Abstract
In an age when missiologists, educators, and practitioners recognize the importance of considering all aspects of a people’s culture, Global Arts and Christian Witness provides a compelling approach to witness that communicates Christ contextually to encourage transformation. Author Roberta R. King, veteran missionary-scholar and professor of communication and ethnomusicology in Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of Intercultural Studies, offers a well-conceived exploration into the role and value of the arts in Christian witness.
A recent contribution to the “Mission in Global Community” series, this book provides the rationale, means, and example for introducing people to a loving God through what God has already put within their culture—local arts. King, a trailblazer in the world of missions, demonstrates how witness and worship, as expressed in Scripture, are interdependent. King presents how the arts break down barriers and reveal a personal God within cultural understandings. She states that her “desire here is to help bring understanding of a powerful resource that God has provided—and that he employs himself—for interacting with his people worldwide” (3).
The book, creatively presented with a prelude, three sections, and a postlude reminiscent of a musical performance, is in textbook format with clear subject headings, chapter conclusions, and discussion questions. Each section includes several chapters, each with stories and vignettes to demonstrate the concepts within the context of missionary experience.
The prelude alone is well worth the reader’s time, as it presents both a solid scriptural foundation for contextualized witness in the Psalms and false assumptions in employing global arts in witness. It introduces the reader to King’s foundational premise: “Worship and witness form the bookends of God’s interaction in the world today” (1). Her initial exploration of the Psalms is revisited throughout the volume.
Part 1 addresses key concepts supporting the role of global arts in Christ-centered witness. King begins by addressing what anthropologists call “expressive culture” and its critical significance in contextualizing the Christian faith. She delves into the twelve signal systems identified by Donald Smith, which examine arts as a powerful means of cultural communication and demonstration of loving God and loving neighbor.
Part 2 covers how to encounter Christ through global arts. It begins with a very pertinent exegesis of culture through global arts. The information in chapter 3 provides what I feel to be the heart of this book. Through close examination of what “Christian witness” means and looking at culture through an ethnomusicology lens, King provides a valuable way to approach cultural understanding of the gospel. Armed with this information, she demonstrates how global arts complement translation of biblical texts.
Part 3 examines ways of engaging people for Christ using the arts, both inside and outside the church. This section is filled with examples of arts used to encounter Christ in daily life and covers the arts in peacebuilding and interfaith dialogue, and even how global arts are approached in multicultural settings.
This distinctive volume introduces and challenges readers to adopt a more holistic view of witness, opening doors to loving our neighbors in nontraditional ways. It is recommended as a textbook in classes on mission, worship, the arts, and church leadership, as well as for continued growth for church leaders, missionaries, and arts facilitators.