Churches Engage Asian Traditions

Churches Engage Asian Traditions PDF

Author: John Lapp

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2011-10-01

Total Pages: 375

ISBN-13: 1680992260

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Churches Engage Asian Traditions is the first comprehensive history of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in Asia. From the first Mennonite church in Asia in 1851, to 265,000 Mennonites and Brethren in Christ church members in 13 countries today. From the Introduction to the volume: This vast and fascinating area, with its many centuries-old cultures and languages, its huge problems mastering the elements of nature, its immense population (problematic but also an asset), and its serious globalization efforts, is home to many competing, clashing or more often harmoniously cooperating religions. In [this book] we will see how and why Christians, and particularly Mennonites, arrived on the scene and how they have accommodated to the specific contexts of the Asian countries where they are at home.

Out of Silence

Out of Silence PDF

Author: Fumitaka Matsuoka

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2009-03-05

Total Pages: 181

ISBN-13: 1606081616

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Most of us are American, yet not fully acknowledged as American. Asian Americans are plagued with this awareness. We have been in the United States in significant numbers for 150 years. . . . Today, we Asian Americans find ourselves in the midst of opposing tides swirling around us. One current carries us across old enmities toward a solidarity of all people of Asian descent, another urges retreat to the nostalgia of our individual cultures and ethnic groups, and yet a third demands a just place in the larger American society, where many of us are still treated as strangers. --from the Introduction Fumitaka Matsuoka has written a rare and candid theological discussion of Asian Americans, their Christian faith, and racial/ethnic interactions in the United States. Out of Silence probes into particular religious expressions by presenting a description and analysis of the experiences of Asian American Christians of Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, and Korean ancestry. The response to these challenging experiences - far too long ignored--offers new models and dynamics to the work of reconciling humanity. Matsuoka's eloquent treatment of the Asian American church speaks to all Christians--the liberation of each group shall be the bond that unites us all.

Mission History of Asian Churches

Mission History of Asian Churches PDF

Author: Timothy K. Park

Publisher: William Carey Publishing

Published: 2011-06-01

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0878085890

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Mission History of Asian Churches is a collection of academic essays expounding and exploring the growing Asian missionary movement that began more than a century ago. Presented at the Second International Forum of the Asian Society of Missiology, these essays explore the mission history of Asian nations like China, India, the Indochina region, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, and Singapore, as well as the cross-cultural works of Asian missions and missionaries. This book is a springboard to an in-depth discussion and analysis of the genesis and expansion of the cross-cultural missionary movements in Asia. It presents the coming-of-age of the Asian church as demonstrated by its way of participating in the Great Commission of Christ and its significant contributions to world mission amidst struggles and adversities.

Faithful Generations

Faithful Generations PDF

Author: Russell Jeung

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9780813535029

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Religion - both personal faith and institutional tradition-plays a central role in the lives of the 12.5 million Asians in the United States. It provides comfort and meaning, shapes ethical and political beliefs, and influences culture and arts. This work details the significance of religion in the construction of Asian American identity.

Tapestry of Grace

Tapestry of Grace PDF

Author: Benjamin C. Shin

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2016-09-13

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 1498232787

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

"Why do the first generation still act like that?" "Why can't we try some new ideas?" "Why are the second generation so lazy?" "Why are the second generation so disrespectful?" "Isn't it a shame how the church is split between the two generations?" These and many more questions reflect the tangled conflicts within the Asian American church. Cultural differences have led to many misunderstandings and conflicts. Conflicts have created bitterness and churches have split apart. How can these tangled threads be rewoven into a beautiful tapestry of God's grace? What would it take for the Asian American church to reflect God's grace? In Tapestry of Grace, Dr. Benjamin C. Shin and Dr. Sheryl Takagi Silzer apply their years of study and teaching to explain how the cultural complexities that occur between the different generations of the Asian American church can be untangled. Taking lessons from their own spiritual journeys, they show how each generation can experience the amazing grace of the Gospel.

Faithful Generations

Faithful Generations PDF

Author: Russell Jeung

Publisher: Rutgers University Press

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 9780813535036

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

With rich description and insightful interviews, Russell Jeung uncovers why and how Chinese and Japanese American Christians are building new, pan-Asian organizations. Detailed surveys of over fifty Chinese and Japanese American congregations in the San Francisco Bay area show how symbolic racial identities structure Asian American congregations. Evangelical ministers differ from mainline Christian ministers in their construction of Asian American identity. Mobilizing around these distinct identities, evangelicals and mainline Christians have developed unique pan-Asian styles of worship, ministries, and church activities. Portraits of two churches further illustrate how symbolic racial identities affect congregational life and ministries. The book concludes with a look at Asian American-led multiethnic churches.

Toward an Anabaptist-Pentecostal Vision

Toward an Anabaptist-Pentecostal Vision PDF

Author: Joseph C. L. Sawatzky

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2023-03-28

Total Pages: 237

ISBN-13: 166673912X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

What does Pentecostalism, the fastest-growing Christian expression worldwide, have to do with Anabaptism, whose Mennonite adherents have sometimes been called "the quiet in the land?" In this groundbreaking study, Joseph C. L. Sawatzky explores a mission history of North American Mennonites working with African Initiated and Pentecostal-type churches in southern Africa, illuminating points of divergence and convergence between Anabaptist and Pentecostal streams. Placing testimonies of African and North American participants in this history within a broader biblical and theological framework, this study proposes bases for an emerging Anabaptist-Pentecostal vision, with implications for the church, its leadership, and its witness in the world. This lively, interdisciplinary study will interest students of mission, interculturality, and the Christian faith itself.

A Cloud of Witnesses

A Cloud of Witnesses PDF

Author: John D. Roth

Publisher: MennoMedia, Inc.

Published: 2021-09-07

Total Pages: 175

ISBN-13: 1513809407

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Indonesia is home to the oldest Mennonite community outside of Europe and North America. Author John D. Roth traces the 170-year history of Mennonites in Indonesia alongside the larger cultural and religious history of the country. By placing the legacy of European colonization from the sixteenth century to national independence in 1945 beside the history of the Dutch Mennonite mission to Indonesia in the nineteenth century, Roth creates a rich narrative tapestry. A Cloud of Witnesses traces the emergence of the three Mennonite-related groups found today in Indonesia. Like all churches, they have each integrated the good news of the gospel with the local culture, ethnic identity, religious currents, and national history in a distinctive way. In July 2022, these three Mennonite groups in Indonesia will collaboratively host the seventeenth global assembly of Mennonite World Conference in Semarang, Java. A Cloud of Witnesses helps to orient other members of the global Anabaptist-Mennonite church to the history and identity of this unique group of churches while also providing practical travel tips, recipes, reference notes on culture and language and tourist sites—making it the perfect accompaniment for those who plan to travel to Indonesia for Mennonite World Conference in the summer of 2022. ​ Selamat dating!

From Suffering to Solidarity

From Suffering to Solidarity PDF

Author: Andrew Klager

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2015-10-23

Total Pages: 429

ISBN-13: 1625648006

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

As experiences of suffering continue to influence the responses of identity groups in the midst of violent conflict, a way to harness their narratives, stories, memories, and myths in transformative and nonviolent ways is needed. From Suffering to Solidarity explores the historical seeds of Mennonite peacebuilding approaches and their application in violent conflicts around the world. The authors in this book first draw out the experiences of Anabaptists and Mennonites from the sixteenth-century origins through to the present that have shaped their approaches to conflict transformation and inspired new generations of Mennonites to engage in relief, development, and peacebuilding to alleviate the suffering of others whose experiences today reflect those of their ancestors. Authors then explore the various peacebuilding approaches, methods, and initiatives that have emerged from this Mennonite narrative and its preservation and dissemination in subsequent generations. Finally, the book examines how this combined historical sensitivity and resulting peacebuilding theory and practice have been applied in violent conflicts around the world, noting both successes and challenges. Ultimately, From Suffering to Solidarity attempts to answer a question: How can a robust historical infrastructure be used to inspire empathetic solidarity with the Other and shape nonviolent ways of transforming conflict to thrust a stick in the spokes of the cycle of violence?

Experiments in Love

Experiments in Love PDF

Author: Emily Ralph Servant

Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers

Published: 2021-03-12

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 1725260069

DOWNLOAD EBOOK →

Could it be that the stories we tell in our churches weaken our efforts to be congregations who take risks in mission for the sake of love? In this thought-provoking book, Emily Ralph Servant suggests that the work of today's leaders is to explore new stories, listen to new voices, and open ourselves up to the Spirit's work of transformation. Experiments in Love engages in a three-way dialogue with feminist and liberation theologians, the social and behavioral sciences, and the Anabaptist tradition. Out of this vibrant conversation emerges the story of a God who takes the risk of being radically present to a vulnerable world. Because of God's courageous presence with us, we can also take the risk of being vulnerably present to others as God invites us all to participate in God's community of life, love, and flourishing.