The Power of the Gospel in the 21st Century (Part I)

So here goes. How do we as Christians live in the 21st century and truly be salt and light? Or how do we think and act Christianly in our context? To answer this question we need to look at our context, our world, for we no longer live in an fragmented world of isolated communities. We live in a multi-cultural, connected, globalized world, and there is no denying it. Especially, as Americans or Europeans we rub elbows in our streets with immigrants from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. We eat exotic foods shipped from exotic lands. We read on the internet about news and events as they happen. We buy stocks in companies investing in nations like China, Kazahkstan, and Brazil. And we travel (in the matter of a day or less) to see, taste, and experience the world outside our own country.

So what is the state of this global world? In this first part I want to take a look at several trends affecting the world today, and thus also affecting world Christianity and mission. In part two I want to look at two mega-trends that tie all of these together in some sense for the Western world, those being globalization and postmodernism. In part three, I want to start to unpack our Christian theology to look at how we might live in light of our context and in light of the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A couple of books, that I would seriously reccommend, that helped me to think through this are: The Changing Face of World Missions: Engaging Contemporary Issues and Trends by Pocock, VanRheenen, and McConnell; and Bible and Mission: Christian Witness in a Postmodern World by Richard Bauckham.

Here goes.

Trend 1: HIV/AIDS Pandemic and Other Health Issues

Trend 2: Children at Risk

Trend 3: Global Poverty

Trend 4: Slavery and Injustice

Trend 5: Environmental Issues

Trend 6: World Migration

Trend 7: The Rise of Islam

And some positive trends...

Trend 8: The Explosion of Majority World Christianity

Trend 9: The Growth and Influence of Pentecostals and Charismatics

Trend 10: The Rise of a Truly Global Church

In posts to come, I will discuss these trends abit more in their scope and meaning. But suffice it to say, as Chrstians these are things that we should all be aware of and reflecting about.