding of the church and places it in the context of Newbigin’s core theological convictions.

Christ the Reconciler: A Theology for Opposites, Differences, and Enemies

Peter Schmiechen. Schmiechen first analyzes the dysfunctional state of America’s churches – with their capitulation to modern culture – and then argues convincingly that the church can be renewed only through the recovery of Christ’s gospel of reconciliation.

The Social God and the Relational Self: A Trinitarian Theology of the Imago Dei

Stanley J. Grenz. The author constructs an ongoing conversation involving biblical texts, the theological heritage of the Christian tradition, and the contemporary historical/social context. He develops a communal understanding of the imago dei in the face of the demise of the centered self. Grenz delineates the biblical/theological foundation for a new social conception of the divine imageContinue reading “The Social God and the Relational Self: A Trinitarian Theology of the Imago Dei”