Christianity Rediscovered : A Reflection on Vincent Donovan's Contribution to Missiology

Vincent Donovan's reflection on his evangelism among the Masai highlights a culturally unencumbered gospel, stresses Christianity's universality, and challenges Western preoccupations with development. The role of culture needs more reflection, however, for no evangelism can be free of cultural expression. Moreover, Western missiology needs to move beyond the guilt complex and realize that all human cultures are able not only to distort the gospel, but to amplify it as well. The creative flowering of African Christianity helps us see that ultimately the gospel, not missionary strategy, is decisive for the life of the church.