Book Review a Concise History of the Chritian World Mission

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Starting time your review of Christian Mission: A Concise, Global History

For 200 pages, Smither did a great job packing in a global history of mission. He provides historical context at the start of each chapter, then summarizes the big have-aways at the end of each era which is actually helpful in bringing in major themes of something taking identify globally. He doesn't focus as much on missionaries, but he uniquely writes about missional strategies that were developed in dissimilar parts of the world to engage with various people groups. For 200 pages, Smither did a great job packing in a global history of mission. He provides historical context at the beginning of each chapter, and then summarizes the large take-aways at the end of each era which is actually helpful in bringing in major themes of something taking identify globally. He doesn't focus as much on missionaries, but he uniquely writes about missional strategies that were developed in different parts of the world to engage with various people groups. ...more

2020 reads: 33/52

3.five stars

Read for my Introduction to Missiology class with Dr. Paul Akin at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Introduction

Globalization, they say, has brought the world together, fabricated it smaller and eradicated geographical boundaries. Certainly, the world nosotros inhabit today is quite unlike what has come before united states of america. However, there is another phenomenon that has exceeded boundaries and traversed many cultures, and withal it is much older than 'globalization': the spread of the good

2020 reads: 33/52

3.5 stars

Read for my Introduction to Missiology class with Dr. Paul Akin at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Introduction

Globalization, they say, has brought the world together, fabricated it smaller and eradicated geographical boundaries. Certainly, the globe we inhabit today is quite unlike what has come before us. Yet, there is some other phenomenon that has exceeded boundaries and traversed many cultures, and yet it is much older than 'globalization': the spread of the good news of Jesus the Christ. Notwithstanding the many 'unreached peoples', the expansion of the Christian message has historically penetrated into every continent, making the world, in a sense, a much smaller place—tied together by the news of a bloodied and life-giving savior.

This history is vast, intricate and complex; but how do we make sense of it and follow the many threads spanning this globe? In his book, Christian Mission: A Concise Global History, Edward Fifty. Smither seeks to provide readers with a digestible introduction to the spread of the gospel across the earth and beyond fourth dimension. Serving equally Professor of Intercultural Studies and History of Global Christianity at Columbia International University, Smither is no stranger to these historical events, having written copiously on related subjects: Missionary Monks: An Introduction to the History and Theology of Missionary Monasticism (2016), and Mission in the Early Church: Themes and Reflections (2014). At the heart of this book is a desire to catalogue "innovators in mission who sacrificially went to the nations to brand known the gospel of Christ" (p. xiii).

Summary

Whilst approaches to a history of Christian mission are various, Smither sets out to examine the geographic, political, and social contexts of mission, at the same time highlighting the fundamental people, strategies, and outcomes of global mission (p. xiii). The book's championship further elucidates this proposal in two ways. First, fundamental to the Christian Scriptures is a narrative in which God himself initiates and sends others as a means to announce his message of redemption and reconciliation—'mission' is starting time and foremost of God (p. xiv). 2d, it is 'Christian' in that the "central task…is proclaiming Christ—his death, burial, and resurrection" (p. xiv). This does not exclude acts of mercy and providing humanitarian aid, since Jesus' own ministry exemplified this 2-fold approach of mission in discussion and deed (p. xiv).

Furthermore, Smither'due south work operates on four features: the value and necessity of history for shaping our consciousness; a broader, chronological, and contextual arroyo; a focus on Protestant evangelical mission from the nineteenth century onward; and a method that asks when, where, who, and what, concerning mission, whilst as well highlighting primal trends, themes, and shifts of mission exercise (p. sixteen-xviii).

With this framework in mind, Smither's curtailed global history is divided into half dozen time periods: the early church (AD 100-750), the medieval church (AD750-1500), the early on modernistic church building (AD 1500-1800), the great century (AD 1800-1900), the global century (Advertizing 1900-2000), and mission from the majority earth (twenty-first century).

Evaluation

One of the well-nigh obvious strengths of Smither's Christian Mission is its readability. For many, 'history' is synonymous with dreary facts and events—non and so with this book. Christian Mission is simple yet robust, delving into many characters and primal events without getting stuck in the details. Smither has provided an edifying introduction to what is a vast body of data.

On a like note, it must exist stated that Smither achieves his goal: Christian Mission is indeed a concise, global history. Of detail benefit is the lesser known details—at to the lowest degree in Protestant circles—virtually the mission in the medieval church building (750-1500). Smither challenges the assumption that the so-chosen 'dark ages' were all that nighttime. The writer presses the reader with the reality that despite the challenges of the medieval era, "the church engaged in mission…reaching new regions such as Scandinavia, Eastern Europe and Russia, the Middle Due east, North Africa, and central Asia…missionaries continued to appoint heretics and Muslims and serve in contexts of violence among the Vikings, Muslims and Mongols." (p. 49-50) Christian Mission, then, presents a diverse account of the gospel'due south accelerate, incorporating Roman Cosmic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestant endeavours, whilst alerting the reader to contextual issues—geographic, political, and cultural—within each of these movements.

A farther strength of Christian Mission is its ability to whet the appetite in several ways: first, toward farther report and assay. Whether information technology is Basil of Caesarea (p. 14), Dominic de Guzman (p. 50), or Samuel Zwemer (p. 127), readers are provided with an amount of detail to spur one on to farther reflection. Secondly, readers' personal walk with Christ and ain efforts in mission will exist stirred toward action. Smither is not ignorant of the power of faux and story: "God'south people imitate God, declaring his glory amongst the nations and crossing boundaries from faith to nonfaith." (p. 199) Readers of Christian Mission will be invigorated past reading of God's sustaining hand in his mission, through his people, and across the ages.

Though brief, a final force of Christian Mission is Smither's description of the approaches and methods used inside each epoch. These contextual side-notes provide helpful analyses of precisely how mission has taken place through the centuries. At once, we are alerted to the flexibility, creativity and ingenuity of those that have gone before u.s.. Certainly the mod world's complexity, pluralism and global injustices beckon the church to continue in this stream whilst presenting the fourth dimension-, civilization-, and course-transcendent message of the gospel.

Whilst Christian Mission'south simplicity and generous overview was delightful, 2 weaknesses were apparent in my reading. First, is the remarkable absence of the prosperity gospel in his accounts of modern Christian mission. Of course, at that place might exist several reasons why one might think that this sect within Christianity falls exterior of the discussion of the gospel's movement, however, equally ane who lives in the global south, the growth, spread, and sheer numbers attached to some class of the prosperity gospel is alarming. Withal a spectrum ranging from unhelpful emphases to blatant heresy, the prosperity gospel is rife in several locations globally and, without a doubtfulness, presents one of the greatest challenges to Christian discipleship in the global south. I am not sure if its presence is hidden backside Pentecostal and more than charismatic leaning congregations, only its absence from Smither'south record is odd. It could have been recorded as a challenge the modern church faces today, especially in the global south, or as one of the ways 'Christianity' has spread globally in the twenty-first century, though presenting an aberration and divergence from celebrated Christianity.

The second weakness of Smither's work is the apparent comfort that seems to exist establish in the numbers for the modern church in the global due south and elsewhere. Perchance I am more pessimistic, but personally knowing national leaders in India, Kenya, Nigeria, Brazil, and South Africa, reading the numbers presented in Smither's account of the mission from the majority world, I could non help simply experience every bit though such numbers and statistics are misleading and unhelpful—especially for those in the global west. Numbers, 'adherents' to Christianity are not what we mensurate the wellness of the church building by. As a example in signal, South Africa's Christian presence, though various, presents a conglomeration of widespread nominalism, prosperity teaching, and syncretism. Conversely, I recall Smither's assessments of the challenges facing the global south are spot on: there is a serious famine of training, resource, and care (p. 194). This far more than accurately describes, at least in the South African context, the fledging and growing Christian mission hither.

Personal Reflection

Edward Smither's Christian Mission presents a clear and sweeping account of Christian mission from the early church building to today. Moving forward, the book will certainly bear witness to be a useful tool for the church, peculiarly those who are ignorant of mission on the global scale, besides as those who want to bear upon up on or get a quick overview of the big picture. I know I will return to this work for my own edification equally well every bit use it to educate and encourage others around me. This is a book the mod church needs since Smither recognizes the movement of the gospel as coterminous with the church building's history; church history is in fact mission history (p. xvi). For the church building to thrive in its future, it must be well acquainted with its by–warts and all.

Additionally, in my own circles, Protestant evangelicals often prize history from the Reformation onwards. Christian Mission will help alleviate the church building of such chronological snobbery and introduce readers to a wealth of missional appointment in all parts of the world, and in contexts quite dissimilar our ain.

Finally, I was personally challenged to meet the diversity of missional strategies employed past those who have gone before us. I think I accept suffered from the modernistic dualism of word versus deed paradigm, the result of a kind of soft-Gnosticism that pervades modern evangelicalism. Christian Mission subtly invites the states to consider otherwise; mission, historically, has generally incorporated alleviating suffering and other forms of humanitarian aid with gospel proclamation. Would the same exist said of the states in centuries to come up.

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Edward L. Smither is the professor and dean of intercultural studies at the Columbia International University where he teaches courses on the topic of missions and its historical aspects. Smither spent 14 years in ministry across the globe including North Africa, France, and the U.s.a. of America. In Christian Mission: A Concise Global History, Smither looks at those who accept forged the trail for cross-cultural mission work in the Christian faith, the various contexts involved in global m Edward L. Smither is the professor and dean of intercultural studies at the Columbia International University where he teaches courses on the topic of missions and its historical aspects. Smither spent 14 years in ministry across the globe including North Africa, France, and the U.s.. In Christian Mission: A Concise Global History, Smither looks at those who have forged the trail for cross-cultural mission work in the Christian organized religion, the diverse contexts involved in global missions, and panoply of other outcomes in the missionary field.

Missions as a moniker have had several definitions throughout the ages, but the simplest meaning is only to transport, whereas the most Biblical may be to understand mission as the mission of God (Xiv). In guild to explore this theme further, Smither begins by looking at the mission of the Early Church and how they started the motion of missions despite constant and heavy pushback from the state, from time and finances, and from spiritual battles. Secondly, Smither uncovers some missional practices in the medieval menses up until the Protestant Reformation, relying heavily on the work and endeavor of monks and the monastic orders of the time. Additionally, some of the more controversial topics of missions in the early modernistic period are discussed, such as colonialism and the odd combination of mission and empire. This would eventually bring almost the surge in missions throughout the great century as Christians rediscovered the great commision and began the process of sending missionaries out in droves. The twentieth century was impactful on Christian mission, but non in a positive mode as many sought to have a mail service-Christian life and culture. Lastly, Smithers looks at the modern and current areas in which we detect ourselves, where countries in the West that would typically send missionaries to the E are finding missionaries come up to them in a clear indication of the decline of Christianity in the Westward.

In Christian Mission: A Concise Global History, Smither argues that the origin of Christian missions was a tumultuous one, where the Roman Empire persecuted Christians at unprecedented levels, discriminated against followers of The Mode, and even made it police forbidding the conversion to Christianity (six-7). And still information technology was the prevailing and faithful nature of the Christians through the first few centuries that led to unprecedented growth and even support and conversion from the Emperor Constantine which sparked a burn down in the world of missions (9). The majority of these missionaries were anonymous men and women who simply acted out of incremental faithfulness to Christ, but they were also bivocational, finding ways to engage culture through their work and their religion (forty-41).

The mainstay through this process was the local church building, which seemed to be the training grounds for many missionaries as they studied God's discussion and His calling to spread the Gospel (42). One of the expected and unfortunate consequences of calling men and women to abandon their known lives and beliefs for the cause of a God they have never heard of before, is intense persecution which God used to pave the way for Gospel growth (43-44). With the dawn of Christendom however far into the hereafter, the Middle Ages saw many Christians usher information technology in as monastic orders such as the Francisancs and Dominicans began grooming preachers and theologians in a move that would evidence invaluable in the coming years (50-51).

While Missions expanded through this time, Smither points out that the Middle Ages can look a lot like the Dark Ages in the way that Christianity was at times physically forced onto others at the outcome of death (67). While this may be the case, these events should not stand for the whole age every bit if this was a mutual or accepted thing in those days. But Christendom equally a whole grew at an exponential rate, well-nigh notable in the papacy where the influence and ability exceeded what many ever idea possible (seventy). This popularity served the mission of the church building in several ways, namely in that information technology drew many to be ambassadors of the organized religion and have the opportunity to bring many into the fold. The eventual Protestant Reformation with its emphasis on the priesthood of all believers would soon shift the responsibility of preaching the Gospel from the Bishops and Monks to the common man who could take the Gospel to regions where it would exist about profitable in terms of conversion (88-89).

Due to colonization efforts from the Western front, Christianity began to be labeled every bit a Western religion despite its roots and origins (96). In whatsoever event, the sixteenth century missionaries were characterized by their emphasis on discipleship and evangelism, working on the translation of the Bible into many languages, and the focus of catechizing children in the faith (98-99). Smithers points out that in contrast to the concept of Christian missions in the past, our current world is more attune to the political, economical, and religious problems beyond the globe (164). With modern innovations nosotros are aware of what is happening right now in People's republic of bangladesh that would have been next to impossible 100 years agone, and this has been both beneficial and a lark. It is beneficial because we are now able to address the many bug of certain cultures and contexts and understand what must be accomplished and prepared before missionaries are sent to the respective countries.
Only every bit Smither notes, twentieth century missions are yet concerned with much of what a missionary 100 years ago would have concerned themselves with, namely the translation of Scripture into other languages, planting churches, taking notice of different people groups, humanitarian efforts, and the surpmencey of preaching the Gospel (166-171). The advantages are now much more plentiful, every bit both linguistic communication and political barriers are reduced, medical intendance is constantly reducing health risks, training and resource are at an all time high, and in particular for the Western missionaries there is no real fear of being vulnerable against preaching the Gospel in terms of gratis-oral communication laws (192-195).

Smither did an exemplary chore of providing a historical context to the topic of Christian missions and in Christian Mission: A Concise Global History, the structure was easy to follow and simple to comprehend. This is one item area in which the Christian church needs a abiding reminder of how missions have historically been approached and how nosotros can learn and sharpen our own approaches in the present and the future. I would recommend this work to anyone who wants to have a deeper study of Christian missions and is particularly interested in the methods and presuppositions that Christians brought to the event throughout the ages.

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Smither's volume is what his title states: concise. He strives to embrace over 2000 years of Christian mission history. Therefore, we take a 30,000-foot view approach to reach that. Smither'southward spends time in each chapter focusing on various regions of the world and what missions looked similar in that region during that era. In that location are sections of the book which overwhelmed me as one proper name after another was provided equally he tried to lay out a film of the missionary motion.

What I appreciated was t

Smither'southward book is what his title states: curtailed. He strives to cover over 2000 years of Christian mission history. Therefore, we take a 30,000-foot view approach to attain that. Smither's spends time in each chapter focusing on various regions of the world and what missions looked like in that region during that era. There are sections of the book which overwhelmed me as one name afterwards another was provided as he tried to lay out a motion-picture show of the missionary motility.

What I appreciated was that at the end of each chapter he has a summary section. These sections compartmentalized the copious amount of information provided into helpful and informative categories like who were the missionaries in this era? What did the missionaries do (practices)? And what was their methodology? The summary sections immune me to assimilate the data well.

Lastly, living in the west, it becomes piece of cake to just think about missions from a western perspective. Smither'due south book pushes the reader past this mindset and urges the reader to recognize the missionary work that is going on throughout the world by other nations.

If y'all desire an introduction, rather cursory, to the global history of Christian missions, this is a solid place to start. Simply it is definitely not the place to terminate. Smither'southward provides you with countless resources essential to continue your quest for meliorate understanding the global landscape of missions.

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Jul 23, 2019 Sarah rated it liked it

Christian Mission: A Concise Global History by Edward Smither is a book gives the history of the spread of the Gospel by professing Christians. It follows it spreading downward through the years through various continents. Each chapter deals with different time periods of its spreading: "Mission in the Early Church", "Mission in the Medieval church building", "Mission in the Early Modern Church building"…etc. Information technology was quite interesting to learn nearly various people God used in its spread it. I likewise loved the maps, they Christian Mission: A Concise Global History by Edward Smither is a book gives the history of the spread of the Gospel by professing Christians. It follows it spreading down through the years through various continents. Each chapter deals with dissimilar time periods of its spreading: "Mission in the Early Church", "Mission in the Medieval church", "Mission in the Early Mod Church"…etc. It was quite interesting to learn about various people God used in its spread information technology. I besides loved the maps, they were very interesting in and of themselves, Maps showing the Roman Empire, Territories and Voyages of the Vikings, and 1 showing the colonization of Africa subsequently the "Berlin Conference of 1884"" I didn't realize that European countries had command of pretty much the whole of Africa as 1 map showed the colonization of Africa by Europe, France, Belgium..etc.

I found it very interesting that some of the early missionaries were just Christian merchants giving out the Gospel as they went about their business organization.

Just in that location were several things that made me not very fond of the book overall. First, from diverse things the writer says, he seems to believe that Roman Catholicism promotes the true Gospel. I didn't understand that. Just because someone believes that the Bible teaches the Word of God, believes in the Trinity and that Christ provides salvation does not mean that they are saved or that they are preaching or believing the saving Gospel. Yous tin preach a faux Gospel that promotes the Bible, to some degree, includes the Trinity and Jesus dying for the sins of mankind. I don't doubt that there could exist and were some truthful Christians within the Roman Catholic church structure, just information technology's in spite of it, not because they promote the true Gospel.

This is what I understand of Roman Catholicism: they promote other mediators between God and man: as well Christ Jesus, they have Mary and the Saints equally mediators, which directly contradicts 1 Timothy 2:5: which says that there is one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ. I've likewise gathered that, yous tin can either do your own good works to earn grace/forgiveness (similar penance), and you can rely upon the skilful works/merit of by saints to earn you grace equally well. Otherwise you'll make clean your slate in purgatory, which is however heresy as it takes away from Christ'due south marvelous saving grace (without our works beingness a part of it) and demonstrates a heretical perspective of sin, how bad it actually is (as if nosotros could actually accept the capacity to completely pay for it ourselves over whatsoever period of time). These things are in one way or another a works based salvation which is non truthful conservancy (Eph 2:viii-9; 2 Tim 1:9; Rom iii:28…and more)

Nosotros must call up that the Apostle Paul spoke vehemently against works based conservancy and in writing to the Galatians he writes against them accepting any Gospel that does not match up with what he and the other Apostles taught and that anyone, even if it is an angel, who is teaching some other Gospel was to be "Abomination"(Gal 1:half dozen-nine).

And another things I didn't like was that the Smither seems to think that organized mission movements are necessary. He says things similar, ""The sixteenth century protestant reformation did not produce a viable global missionary movement that paralleled the work of the Jesuits, who had emerged from the Catholic Reformation. - How practice we explain this lack of global appointment in mission on the part of sixteenth century protestants?" and also "A pastor has a duty to ship members out as missionaries or to minister to immigrants in his community". Where does the Bible say this? Pastors, yeah, should give out the Gospel when God gives them opportunity, only their job is not to focus on unbelievers, but on believers, they are primarily to lookout man over the flock of God (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet 5:1-2) . Smithers mentions Roland Allen in this book, an Anglican missionary who ended up critiquing the mode mission work was done (like having organized missions), I've read Allen's book, "The Spontaneous Expansion of the Church and the Causes that Hinder It" and highly recommend it. He challenges the supposition that we need to force and organize mission work and explains that the church will grow 'spontaneously', as it were because true Christians WILL evangelize on their own without needing a parachurch organization to do it and without a pastor needing to organize it.

As I mentioned, information technology is quite an interesting book, information technology'due south that the above perspectives of the author fabricated me non like the volume overall.

Many thanks to the folks at Lexham Printing for sending me a free review coy of this book (My review did not have to be favorable)

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For a "concise, global" history, this book is a robust account of the history of missions in the church roofing most central figures, dates, events, movements, and cultural themes. Information technology demonstrates that the Church has always been missional since the kickoff of the early church building in the first century. What this book lacks, however, is a clear stance on the definition of true gospel announcement in mission. It is the wide ecumenism in the church that has often led to theological drift and lack of clarit For a "concise, global" history, this book is a robust account of the history of missions in the church building covering most key figures, dates, events, movements, and cultural themes. It demonstrates that the Church has always been missional since the outset of the early church building in the offset century. What this book lacks, however, is a clear opinion on the definition of true gospel proclamation in mission. It is the broad ecumenism in the church that has often led to theological migrate and lack of clarity on the gospel, and I wish Smither would take given a more than careful reflection on the delineation between true gospel ministry in mission and those who lacked clarity in their gospel declaration.

Moreover, Smither implies a disruptive missiological approach. He praises the Jesuits for their extensive missionary work and global network (p. 78), but and so he claims Protestant mission efforts "flickered" and failed to translate "into a feasible global mission movement" (p. 75). It is both a faulty and dangerous assertion to claim that "viable global mission" is just demonstrated by numerical or structural success. The kingdom of God is frequently similar a mustard seed, and the mission of Christians is to be faithful, not fruitful. God will have care of the fruit. Though the preaching, writing, and theological description of the Reformers may not accept initially translated into numerical success, we tin trust that it laid the groundwork for future ministry because they restored biblical integrity to faulty preaching, ecclesiology, spiritual formation, and missiological practices. Trust in numbers leads to pragmatism, which can be a cancer for true-blue global mission.

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Apr 22, 2020 Scott Lucky rated information technology really liked it

Smither does a very good chore of giving a global survey of the history of Christian Mission. Information technology was encouraging to read through this account nigh how many dissimilar people, organizations, denominations, and movements the Lord has used to get His gospel to the ends of the earth. Every bit we march toward the fulfillment of Revelation vii:nine, it is important to celebrate God'due south piece of work in spreading the gospel in the past as well as learn from this history to formulate appropriate mission strategies for our curr Smither does a very good job of giving a global survey of the history of Christian Mission. Information technology was encouraging to read through this account about how many different people, organizations, denominations, and movements the Lord has used to become His gospel to the ends of the earth. As we march toward the fulfillment of Revelation 7:9, it is important to celebrate God'south work in spreading the gospel in the by as well as learn from this history to formulate appropriate mission strategies for our current time.

I thought this book was strong in iii particular ways. First, at the end of each affiliate, Smither offers an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of each era of missions history. Second, Smither gives the reader a number of helpful resources to become deeper, which will be useful for the interested reader. Third, the book's style is organized and attainable to someone with niggling to no background in the field of study matter.

As such, I would recommend this book to be used in an Introduction to Missions form at the undergraduate or graduate level, but it would also be of apply to church members who want to exist encouraged to see the cognition of the Lord encompass the earth similar the waters encompass the seas.

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Jun 04, 2020 Brian Watson rated it actually liked it

This book delivers on what the subtitle promises. It's a curtailed, global history of missions. Since it'southward concise, it doesn't go into depth. However, the book is quite broad in its coverage, dealing with Catholic and Protestant missions (though Smither acknowledges that he doesn't follow upwards on Catholic missions over the last two centuries), missions in the W and E, over about two thousand years. The book is attractive--it's casebound with a number of maps.

The book would be improve if it wen

This book delivers on what the subtitle promises. It's a concise, global history of missions. Since it's concise, it doesn't go into depth. However, the book is quite broad in its coverage, dealing with Catholic and Protestant missions (though Smither acknowledges that he doesn't follow up on Catholic missions over the last two centuries), missions in the West and East, over nearly 2 thousand years. The book is attractive--it'south casebound with a number of maps.

The book would exist better if it went into just a bit more than depth. Information technology could have easily been 250 pages instead of 200. But it's a adept introduction to this history for someone who doesn't know much at all. Smither does a good job of describing who the missionaries were and what they did. Missionaries who were culturally sensitive, willing to suffer, and didn't compromise the faith were generally successful and certainly worth admiring and emulating.

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This books is proficient equally far as it goes - stating the facts of the progress of mission over the centuries. There is very little interpretation of the facts and Smither does not seek to answer questions. Rather, he introduces briefly what has happened across the earth as various denominations have sought to evangelize and fulfill the Groovy Commission. Information technology'southward a book that requires followup and i that can be dry in its repetitive structure. However, the fulfillment of the Nifty Commission is NOT dry, south This books is good as far as it goes - stating the facts of the progress of mission over the centuries. There is very petty interpretation of the facts and Smither does not seek to respond questions. Rather, he introduces briefly what has happened across the world as diverse denominations accept sought to evangelize and fulfill the Great Committee. It'south a book that requires followup and one that tin can be dry in its repetitive structure. Yet, the fulfillment of the Great Commission is NOT dry, so the subject matter itself volition drive the reader to think deeper, rejoice in conversion, and hope for further success equally Christ gets celebrity in building His church building. ...more than

Overall, the book was good because of its conciseness. Smither does a fine job of framing each affiliate to requite a articulate picture show of each era of missions since the Church's conception. The structure of each chapter besides lends its manus into the task that the author sets forth. Information technology'south not an overly compelling read, just informative nonetheless.

Sep 04, 2020 Don Barger rated information technology it was amazing

A smashing introduction to the history of Christian Missions. It certainly is much shorter than some of the standard history of missions texts but I found the price point accessible and the quality first-class. Information technology was a very easy to read book but packed with good details.

Dec 21, 2020 Flynn Evans rated it actually liked it

Offers a stratospheric just cogent survey of the field of study affair while too providing very helpful summaries of the information.

Equally the subtitle indicates, this is a articulate and concise summary of global Christian mission. In it, Smither lays out a no-frills overview, perfect for gaining big-picture perspective.

A good overview of missions throughout church building history. His chapter on the medieval church was a lilliputian wanting in giving the church its due, merely his chapter on the Great Century was excellent.

Ed Smither (PhD, University of Wales; PhD, University of Pretoria) is Dean of the Higher of Intercultural Studies at Columbia International University.

Ed joined the CIU faculty in 2012. Prior to that, he taught intercultural studies and church history at Liberty Academy for six years. Ed previously served for 14 years in intercultural ministry working primarily amid Muslims in France,

Ed Smither (PhD, University of Wales; PhD, Academy of Pretoria) is Dean of the College of Intercultural Studies at Columbia International University.

Ed joined the CIU faculty in 2012. Prior to that, he taught intercultural studies and church history at Liberty University for half dozen years. Ed previously served for fourteen years in intercultural ministry working primarily amid Muslims in France, North Africa, and the USA.

Ed earned a PhD in Historical Theology from the Academy of Wales (UK) and a PhD in Intercultural Studies from the University of Pretoria (Southward Africa).

As a instructor, Ed loves coming alongside students and helping them notice their place in the mission of God. While he believes that the classroom is a passionate environment for mentoring for mission, he also enjoys meeting students for coffee and meals and serving together in ministry building projects and short-term mission trips.

Since 1999, Ed has been married to Shawn and together they parent Brennan, Emma, and Eve whom they refer to as "three amazing, hilarious, wild kids." Equally a family, they enjoy hiking, watching movies, and discovering new lighthouses at the Due north Carolina Outer Banks. Ed is an ordained Southern Baptist minister and the Smithers currently worship at Gateway Baptist Church in Irmo. In terms of hobbies, Ed enjoys route biking, coaching youth soccer, drinking assuming coffee, and listening to bands in the genre of Switchfoot and U2.

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