Missiological Implications of Epistemological Shifts (Christian Mission and Modern Culture) by Continuum

	Title: Missiological Implications of Epistemological Shifts (Christian Mission and Modern Culture) Purchase Item Manufacturer: Continuum List Price: $24.95 Our Price: $20.00
Customer Reviews:
Missiological Implications of Epistemological Shifts (Christian Mission and Modern Culture) by Continuum A pleasant Surprise
I enjoyed Hiebert's willingness to examine the epistemological underpinnings of Cultural Anthropology, and in turn reflect on how this might help mission work. It is rather refreshing to see a missionary, and anthropologist examine this subject. The book is a great introduction to the study of Epistomolgy. Hiebert shows himself to be well read in the area, recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of many different epistemological approaches. His understanding and embrace of critical realism shows his willingness to engage culture as a missionary with truth, and to ask questions as an anthropologist that many are not willing to ask today. Hiebert has renewed my interest in anthropolgy, a subject that I found revolting, racist, and epistemologically lacking after an introductory course in college.
Missiological Implications of Epistemological Shifts (Christian Mission and Modern Culture) by Continuum Disappointing...
As a crash course in epistemology, this book functions very well for those with little familiarity with the subject. But the book fails to ask any provocative questions or give any useful answers. Hiebert masquerades as a 'progressive'; he presents critical realism as the great epistemological synthesis--accepting, rejecting, and finally transcending both modernism and postmodernism. But he deals rather harshly with postmodernism. By dressing up his arguments in vocabulary of the subjective, he feels that he has adequately 'dealt with' the postmodern problem. But he misses the point. Epistemological progress in theology and missiology will not occur until postmodernism is accepted and validated as an emerging world-view and not merely 'dealt with.' Critical realism may in fact be a viable epistemological alternative. But Hiebert is not fundamentally a critical realist; rather, he is yet another modern too afraid of doing irreparable damage to the Absolute to engage the issues at hand with much more than half-hearted sincerity.
Missiological Implications of Epistemological Shifts (Christian Mission and Modern Culture) by Continuum Product Description
What must a new convert know or believe? How do they know? How can Christian teaching be translated and communicated interculturally without distorting the message? How should mission be done in an anticolonial, postmodern era charactersized by religious relativism and accusations of Christian imperialism? Hiebert focuses on three epistemological foundations or specific theories of knowledge that underlay these questions - positivism, instrumentalism/idealism and critical realism. He embraces critical realism because it allows for a real world that exists independently from human perceptions and opinions, restores emotions and moral judgements as essential parts of knowing, and creates conditions for knowing persons intimately and as fully human. Paul G. Hiebert is Professor of Anthropology and Mission, chair of the Department of Mission and Evangelism, and Associate Dean of Academic Doctorates at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School.

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