Have you noticed the black and white photo challenge for libraries that has been taking Twitter by storm? It appears to have started in America, as far as my research goes, and has come over to England and spread rapidly through the Cambridge University libraries.

The Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide library was challenged by the Divinity Faculty library, which was challenged by the Haddon library, which was challenged by Trinity library, which was challenged by Christ’s library, which was challenged by both Queens’ library and the ARU library, and so it goes on…

The idea is to post a black and white photo of library life each working day for seven days, challenging a new library each day. No people. No explanations. Just library life as we know it. You can see our response to the challenge on Twitter. Here are the gallery of photos now turned into colour:

Ruth MacLean

Fr. Matthew Chandrankunnel, Director of the Ecumenical Christian Centre in Bangalore, India visited the CCCW and spent time in discussion with our director, Dr Muthuraj Swamy.

Please be aware, the CCCW opening hours during the summer will be from 9am to 1pm only.

This will start from the week beginning 30 July until 3 September.

A new government-funded initiative is allowing free access to a significant number of scholarly journals through participating public libraries, including several journals relating to Christianity and mission. You can take a look at it here: Access to Research

Students can search the database and view abstracts from any computer, but must visit a public library to get full-text access.

The list of journal titles included is here.

The list of participating public libraries is here.

There are plenty of Cambridgeshire public libraries on the list, so you may want to pop along to your local public library to do some of your research!

Ruth MacLean

What does Paul’s missions strategy mean for today? A century ago Roland Allen published Missionary Methods: Saint Paul’s or Ours?, a missiological classic which tackled many important issues, including what biblically rooted missions looks like in light of the apostle Paul’s evangelistic efforts. Although Allen’s work is still valuable, new understandings have been gained regarding Paul’s milieu and missionary activity, and how his practices ought to inform missions in our ever-changing world.        — back cover

In this book, published in 2013 on the centennial anniversary of Allen’s work, experts in New Testament studies and missiology seek to revisit first century missionary methods and apply these in our contemporary world.

Paul’s missionary work is studied in two parts: first, Paul’s missionary efforts in the first century context, looking at his environment, mission strategy and teaching; second, the implications of his example for today, asking whether his model is still relevant and what this would look like in the modern context.

The contributors offer “fresh, key insights from their fields, analyzing Paul’s missionary methods in his time and pointing the way forward in ours.”

Do come and take a look at this insightful book. It is classified 227 PLU. See for yourself the original works by Roland Allen too on mission. They are found at 266 ALL.

Contributors include:

• Michael F. Bird

• Eckhard J. Schnabel

• Benjamin L. Merkle

• Christoph W. Stenschke

• Don N. Howell Jr.

• Craig Keener

• David J. Hesselgrave

• Michael Pocock

• Ed Stetzer

• M. David Sills

• Chuck Lawless

• J. D. Payne

Ruth MacLean

Our book of the week is:

asian theology on the way: christianity, culture and context (spck international study guide 50) / peniel j. r. rajkumar, editor

This volume is a compilation of writings by nearly twenty prominent Asian theologians who have made their work accessible to new scholars in the field of world Christianity. It is an ideal introduction to Asian theologies and also major questions that these theologies raise.

These questions relate to how the Church formulates its theology, and these Asian theologians argue that their indigenous context requires a new Christian theology. Some see their task as undoing western colonial interpretations of Scripture, and creating theologies in the light of issues which dominate their own unique culture and its needs.

The book is volume 50 of the SPCK International Study Guide Series which has been praised by René Padilla, Emeritus President of the Kairos Foundation and Director of Kairos Books. He writes of this ecumenical series:

“To be relevant to life, theology has to be contextual. The International Study Guides are a tremendous help to people. They broaden their concept of the mission of the Church and their Christian responsibility.”

Our library has six volumes in this series. The key one to check out is African theology on the way: current conversations/ Diane B. Stinton, editor 230.06 STI

Like Asian theology on the way, African theology on the way is shaped for introductory level students and is a compilation of writings of prominent African theologians, providing an introduction to the diversity and wealth of African theologies and the major questions that these raise.

“Topics range from biblical interpretation to spirituality and ethics, from Pentecostalism and African Instituted Churches to evil and suffering, from feminist theory to Christian identity and ethnicity.” — back cover

Ruth MacLean, Librarian

Our book of the week is actually a pamphlet:

Dr. H. Rosin (1972) Missio Dei

From the late 1950s onwards, the term “Missio Dei” began to be used increasingly in missiological and ecumenical literature, with users of the term often meaning slightly different things. For this reason, the Study group on Ecumenical Evangelisation in the Netherlands approached the Interuniversity Institute for Missiological and Ecumenical Research to request that it produce a critical study of the term.

Dr. H. Rosin, lecturer of Missiology at the University of Groningen, took up this challenge and his research included the archives of the WCC in Geneva. His study was considered to be so important that it was translated into English, and this pamphlet is the result.

The study explores the origin, content and function of the term, and historical changes in which it has been used and understood. As the foreword states, “[we are] convinced that it signifies an important contribution towards clarification in the missiological and ecumenical discussions.”

This pamphlet is no. 404 in our library, one of many in the CCCW library. They have all been catalogued and will appear in your ordinary keyword searches for material on iDiscover.

Our pamphlets can be found in the pamphlet section of our library – opposite the journals, and beside the reference section. They are stored in A4 files and each one can be identified by its running number, rather than a classmark.

Ruth MacLean, Librarian

On Thursday 12 April 2018, we held a commissioning service for Dr Muthuraj Swamy, who has taken up the post of CCCW director.

Please click on the following link to see some photographs of the service and reception afterwards.

Our book of the week this week is:

Frykenberg, Robert Eric, editor (2003) Christians and Missionaries in India: Cross-Cultural Communication since 1500, with special reference to caste, conversion, and colonialism (Studies in the History of Christian Missions series) William B. Eerdmans

This book on Christianity and mission in India is one of an important series published by Eerdmans. These monographs collectively examine the significant impact of Christian mission around the world, and comprise collections of essays by established and emerging scholars. They are a rich resource of material for anyone studying the relationship between Christianity and culture.

The CCCW library has the complete collection to date. They are classified within their subject area, so are found throughout the library. To find them, go to iDiscover, type in the series title within quotation marks, and refine your search to our library, as below:

Do have a look at this series for yourself.

Ruth MacLean, Librarian