Globalization and the Mission of the Church

Various social, political, economic and cultural commentators are presently arguing that human history is reaching a decisive stage in its development, a stage marked by increased interconnection between peoples, the compression of space and time, a sharing of ideas at unprecedented levels, global trade and finance, and so on. The shorthand word used to encompass these phenomena is "globalization". Some embrace it, others reject it, while still others dispute its existence. But with the abundance of literature and debate that it generates, the topic cannot be ignored. From its inception in the missionary mandate of Jesus (Matthew 28), Christianity has had a global dimension to its mission. Christianity is not a spectator to globalization but one of its agents, one of the forces at work which have extended interconnection between peoples, shared ideas and promoted social, political and cultural links. The purpose of the present work is not to provide a complete response to the question of the mission of the church in a globalizing world, but to establish a framework within which answers may be sought. Grounded in the writings of Bernard Lonergan and Robert Doran, it develops a theology of history and addresses the churches response to the impact of globalization on vital, social, cultural, personal and religious values. The project brings together the perspectives of Catholicism and Pentecostalism, the former providing a depth of wisdom and tradition, the latter drawing on the insight of a newly emerging movement that has taken root in every continent with remarkable energy and enthusiasm.

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 o The situation of global poverty o The mission of the Church and the priority for the poor o Globalisation and the causes of poverty o Summary Part 1 - Part 2 - Globalization and the environment o The situation of global environmental challenges o Church mission and the environment o Summary Part 2 Chapter 4 - Globalization and social values - Part 1 - Globalization and the family o The situation - first world perspectives o The situation —Two-thirds world perspectives o Globalization, the family and the mission of the churcc - Part 2 - Techno-economic globalization o The situation o Techno-economic globalization and the mission of the church - Part 3 Globalization and governance o The situation o 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