[DESCRIPTION] Generations of missionaries affirm Paul’s words and calling to preach Christ and him crucified (1 Cor 2:1-2). That message has always provoked strong responses in the world, yet the pushback was often muted during the era of Christendom. Today, globalization and postmodernity have ushered in an atmosphere of universal, politically correct toleration and plurality. Our contemporary setting rejects biblical absolutes and denies the claim that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, the sole way to salvation and fulfillment.

Therefore, The Centrality of Christ in Contemporary Missions considers on a series of vital questions that underlie the Christian mission. Is Jesus really the only way? What is unique about Christ and missions? What difference can Jesus make as the source of salvation in our twenty-first-century missions task? Where does Jesus Christ fit into this globalizing world?

The book’s contributors come from diverse backgrounds and specializations. They offer answers based on biblical exegesis, philosophy, cultural anthropology, and church history. This volume of the EMS series will equip readers for the task of preaching Christ among the nations. [/DESCRIPTION][CREDIT] Mike Barnett and Michael Pocock [/CREDIT] [PAGES] 314 [/PAGES] [BINDING] Paperback [/BINDING] [PUBLISHER] William Carey Publishing [/PUBLISHER] [PUBLISHYEAR] 2004 [/PUBLISHYEAR] [TOC]

Author Profiles 

Foreword Michael Pocock 

Introduction Mike Barnett 

I. THE CENTRALITY OF CHRIST

1. Is Jesus Christ Really the Only Way? by George Murray 

2. The Uniqueness of Christ and Missions by Patrick Cate 

3. Christ Centered Epistemology: An Alternative to Modern and Postmodern Epistemologies by Michael Pocock 

4. The Relevance of Jesus as the Source of Salvation and Mission for the Twenty-First Century Global Context by William J. Larkin 

II. CHRIST IN CONTEMPORARY MISSIONS

5. Mission and Jesus in a Globalizing World:Globalization and the Pluralistic Jesus by Harold Netland 

6. Mission and Jesus in a Globalizing World: Mission as Retrieval by Harold Netland 

7. Jesus and the Pagan West: Missiological Reflections on Evangelism in Re-enchanted Europe by Michael T. Cooper 

8. WDJS—What Does Jesus Say . . . About Receptivity? by Cecil Stalnaker 

III. MISSIOLOGICAL INSIGHTS

9. A Christocentric Understanding of Linguistic Diversity: Implications for Missions in a Pluralistic Era by Samuel Larsen

10. Leadership and Teams in Missions—Jesus Style by Mike Barnett 

11. The Inescapable Christ: The Significance of E. Stanley Jones’ Christology for Twenty-first-Century Missiology by John Moldovan

12. How Do They Think? Understanding and Teaching Religious Belief Systems for Twenty-first-Century Missions by Norman Allison