Originally presented as the author's thesis, University of Birmingham, 1989.

Tracing the rise of Christianity to its key role in Europe's maritime and colonial expansion, this text sheds light on the ways in which societies in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have been drawn into the Christian orbit.

Bengt Sundkler's long-awaited book on African Christian churches will become the standard reference for the subject.

Using an interdisciplinary approach, Elizabeth Tonkin investigates the construction and interpretation of oral histories.

David A. Shank has been reflecting on the mission of the church from an Anabaptist perspective for more than half a century. His writings represent among the best biblical, theological, and missiological study on the matter, shaped by two primary contexts—Europe and Africa—where his ministry took place. This collection will be of particular interest to global church leaders wanting to know more about how to contextualize the gospel message; to mission and church historians interested in examining how missiological thought and practice evolves over time; and to pastors, students, and mission workers seeking insights from a wise elder as they serve the church through its mission efforts in the twenty-first century.

Professor Hastings also compares the relation of Christian history to the comparable development of Islam in Africa.

Furthermore, they extract useful lessons for fostering faith communities around the globe.

This book conceptualizes integration and conflict as interrelated dimensions of social interaction impacted by specific historical experiences. Contributions aim at a better understanding of the social mechanisms affecting processes of integration and conflict at the local, national and regional levels.

Worship and Mission for the Global Church offers theological reflection, case studies, practical tools, and audiovisual resources to help the global church appreciate and generate culturally appropriate arts in worship and witness. Drawing on the expertise and experience of over one hundred writers from twenty countries, the volume integrates insights from the fields of ethnomusicology, biblical research, worship studies, missiology, and the arts. This book is the first in a two-volume set on the principles and practices of ethnodoxology. The second volume, entitled Creating Local Arts Together, guides the practitioner through a detailed seven-step process of assisting a local community’s efforts at integrating its arts with the values and purposes of God’s kingdom.

The wisdom of tribal peoples has often been overlooked, both within the church and outside of it. However as the ideologies of consumerism, free market individualism, and nationalism grow more and more dominant across the globe, with devastating implications for our planet’s shared future, it has become ever more urgent to make space for voices from the margins – voices offering alternative frameworks for understanding the nature of existence, spirituality, and what it means to be human. This book draws together contributors from diverse tribal and denominational backgrounds to reflect on the future of Christianity in Northeast India, a region rich in ancient myths, oral traditions, and a vibrant awareness of both the spiritual realm and the embeddedness of humans within creation. Joining a wider conversation regarding the integration of Christianity and primal traditions, the authors wrestle with crucial questions surrounding identity and the challenges of contextualizing the gospel in relation to their own languages, cultures, and traditions. Looking both backwards and forwards, they provide insight into the history of Christianity in tribal contexts, while exploring the vital significance of recovering and transmitting indigenous knowledge and the profound perspective it offers the church into the significance of Christ and his gospel.