Reclaiming Mission as Constructive Theology: Missional Church and World Christanity

Synopsis: Reclaiming Mission as Constructive Theology offers a compelling case for the need to integrate Gods mission and missional church conversation with a public and post-colonial study of World Christianity. Driven by a commitment to publicly engaged theology that takes seriously the reality of Global Christianity Paul Chung presents a vital new model for understanding the mission of God as a dynamic word-event. This is argued in conversation with contemporary missional theology and analysis of the development of Global Christianity and as such brings important transcultural issues to bear on contemporary American conversations about the missional church. All of this serves to innovatively stimulate this missional church conversation and more directly address the various questions that arise in pursuing mission in a multiculuralized American society. Endorsements: Paul Chung proposes fresh ways to envision the mission of the church within its global multi-cultural and inter-religious contexts and he does so with a view to the future. Grounding his thinking in the biblical narrative of Gods salvific drama Chung aligns missiology with other theological disciplines providing a breadth of inter-disciplinary scholarship. He engages the contributions of contemporary missiologists and listens to the voices of the global church past and present. All is brought together to advance our thinking within the new contexts of global mission. -Arland J. Hultgren First Theological Degrees Luther Seminary In these essays a noted international theologian takes another creative and constructive look at the concept of the missio Dei. He not only reaffirms the importance of Gods mission in the current fragmented world but also revamps the concept in light of the latest developments in post-colonial missiology and mission theology. Part of this intriguing interdisciplinary conversation is the reconsideration of the meaning and significance of the notion of missional church a topic widely discussed not only in North America but also elsewhere. -Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen Fuller Theological Seminary and University of Helsinki Finland Reclaiming Mission as Constructive Theology locates the contemporary discussion of missional church in its fullest eschatological horizon. Chung advocates for socially engaged mission that attends to the emergence of world Christianity the imperative of public theology and the call to serve Gods diakonia for the life of the world. Informed by mission history and recent hermeneutical theory this book deepens and broadens the study of missiology to address the urgent issues of our time. -Craig L. Nessan Wartburg Theological Seminary For those seeking a theologically-grounded understanding of mission that is equally as concerned with effective practice Paul Chungs presentation of Mission as Constructive Theology is an impressive expansive integration of confessional theology and cultural analysis. Dr. Chung argues that because of the embodied narrative of God in Jesus Christ anthropology is essential to the development of a faithful and effective understanding and practice of mission. In Paul Chungs innovative missiology confessional commitments are essential to a faithful understanding of mission; equally essential if mission is to be effective is that these confessional commitments be understood and interpreted through the concreteness of each particular context so as to become the living voice of God in each time and place. -Roland D. Martinson Luther Seminary Author Biography: Paul S. Chung is an Associate Professor of Mission and World Christianity at Luther Seminary. His books related to constructive theology and missiological hermeneutic include Martin Luther and Buddhism (Cascade 2007) and The Cave and The Butterfly (Cascade 2010).