Publisher's Synopsis
Holistic mission, or integral mission, implies God is concerned with the whole person, the whole community: body, mind and spirit. Many Christians concentrate only on one aspect. This book reaffirms that to be true to the Bible, to follow the example of Jesus, the church must address the whole person in all their needs. It considers the meaning of the holistic gospel, how it has developed, and implications for the individual Christian, for the local church, for denominations and church groups, for missionary societies, for Christian NGOs, and for theological training institutions. It takes a global, eclectic approach, with 19 writers, church leaders, academics and practitioners, all of whom have much experience in, and commitment to, holistic mission. It addresses critically and honestly one of the most exciting, challenging, and important issues facing the church today. To be part of God's plan for God's people, the church must take holistic mission to the world. "". . . an excellent contribution. This is a valuable sample of evangelical ""reflection on praxis"" from men and women active in holistic mission in different parts of the world."" Samuel Escobar, Chairman of Senior Advisory Committee for Lausanne 3 ""The inescapable message of this volume is that the gospel of grace and the gospel of justice are one. What God has joined together, the Church must stop putting asunder."" Brian Stanley, Professor of World Christianity, University of Edinburgh ""This comprehensive volume, rich in its range of content and international voices, helpfully documents a century of debate and gathers together some of the major issues."" Christopher Wright, International Director, Langham Partnership International Brian Woolnough is Research Tutor at Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (OCMS) and Emeritus Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford. Having originally trained as a physicist, he spent most of his professional life in education as an academic at Oxford University. He then worked with the international team of Tearfund, UK, traveling widely in Asia and Africa, before moving to OCMS. Wonsuk Ma is David Yonggi Cho Research Tutor of Global Christianity and Executive Director of Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, Oxford, United Kingdom.
