2010Boston

Synopsis: In November 2010, three hundred faculty, students, and others interested in Christian mission gathered in Boston to consider how the world, the global church, and Christian missions have changed since the World Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910 and to reflect on the three previous centennial conferences (Tokyo 2010 in May, Edinburgh 2010 in June, and Cape Town 2010 in October). Participants at "2010Boston" were not delegates from churches and mission agencies, but were students and scholars of various aspects of world Christianity representing the Anglican/Episcopal, Evangelical, mainline Protestant, Orthodox, and Roman Catholic traditions. This conference volume consists of nine keynote messages, five student presentations, three reports from the other conferences, and additional materials from or about 2010Boston. The keynote messages address the history of mission (especially in and from Boston) and the current global context for mission, and suggest modes for future Christian engagement with the world and one another. Student papers address such conference themes as unity in mission, mission and postcolonialism, and discipleship in context. The closing chapter surveys the conference's eight themes and summarizes the outcomes of the 2010Boston process. Endorsements: "This fascinating record of one of the leading events marking the centenary of Edinburgh 1910 deals with key issues for mission studies and world Christianity today. Ecclesially diverse and gender balanced, it also weaves together both local (Boston) interest with input from around the globe. There are some excellent papers on the history and theology of mission, and the relative space given to the voices of students--who are also practitioners--is particularly welcome." --Kirsteen Kim, Professor of Theology and World Christianity, Leeds Trinity University College, UK "Comprehensive and forward-looking, this book is an important resource for theological faculty and students, church leaders, and people in the pews interested in the future direction of Christian mission and world Christianity. Ecumenical and pluriphonic, each chapter offers new insights and adds richness to the whole. I highly recommend it." Kwok Pui-lan, author of Postcolonial Imagination and Feminist Theology "This volume represents a worthy, thought-provoking commemoration of Edinburgh 1910. The emphasis on student participation at Boston 2010 is particularly significant. Many of the students at Edinburgh went on to become leaders of the twentieth century church. One can only hope that the many students who participated in this conference will do the same for our own century." --Stephen Bevans, Louis J. Luzbetak, SVD, Professor of Mission and Culture at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago Author Biography: Todd M. Johnson is Associate Professor of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, MA. He is coeditor of the Atlas of Global Christianity (2009). Rodney L. Petersen is Executive Director of the Boston Theological Institute (BTI), moving to the Boston area from Switzerland in 1990. He is coeditor of The Antioch Agenda: Essays on the Restorative Church in Honor of Orlando E. Costas (2007). Gina A. Bellofatto is a research assistant at the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She was the Senior Editorial Assistant for the Atlas of Global Christianity (2009). Travis L. Myers is a ThD candidate in missiology (Boston University School of Theology and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary). He is a former faculty member of the Cameroon Baptist Theological Seminary.