The Bible and Mission

If you read Kouyanet (which presumably you do), you should read this short post and then go away and download the pdf of Bible and Mission which has just been made available by Regnum books, the official imprint of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies. This volume is part of a series of books which have emerged from the 2010 Edinburgh missionary conference, which are progressively being made available as free downloads (I wish someone had told me this before I spent an arm and a leg buying the first few!). I’ll append the contents at the foot of this post, so you can get an idea of what is in store for you. However, before that, here are some thoughts:

• This is a reference book; one to pick up and consult when you want to look at a particular topic. You are unlikely to read it through (unless, like me, you were commissioned to write a review).
• The scope of the book is breathtaking. There are essays written from the perspective of the major Christian confessions and looking at a wide variety of geographical and religious contexts. You will find something new here, however well informed you are.
• That being said, the book is broad rather than deep. There is no space in the short essays to really expand on any particular topic.
• There are some surprising omissions; there is no engagement with the Jesus’ film despite its very prominent role in the spread of indigenous Scriptures. Indeed, the treatment of non-written Scripture is rather perfunctory.
• The section on the Bible and Mission in Islamic Context is the most disappointing and appears to have been written without very little reference to current issues and controversies concerning the Bible and the Islamic world.

Despite these weaknesses, this is a very welcome addition to the growing literature on the Bible and Mission and Regnum are to be congratulated for making it freely available.

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION
Editorial Introduction: The Bible in Mission 1
The Bible in Mission – and the Surprising Ways of God – Ole Christian Kvarme 5
The Bible as Text for Mission – Tim Carriker 29

SECTION 1: THE BIBLE IN MISSION IN THE WORLD AND IN THE CHURCH
The World
The Bible in Mission: The Modern/Postmodern Western Context – Richard Bauckham 43
The Bible in Mission in the Islamic Context – Kenneth Thomas 56
The Bible in Christian Mission among the Hindus – Lalsangkima Pachuau 68
Children, Mission and the Bible: A Global Perspective – Wendy Strachan 81
The Church
The Bible in Mission: Evangelical/Pentecostal View – Antonia Leonora van der Meer 93
Bible Hermeneutics in Mission – A Western Protestant Perspective – Michael Kisskalt 106
Orthodox Perspectives on Bible and Mission – Simon Crisp 119
‘Ignorantia Scripturae ignorantia Christi est’ – Thomas P. Osborne 131

SECTION 2: CASE STUDIES
Africa
Baka Bible Translation and Oral Biblical Narrative Performance – Dan Fitzgerald 141
The UBS HIV Good Samaritan Program – David Hammond and Immanuel Kofi Agamah 151
The Bible and the Poor – Gerald West 159
The Bible and Care of Creation – Allison Howell 168

Asia – Pacific
‘Text of Life’ and ‘Text for Life’: The Bible as the Living and Life-Giving Word of God for the Dalits – Peniel J. Rufus Rajkumar 178
Bible Missions in China – Pamela Wan-Yen Choo 185
The Impact and Role of the Bible in Big Flowery Miao Community – Suee Yan Yu 193
Bible Engagement among Australian Young People – Philip Hughes 200

Latin America
The Bible and Children in Mission – Edesio Sánchez Cetina 208
Bible Translation, the Quechua People and Protestant Church Growth in the Andes 216 – Bill Mitchell
The Bible in Mission: Women Facing the Word 224 – Elsa Támez

West
Biblical Advocacy – Advocating for the Bible in an Alien Culture – David Spriggs and Sue Coyne 230 Contents vii
Scripture Engagement and Living Life as a Message – Steve Bird 238
Reading the Bible with Today’s Jephthahs: Scripture and Mission at Tierra Nueva – Bob Ekblad 247
Lessons Learned from the REVEAL Spiritual Life Survey – Nancy Scammacca Lewis 255
Glazed Eyes and Disbelief – Adrian Blenkinsop and Naomi Swindon 264
Information Management and Delivery of the Bible – Paul Soukup 273

CONCLUSION
The Bible as the Core of Mission: ‘…for the Bible tells me so’ – Knud Jørgensen 283