Mission and Power
History, Relevance and Perils
- Evangelism & Missions
- Publisher: Fortress Press (Augsburg Fortress)
- Published: 2020
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Publisher's Description
Mission cannot ignore its engagement with power. Christian mission is unavoidably located within matrices of power structures: religion, culture, colonial power, economics, and gender. It is not only in the missionary movement largely emanating from the West that Christian mission is linked to structure and power. The Christian communities of today also present significant images, practices, expressions, and sometimes exploitations of power. This volume explores the notion of power in relation to Christian mission and critically engages questions such as the following: What notions of power have informed mission? How have power structures been negotiated between Christian mission and local culture/religions? Which of these manifestations of power are disturbing and counter the values of the gospel?
Endorsements (4)
“Postcolonial thought, feminism, and liberation theology have all taught us that what often passes as service and ministry is really about forms of unequal power and even domination. This volume, another in the important Edinburgh 2010 series, probes the complex relation between mission and power and offers ways that unjust power relations might be finally made relations of justice and equality.”
“What could be more relevant now a day than to see and debate the structures of power within Christian missions. To understand the initial terms of Christianity compared with the faces of Christianity and power in a missionary context through time. What is Christian power? I recommend this volume to all theological students, educators, pastors and lay people.”
Bishop. Sofie Petersen
“Mission and Power: History, Relevance and Perils. This book is must read for theologians, missiologists, missionaries and Christians in general because we are called to engage in mission and we also encounter power in different ways. This book is come out at a critical juncture in the history of missions when the epicenter of Christianity has shifted to the south and questions of power in mission have not received the due attention. It is also a time when missionaries from the global south for example, South Korea and India are moving to global North and South to share the gospel and this book will be of assistance when addressing questions of power in partnership in mission as the book raises new perspectives and issues. This book will not only provide new insights on the relationship between mission and power a concept that remains ambiguous, but will make it possible for those within the Christian communities who have recently read “Together for Life: Missions from the Margins” to think through issues pertaining to power a fresh.”
“Carlos Emilio Ham-Stanard, President, Evangelical Theological Seminary, Matanzas, Cuba. It is a missional imperative of the church to engage in a holistic and inclusive approach to ministry. If the church is to have integrity of its mission and purpose, it must embody and reflect equality and equity for all gender identities. Thus, women's participation, gender equality and justice are a priority of the church. The volume on Mission and Power provides an opportunity for the community of faith and scholars to continue the conversation on power and its expression as vital to building just communities, particularly gender justice.”
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