Globochrist: The Great Commission Takes a Postmodern Turn

The central question to Raschke's missio-logical book is: "How is the task of the Great Commission, a missional task given by Christ to all his subsequent disciples, to be carried out in postmodern (=globalization) culture?" Raschke delineates the context of `globalization' that we are situated in, specifying several meanings to the slippery term, and ultimately identifies it as inherent to the definition of `postmodern', which is yet another term often disputed. He discusses the transformation of Christianity due to the effects of globalization, a transformation that is seen in the characteristics of decentralization, de-institutionalization, and indigenization. In discussing the structure, growth and manifestation of global-Christianity, Raschke draws the metaphor of `rhizomic growth', which in botanical terminology is that of a horizontal and subterranean structure and spread of a tuberic `mass of roots', and in the Deleuzian notion, of which Raschke makes important use of throughout his book, is how concepts are structured, birthed, manifested, understood and interpreted. The challenges that Raschke believes are posed to Christianity in the globalization processes are consumerism, the mutation of Christianity into mass-market commodity, and radical Islamism. Rashcke believes that the clash between Christianity and radical Islamism should be not be seen as simply a battle between political libertarianism and totalitarianism, but is rather a clash of revelations, specifically on how the two interpret the promises to Abraham and how eschatology will play out, which will be either Mahdi or Messiah. What Raschke offers as a responding strategy to the challenges for the global-Christian body, the `GloboChrist' as he calls it, is to emphasize radically the aspect of relation and incarnation in the ontology and development of the church-body and in its missional praxis. It is best to understand ourselves as primarily relational beings, in that the Trinity is primarily relation between Father, Son and Spirit, and we are made imago dei. In our interaction and missional experience with the Other in the era of the postmodern, we are to indigenize, contextualize, or `incarnate', as patterned after the incarnation of Jesus and his kingdom/mission toward us. Raschke gives working and personal examples of churches that exemplify his strategy, such as social justice undertakings in Uganda and contextual ministry in Vienna, Austria. I recommend this book for those who want to understand what globalization spells out for the church, and particularly what it spell out for the church's mission. For those who know where I come from, I resound the blog comments of Andrew Jones, aka `Tall Skinny Kiwi', that "this book sums that this book sums up the postmodern European challenge and the church's response better than anything out there right now."

Dr. Carl Raschke (Harvard PhD) has written an outstanding book that reads like a personal manifesto of rhizomic encounters. Using the rhizomic philosophical concept of Gilles Deleuze, turning it on its head, and then applying it to Christian ministry, Raschke has challenged us all to think in a new way. His tracing of the global shift in Christian currents provide some of the most important work on this topic to date. This book is not as academic as "The Next Reformation," but makes up for it in readability and personalized narratives. I simply could not put it down, and read it in two sittings. This is the most important book on the Glocal (global/local) Christian movement written this year.