The Church & the World Understanding the Relevance of Mission

"This remarkable book begins by examining the biblical material on mission, focusing specially on the ethical witness of the Christian community. The author then turns his attention to patterns of mission from history, seeking to learn, from three distinct past examples (the Spanish conquistadores, Anabaptists, and the missionary congress in Edinburgh, 1912), how the Church has interpreted its mission in the world. A final section discusses changing views on the church's missionary undertaking in the world after the 2nd World War. It assesses the debates over the concept of missio Dei and 'the church for others'. It then considers the question of the church's preferential option for the liberation of the poor, its commitment to peace in the shadow of the threat of nuclear war and its missionary obligations in multi-religious and secular worlds."--Publisher.