Issues in Contextualization - Paperback

by Charles H. Kraft (Author)

The gospel is to be planted as a seed that will sprout within and be nourished by the rain and nutrients in the cultural soil of the receiving peoples. What sprouts from true gospel seed may look quite different above ground from the way it looked in the sending society, but beneath the ground, at the worldview level, the roots are to be the same and the life comes from the same source. What does a vibrant indigenous faith in Jesus look like? How do we communicate the essential meanings of the gospel in forms appropriate to a particular people at a particular time? Issues in Contextualization, Charles Kraft's latest book, presents his own insights on this topic from decades of experience teaching and ministering around the world. Significantly, Kraft's analysis includes an exploration of spiritual power, an aspect frequently neglected in such discussions. This volume is an update of Kraft's classic work Appropriate Christianity. It contains fresh presentations of previous articles and new insights into topics such as insiders (followers of Jesus outside the religious culture of Christianity) and power encounter.

Author Biography

Charles H. Kraft is professor emeritus of anthropology and intercultural communication at Fuller Theological Seminary, where he taught for many years in the School of Intercultural Studies (formerly the School of World Mission). His primary field experience was a pioneer missionary among the Kamwe people in northeastern Nigeria. He has taught and written widely on contextualization, culture, spiritual warfare, and inner healing.