To All Nations from All Nations

Sharing the Good News might be understood as the prime directive of the Church from its

earliest times, but the Church soon discovered unforeseen obstacles and its own set of

temptations, including its lust for power and domination. Although the gospel might be joyfully

offered, it was not always received in the same spirit. And the Church was not always gracious

with dissent and criticism. Even so, the Church continues to reach out to the least, the last,

and the lost—attempting to bring them into the family of God. But for mission to be effective

today, it must take advantage of indigenous resources and recognize its limitations as well as

its gifts. This book broadly introduces prominent missionary practices and major historical

figures using three perspectives. First, it takes into account the missionary activity

proceeding from the margins rather than only discussing the center of theological and ecclesial

activity. Second, it narrates the cross-cultural, cross-confessional, and cross-religious

dynamics that characterize Christian missionary activity. And third, it emphasizes that much

missionary activity is generated by national rather than international missionaries. The text

concludes with a chapter on the postmodern and postcolonial world.