This issue of Missiology opens with a timely article from an ASM colleague in Canada. Allan Effa provides a biblical exposition on “Spiritual Renewal and the Healing of Creation.” Then, David Barr, in “Avoiding the Sapling and the Elephant,” uses a case study in Uganda to explore best practices in the deployment of short-term teams. Barr’s contribution is followed by J. Stephen Jester’s, entitled “Mentoring, Modeling and Mandating,” in which he discusses leadership factors contributing to the rapid increase of new faith communities in West Africa. Thereafter, David Dunaetz, in “Cultural Tightness-Looseness,” offers an alternative tool for differentiating among cultures with the goal of contributing to understanding a culture’s openness to the gospel.
Following these four “standard” articles is a dialogue resulting from the publication in April 2018 of Anicka Fast’s winning manuscript from the 2017 graduate student paper competition. I introduce the dialogue in “Perceptions of the Past and School for Missionary Kids.” Thereafter, Lawrent Buschman supplies a rebuttal to Fast’s April 2018 article. Then, Anicka Fast, PhD Candidate at Boston University, replies to Dr. Buschman’s rebuttal. This exchange marks a first of its kind for Missiology during my tenure as editor. I trust you will find it stimulating.
This issue also contains an announcement of the winner of the 2018 graduate student paper competition, which was awarded at the June 2019 meeting of the American Society of Missiology. The winning paper was published in the April 2019 issue of our journal.
Finally, David Fenrick, our faithful Book Review Editor, contributes his regular quota of helpful reviews of books of missiological interest. We pray you find this issue of Missiology practical and informative.
