Mission In The Early Church [Hardcover]

How did Christian missions happen in the early church from AD 100 to 750? Beginning with a brief look at the social, political, cultural, and religious contexts, Mission in the Early Church tells the story of early Christian missionaries, their methods, and their missiology. This book explores some of the most prominent themes of mission in early Christianity, including suffering, evangelism, Bible translation, contextualization, ministry in Word and deed, and the church. Based on this survey, modern readers are invited to a conversation that considers how early Christian mission might inform global mission thought and practice today. Edward Smither not only offers a much-needed corrective by covering a characteristic so integral to church, but he does it by balancing thorough scholarship with readability and contemporary relevance. Smither does not limit his narrative to expansion of Christianity in the West alone but provides a global perspective on early church history a la Andrew Walls. --Allen Yeh, Associate Professor of Intercultural Studies and Missiology, Biola University's Cook School of Intercultural Studies, California Too many Christians suppose evangelism began when modern Westerners decided to bring the gospel to the ignorant masses of the world's darkest continents. As both a missiologist and ancient church scholar, Edward Smither is perfectly positioned to recover the truth that missions began in the New Testament and never stopped expanding during the church's earliest centuries. Writing with easy-to-read clarity and an expert's mastery, Smither tells a forgotten story that no Christian should miss! --Bryan Litfin, Professor of Theology, Moody Bible Institute, Illinois Smither in Mission in the Early Church has filled an important gap in historical mission studies by surveying the vibrant mission practice of the early church. Smither's insights into the way the whole church was mobilized for mission has profound implications for us todalc&