Global Gospel, Global Era

Here is a thoughtful paper from David Wells and Os Guinness on Christian discipleship in a globalised age.

An excerpt:

Christians are by definition great communicators, and the global era is by definition the great age of communication, so the potential for outreach in the global world can hardly be overstated. With the destruction of traditions, the collapse of traditional certainties, and the melting down of traditional roles and allegiances, there is greater political liberty, greater social fluidity, greater religious diversity and greater psychological vulnerability than ever before in history. As a result, human beings in the global era have been described as “conversion prone,” and more open than ever to consider new faiths. We therefore face the prospect of spreading the Gospel in a manner that is “freer, faster, and farther” than ever before in the church’s history, a prospect that must be seized with faith and courage.

At the same time, it would be naïve not to see that the increased challenges to mission and evangelism are equally powerful, and must be faced frankly...

The paper is worth a careful read in its entirety.