Christian mission : how Christianity became a world religion / Dana L. Robert.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Robert, Dana Lee.

Series:

Blackwell brief histories of religion

Blackwell brief histories of religion series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Missions--History.

Missions.

History.

Physical Description:

xi, 214 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Chichester, U.K. ; Malden, MA : Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.

Summary:

The Gospels record that Christ commanded his disciples to "go forth and teach all nations." Thus began the history of Christian mission, a phenomenon which brought about massive shifts in the nature and practice of Christianity, and one that many say reflects the single most important movement of intercultural encounter over a sustained period of human history.

To understand Christianity as a global movement, therefore, it is essential to study the role of mission - defined as the transmission of the Gospel across cultures. Erudite and enlightening, this brief book explores the 2,000 years of mission history, covering topics such as the meaning of the missionary through history, gender and missions, and missions in culture and politics. Given that in the twenty-first century, Christianity is now largely practiced outside the West, Christian Mission is an inspirational and invaluable resource to broaden our understanding of the nature of Christianity as a truly multi-cultural world religion.

Contents:

Part I. the Making of a World Religion: Christian Mission through the Ages:

1. From Christ to Christendom

From Jerusalem into "all the world"

The creation of Catholic Europe, 400-14

2. Vernaculars and volunteers, 1450- :

Bible translation and the roots of modern missions

The revitalization of Catholic missions

The beginnings of Protestant missions

Voluntarism and mission

Protestant missionary activities in the nineteenth century

3. Global networking for the nations, 1910- :

The growth of global networks

International awakenings

Awakening internationalism

Postcolonial rejection of Christian mission

Africans, Asians, and Latin Americans in mission

Part II. Themes in Mission History:

4. The politics of missions: empire, human rights, and land:

Critiques of missions

Missionaries and human rights

Missionaries and the land

5. Women in world mission: purity, motherhood, and women's well-being:

Women as missionaries

Purity and gender neutrality

The mission of mothernood

Women's well-being and social change

6. Conversion and Christian community: the missionary from St. Patrick to Bernard Mizeki:

Who was St. Patrick?

Bernard Mizeki, "apostle to the Shona"

Missionaries and the formation of communal Christian identities

7. Postscript: Multicultural missions in global context

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [178]-192) and index.

ISBN:

9780631236191

0631236198

9780631236207

0631236201

OCLC:

246886712