Commonly regarded as relics of an outgrown and mostly discredited colonialism, Christian missionaries are still playing an active role in many parts of the world and their number is, in fact, increasing. In this book, Kenelm Burridge examines these individuals and the work they do from a new perspective, combining anthropology with insights from history, sociology, missiology and theology, in an attempt to expose and explicate the contradictions and ambiguities involved in missionary endeavours and to establish a theory ...
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Commonly regarded as relics of an outgrown and mostly discredited colonialism, Christian missionaries are still playing an active role in many parts of the world and their number is, in fact, increasing. In this book, Kenelm Burridge examines these individuals and the work they do from a new perspective, combining anthropology with insights from history, sociology, missiology and theology, in an attempt to expose and explicate the contradictions and ambiguities involved in missionary endeavours and to establish a theory about the apparently inevitable processes that arise out of the nature of Christianity and the building of a Christian community. Burridge presents the missionaries as a class of men and women dedicated to a cause which involves them and others at personal and collective levels when faced with the particular problems of inculturating a transcultural faith without unnecessarily affecting the local culture. But he also acknowledges the achievements in practical affairs and the social developments which have characterized the work of missionaries in spite of their often being at odds with local governments and secular agents. Discussing the difficulties of manifesting Christian love, the author comments on the ambivalences that characterize the Christian systemic. He shows how missionaries, caught in the process of Christianity, find themselves moving between God and the world, being torn between conviction and scepticism, and between their faith and their social work. This, Burridge points out, is a continuous and cyclical process which missionaries sometimes fail to resolve while at other times it leads to renewal of faith. "In the way" not only contributes to a better understanding of missionaries and the significance of their work, but also shows how central the missionary impulse has been to Christianity and how frequently it has been lost and rediscovered throughout history. "Kenelm Burridge is a Professor Emeritus of the Department of Anthropology and Sociology at the University of British Columbia.".
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Add this copy of In the Way: a Study of Christian Missionary Endeavours to cart. $124.95, good condition, Sold by Salish Sea Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bellingham, WA, UNITED STATES, published 1991 by University of British Columbia Press.
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Seller's Description:
Good in a Very Good dust jacket; Hardcover; Withdrawn library copy with minimal library markings; Light wear to the covers; Library stamps to the endpapers; Pen markings to about 40 pages, otherwise unmarked text pages; Good binding with a straight spine; This book will be stored and delivered in a sturdy cardboard box with foam padding; Medium Format (8.5Äù Äì 9.75Äù tall); Purple dust jacket with title in white lettering; 1991, University of British Columbia Press; 646 pages; "In the Way: A Study of Christian Missionary Endeavours, " by Kenelm Burridge.
