International Review of Mission最新文献

The year 2025 offers the church an opportunity to reflect on the Nicene Creed in dialogue with Mark 10:17-22. This Bible study–based dialogue invites us all – particularly those who have been marginalized by political, economic, and ecclesial systems of oppression – to be instructed by Jesus on the mechanisms of systemic economic oppression. Even the Nicene Creed can learn from Jesus if we incorporate into each of its four sections the voices of the marginalized who have, through contextual Bible study work, offered the church revised forms of the Nicene Creed.

This article critically examines the significance of the Nicene Creed for mission within the evolving missional context of 2025, particularly in Southern Africa. In an era defined by the globalized nature of mission, the church is no longer viewed as the sender but as the one being sent, reflecting the missio Dei framework. The article explores the role of the Nicene Creed in light of current shifts in mission: the dissolution of a binary view of Christian and non-Christian worlds, the inherently missionary nature of the church, and the importance of partnerships in mission. From a decolonized perspective, the author questions the ongoing relevance of the trinitarian God as professed in the creed, particularly within the diverse ecclesiastical landscape of Southern Africa, where independent churches are prominent. The article argues that the Nicene Creed, while not explicitly missional, remains foundational to the church's mission as it affirms the church's unity, catholicity, and apostolicity. In conclusion, the article advocates for a continued reflection on the Nicene Creed, recognizing its central role in shaping the mission, faith, and unity of the church, particularly in a decolonized and ecumenical context.

This article critically reflects on the historical and cultural implications of the Nicene Creed, focusing on its relevance in non-Western contexts. It explores the Creed not just as a theological concept but also as a tool that has influenced both ecumenical unity and hegemonic power dynamics, especially in Indigenous and colonial encounters. After outlining the Creed's role in settling debates about the nature of the relationship between the Father and the Son, while acknowledging the Creed's later global and liturgical adoption, the article critically examines the interaction between the Nicene Creed and Indigenous faith traditions. It then reflects on a possible continuity between African traditional religions and the Christian faith, focusing on the relationship of the Father and the Son. The article concludes that creeds need to be continuously reinterpreted in diverse cultural contexts and the ecumenical fellowship and advocates for a more nuanced approach to the apostolic faith, where the Nicene Creed becomes a decolonizing tool, allowing Indigenous theological perspectives to reshape how the Christian faith interacts not only with local traditions but also with the modern world. Ultimately, the article calls for an ongoing reflection on the triune God's self-revelation to avoid the hardening of confessions as witness into creeds as a colonizing and excluding tool.

The presentation and representation of Africa as the dark continent is one that was intricately constructed and weaved by colonial and missionary travellers. Darkness was constructed as evil and dangerous and in need of illumination. The construction of darkness and Africa as the dark continent was embraced by Western philosophical thinkers who popularized this thinking that the same construction continues to reproduce itself globally. Using the medium of a childhood game, played on a farm with little artificial lighting, thinking of darkness takes a completely different turn to the colonially constructed image of darkness. Using a reimagination and reinterpretation of darkness, this article embraces darkness as the space of seeing, of entertainment, of observation and appreciation of that which is often blinded by artificial – colonial – lights or illumination. This article challenges, disrupts, decolonizes the colonial construction of darkness and reclaims darkness and calls for the liberation and embrace of darkness in the manner of reading the Bible or imagining mission. It is a call to counter-create darkness and its significance.

This article expands on a prior study on caste discrimination in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in India. Rooted in a missiological framework, it examines the transformative potential of Luke 4:18 in addressing the challenges faced by marginalized communities in the SDA context. The article draws on findings from earlier qualitative research on historical roots, missiological perspectives, and the relevance of biblical passages to inform a narrative inquiry approach on the hermeneutics of Luke 4:18. By aligning the text with complementary passages, it delves into the historical trajectory of caste discrimination within SDA churches and revisits the contemporary challenges faced by marginalized members. This article highlights the crucial roles of church leadership and educational initiatives in fostering inclusivity and combatting discrimination by integrating a hermeneutical lens into actionable strategies. Finally, it contributes to ongoing discussions on social justice and equality in religious communities, offering a nuanced perspective informed by both qualitative insights and hermeneutical exploration.

This article explores the missionary implications of the Nicene Creed in Orthodox parishes, focusing on trinitarian theology, incarnation, and decolonizing mission. Through the lens of the Nicene Creed, the article highlights how Orthodox parishes reflect trinitarian communion and engage in eucharistic mission to transform society. The article also emphasizes decolonizing approaches to mission and discusses how the creed informs the social, spiritual, and cultural practices of parishes. The interplay of mission, theosis, and incarnational theology is central to understanding the Orthodox parish as a microcosm of divine love and communal unity. This study explores the call to justice, reconciliation, and decolonization of mission in line with the vision of the World Council of Churches.

The interstitial space at the intersection of race and disability is primed for a decolonial analysis. By examining the colonial history of Indigenous people and Black chattel slaves in North America, this paper will show how the contemporary definitions of race and disability are inherited social constructs created for the colonizer's utility to control the bodies and minds of those occupying and working the land the colonizer seeks to control for the private accumulation of imperial wealth. I will give examples of how socio-cultural institutions like the church have inherited the logic of colonialism, creating ideologies of domination that must be challenged by a robust decolonial theology. Racism and ableism are the direct end product of a colonial view of the world that sees land and people as exploitable and expendable. A theology of liberation must grapple with the demands of decolonization to produce a just and equitable society.

The growth of religious disaffiliation in the United States over the past three decades is historically unprecedented. This article argues that disaffiliation is a form of moral protest against lingering coloniality in American global North Christianities and appeals for missiologists to adopt a decolonial lens to more effectively critique harmful religious systems and investigate exterior forms of Christianities otherwise in the North American context. The article explores existing sociological and empirical data on disaffiliation, deconversion, and religious harms to expose the moral protest of disaffiliation. Decoloniality is distinguished from postcolonialism to reveal its relevance for the subject matter and identify its method. Using examples of North American missiologies, the article demonstrates how latent forms of coloniality are preserved despite decolonizing efforts in the field and how a decolonial lens can bring new works of the spirit into focus. Finally, it briefly explores implications for future research.

Decolonial ecological imaginations entail a critical interrogation of mainstream environmentalism to unmask and unsettle it. These reflections expose how mainstream environmentalism legitimizes and perpetuates the colonization of the Earth and subaltern and Indigenous communities. Mainstream environmentalism is a colonial project to perpetuate the interests of settler colonialism and racial capitalism. This calls for a new search for decolonial and alternative ecological reimagination, informed by the epistemologies and eco-politics of the Indigenous and subaltern communities and other grassroots social movements. Decolonial ecological imaginations involve the task of contesting and unsettling settler colonialism, extractive/exploitative capitalism, white supremacy, and all ideologies and practices of domination and exclusion.