From the Inside Out
Reimagining Mission, Recreating the World
- Evangelism & Missions
- Publisher: Cascade Books (Wipf and Stock)
- Published: 2018
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Publisher's Description
"For the sake of the world, we question. For the sake of the gospel, we examine. For the sake of the dignity of the image-bearers we serve--as well as ourselves--we inquire." The evolution that has taken place in the world of mission over the last twenty-five years has left many Christians asking brutally honest questions about what we do and why we do it. Are we doing more damage than good? What does it look like to truly love and serve the marginalized in an authentic and effective way? What, actually, is the gospel and is it truly good news? In this groundbreaking book, Ryan Kuja vividly examines the world of Christian mission as few have seen it. With a beautiful balance of storytelling and theological reflection birthed from his own painful and powerful experiences on and off the field--from rural villages in South Sudan to major cities across Asia, Africa, and Latin America--Ryan guides us into global mission's past and present, revealing where the light and hope lie, helping recover a missional future that will usher us into a new era. This is mission reimagined for a world recreated . . . from the inside out.
Endorsements (12)
“In this compelling book, Kuja challenges the exploitative roots of McMission and calls us to something deeper. He never gives up on mission but invites us into a posture that will be more sustainable, more holistic and ultimately more transformative. Read it with an open mind and heart and you will be challenged.”
“A bold and courageous examination of unconscious motivations for mission, whereby we discover the way of interior freedom that allows for more effective service in our world. A timely clarion call for the integration of contemplation and action.”
“In From the Inside Out, Ryan Kuja helps us to right-size our egoic ventures of fixing the world to seeing its people through wildly curious, deeply wise, and always loving eyes. No matter your current worldview, From the Inside Out is sure to expand its boundaries of beauty and reconciliation. This transformational book will be required reading for all Make Way Partners staff and mission volunteers.”
“A timely contribution to the conversation about mission, which masterfully weaves together stories from the author's own experience, biblical reflection and theological insight. Even as he challenges widespread misconceptions of cross-cultural mission, Kuja's intention is to awaken a fresh and liberating engagement with God's redeeming work in the world.”
“In these pages, Ryan courageously talks about the power of story and the grace of redemption. This book is not simply about theory or general recommendations. It is told through the lens of someone who has done the hard work of questioning in order to find a new way forward. Ryan wrestles with what it truly means for us to live into incarnational ministry by first calling us to look at our history and personal stories before seeking to impose ourselves on the narratives of others. This book gives me hope for the future of missions, both locally and globally, and is a teaching tool for a new way forward. It will take you on a journey of self-discovery that is convicting, inspiring, and ultimately redemptive.”
“Ryan Kuja brings together a rich analysis of cultural, theological, and spiritual formation issues along with rich reflections of the Bible and his own experience among the marginalized. Ryan skillfully deals with the many blind spots in the life of the agent of transformation, such as communication of our beliefs, culture, personality, and perceptions of our histories. He reinforces that foundational to any model of mission or development is the transformation of the agent of transformation – “integrity in integral mission.” I recommend From the Inside Out to anyone who sincerely seeks to invest themselves in contexts of poverty – so they may heal the poor and themselves.”
“From the Inside Out is at once heartbreaking and hopeful. Through theological exploration, therapeutic insights, and personal stories from his experiences around the world, Kuja confesses the Western church’s missionary movement’s devastating sins of colonialism, ethnocentrism, and dehumanizing theologies, while offering a new way forward for Christian missions marked by memory, mysticism, mutuality, and imagination. A new era of expressing and embodying the good news of Jesus is possible, but first Western missions must repent and undergo a conversion itself. This book is a critical tool towards that end.”
“Through depth, honesty, humility and storytelling bound together in theological insight, Ryan shares, not as an expert, but with the authority of one who has tried and failed and in doing so discovered the grace to keep going. This book invites all of us to embrace the courage to open ourselves to the healing only God can bring, and in doing so offer that healing to our world.”
“In a world of unrest and uncertainty, Ryan Kuja awakens us to a hopeful vision of God’s dream of restoration. From the Inside Out offers engaging stories and practical anecdotes for what it looks like to live purposefully with the transforming mission of God as our goal and the Spirit of Christ as our guide. A worthwhile read for anyone ready to wholeheartedly engage.”
“Ryan Kuja has created a tool that is both field guide and textbook for missional practitioners by using tools of hermeneutics, cultural and social analysis, history, and personal experience “in the field.” Hermeneutics gives us first century field-tested experience from the great mission strategist and apostle, Paul; history gives us warnings of unintended harm imposed on receiving cultures as practitioners bring their own “Main Street” to cultures where streets may not even be paved; cultural analysis gives tools where listening comes first and proclamation is embodied in humility; and Ryan’s personal experience brings a passionate missioner whose desire to faithfully serve the missio Dei has been tried, tested, and tempered by listening well to biblical text, cultural setting, and the unfolding story of his own pilgrimage of fierce faith. This is not a heavy academic tome with which you will argue but an invitation to listen deeply and well in the pursuit of your own faithful practice of mission.”
“In From the Inside Out, Ryan Kuja bravely faces the fractures in the foundation of Christian mission, and asks the kinds of questions that are essential for the future of our faith.”
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