Susan Smith

But What Is the Church For?

Church Leadership & Ministry

“Darragh is convincing in his claim that mission does not happen ‘out there’ or ‘over there.’ Mission in today’s pluralistic, multireligious, and multicultural Western world is to be place based, and its practitioners . . . are to be actively engaged at the local-church and societal levels to ensure the well-being of all. This will mean the Christian community is at the service of the realm of God.”

Contextual Theology

Theology

“For centuries, the doing of theology has been shaped by Western theological imperatives. Today the decline of institutional religion in the West, and the extraordinary growth of the church of the South mean a radical movement beyond such theologies is required. In Contextual Theology Matheny sensitively examines how a reassessment of the relationship of gospel to cultural context can advance such a critical and necessary development.”

Contextual Theology for the Twenty-First Century

Theology

“Contextual Theology for the Twenty-first Century demonstrates how contextual theology should shape the work of contemporary theologians and missiologists. The different authors convincingly argue that contextual theology is not an option, but a theological imperative as Christian churches respond to the challenges of being disciples of Jesus in the postmodern, postcolonial world. One of the book's strengths is the inclusion of Oceanic voices, so often forgotten by the theological community.”

Deep Calls to Deep

History & Biography

“Blair-Lavallais's book surprises, inspires, and motivates the reader to learn even more about these necessary institutions and how they shaped theologians, scholars, and preachers of the present day. She moves these schools from mere buildings to institutions with deep and rich cultural and historical origins that fed students with the spiritual food they did not know they needed. It is almost as though she gets the institutions to speak aloud themselves!”