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Not only that, but Walls's study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians suggested that each culture adds new riches to an understanding of Christ, so that "the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13) becomes possible only when bringing all of our different communities together. Each culture asks different questions of the gospel, and as new answers to those questions are unearthed, they enrich our understanding of the greatness of Christ. The second-century church asked philosophical questions that would never have occurred to Jews in Jerusalem. One result was the fourth-century Nicene Creed. Africa asks questions about witchcraft that children of the Enlightenment can't answer. Perhaps a new understanding of Jesus' victory over evil is in the works.

All this is to say that the gospel never stands outside our lives; it must enter human culture and be translated into the local language. It is not static or impersonal, because it is always in the process of being more fully discovered. Mission is not so much a matter of contextualizing the gospel as learning its truth through an entirely new way of life and thought. That process is happening today in overdrive.

While some scholars such as Philip Jenkins emphasize a shift of power from Western churches to those south of the equator, Walls sees instead a new polycentrism: the riches of a hundred places learning from each other. That is why he has delighted in the Centre for the Study of Christianity in the Non-Western World, which he founded at the University of Edinburgh. Students come from all over the world to share what they are learning and to study together. As Kwame Bediako, former director of the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, puts it, "The gospel that was in principle universal has now become in reality universal."

Tim Stafford is a CT senior writer.

Copyright © 2007 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Books & Culture interviewed Andrew Walls in 'On the Road with Christianity.'

Walls discussed the history of missionary expansion in an interview with The Christian Century.

A profile of Andrew Walls talks about his career and summarizes his work.

Walls' essay collection, The Missionary Movement in Christian History (Orbis, 1996) is available from ChristianBook.com and other retailers.

Christianity Today articles on Global South Christianity include:

An Upside-Down World | Distinguishing between home and mission field no longer makes sense. (January 18, 2007)

Out of Africa | The leader of nearly 18 million Nigerian Anglicans challenges the West's theology and control. (July 2005)

It's a Small Church After All | Globalization is changing how Christians do ministry. (November 6, 1998)

Turning the World Upside Down | The coming of global Christianity. (March 1, 2002)

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February 2007, Vol. 51, No. 2