Bøger af Kenneth R Ross

Malawi's first two Presbyterian ministers, Harry Kambwiri Matecheta and Stephen Kundecha, were ordained in March 1911. Ecclesiastically, this made them fully equal with their European fellow-ministers. There were, however, subtle and not-so-subtle racial codes that reminded them that they were expected to occupy a subordinate position. This Occasional Paper explores how they discovered their identity and vocation in a challenging context.

At a time when patterns of Christian life and worship appear to be dying out, yet traces of new life are also appearing, this volume maps out the current reality of Christianity in Western and Northern Europe with all its questions and uncertainties.

The Edinburgh 2010 study process has created a diverse community of discussion and reflection which spans the globe and extends broadly across the full spectrum of church life. At no time or place have all of its participants ever come together. Yet they have found ways to unite and connect - through a website, through email, Skype and Facebook, and through occasional meetings or consultations to address particular issues. The process is therefore informed by possibly a wider range of experience than has ever before been applied to questions of church and mission. From such an extensive web of international interaction this small book has emerged. It revolves around seven "transversal" themes which "run like threads" across all nine of the Edinburgh 2010 study tracks (examined in the companion volume Edinburgh 2010: New Directions for Church in Mission). Each of the seven transversals represents a way of looking at mission, like a set of binoculars which enables you to see things that you might otherwise miss. Working through the chapters, either alone or in a small group, will yield fresh perspectives on the meaning and practice of Christian mission in the world of the 21st century.

The seventh volume in EUP's highly acclaimed Atlas of Global Christianity, which takes the analysis of worldwide Christianity to a deeper level of detail.

Religion has played a key formational role in the development of Scottish society shaping cultural norms, defining individual and corporate identities, and underpinning legal and political institutions. This series presents the very best scholarship on the role of religion as a formative and yet divisive force in Scottish society and highlights its positive and negative functions in the development of the nation's culture. The impact of the Scots diaspora on the wider world means that the subject has major significance far out with Scotland.

This is the first attempt to comprehend the whole of Malawi's church history in a single volume. The focus of this book is about documenting the religious experience which was at the centre of founding the new nation of Malawi as we have come to know it. The book strikes a balance in covering issues pertaining to both mission activities and African agency. In many instances interesting pieces of evidence have been marshalled to corroborate or emphasize some of the conclusions reached.

More than twenty years have passed since this book was first published yet its themes remain vital for understanding the way in which Christian faith is coming to expression in a context like Malawi. It begins with Christology, with the question of the identity of Jesus Christ that is perennially at the centre of the Christian theological task. For a century and more Malawians have been hearing the proclamation, "here comes your king!" This has struck a chord in millions of hearts as individuals, families and communities have named Jesus Christ as Lord. It has also posed the challenge of discovering what this Lordship means in every dimension of life. Much of the rest of the book pursues this question as it explores how church identity has been formed and consolidated, how the faith has been a resource for the nation at critical moments, and the ways in which the faith has shaped national identity and helped to meet political challenges.

In this remarkable volume covering diverse subjects, in a span of three decades, Kenneth R. Ross articulates his views on the meaning and practice of Christian mission and challenges the binary view of mission that prevailed before the 1950s. He further reflects on Scotland's experiences in the world-wide Christian mission and demonstrates the centrality of Africa in any discourse on Christianity. This volume is invaluable in its argument for a rethinking of Christian mission especially in relation to the West, which is now a new frontier for Christian mission. The book will be immensely beneficial to students of missiology and general readers who are interested in the subject of Christian Mission.

Unity of knowledge is not easily achieved in today's Africa where often there is little conscious interaction between traditional beliefs, Christian faith and modern secularity. The challenge is taken up in this book as scholars from a variety of disciplines wrestle with the relation of faith and science at the frontiers of knowledge. The results are important alike for the integrity of faith, for scienti¿c advance and for the attainment of creative cultural unity in society. Readers with such concerns at heart will ¿nd much food for thought as they traverse the broad frontiers explored in these wide-ranging essays.