Communication in Mission and Development: Relating to the Church in Africa

Communication in Mission and Development identifies, unpacks, and articulates fundamental problems in communication in mission and development as it is being carried out in Africa and the majority world today. New technology, unique in the history of mankind, is throwing up vexing issues, to date barely recognized, in communication practice. This book reconsiders: -Previous work by mission scholars on communication. -Questions regarding materialism in Africa. -Widespread understandings on the nature of human equality. -The impact on communication of the holding of monistic vs. dualistic worldviews. -African and Western approaches to hermeneutics. -The use of European languages for communication in Africa. -Issues related to globalization and development. -And more . . . Underlying differences in philosophical foundations amongst Western as against majority world people influences their respective communication to such an extent that the expectation that both sides simply understand one another because they happen to use the same international language is found to be unrealistic. Communication in Mission and Development concludes that the practice of mission and development will better cope with current realities when the use of local languages is once again given its proper decisive place.

Jim Harries (b. 1964) has a PhD in theology (Birmingham, UK) and degrees in Biblical interpretation, development and agriculture. Following a call to serve God in Africa, Jim has lived in Zambia then Kenya since 1988. Jim's ministry to indigenous churches, which includes bible teaching and relationship building, is engaged using the Luo and Swahili languages. Jim has many published articles related to his work in Africa. Jim chairs the Alliance for Vulnerable Mission.

My talk on Vulnerable Mission