Edward L Smither

There is a humanitarian disaster unfolding before our eyes, a global tragedy that affects men, women, and children. We are referring to the largest humanitarian crisis of our generation, which has shaped our world and produced over 100 million people forcibly displaced globally. Amid such a challenging scenario, the global church is called to consider some unavoidable questions, such as: How can Christians respond to the current migration crisis? What are some resources available to Christians to help them transform this tragic reality? What are some strategic approaches for bringing hope to asylum seekers and refugees? In this book, Jairo de Oliveira deals with these and many other related questions based on his interactions with the Fur, a Muslim people group from Darfur, Sudan, living as asylum seekers and refugees in Jordan, in the Middle East. After providing a thorough historical background and cultural analysis of Fur, the author commends a contextualization model and fruitful practices that emerged from his study of the people. Hope for the Afflicted serves as a manual and practical guide for those who feel called to engage the current migration crisis by proclaiming the hope of the gospel and discipling asylum seekers and refugees worldwide.

Remembered as a pastor, Bible teacher, writer, and ambassador for global mission, John Stott (1921-2011) was also an early innovator of encouraging global missional theology. Through his involvement in the Lausanne Movement and other global networks, he made room at the table for majority world Christians and theologians to speak to matters of developing global theology. Through his innovative work with Langham Partners, he provided resources for global pastors to be trained in theology and a platform for global theologians to publish their work. Ultimately, he encouraged global theologians to forge their own theology.

Remembered as a pastor, Bible teacher, writer, and ambassador for global mission, John Stott (1921-2011) was also an early innovator of encouraging global missional theology. Through his involvement in the Lausanne Movement and other global networks, he made room at the table for majority world Christians and theologians to speak to matters of developing global theology. Through his innovative work with Langham Partners, he provided resources for global pastors to be trained in theology and a platform for global theologians to publish their work. Ultimately, he encouraged global theologians to forge their own theology.

What does it mean to be called? How does one discern his or her calling? There has been much discussion about these topics within the church, and perhaps much confusion as well. What if we could root the nature of the believer's calling and vocation from a missional perspective? This book seeks to understand how a deeper understanding of God's mission can help believers discern the work to which they are called and equip them for missional witness in and through their work. Importantly, rooting our understanding of vocation and calling in God's mission gives space for new emphases within the conversations related to faith and work, including theologically and contextually grounded emphases on creativity, vocational freedom, and vocational discernment, along with innovative educational models which can support believers as they navigate their work as participants in God's mission. When believers connect their gifts, talents, and creativity with God's work in and for the world in a way that is contextually relevant, it opens up opportunities for transformative witness for both believers and for the organizations they serve.

What does it mean to be called? How does one discern his or her calling? There has been much discussion about these topics within the church, and perhaps much confusion as well. What if we could root the nature of the believer's calling and vocation from a missional perspective? This book seeks to understand how a deeper understanding of God's mission can help believers discern the work to which they are called and equip them for missional witness in and through their work. Importantly, rooting our understanding of vocation and calling in God's mission gives space for new emphases within the conversations related to faith and work, including theologically and contextually grounded emphases on creativity, vocational freedom, and vocational discernment, along with innovative educational models which can support believers as they navigate their work as participants in God's mission. When believers connect their gifts, talents, and creativity with God's work in and for the world in a way that is contextually relevant, it opens up opportunities for transformative witness for both believers and for the organizations they serve.

There is a humanitarian disaster unfolding before our eyes, a global tragedy that affects men, women, and children. We are referring to the largest humanitarian crisis of our generation, which has shaped our world and produced over 100 million people forcibly displaced globally. Amid such a challenging scenario, the global church is called to consider some unavoidable questions, such as: How can Christians respond to the current migration crisis? What are some resources available to Christians to help them transform this tragic reality? What are some strategic approaches for bringing hope to asylum seekers and refugees? In this book, Jairo de Oliveira deals with these and many other related questions based on his interactions with the Fur, a Muslim people group from Darfur, Sudan, living as asylum seekers and refugees in Jordan, in the Middle East. After providing a thorough historical background and cultural analysis of Fur, the author commends a contextualization model and fruitful practices that emerged from his study of the people. Hope for the Afflicted serves as a manual and practical guide for those who feel called to engage the current migration crisis by proclaiming the hope of the gospel and discipling asylum seekers and refugees worldwide.

Mission in the Marketplace What can the prophet Daniel teach us about serving in God's mission? Daniel was not a priest or official religious leader-he was a forcibly displaced Israelite, who became a public administrator in the Babylonian and Persian empires. While he may serve as an example of an admirable work ethic-often finding favor and recognition with political leaders-he is also a prime example of a bold and godly individual, willing to be a witness in his sphere of influence. Though his boldness resulted in suffering, he consistently experienced and demonstrated God's power in his witness. This same boldness is needed today. While many books and Bible studies explore the work ethic and character of Daniel, Ed Smither takes those discussions to a new level, illustrating why each of Daniel's qualities and skills is a necessary component of mission today. Mission in the Way of Daniel probes mission theology and practice in the Old Testament, exploring the well-known story of Daniel through the lenses of mission history and mission practice. Providing relevant application for contemporary issues like diaspora, power encounters, and divine favor in mission, the themes in Mission in the Way of Daniel advance the ongoing conversation about how to do mission. For mission practitioners, tentmakers, and all Christians, this book shows us how God can use us where we are in life and work.

The changing face of world missions presents unique challenges. A new generation must both engage in God's mission and continue to reflect on the human dimension of engagement in the glorious task of making Christ known to the nations. Christianity is a universal religion not bound by one cultural expression of it. No cultural way of life or its Christian expression should be absolutized. Missionaries will be confronted with undreamed of challenges to their own worldview assumptions and must learn to distinguish between convictions rooted in Scripture and culture-informed convictions that should not be elevated to the level of scriptural truth. Without crosscultural training missionaries may unconsciously confound their cultural expression of Christianity with supracultural truth. They need to reflect biblically, theologically, and missiologically on whatever issues they face, and they need the conviction that God is at work in his world to accomplish his purposes and bring all things to his desired end. This book represents areas of personal reflection after over forty years of church planting ministry in different countries. The challenges of others may be different. The mission remains the same.

God is a missionary God. God is also hospitable in his nature. He makes his enemies friends and invites them to intimate communion. The mission of God in Scripture often occurs through hospitality when God's people encounter the not-yet people of God at table or in hospitable environments and invite them to believe. This motif of mission as hospitality plays out through the Old and New Testament Scriptures, and through the Eucharist. It can also be observed through the witness of monks and contemporary missionaries who embraced a hospitable approach to mission. For the church to participate in God's mission today, a vision to win, conquer, or change the world should be exchanged for a conviction to welcome the stranger and make room for others while proclaiming the gospel--that is, to imitate the hospitable God in mission.

Twenty-first-century Christians in the West crave comfort, affluence, freedom from pain, and even power. However, the story of global Christianity--from Christ, the early church, right up to the present day--has been shaped by suffering and even martyrdom. In this short book Edward Smither explores martyrdom both biblically and historically. He defends three claims: in martyrdom we verbally bear witness to Christ, we raise a prophetic voice, and we worship. Christians today, argues Smither, especially those in the West, should welcome suffering and martyrdom as a normal part of the Christian life.

Twenty-first-century Christians in the West crave comfort, affluence, freedom from pain, and even power. However, the story of global Christianity--from Christ, the early church, right up to the present day--has been shaped by suffering and even martyrdom. In this short book Edward Smither explores martyrdom both biblically and historically. He defends three claims: in martyrdom we verbally bear witness to Christ, we raise a prophetic voice, and we worship. Christians today, argues Smither, especially those in the West, should welcome suffering and martyrdom as a normal part of the Christian life.

A deeper understanding of the grand history of mission leads to a faithful expression of God's mission today. From the beginning, God's mission has been carried out by people sent around the world. From Abraham to Jesus, the thread that weaves its way throughout Scripture is a God who sends his people across the world, proclaiming his kingdom. As the world has evolved, Christian mission continues to be a foundational tradition in the church. In this one-volume textbook, Edward Smither weaves together a comprehensive history of Christian mission, from the apostles to the modern church. In each era, he focuses on the people sent by God to the ends of the earth, while also describing the cultural context they encountered. Smither highlights the continuity and development across thousands of years of global mission.