"Set apart from other broad treatments of missiology by the number and expertise of its contributors, each of whom brings to the total work some fresh and important perspective, Missiology: An Ecumenical Introduction is a deliberately ecumenical work that treats the histories and mission work of all Christian traditions with respect and openness - including honest and intelligent critical response. In this way it allows the reader to see the full breadth of the church's mandate." "Beginning with a discussion of the meaning of the word missiology in today's global and ecumenical context, this volume then demonstrates the diversity of global Christianity with case studies of how mission has been carried out in six different parts of the world - the Middle East, the Netherlands, China, Ghana, Indonesia, and Brazil - and how Christianity stands today in those places. It next offers six examinations of the church's missionary mandate on the basis of the Bible and the reality of human diversity and human distress. Five chapters then describe the history of the church's missionary movements, from the European discovery of the American continents to the emergence of the Third World's numerical dominance of the church today. After exploring present-day issues facing mission, the book closes with a general examination of the field of missiology - how it has developed and where it is going."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved