Dr. Emmanuel Damara

The Asianization of Christianity

Evangelism & Missions

“Global mission has been a recurring theme over the last two millennia. The face of the globe changed with the preaching of the gospel, beginning from the early apostles. In the last two centuries, as the gospel was preached in Africa and Asia, it was largely through notable missionaries who were either American or European. Consequently, Christians were mainly aware of the Western approach to the gospel. But then missiologists introduced the term "contextualization," and this was a turning point. So the gospel progressed from globalization to contextualization. Now we see in this book by Dr. Jonathan James a new phrase, "the Asianization of Christianity." Asianization is a broad term that encompasses outreach activities to different Asian nations, according to their values, practices, and thought patterns. This is not just a fashionable term but an apt one, because the book outlines a new paradigm of mission that goes beyond contextualization. This book may be one of the best things that could happen to the church in the twenty-first century. It is a compelling mission handbook backed up by solid research to build bridges to the cultures of Asia without compromising the essence of the gospel. I highly recommend this book to church leaders, students, and missionaries in Asia and throughout the world.”