Welcome to episode ninety-five of New Creation Conversations. I’m joined this week by theologian and global church historian, Dr. Stephen Pardue. Steve is a graduate of Wheaton College where he also earned both an MA and a PhD in Theology. Having been raised in the Philippines, he has returned home and now teaches in Manila and directs the ThM/PhD programs in Theological Studies and Church History at the Asia Graduate School of Theology. He is the author of The Mind of Christ: Humility and the Intellect in Early Christian Theology and the coeditor of ten books, including Majority World Theology and Asian Christian Theology. 

Our conversation centers on his recent book Why Evangelical Theology Needs the Global Church (published by Baker Academic). As most Christian theologians and students are aware, the number of Christians in the Majority World now outnumber those in North America and Europe, and many want to know more about emerging voices in the global church. Nevertheless, despite its rapid growth, the voices of the church in the Majority World are largely absent from Western evangelical theology. In his book, Steve not only wants to introduce some of those rich global voices into the conversation, but he argues that it is imperative for the church in the West to engage with and be edified by those voices. There is a richness in the diversity of global voices and perspectives available in the Church that enhance our understanding of God and deepen our discipleship. 

 Especially in my new opportunity to see more of the global church in my own denomination, I wanted to learn from Steve’s scholarship. I read every page of the book and found it to be a very helpful resource for not just navigating but also celebrating the major shifts taking place in global Christianity. It is a very good book and a really helpful conversation.