__A Relational Model for Interacting with People of Other Faiths__ Given the unique religious climate of the twenty-first century and the challenges to Christian mission it poses, Christianity Encountering World Religions proposes a new model for interacting with people of other faiths. The authors term this model "giftive mission," since it is based on the metaphor of free gift. They suggest that seeing mission activity as giving the greatest gift possible--the gospel message--not only has the potential for greater missionary success but also enables us to imitate more closely God's gracious activity in the world.  
  
"Finally we have in a single volume a sustained, creative, and approachable argument describing how Christians should think about their relations with people of other faiths. There is neither a more important issue in missiology today nor a better presentation of the material in a constructive piece. The authors lucidly lay out the various positions and approaches, but they also clearly spell out their own commitments. I now have a book to point to and say, 'Read this, and then we can talk about Christian life and responsibility in a religiously plural world.'"--__Scott W. Sunquist__, Fuller Theological Seminary  
  
"In an era when Christians are frustrated by the devotion of whole peoples to religions that are fiercely resistant to gospel missions, this book will come as a bold and liberating proposal for both mission theorists and practitioners. Professors Muck and Adeney draw from decades of experience and scholarship to construct a model based on imitatio Christi and missio Dei. Perhaps the most helpful feature of this book is its expert use of stories from twenty centuries of missions to illustrate, in fascinating detail, 'giftive mission.'"--__Gerald R. McDermott__, Roanoke College

__Terry C. Muck__ (PhD, Northwestern University) is executive director of the Louisville Institute, a Lilly Endowment-funded program based at Louisville Seminary supporting those who lead and study American religious institutions. He formerly served as dean of the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary. He is the author of nine books, including Ministry and Theology in Global Perspective: Contemporary Challenges for the Church. __Frances S. Adeney__ (PhD, Graduate Theological Union) is William A. Benfield Jr. Professor of Evangelism and Global Mission at Louisville Seminary. She has authored and contributed to many books, including Christian Women in Indonesia: A Narrative Study of Gender and Religion and Christianity and Human Rights: Influences and Issues.

The current religious climate poses unique challenges to those engaged in mission. Thus the authors of this book propose a new, yet very biblical, model for interacting with people of other faiths. They term this model giftive mission, as it is based on the metaphor of free gift. We bear the greatest gift possible--the gospel message. Adopting this perspective not only has the potential for greater missionary success but also enables us to more closely imitate God's gracious activity in the world. The core of the book explores eleven practices that characterize giftive mission. Each practice is illustrated through the story of a figure from mission history who embodied that practice. Further discussion shows how to incorporate these practices in specific mission settings.

In this major work, two world religion and mission experts present a new relational model for Christians interacting with people of other faiths.

Introduction   
Part 1: Context, Text, and Pre-Texts  
1\. The Context of World Religion Today   
2\. Text: What the Bible Says  
3\. Pre-Texts: Theology and Personality  
Part 2: Practices: Beyond Competition and Cooperation  
4\. Universality: Reaching Out to All, Including Christians  
5\. Fellowship: Belonging Precedes Believing  
6\. Localization: Focusing on Questions and Concerns of the Local Community  
7\. Commitment: Holding Ideas with Conviction; Acting Decisively on Those Ideas; Not Letting Those Ideas Be Divisive  
8\. Freedom: Honoring the Principle of Religious Choice as Free and Uncoerced  
9\. Effectiveness: Allowing the Context to Determine the Form of Witness  
10\. Consistency: Striving for Consistency between Methods and Goals  
11\. Variety: Communicating the Gospel in Many Forms, Verbal and Nonverbal  
12\. Respect: Not Disparaging Others in Order to Champion Your Own; Not Disparaging Your Own in Order to Respect Others  
13\. Charity: Loving Those to Whom We Witness  
14\. Missional Ecumenicity: Practicing Mission as the Joint Project of the Church, Not an Occasion for Competition  
15\. Jesus, Mission Innovator: Jesus' Model of Giftive Mission  
Part 3: Method: How Do We Do It?  
16\. The Spiral of Knowledge Acquisition: Learning about New Cultures and New Religions  
17\. Experiencing: The Influence of Our Personal Histories  
18\. Bracketing: Putting Convictions on Hold  
19\. Encountering: Learning from a New Culture and Religion  
20\. Evaluating: Appraising the New Culture and Religion from Our Christian Point of View  
21\. Integrating: Reshaping Our Own Views and Mission Practices Part 4: Giftive Mission  
22\. Metaphors for Mission  
23\. The Four Gifts  
24\. Giftive Mission  
Appendix A: Biblical Inter-Religious Encounters  
Appendix B: Inter-Religious Encounter Mode Instrument  
Reference List  
Scripture Index  
Subject Index

Muck, Terry C. ;Adeney, Frances S.

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Page

Introduction

Part 1: Context, Text, and Pre-texts

1. Context: The World of Religion Today

2. Text: What the Bible Says

3. Pre-texts: Theology and Personality

Part 2: Practices: Beyond Competition and Cooperation

4. Universality: Reaching Out to All, Including Christians

5. Fellowship: Belonging Precedes Believing

6. Localization: Focusing on Questions and Concerns of the Local Community

7. Commitment: Holding Ideas with Conviction; Acting Decisively on Those Ideas; Not Letting Those Ideas Be Divisive

8. Freedom: Honoring the Principle of Religious Choice

9. Effectiveness: Allowing the Context to Determine the Form of Witness

10. Consistency: Striving for Consistency between Methods and Goals

11. Variety: Communicating the Gospel in Many Forms

12. Respect: Not Disparaging Others in Order to Champion Your Own; Not Disparaging Your Own in Order to Respect Others

13. Charity: Loving Those to Whom We Witness

14. Missional Ecumenicity: Practicing Mission as the Joint Project of the Church

15. Jesus, Mission Innovator: Jesus's Model of Giftive Mission

Part 3: Method: How Do We Do It?

16. The Spiral of Knowledge Acquisition: Learning about New Cultures and New Religions

17. Experiencing: The Influence of Our Personal Histories

18. Bracketing: Putting Convictions on Hold

19. Encountering: Learning from a New Culture and Religion

20. Evaluating: Appraising the New Culture and Religion from a Christian Viewpoint

21. Integrating: Reshaping Our Own Views and Mission Practices

Part 4: Giftive Mission

22. Metaphors for Mission

23. The Four Gifts

24. Giftive Mission

Appendix: Biblical Interreligious Encounters

Bibliography

Index

Part of the "Encountering Mission" series, this volume presents a relational model for Christians interacting with people of other faiths.

Terry Muck (PhD, Northwestern University) is dean of the E. Stanley Jones School of World Mission and Evangelism at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He is the author of nine books, including Ministry and Theology in Global Perspective: Contemporary Challenges for the Church. Frances S. Adeney (PhD, Graduate Theological Union) is William A. Benfield Jr. Professor of Evangelism and Global Mission at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. She has authored and contributed to many books, including Christian Women in Indonesia: A Narrative Study of Gender and Religion and Christianity and Human Rights: Influences and Issues.

The Good Book Stall

Any book which explores Christianity Encountering World Religions has got to be welcome. This book of that title explores the concept that both ‘the other’ and ‘‘mission’ are ‘gifts’. It is a refreshing read with fresh thinking. The only problem I had with it was that I thought it tried to be too clever with too much detail about Christian leaders and illustrations which did not fit the flow of the text. However, this excellent narrative emphasizes that mission grows out of experience; it is ‘two directional’, and our own convictions need to be ‘put on hold’ as we listen and learn from those we try to reach. This is a study book which absorbs the writing of many scholars around the world, together with the ‘mission as gift’ metaphor from the Old as well as New Testament. This leads to clear advice and guidance that will help many searching for an authentic relational model of mission for interacting with people of other faiths today.

Christianity Encountering World Religions

Christianity Encountering World Religions (Encountering Mission) [eBook]

Navigation Bar

Header Default

Download the Christian360 App to read eBooks and listen to Audiobooks bought at Christian360

Download the App

Christianity Encountering World Religions (Encountering Mission) [eBook]

Description

Need support?

Customer reviews

Download the App

Download the App