EMQ » April–June 2019 » Volume 55 Issue 2
By Bryant L. Myers
Mission in Global Community Series
Baker Academic, 2017
Grand Rapids, MI
304 pages
ISBN: 978-0801097980
USD $26.99
Reviewed by Pam Arlund, Global Training and Research Leader, All Nations, Kansas City, Missouri.
“We seem to have forgotten that the gospel is true and secular humanism is not…[T]here is little evidence that Christians and their churches are devoting much energy to understanding globalization” (5). This introduction from Myers’ early pages provides a good overview of this useful, easy to read (for an academic book), and invigorating analysis of globalization. Although this introduction might seem abstract, the book is thoroughly relevant to evangelicals of all walks of life, whether congregation members, pastors, or missionaries.
The book begins with four sections devoted to exploring globalization. It does this primarily by defining the status of the world today and looking through the lens of history. Myers does a good job of presenting key Christian and non-Christian political, economic, sociological and theological thinkers.
For those who do not normally keep up with global trends or thoughts, there will be startling news in these pages. For example, it will surprise some to learn that there is less absolute poverty today that at any previous time in human history. Although the sections on history are relatively easy to read, some people have little or no tolerance for history of any kind. These history and global trends sections are a significant portion of the book and will likely be slow going for some people.
After an overview and analysis of the problem, Myers spends the four final chapters working towards a proposal for Christian engagement with globalization. In this section, he does a good job of summarizing key proposals that have been offered by Protestants, Catholics, and non-Christians. He feels that responses to globalization have had “three significant theological limitations: a thin anthropology, a flawed understanding of power, and an inability to satisfy the human hunger for meaning and morality” (208).
As a solution Myers ultimately proposes that all Christians need to receive the kind of training traditionally offered to missionaries, so that all Christians can share the Gospel within their spheres of influence (250). He further argues that Christians have been sidelined to “private” spheres for too long and need to remember that Christians have something unique and necessary to offer a globalized world. As such, he encourages Christians to embrace globalization, become thought leaders, and engage people in all walks of life.
For Further Reading
Goheen, Michael and Erin Glanville. The Gospel and Globalization: Exploring the Religious Roots of a Globalized World. Vancouver: Regent College Publishing, 2009.
Shapiro, Ian. The Moral Foundations of Politics. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012.
Fukuyama, Francis. Identity: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2018.
