Over the past few decades there has been a growing awareness of the need for contextual theologies throughout Asia. But how genuinely contextual are these?

Based on the premise that theology and mission are inseparable, the author applies four missiological criteria to representative examples of Protestant Asian writings to assess their adequacy or otherwise as contextual theologies. These are relevance to sociopolitical challenges, enhancing evangelism and pastoral care, inculturation, and faithfulness to the Christian tradition. The study reveals certain discernible trends in Asian ecumenical and conservative theologies respectively, and also distinctive strengths and weaknesses. But the greatest problem with most of these theologies appears to be that, at heart, they have been domesticated by western dualism and Enlightenment thought. Authentic Asian Christian theologies will only emerge with the dual recovery of confidence in both gospel and culture within Asian Christianity. In this new edition, the author has further shared his personal journey that brought him to this conclusion.

Author: Hwa Yung is the Bishop of the Methodist Church in Malaysia. He has been a minister of the Methodist Church in Malaysia since 1981. During this time he served as a pastor, and lecturer and Principal of the Malaysia Theological Seminary (STM). He was also the founding Director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity in Asia, Trinity Theological College, Singapore. He is engaged in various ministries internationally, including being the Chairman of the Board of the Oxford Centre for the Mission Studies, Oxford, and a member of the Congress Management Committee for the 3rd Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization, Cape Town 2010. His writings have focused largely on missions and Asian Christianity. His wife, Bee Teik, trained as a doctor, now works as a writer and spiritual director. They have three children, Yang Jerng, Xin Ping and En Ning.