Bosch carefully explores the influence of the Enlightenment on theology and particularly the western church's concept of mission(s). He then goes on to survey the psotmodern situation briefly and attempt to chart a middle road betwee extreme relativism and the objectivism of the Enlightenment. Bosch makes the very cogent insight that the idea of a strong subject-object distinction is itself a modernistic idea that should not be allowed to set the terms for a Chrsitian discussion of epistemology.
He then goes on to describe in brief what a missiology of western culture might look like. He argues that a missiology of western culture must concern itself with the pressing issues of the third world as it learns to view the west a missionary situation. Bosch is right that often, the church has simply assumed that the wise is the proper location for Christianity and has "overcontextualized" the gospel in western culture such that it has become accomadated to such a degree the concept of the church as inherently missional is lost.
Bosch also includes a brief chapter dealing with issues of worldview and the challenge of Enlightenment scientism. He aruges, following Polanyi that is science as in all acts of human knowing, faith is a conditon for rational thought and analysis. He is also correct to note that while many scientists would admit this today, at a popular level, "objective" science is still treated as the arbiter of all truth at a popular level. This tendency must be countered and Bosch's use of Polanyi and Newbigin is a good move toward engaging this issue.
All in all, this is a great little book on missiology. For those that want something biger by Bosch, try his "paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission" (Orbis). It too is excellent.
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ISBN: 9781563381171
Catalogue code: N/A
Publisher: CONTINUUM INTERNATIONAL - published N/A
Format: Paperback