Displacement of peoples around the world continues to impact governmental policies and contest national identities. At the micro level, displacement's impact on the religious lives of those affected by displacement is a growing field of study and worthy of consideration as a form of self-theologizing and religious renewal. Theologizing Place in Displacement looks at the process of theologizing about place among displaced Orthodox Christian believers in the Republic of Georgia and outlines three key areas where a local theology takes shape around key Orthodox theological themes.

In this book social responsive theological research converges to provide practical theological and ecclesiological perspectives on the growing human dilemma of displacement. The book presents the research of practical theologians, a missiologist and a religious practitioner whose work pertains first and foremost to the (South) African context. The different fields of expertise of the contributors within the broader field of practical theology worked towards a unique compilation of themes, each relevant to the issue at stake. The majority of chapters are theoretically orientated, except where authors refer to empirical work conducted during previous research. The main contribution of this collaborative work is to be sought in the practical theological and ecclesiological perspectives it provides. It engages the critical questions of what kind of church we need, and what kind of care we should provide in the face of the growing predicament of human displacement. The theological and theoretical principles uncovered in the different chapters will be of use to theologians from all theological subdisciplines, as well as to religious practitioners and leaders of faith communities that are challenged with the growing realities of strangers on their doorsteps and in their pews.

How can Christians witness to the complexity of our world? Gregg Okesson shows that local congregations are the primary means of public witness in and for the world. As Christians move back and forth between their churches and their neighborhoods, workplaces, and other public spaces, they weave a thick gospel witness. This introduction to public missiology explains how local congregations can thicken their witness in the public realms where they live, work, and play. Real-life examples from around the world help readers envision approaches to public witness and social change.

In this book social responsive theological research converges to provide practical theological and ecclesiological perspectives on the growing human dilemma of displacement. The book presents the research of practical theologians, a missiologist and a religious practitioner whose work pertains first and foremost to the (South) African context. The different fields of expertise of the contributors within the broader field of practical theology worked towards a unique compilation of themes, each relevant to the issue at stake. The majority of chapters are theoretically orientated, except where authors refer to empirical work conducted during previous research. The main contribution of this collaborative work is to be sought in the practical theological and ecclesiological perspectives it provides. It engages the critical questions of what kind of church we need, and what kind of care we should provide in the face of the growing predicament of human displacement. The theological and theoretical principles uncovered in the different chapters will be of use to theologians from all theological subdisciplines, as well as to religious practitioners and leaders of faith communities that are challenged with the growing realities of strangers on their doorsteps and in their pews.

It has often been held that missions rode on the coattails of colonialism. In the case of the British administered island of Singapore, the pluriform missions of the Methodist missionaries demonstrated industry, innovation, and integrity, which in many ways question the charge of compromise and complicity between missions and colonialism. This historical survey presents the case that the Methodist missionaries collaborated with the colonial administration insofar where benefits might be gleaned from cooperation but were intuitively commandeered by a different commander-in-chief and whose primary motivation of love for the Lord, for the people, and for the land were objectively evident.

In this book, Elizabeth S. Dodd traces the contours of a lyric theology through the lens of English lyric tradition. She addresses the dominance of narrative and drama in contemporary theological aesthetics by drawing on recent developments in lyric theory. Informed by the work of critics such as Jonathan Culler, Dodd explores the significance of lyric for theological discourse. Lyric is presented here as a short, musical, expressive and personal form that is also fragmentary, embodied, socially located and performative. The main chapters address key moments in English lyric tradition. This selective approach aims to expand the theological gaze beyond the monochromatic features of the traditional canon. It covers Anglo-Saxon hymns, medieval lullaby carols, early-modern sonnets and the prophetic poetry of Romanticism, but also Grime and hip hop, performance poetry, social media poetry and Geoffrey Hill.

This book is a brilliant use of metaphor that makes clear why the world leaves us feeling so uneasy!

"Place" shapes human identity and community. Arguing that theologies are shaped by place so no theology can be universal, "Out of Place" assesses the ways in which theology, as a discipline and a practice, is "out of place". Departing from dominant theological discourse, the book argues that for theology to be transformative it must connect with "place" and engage with marginalised peoples and cultures. Ranging across Asian American theology to Tamils in the London diaspora, Australian Pentecostalism to HIV and AIDS sufferers, "Out of Place" will be of invaluable to scholars and students of sociology and religion interested in the intersection of theology and locality.

In Undocumented Migration as a Theologizing Experience, Eunil David Cho examines how Korean American undocumented young adults tell religious stories to cope with the violence of uncertainty and construct new meanings for themselves. Based on in-depth interviews guided by narrative inquiry, the book follows the stories of ten Korean American DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients who have found their lives in limbo. While many experience narrative foreclosure, believing “My story is over,” Cho highlights how telling religious stories enables them to imagine and create new stories for themselves not as shunned outsiders, but as beloved children of God.

This is the first of two volumes of essays from the Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network's 14th International Conference focused on decolonizing churches and theology, addressing oppressions based on gender, racial, and ethnic identities; economic inequality; social vulnerabilities; climate change and global challenges such as pandemics, neoliberalism, and the role of information technology in modern society, all connected with the topic of decolonization. The essays in this volume focus on decoloniality in religious and theological dialogue, migration, history, and education, written from historical, dogmatic, social scientific, and liturgical perspectives.