Synopsis "street signs: toward a missional theology of urban cultural engagement"
Description: Street Signs is an engaging missiological inquiry into the cultural and theological meaning of the city. Through the lens of Seattle's Rainier Valley, one of the most ethnically and socioeonomically diverse communities in the US, this work constructs an urban, missional, and contextual theology that is shaped by the local realities of urban neighborhoods but relevant to cities everywhere. Focused on the themes of incarnation, confrontation, and imagination, Street Signs explores the contours of missional theology in urban contexts marked by physical density, social diversity, and economic disparity. In addition to examining contextualization and cultural theory, Street Signs also utilizes creative research methods like urban exegesis, cultural semiotics, and theology of the built environment. For the urban ministry practitioner or the theologian in the city, this work aims to engage thoughtful Christians with missiological and theological reflections on place, neighbor, and community. Endorsements: ""The world continues its march toward urbanization; and the church continues to struggle to catch up to the new global (and particular) urban realities. Street Signs gives the reader valuable tools and perspectives for observing, interpreting, and engaging these realities. Whether the reader is a novice or veteran of the city, Street Signs is an excellent resource from one of the new voices in urban missiology."" --Jude Tiersma Watson, Associate Professor of Urban Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary ""Seattle serves as a microcosm of our new global reality--where East and West meet in postmodern context. David Leong understands this reality . . . The issues he addresses are not abstract, but rooted in the concrete practices of the church. Street Signs is essential reading for those who hope to foster multicultural and multi-socioeconomic Christian communities in contemporary global contexts."" --Ryan K. Bolger, Associate Professor of Church in Contemporary Culture at Fuller Theological Seminary ""Pain shows up on our streets, but so do parties. David Leong captures both in the street signs of his own urban neighborhood. Here, he and his family live as signs of God's grace. Street Signs invites us to twenty-first-century urban ministry with sensibility and nuance."" --Miriam Adeney, Associate Professor of World Christian Studies at Seattle Pacific University ""Leong fires my imagination . . . He uses biblical, historical, theological, missiological, and contextual lenses to show me what urban communities once were and what they could become . . . Believe me, you'll love this book!"" --Ray Bakke, Professor of Global Urban Studies at Bakke Graduate University About the Contributor(s): David P. Leong is Assistant Professor of Missiology in the School of Theology at Seattle Pacific University.
