More Information
ISBN: 9781783684489
Imprint: Langham Global Library
Format: Paperback
Dimensions (mm): 229 x 152 x 11
Publication Date: 05/07/2018
Pages: 198
Series: Majority World Theology Series
Language: English

The Church from Every Tribe and Tongue

Ecclesiology in the Majority World

£14.99

The Book of Revelation describes a church from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation glorifying the Lamb that was slain. As the church expands in the Majority World and Christianity becomes an increasingly global faith, this vision is an increasingly visible reality. The insights found in The Church from Every Tribe and Tongue are not commonplace. Written by nine theologians and biblical scholars from Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America, each provides fresh perspectives surveying the most pressing ecclesiological issues in their various regions. The end result is a prescient analysis and constructive proposal detailing how the worldwide church can bear witness in a diverse and changing world.

Author Bios

Gene L. Green
(Edited By)

Gene L. GreeN (Ph.D., University of Aberdeen) is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Wheaton College in Illinois. Previously he taught New Testament and served as Academic Dean and Rector of the Seminario ESEPA in San José, Costa Rica. He is the author of four biblical commentaries written in Spanish and English and Vox Petri: A Theology of Peter (Cascade, 2019), coauthor of The New Testament in Antiquity (Zondervan, 2009), and coeditor of Global Theology in Evangelical Perspective (InterVarsity Academic, 2012). His current research focuses on the intersection of the Christian faith and cultures, both ancient and contemporary.

Stephen T. Pardue
(Edited By)

Steve Pardue (PhD, Wheaton College) is Associate Professor of Theology at the Asia Graduate School of Theology, Manila, Philippines. He is the author of The Mind of Christ: Humility and the Intellect in Early Christian Theology (London/New York: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2012) and co-editor of Asian Christian Theology (Carlisle, UK: Langham Global Library). He grew up in the Philippines and moved back there after finishing his doctoral work. His areas of research include virtue theory, contextual theology, and the doctrine of providence.

K. K. Yeo
(Edited By)

K. K. YEO is Harry R. Kendall Professor of New Testament at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.

Endorsements

If The Church from Every Tribe and Tongue teaches us anything, it is that the question, “What does it mean to be the church,” cannot be divorced from other fundamental matters. Where is the church located? How are the people of God to define their identity and mission in that place? These creative Majority World voices open up new vistas that can only arise from and in commitment to their contexts. But, these essays are not simply reflections from diverse parts of the globe that can be held at arms-length as an interesting exercise in ecclesiology. They are profound explorations of the inexhaustible riches of the Word that reveal fresh insights into the church as a situated community.

M. Daniel Carroll R., PhD
Blanchard Professor of Old Testament,
Wheaton College and Graduate School


This volume, like its predecessors, aptly captures a plethora of perspectives on what it means to be church. It evokes different emotions as we encounter the familiar and the unfamiliar. These contributions should help Christians everywhere not only to broaden their vision of the church but also to feel a kindred spirit with each other.

Rev Simon Chan, PhD
Former Earnest Lau Professor of Systematic Theology,
Trinity Theological College, Singapore


This collection of essays reflects the diversity of the churches around the world. Many of these churches trace their roots to the West, but they have taken their specific contexts seriously and are seeking to develop communities of faith that reflect the gospel and address the realities of their social location. As we listen to these voices and to each other, we can better learn how to be a part of God’s mission in our globalized world.

Juan Francisco Martínez, PhD
Professor of Hispanic Studies and Pastoral Leadership,
Fuller Theological Seminary


The authors make a remarkable connection between the theology process and the real-life experience of God’s people. The book succeeds in being both biblically truthful and culturally applicable, emphasizing that the word of God is for the whole of humanity throughout its entire history and various cultures. Each author represents contemporary rationale among an extensive selection of traditional academics. The book will inspire and challenge local and global church leaders and theologians.

Julie Ma, PhD
Associate Professor of Missions and Intercultural Studies,
Undergraduate College of Theology and Ministry,
Oral Roberts University

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction: God’s Community in Majority World Theology (Gene L. Green)
  2. 1 – Ecclesiology and the Church in Christian Tradition and Western Theology (Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen)
  3. 2 – Church, Power, and Transformation in Latin America: A Different Citizenship is Possible (Ruth Padilla DeBorst)
  4. 3 – Two Tales of Emerging Ecclesiology in Asia: An Inquiry into Theological Shaping (Wonsuk Ma)
  5. 4 – Ecclesiology in Africa: Apprentices on a Mission (Stephanie A. Lowery)
  6. 5 – Ecclesiology in Latin America: A Biblical Perspective (Carlos Sosa Siliezar)
  7. 6 – The Community as Union with Christ in the Midst of Conflict: An Ecclesiology of the Pauline Letters from a Chinese Perspective (Xiaxia E. Xue)
  8. 7 – The Church as an Assembly on Mt Zion: An Ecclesiology from Hebrews for African Christianity (Peter Nyende)
  9. 8 – Ecclesiology and the Theology of the Land: A Palestinian Christian Perspective (Munther Isaac)

  10. Contributors
  11. Index of Names
  12. Index of Subjects
  13. Index of Scripture References

Contributors

Munther Isaac

MUNTHER ISAAC holds a PhD in Biblical Studies from the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. Currently he serves as Academic Dean at Bethlehem Bible College and Director of the influential Christ at the Checkpoint conferences. He is also a minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land. Munther is married to Rudaina, an architect, and they have two children, Karam and Zaid.


Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen

Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen is professor of systematic theology at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. He has published numerous articles in international journals of theology. His books include Pneumatology (Baker), Christology (Baker), Toward a Pneumatological Theology (UPA), An Introduction to Ecclesiology (InterVarsity Press), Trinity and Religious Pluralism (Ashgate), The Doctrine of God (Baker) and One with God (Liturgical Press).


Stephanie A. Lowery

STEPHANIE A. LOWERY is a lecturer in theology and coordinator of the BTh and DTh programs at Africa International University. She also teaches at Kalamba School of Leadership, as well as serving part-time in the Kalamba church district. She grew up in Kenya and considers Ukambani home. Her research interests include African theologies, African ecclesiological models, missional theology and hermeneutics, and the Trinity.


Wonsuk Ma

WONSUK MA (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is a Korean Pentecostal serving as Distinguished Professor of Global Christianity and PhD Program Director at Oral Roberts University, Tulsa, OK, USA. He served as a missionary educator in the Philippines (1979–2006), where he launched Asian Journal of Pentecostal Studies and Journal of Asian Mission. He also served as Executive Director of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies (2007–16), during which time he led the publication of the thirty-five-volume Regnum Edinburgh Centenary Series. He has also participated in various international mission and ecumenical functions, including the Reformed and Pentecostal (Theological) Dialogue (1997–2005), Edinburgh 2010, Lausanne meetings, and various ecumenical conferences including the World Council of Churches and the Global Christian Forum. He has also participated in networks for theological education, including Global Forum of Theological Educators. His research interests include Old Testament theology, Prophets, the Spirit of God in the Old Testament, contextual theology, Asian Pentecostalism, Pentecostal mission, and global Christianity. He has authored and edited thirteen books, in addition to numerous scholarly writings.


Peter Nyende

PETER NYENDE (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is an associate professor of New Testament and the head of Biblical Studies at the School of Divinity of Uganda Christian University. He is also a priest and a Canon in the Anglican Church and a commissioned evangelist with the Church Army Society of Africa. His area of interest in scholarship is the interpretation of the Bible, with a special emphasis on the book of Hebrews, within various African contexts. To this end, he has published a number of articles in leading biblical journals, with the most recent in Expository Times (127, no. 17 [2016]) titled “Tested for Our Sake: The Temptations of Jesus in the Light of Hebrews.”


Ruth Padilla DeBorst

RUTH PADILLA DEBORST (PhD, Boston University) is a wife of one and mother of many, a theologian, missiologist, educator, and a story-teller. She has been involved in leadership development and theological educa- tion for integral mission in her native Latin America for several decades. She works with the Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdiscipli- narios (CETI), a learning community with Master’s and Certificate level programs. She coordinates the Networking Team of INFEMIT (The Inter- national Fellowship for Mission as Transformation) and serves on the board of Arocha. She lives in Costa Rica with her husband, James, and fellow members of the Casa Adobe intentional Christian community. Her education includes a Bachelor’s in Education (Argentina), an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Wheaton College), and a PhD in Missiology and Social Ethics from Boston University.


Carlos Sosa Siliezar

CARLOS SOSA SILIEZAR (PhD, University of Edinburgh) is Assistant Professor of New Testament at Wheaton College, Illinois. He holds a PhD in New Testament Language, Literature and Theology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He is the author of Creation Imagery in the Gospel of John (Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2015) and La condición divina de Jesús: Cristología y creación en el Evangelio de Juan (Salamanca, 2016).


Xiaxia E. Xue

XIAXIA E. XUE is an assistant professor of New Testament at China Graduate School of Theology. She holds a PhD in New Testament Studies from McMaster Divinity College, Canada and has published several academic articles. Her current interests are in New Testament Greek and Paul’s use of the Old Testament.


Gene L. Green

Gene L. GreeN (Ph.D., University of Aberdeen) is Professor Emeritus of New Testament at Wheaton College in Illinois. Previously he taught New Testament and served as Academic Dean and Rector of the Seminario ESEPA in San José, Costa Rica. He is the author of four biblical commentaries written in Spanish and English and Vox Petri: A Theology of Peter (Cascade, 2019), coauthor of The New Testament in Antiquity (Zondervan, 2009), and coeditor of Global Theology in Evangelical Perspective (InterVarsity Academic, 2012). His current research focuses on the intersection of the Christian faith and cultures, both ancient and contemporary.


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