The other day I read an intriguing article by Professor Dale T. Irwin which dealt with the fact that today the majority of the world's population lives in cities -- a first in human history. He wrote about the globalization of the cities, that is, they are invariably multiethnic, multicultural, multilingual, multinational, plus they are fully networked around the world. Further, they are as much thoroughfares as destinations -- people are moving "through" them as much as "to" them.
One consequence of this reality in terms of Christian missions is that the former territorial understandings are obsolete. There is no "foreign" missions, for instance. The Bible itself, which is our common Book as disciples, is multiethnic, multilingual, multinational, though not always recognized as such. And the variety of expressions of Christian faith around the world is far wider than many in the secular community may realize as well.
When I was a teen, I witnessed a college drama troup's enactment of the play, "Christ in the Concrete City." I don't remember much about the drama, or the playwrite's name. But I do remember that title. It challenged me then, and it challenges me now, to think about how Christ is Christ in today's major metropolitan centers.
No comments:
Post a Comment