Practicing Hope (EMS 28)
The Greatest Crisis is Being Separated From Christ.
In the constant swirl of human suffering, the church has long wrestled with appropriate responses. As crises come and go, the need for the church’s theological, missiological, and practical readiness remains, so that people not only survive but thrive in the context of a crisis.
Practicing Hope brings together global scholars and practitioners who share and think broadly about the church’s mission in a world rife with crises. Rather than harmonizing the voices of the contributors to provide general guidelines for generic crisis response, Practicing Hope allows the reader to hear multiple perspectives on complex issues such as sustainability, empowerment, human rights, biblical principles, and missio Dei (mission of God). These essays highlight that being separated from Christ is the focus that will keep the church from losing its raison d’être—its reason for being.
This book provides a potent reminder that crises are not the end; sometimes they are the beginning of something better. In these chapters, you will find stories of hope amid unimaginable darkness. Practicing Hope describes what it really means (not just in theory, but in practice) to be the salt of the earth and light of the world (Matt 5:14–15). We hope that you will be inspired, as Jesus said in the pArable of the Good Samaritan, to “go and do likewise."
Foreword
Sadiri “Joy” Tira
Introduction
Jerry Michael Ireland
Chapter 1-Singing about Suffering: A Vernacular Theology of the Cross in Nigeria’s Middle Belt
Zachariah Chinne and Kenneth Nehrbass
Chapter 2-The Church as a Refuge and Christ’s Healing Work in the Middle East
Daniel W. O’Neill
Chapter 3-From the Classroom to the Disaster: Developing DREM Missionaries
Michelle Raven
Chapter 4-Straddling the (Razor-wire Topped) Wall: How Women’s Prison Informs Mission to Tijuana in a Time of Crisis
Linda Barkman
Chapter 5-Mission Amid the Crisis of Persecution: Challenges and Guidelines for Research and Training
J. D. Payne
Chapter 6-A Firebird Rises: Ukrainian Christian Unity Forged from a Modern Crisis
Marc T. Canner
Chapter 7-Dying to Witness: Early Franciscan Missions to the Muslim World
Robert L. Gallagher
Chapter 8-Contextual African Concepts for Peacebuilding in Contexts of Violence: A Panoramic Overview
Uchenna D. Anyanwu
Chapter 9-Mission Amid Sixth-century Crises: Reflections on Gregory the Great, the Mission to England, and Thoughts for Today
Edward L. Smither
Chapter 10-Grace, Suffering, and the City in the Theology of a Chinese House Church Movement
Hannah Nation
Chapter 11-Contextualization of the Gospel for North Korean Ideology: Engaging with North Korean Refugees
Robert Holmes and Eunice Hong
Chapter 12-Terror Management Theory: Missiological Applications in Times of Crisis
Dave Dunaetz
Contributors
Author
- Michelle L. K. Raven
- Pages: 216
- Publisher:
William Carey Publishing
William Carey Publishing
- Binding: paperback
- Publish Year: 2020
- Vendor: William Carey Publishing
