Diverse and Creative Voices

As the twentieth century passed its midpoint and was rushing toward its end, a growing number of Majority World theologians came to realize that they could in fact do theology in their own contexts for the benefit of their own people. Thus, from the 1960s onward, theologians in the global South have embarked on a form of theological construction that has sometimes been described as ""contextual"" reflection or ""contextualized theology."" This volume is motivated by the conviction that these efforts have resulted in theological work that is also beneficial for Christians in other parts of the world. The editors have invited Majority World theologians to share their reflections on several themes of Christian faith from their own sociohistorical perspectives but with an unswerving commitment to the authority of Scripture. It is hoped that these fresh reflections will help Christians in the West engage and benefit from the perspectives of fellow believers in the global South. ""The essays in this volume are outstanding. They advance contemporary Evangelical theology in challenging ways. They take seriously the change in the landscape of Christianity and the locus of theological reflection that has moved from the elite intellectual centers of Europe and the United States to the new churches around the world in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America. It is from these areas that the writers explore the liberating message of the gospel. . . . In that way, they advance the Christian vision of Evangelical theology."" --Francis Schussler Fiorenza, Harvard Divinity School, Cambridge, MA ""This is a brilliant collection of refreshingly creative global reflections on systematic theology. It leads the readers to a new theological vista with a much wider and richer panorama of God's work with his image-bearers. The studies are deeply rooted in various life-realities to make theologies relevant and useful. The book even comes with a courageous suspicion that the traditional Western systematic theology may have outgrown the scriptural evidence. This book will definitely trigger much debate and you will want to be part of it."" --Wonsuk Ma, Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, Oxford, UK ""The title of this volume sums up its content. Thirteen Majority World theologians--'diverse and creative voices'--reflect on classic categories of Christian systematic theology from the Global South. Utilizing various approaches, the authors explore how to be faithful to both the Scripture and those contexts that shape the identity and life of the worldwide church. These imaginative scholarly essays are a testament, to all with a theological vocation, of the vibrancy and relevance of the Christian faith."" --M. Daniel Carroll Rodas, Denver Seminary, Littleton, CO Dieumeme Noelliste (PhD, Northwestern University) from Haiti is Professor of Theological Ethics, Director of the Vernon Grounds Institute of Public Ethics at Denver Seminary, and Adjunct Professor of Theology at the Caribbean Graduate School of Theology, Kingston, Jamaica. Sung Wook Chung (DPhil, Oxford University) from South Korea is Professor of Christian Theology, Director of Korean Initiatives at Denver Seminary, and Adjunct Professor of Systematic Theology at several theological seminaries in South Korea, China, and Indonesia.