Four Careers: Autobiography of Charles H. Kraft
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
While in high school Chuck felt God’s call to be a field missionary in Africa, expecting to spend his life there. But God only allowed him three years in the “bush.” He had other things in mind for him. These years working cross-culturally laid a solid foundation for his future accomplishments. Through a series of unplanned events, God made him a teacher of missionaries and a missiologist--teaching and writing to improve missionary principles and practices. In this book Kraft reflects on how he was shaped as a missiologist and why/how he felt the need for writing his many books and articles. “Culture-positive” is the term he has coined for his approach. It’s an approach that honors a people’s way of life and helps them to express their faith in Christ within that way of life without converting to another culture. He taught that God loves and accepts them as they are--plus faith--and seeks to work with them to develop their own Christianity based on their own understanding of Scripture. Chuck sees a missionary as a coach, not as a director. This approach has shown its effectiveness both among the people Chuck worked with (the Kamwe of northern Nigeria) and in the field ministries of his students.
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“For those who have been touched by one or more of the published
works from the ‘four careers’ of Charles Kraft, this book provides
very personal insights into his life and work. Kraft shares how in
his life’s journey of social rejection by many, God transformed
him, his life of ministry, and his scholarship for the purpose of
healing, empowering, and motivating those he served for the greater
mission of God.”
—Sherwood G. Lingenfelter, senior professor of anthropology and
provost emeritus, Fuller Theological Seminary
“Chuck Kraft has been in the forefront of creative missiology for
decades. He has pushed out the edges of our understanding of
mission in ways that have been consistent with Scripture and
sensitive to culture. His autobiography will inform and challenge
us.”
—Paul Pierson, dean emeritus and professor emeritus of history of
mission and Latin American studies, Fuller Theological
Seminary
Product Details
- Title : Four Careers: Autobiography of Charles H. Kraft
- Authors:
- Kraft, Charles H.
- Whiteman, Darrell L.
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Publication Date: 2019
- ISBN: 9781532699443
Charles H. Kraft spent over forty years teaching anthropology,
intercultural communication, contextualization, and spiritual
warfare in the School of Intercultural Studies (formerly School of
World Mission) at Fuller Seminary. He holds degrees from Wheaton
College, Ashland Theological Seminary, and Hartford Seminary. He
was a pioneer missionary in northeastern Nigeria and learned,
taught, and published on the Hausa language. His writings (over
thirty-six books) show deep understanding of people, of
communication, and the power of God. He has significantly
influenced missiology through his teaching and writings. He and his
wife, Meg, live in South Pasadena, California, and they have four
grown children.