Globalization and the Mission of the Church

Dr Shane Clifton, Academic Dean and Lecturer in Theology, Southern Cross College. Shane completed his PhD in 2005 with the Australian Catholic University, is the editor of Australasian Pentecostal Studies journal, and author of the forthcoming book, Pentecostal Churches in Transition. Neil J. Ormerod is professor of theology at Australian Catholic University, Strathfield, N.S.W.

'There are at least three broad audiences that need to read and will glean much from this book: those interested in matters at the interface of religion and globalization will find theoretically sophisticated and analytically rich explorations of the challenges globalization poses to religious communities in general and to Christianity in particular; those interested in Christian theology of mission and in the doctrine of the church (ecclesiology) will be motivated to rethink the church's corporate mission in an age of globalization; and those interested in ecumenical ecclesiology will enter into a Roman Catholic (Ormerod) and Pentecostal (Clifton) dialogue on the nature and mission of the church in the public square of the 21st century. This is a visionary book from two theologians deeply rooted in but also at the vanguard of their respective traditions!' - Amos Yong, Regent University School of Divinity, Virginia Beach, VA, USA Amos Yong 'The Christian Church is the most global religious institution in the world. To rethink its mission in light of globalization is an imperative for our time. By focusing on its two most salient global forms--Roman Catholicism and Pentecostal faith--Neil Ormerod and Shane Clifton have done us an invaluable service by interweaving Christianity's historical self-understanding with the complexities of globalization in all its forms. No thinking about where the Church should be today will be complete without taking into account what they have presented in this book.' - Robert Schreiter, Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, IL, USA Robert Schreiter 'Globalization and the Mission of the Church' stands out as a uniquely penetrating theological contribution to questions surrounding the role of the Church in terms of values that speak to the twenty first century context. Ormerod and Clifton manage to bring a refreshingly creative perspective that not only provides a new understanding of the meaning of globalization but at the same time provides sorely needed theological guidance for carrying out the mission of the Church in a relevant way. There's nothing around quite like it. Bravo for this enriching experience!' - Gasper LoBiondo, Si Director, Woodstock Theological Center, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA Gasper LoBiondo

• Chapter 1. - Globalization and the churches; From monogenism to division to globalization; Globalization as a politicized term; Globalization in sociological discourse; Summary of the concept; The globalization of christianity; The Catholic experience; The Pentecostal experience; Globalization and mission; Chapter 2- A Theology of History; Dialectics in history; The scale of values; Vital values - Social values; Cultural values; Personal values; Religious value; Healing and creating in history; Progress and decline; The scale of values and the mission of the Church; Chapter summary; Chapter 3- Globalization and vital values; Part 1- Global poverty; The situation of global poverty; The mission of the Church and the priority for the poor; Globalisation and the causes of poverty; Summary Part 1; Part 2- Globalization and the environment; The situation of global environmental challenges; Church mission and the environment; Summary Part 2; Chapter 4- Globalization and social values; Part 1 - Globalization and the family; The situation - first world perspectives; The situation --Two-thirds world perspectives; Globalization, the family and the mission of the churcc; Part 2- Techno-economic globalization; The situation; Techno-economic globalization and the mission of the church; Part 3 Globalization and governance; The situation; Global politics and the mission of the church; Chapter summary; Chapter 5- Culture, mission and globalization; Culture as multi-layered; Cultural dimension of globalization; Economic neo-liberalism; The human rights movement; The environmental movement; Observations on three movements; What about feminism?; Religion and global culture; Cultural globalization and the mission of the Church; Chapter summary; Chapter 6- Virtues in a globalizing world; Globalization; a new moral context; A question of virtue; Social virtues; Cultural virtues; Personal virtues; Is religion a virtue?; Global virtues: a challenge to all religion; Global virtues and the mission of the Church; Chapter Summary; Chapter 7-- Religious Values; Ecclesiology and ecumenism; Inter-religious dialogue and friendship; The theological virtues; The power of religious values in the example of Pentecostalism; Chapter summary.