Abstract
Missions in Southeast Asia is an assessment of Christianity in Southeast Asia (SEA). It is a compilation of essays from a diverse group of writers from different contexts and with different competencies. In part I, the book examines the present state of Christianity through a select history of eight SEA countries: Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. In part II, the book pivots to focus on issues common to SEA countries, showing through case studies the complexities and nuances of different contexts.
There are numerous points in this book that invite thoughtful consideration, especially for those conducting missiological research in SEA. Samuel Law rejects “linear models of reality” and proposes a shift toward a complex systems science (CSS) (69). John Cheong refutes reductive views of globalization and glocalization and challenges the church to exercise collaboration, imagination, and reflexivity. KimSon Nguyen highlights issues of contextualization, hybridity/creolization, and theologizing in Vietnam, raising a host of critical issues. An enduring thread through the essays is the need for models, methods, and analyses hospitable to Asia’s complex diversity.
The challenge to such an ambitious project is the selection of material. The absence of any theological or biblical framework for missions in SEA is conspicuous and surprising. Considering the refrain that “Asian” Christianity has to develop on its own terms, the book neglects clarifying key, disputed concepts—such as mission/missions, theology/mission—presuming the adequacy and compatibility of inherited frameworks. I wondered whether the choice to privilege practical concerns and the pattern of prompt prescription for the church comes at too high a tradeoff toward examining deeper, underlying issues that shape the way one thinks about and approaches issues of Christian mission in SEA.
Missions in Southeast Asia is a welcome resource to the SEA collection. There are not many resources that catalog SEA mission history and provide a constructive reflection on common themes. Graduate-level students will find it a helpful primer to mission history and methodological issues in contemporary SEA.