{"id":11094,"date":"2017-01-19T16:06:13","date_gmt":"2017-01-20T00:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dminlgp.com\/?p=11094"},"modified":"2017-01-19T16:06:13","modified_gmt":"2017-01-20T00:06:13","slug":"for-such-a-time-as-this-why-here-and-why-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/for-such-a-time-as-this-why-here-and-why-now\/","title":{"rendered":"For Such A Time As This: Why here and why now?"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week\u2019s epiphany is WHY we have been reading the books that we have been reading for the last eighteen months.<\/p>\n

The third chapter of Global Evangelicalism: Theology, History and Culture in Regional Perspective<\/em>, is entitled \u201cGlobalization, Religion and Evangelicalism.\u201d Here Donald M. Lewis declares, \u201cThe scholarly discussion of globalization is particularly difficult because it crosses a number of academic disciplines: sociology, anthropology, history, religion, economics, and political science, to name a few.\u201d [1] Ah, the shelf in my library that holds my D Min books now makes even more sense.<\/p>\n

This chapter could function as the Charter for Leadership and Global Perspectives. The sentence quoted above is the key that unlocks the secret behind DMin LGP: herein is the unifying principle of our course work. This doctoral student has been changed by these studies. My perspective on the world has been forever transformed.\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

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Throughout the third chapter there are direct and indirect references to a number of our text books. Lewis draws directly from The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism<\/em>, and we hear echos of Global Pentecostalism, The Silk Road, Open Leadership, Imagined Communities, Here\u2019s London, Social Geographies<\/em>, and others. In Chapter One Mark Noll cites Evangelicalism in Modern Britain<\/em>. [2]<\/p>\n

To be even more specific regarding globalization Lewis looks at how Evangelicalism has affected, and been affected by, globalization. (Through this program we are being trained to become aware of the ways in which the Christian Church affects societies, and how societies affect the Church.) \u00a0Of chapter three in Global Evangelicalism<\/em> Lewis writes, \u201cThis chapter seeks to serve as a relatively simple introduction to a complex debate and to offer some observations on the way in which evangelicalism relates to these discussions.\u201d [3] In Chapter 2 Wilbert Shenk says, \u201cSurging new churches – such as the Pentecostal churches emerging in Latin America – saw social service as part of their core function.\u201d [4]\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

There are several definitions for globalization given in the book (on pages 61 and 299).<\/p>\n

Anthony Giddens – \u201cGlobalization can thus be defined as the intensification of worldwide social relations which link distant localities in such a way that local happenings are shaped by events occurring many miles away and vice versa.\u201d [5]<\/p>\n

Malcolm Waters – \u201c [Globalization is] a social process in which the constraints of geography on economic, political, social and cultural arrangements recede, in which people become increasingly aware that they are receding and in which people act accordingly.\u201d [5]\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

[Globalization is] \u201ca term that encompasses the process of modernization and worldwide spread of a common (Western) culture. Some argue that globalization serves to homogenize cultures.\u201d [6]<\/p>\n

Key phrases in the first two definitions above are \u201clink distant localities\u201d and \u201cconstraints of geography recede.\u201d The third definition presents one school of thought that globalization forces all cultures to become more Western, but this theory does not enjoy consensus among scholars.<\/p>\n

Global Evangelicalism reminds me why my dissertation project is possible and important. The project is, in fact, the result of globalization.<\/p>\n

Touch-Points of Application<\/p>\n

First, the presence of 4,000 international students in my city demonstrates one manifestation of globalization. The reading of cultural intelligence can be practical and applicable for anyone living in this community because even during a trip to the grocery store we rub shoulders with people from many nations.<\/p>\n

Second, in our glocalized community the presence of these students gives rise to my dissertation project of creating an international learning community in order to provide ministry leadership training for students before they return to their native countries.<\/p>\n

Third, since the ease of transportation brings the students, it can also take them home after they have met Christ and\/or have been trained. Therefore we are the beneficiaries of fulfilling the Great Commission of Jesus without leaving town.<\/p>\n

Fourth, from the beginning of our project to offer ministry leadership training to international students it has been our goal not to force a Western model of leadership onto students from other cultures. In Chapter 7 of Global Evangelicalism<\/em> Scott W. Sunquist provides powerful support for this desire. While writing about the affect of revivals on Protestant missions in Asia he says, \u201cRevivals reinforced the evangelical character of the Asian churches, strengthened indigenous cultural themes and at the same time empowered Asians to lead. The empowerment directed by the Holy Spirit acted as a more direct route for Asian leaders to be discipled than empowerment by Western leaders or long-term training dominated by Western forms and structures.\u201d [7] It is essential that our leadership training models rise out of the cultural intelligence we are developing through study and conversations with many students from other nations.<\/p>\n

Finally, we in LGP6 might feel a strong affinity with this book because the footnotes would make Kate Turabian smile.<\/p>\n

[1] Donald M. Lewis and Richard V. Pierard, eds. Global Evangelicalism: Theology, History and Culture in Regional Perspective<\/em> ( Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 2014), 60.
\n[2] Ibid., 20.
\n[3] Ibid., 60.
\n[4] Ibid., 56.
\n[5] Ibid., 61.
\n[6] Ibid., 299.
\n[7] Ibid., 211-212.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week\u2019s epiphany is WHY we have been reading the books that we have been reading for the last eighteen months. The third chapter of Global Evangelicalism: Theology, History and Culture in Regional Perspective, is entitled \u201cGlobalization, Religion and Evangelicalism.\u201d Here Donald M. Lewis declares, \u201cThe scholarly discussion of globalization is particularly difficult because it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[573,786],"class_list":["post-11094","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-globalization","tag-lewis-pierard","cohort-lgp6"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11094","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11094"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11094\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11094"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11094"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.georgefox.edu\/dlgp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11094"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}