Sunday, November 18, 2018

Review: Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility

Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility Cross-Cultural Servanthood: Serving the World in Christlike Humility by Duane Elmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

One eye-catching feature would have to be the endorsements of the book in the first pages from the who’s who in the cross-cultural field. The book provided for a highly engaging, enjoyable and perhaps even captivating read. I cannot emphasize how brilliant it is that the content was presented as succinct as it was. As an Asian young adult who is largely influenced by Western education/thinking that clashes with the more traditional culture/worldviews of my elders, I appreciated that this book was extremely useful in that it was thoughtful, reflective and insightful. It seemed that much of his material was highly intuitive and logically, and yet I often wondered to myself: “now why didn’t I think of that?”

The mix of his own anecdotes with quotes/stories of others was just right. His breadth of knowledge in the subject matter is seen from the variety of sources he draws inspiration from, seemingly never over-quoting (like some other authors) to the effect that it was merely a paraphrase reproduction of another’s work. His dedication and passion in the subject matter (theology held in tandem/tension with anthropology) are also illustrated by his ever insightful experiences that he shares in the book.

As the title indicates, the primary substantive is that we are called by Christ to cross-culturally serve and not to boss/lord over those whom we perceive need our help/expertise or ministry. This is exceptionally helpful in our day of Instagram social work or short-term missions whereby it is “cool,” fashionable even, to broadcast to one’s social network how noble one was to have volunteered one's time and energies. Whilst this book is no silver bullet to make a proud and egotistical minister become a magically humble servant overnight, it should raise enough red flags to prompt the readers into introspection, reflection and a desire for change.

I heartily recommend this book to all Christians, not only those involved in cross-cultural overseas missions/ministry work as all of us are called to evangelise and minister wherever we are placed and not only to a homogenous people group from which we hail. A great companion to be read alongside this would be Lingenfelter’s excellent title Ministering Cross-Culturally (https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/102044).

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Sunday, November 4, 2018

Review: Approaching the Study of Theology: An Introduction to Key Thinkers, Concepts, Methods & Debates

Approaching the Study of Theology: An Introduction to Key Thinkers, Concepts, Methods & Debates Approaching the Study of Theology: An Introduction to Key Thinkers, Concepts, Methods & Debates by Anthony C. Thiselton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

For a person to pick up a title like this, he would probably be an intermediate or advanced reader. Yet the beauty of this book is that it is accessible even to the novice reader. Concepts are explained clearly, succinctly and intelligibly. Thiselton could have released a 1500 page version of this book, but much dedication and love were poured into ensuring that the material while broad, remained concise. The subject matter depicted will therefore not be exhaustive in depth, but this reviewer felt that the content is sufficient for a general overview.

The content is just as the subtitle describes - Key Thinkers, Concepts, Methods and Debates. For each subject topic, Thiselton discusses how notable thinkers/theologians have interacted with one another to shape its development (both in the present and through the ages), with references included as footnotes for those who would like to read further. I especially liked the analogy to explain what it is like for the dead to wait for the final moment of resurrection and judgment:
I have suggested the analogy of a child falling asleep on Christmas Eve, but waiting for the morning of Christmas. From a participant's perspective, we may tell the child, 'The sooner you fall asleep, the sooner Christmas will come.' But from an observer's perspective the adults of the household need to do many things, including preparing meals, wrapping up presents, and so forth. The analogy exactly matches the experience of the participant in death and transformation, and the observer of the eschatological drama. It is true in both cases: the departed are with Christ, but certain events must take place before the end (p112-3).

This book is probably not meant to be read cover to cover, but to be referred to as and when the reader wishes to acquaint himself (or explore further) in a theological topic of interest. I find Part 3 (glossary of key terms) especially useful as a quick yet exhaustive point of reference for theological jargon. Because it is a reference title, I would actually recommend it be purchased as a digital form, so that it can be accessed on the go (for example, when you are discussing theology with somebody outside the home).

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