In Building Social Business, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank presents a “new kind of capitalism that serves humanity’s most pressing needs.”[1] Our current global financial crisis is not the only crisis at hand, says Yunus, but one of a series of crises: food, energy, environmental, healthcare, social, economic and poverty. Yunus […]
In their collaborative work, Street Signs: A New Direction in Urban Ministry, authors Ray Bakke and Jon Sharpe share their personal migration story from rural roots to urban ministry.[1] Filled with lessons learned, theological reflections, and practical helps, Street Signs points towards a new way or ministering in, to and with the city. The book […]
Known for his prophetic writing in The Next Christendom, acclaimed historian Philip Jenkins proves that understanding the past is vital to knowing the present and foreseeing the future. In The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia—and How It Died, Jenkins uncovers that […]
Pope Francis, the current pope of the Catholic Church, has frequently made the news since his appointment in March 2013 because of his humble character and particular concern for the poor. In his Apostolic Exhoratation Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”), the pope encourages and inspires clergy and all believers to be more missional […]
“International migration is rapidly changing the demographic distribution globally,” states Sadiri Joy Tira of the Global Diaspora Network (GDN). “Migrant pundits estimate that there are now over 200 million international migrants, and over 700 million internally displaced people or close to 1 billion scattered peoples.” The question is, “What practical response does the Church have […]
Corrie De Boer, the well-known Filipina urban theologian and practitioner, describes author Patrick Hobbs as “a compassionate urban pastor who grapples with justice issues and the complexity of the political, social, economic, and environmental and missiological challenges of the megacity.”[1] In his book Dawn Reapers, Hobbs unpacks the complexity of ministry among the urban poor […]
A compilation of 13 papers presented at the fourth ATS (Asia Theological Seminary) Theological Forum, the book The Church and Poverty in Asia represents a broad range of evangelical thought and practice in the Philippines. Based on Mary’s song from Luke 1:53, the conference’s theme was, “He has filled the hungry with good things.” In […]
The book Asian Church & God’s Mission is a collection of all the papers presented at the Asian Mission symposium held in Manila, the Philippines, in 2012. The theme of the conference, “Empowering the Asian Church for God’s Mission,”[1] was expounded upon by a selecting of 16 experts in the field. The presenters hailed from […]
Theologian, researcher and practitioner, author Viv Grigg leads and writes with an apostolic and prophetic gift. His book Cry of the Urban Poor[1] is a culmination of walking the urban slums in 10 megacities around the globe. From Manila to Mexico City and from Calcutta to Sao Paolo, Grigg draws from a wide range of […]
In the book, When Helping Hurts,[1] authors Corbett and Fikkert aim to help local congregations in North America—and by extension their missionaries—to be involved in poverty alleviation using appropriate principles and methods. The authors hope not only to see an increased involved by the North American church in poverty alleviation, but—perhaps more importantly—that by adjusting […]