World Mission: Theology, Strategy, and Current Issues edited by Scott N. Callahan and Will Brooks. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2019. 376 pages. ISBN-10: 1683593030; ISBN-13: 978-1683593034. Available from Press and Amazon.
World Mission’s significant and permanent shift from being unilateral to polycentric in nature importantly reveals that no singular strategy or approach, culture or ethnicity, continent or country, and organization or individual best fulfill this mission’s breadth and depth. To fully participate in God’s mission as his people, we need a mosaic of endeavors and practices such that we move in tandem with God towards the redemption of His creation. At the core of these practices and endeavors are convictions, specifically convictions on the authority and sufficiency of Scripture in world mission.
To this end, World Mission sounds the clarion call to the church “to return to a thoroughly biblical ethos for world mission” (p. xi). Together with various authors who have or are serving in a variety of East Asian contexts, editors Callaham and Brooks make a succinct and compelling case for biblical theology as the forefront of mission and not vice versa. At the risk of repeating the other published reviews of this book that have thoroughly and systematically delineated its details, strengths and gaps , this review has its eye specifically trained towards the ways World Mission augments and detracts from the preparation Chinese (primarily from Mainland China) seminary students and churches in North America to be invaluable partners in a polycentric world mission.
World Mission has a Chinese counterpart (translated in 2024). This Chinese version is a significant and timely addition to the existing books on mission published or translated to Chinese for two reasons. First, a cursory survey of recent Chinese mission books reveals an over-emphasis on strategies or histories, with little to no emphasis on comprehensive biblical theology spanning both Testaments. Second, Yao’s (2014) incisive analysis of major challenges facing Chinese churches in world mission include the much-needed training in biblical theology and theology of missions and religions. Thus, World Mission can serve as a key resource in seminaries and classrooms to stimulate thorough re-examination of the “biblical ethos of world mission” (p. 3).
The rigor of World Mission—concisely delineating eleven pertinent topics revolving around the central theme of biblical theology as the foundation of mission—provokes readers to re-think issues such as orality, centrality of Christ, exegetical methods, and the models for discipleship. This rigor will also helpfully provoke Chinese students and churches to overcome the unfortunate lingering of an “anti-intellectualist overtone … in contemporary Chinese discourse of mission” (Yao, 2014, p. 301). Chinese seminary students, pastors, and church leaders often perceive mission as doing and action instead of reflection or contemplation. However, as pointed out by Callaham and Brooks, the Lawsons’ dedicated ministry (p. viii) demonstrates that of sound biblical theology and missiology can go together.
At the same time, the polycentric nature of world mission surely requires a broad array of biblical theologies and approaches. Insider Movements (IM), speaking of non-learned languages in the mission field, the benefits and limitations of theological education for mission, variations of baptism across cultural contexts, and global approaches in biblical interpretation all warrant expanded discussions from different vantage points instead of exclusionary positions and overtones adopted by many of the authors of this book. Chinese seminary students and churches need to be adequately equipped due to the complexities in the mission fields because of global upheavals. They should be encouraged to be informed of the diverse yet biblical perspectives so that appropriate frameworks can emerge to best represent the good news amid the complexities.
The opening assertion that the “contemporary practice of world mission has not adequately heeded the voice of the Holy Spirit through Scripture” (p. xii) and thus the writing of World Mission, is particularly troubling. While bold, it is a claim that is not fully substantiated by compelling evidence throughout the chapters of the book. For example, there are no studies or data cited demonstrating the inadequate heeding of the Holy Spirit’s voice. Also, the characteristics of inadequacy are also not explicated, and this vagueness is unhelpful to readers trying to heed the urge of Callaham and Brooks to adhere to the Berean example. This posture at the start of the book unwittingly places the book on a pedestal of superiority, which does not augur well for a world or global mission that is polycentric in nature and requires the global Church to demonstrate unity amid diversity. Such a claim also unfortunately reinforces the ethnocentric and paternalistic attitude of the Chinese missionaries and churches, the latter often viewing itself as superior in spirituality amid secularity, resilience amid suffering, and unyielding amid compromise. To be a contributory force in world or global mission, Chinese missionaries and churches need postures that adhere to “Jesus, as He proclaims and embodies God’s kingdom” (p. 110).
The utilization of diverse resources is needed if we are to effectively and robustly train Chinese missionaries and churches to be an invaluable contributory force to Christian mission. World Mission is a welcome and timely addition to this diversity, with its rigor, availability in Chinese, and coverage of pertinent topics around biblical authority in mission. Yet we will do well to encourage them to read it alongside other perspectives, recognizing that one size does not fit all in a polycentric world mission.
Editor’s Note: This volume, World Mission: Theology, Strategy, and Current Issues, has been made widely accessible through multiple translations. It is available in traditional Chinese (《普世宣教：神學、策略與最新議題》, Logos TC), simplified Chinese (《普世宣教：神学、策略与最新议题》, Logos SC), and English (World Mission: Theology, Strategy, and Current Issues, Amazon). A Korean edition has also been published. We hope this book will continue to serve as an important resource for mission scholars and practitioners across languages, enriching the global theological and missiological conversation.
Our thanks to Conservative Baptist Press for providing a copy of 《普世宣教：神學、策略與最新議題》 edited by 简思德, 黄义信, Scott N. Callaham, and Will Brooks for this review.
