Eerdmans Lesslie Newbigin Collection (8 vols.)

How can biblical authority be a reality for those shaped by the modern world? Lesslie Newbigin treats the First World as a mission field, offering a unique perspective on the relationship between the gospel and current society by presenting an outsider’s view of contemporary Western culture.

This collection of 17 never-before-published essays, sermons, and addresses by Lesslie Newbigin, one of the premier missiologists of the twentieth century, puts forth his developing view of the agenda for Christian mission from 1960 to 1992. Considered “the quintessence of Newbigin’s thought” by editor Eleanor Jackson, these papers record the dynamics of Newbigin’s ideas about mission as he confronted new issues in the church and society.

Newbigin’s sermon at Riverside Church in New York City in 1960 opens discussion on the themes of unity in mission, changes in the missionary enterprise, and developments in the theology of mission. A second group of articles addresses specific “frontline” situations: mission in the modern city, the pastor’s role in the inner city, and future of the parish church. Newbigin then moves to frontier concerns: the resistance of modern society to the gospel, the cultural captivity of the church, and the consequences of witness in a world of religious and ideological pluralism—themes central to many of his full-length books. Finally, Newbigin sets the agenda for mission as the church approaches a new millennium.

Spanning three significant decades in the history of church outreach, A Word in Season offers an important perspective on the course of Christian mission and provides valuable instruction to those who struggle with the missionary task today.

Thousands of books have been written on the fourth Gospel, but few have had the lasting impact of this modern classic by respected missiologist Lesslie Newbigin. Developed over a period of 30 years during which Newbigin led Bible studies as a bishop in the Church of South India, this excellent commentary on John is unique both in its power to prepare pastors and teacher to effectively declare the Word of God to others and in its ability to clearly communicate John’s message to contemporary Western readers.

Looking to end the divisive conflict that has raged between Christians who attack each other either as “liberals” or as “fundamentalists,” Newbigin here gives a historical account of the roots of this conflict in order to begin laying the foundation for a middle ground that will benefit the Christian faith as a whole. What results is a perspective that allows Christians to confidently affirm the gospel as public truth in our pluralistic world.

The late Lesslie Newbigin was widely regarded as one of this generation’s most significant voices on Christianity in relation to modern society. Now that he is gone, there is a call for his unpublished writings to be made available. To that end Signs amid the Rubble gathers some of Newbigin’s finest statements on issues of continuing relevance. The first set of chapters consists of the 1941 Bangalore Lectures, in which Newbigin speaks powerfully of the kingdom of God in relation to the modern idea of “progress.” The second group of writings, the Henry Martyn Lectures of 1986, deals mainly with the importance of Christian mission. In the last piece, his address to the World Council of Churches conference on mission and evangelism in Brazil in 1996—which editor Geoffrey Wainwright calls his “swan song on the ecumenical stage.” Newbigin wonders aloud how future generations will judge today’s practice of abortion.

An important book for all who are concerned with the impact of Christianity on today’s world, Truth to Tell affirms the gospel as the truth—not only for personal life but also for life at the public, societal level.

In emphasizing the Christian gospel as the truth that calls for radical conversion, Lesslie Newbigin runs counter to the prevailing subjectivism and skepticism in our society regarding the possibility of knowing ultimate truth. Societies like ours that have undergone “modernization” tend to regard the world’s religions as agencies for the cultivation of privately held religious opinions—agencies that can be studied with the tools of sociology, psychology, and other secular disciplines.

But, says Newbigin, the Christian church is not simply an agency that stands for good personal values. In three pointed chapters—“Believing and Knowing the Truth,” “Affirming the Truth in the Church,” and “Speaking the Truth to Caesar”—Newbigin develops the argument that the Christian gospel is a statement of objective, historical truth, and all other modes of thought are to be evaluated in the light of the gospel truth.

Directed especially to ministers and concerned laypeople, Truth to Tell consists of the Osterhaven lectures delivered by Newbigin at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan.

Aimed at bringing contemporary concerns in mission theology to a wide-reading public, this volume flows from Newbigin’s extensive experience in the mission field and from lectures developed especially to prepare men and women for missionary service. Newbigin describes the Christian mission as the declaration of an open secret—open in that it is preached to all nations, secret in that it is manifest only to the eyes of faith. The result is a thoroughly biblical attempt to lead the church to embrace its Christ-given task of presenting the gospel in our complex modern world. This revised edition includes a helpful index and a new preface.

How does the gospel relate to a pluralist society? What is the Christian message in a society marked by religious pluralism, ethnic diversity, and cultural relativism? Should Christians encountering today’s pluralist society concentrate on evangelism or on dialogue? How does the prevailing climate of opinion affect, perhaps infect, Christians’ faith?

These kinds of questions are addressed in this noteworthy book by Lesslie Newbigin. A highly respected Christian leader and ecumenical figure, Newbigin provides a brilliant analysis of contemporary (secular, humanist, pluralist) culture and suggests how Christians can more confidently affirm their faith in such a context.

While drawing from scholars such as Michael Polanyi, Alasdair MacIntyre, Hendrikus Berkhof, Walter Wink, and Robert Wuthnow, The Gospel in a Pluralist Society is suited not only to an academic readership. This heartfelt work by a missionary pastor and preacher also offers to Christian leaders and laypeople some thoughtful, helpful, and provocative reflections.