Customer Reviews

Christianity Rediscovered

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This book presents a thoughtful and refreshing response to the question, "What is the nature of mission work?" Donovan made a point to strip the Gospel of its "cultural accretions from the West", and so present the Masai with a Christ free to be the God of all tribes and nations, as He was really meant to be. Donovan's mission to the Masai paints a beautiful and awe-inspiring picture of our Lord, and of the church that is His body. As an American, my picture of the Body of Christ is often, and unfortunately, very American. Ethnocentrism is a fault that all Christians must address and overcome, and this book richly illustrates one man's struggle to find and share the essence of our Faith, beneath and beyond all colours and cultures. His journey is remarkable in its depth, outstanding in its experience of the One, True God. This is inspiring and informative reading, poetically analytical, and spiritually enlightening. I strongly recommend it to a! ny Christian appreciative of the diversity of the Body, interested in the proclamation of the Good News to pagan peoples, or desiring a new understanding of the nature of the Kingdom of God.

Donovan's Christianity Rediscovered is a hallmark book all Christians should have. The real experience the missionary Donovan had while working with the Masai tribe in East Africa tells of how God acts in the world and why there is still an importance to spread the Gospel, and continue Christ's Great Commission. The book is not for the person wanting to remain prejudiced or enclosed in their own Christianity; for Christianity is universal, and God is the God of all Nations. The book is an answer to postmodern pluralism if there ever was one, and an easy, beautiful read. I recommend it to all persons, and I think it is mandatory for all Christians of all walks.

In a pluralistic age where Christians are seeking to re-discover a solid sense of the gospel, Donovan's book challenges our assumptions, our modern ideologies and our pride and takes us back to a very simple yet profound understanding of the living Way, Jesus. As a missionary who has helped to redefine missions, Donovan invites the African church to tutor himself and all of us as well on this journey of discovery. This is helpful reading for anyone, Catholic or Protestant, or a curious seeker who'd like to discover more about God moving within world culture than as a set of rigid doctrines.

I heard a sermon by Father Donovan in Brevard NC a few years ago and was so inspired that I spoke to him afterwards and asked him if he had written a book...he told me about this one. This book has and continues to answer questions I have about the Christian faith. Father Donovan is a remarkable person with great insight and compassion. I would recommend this book to ANYONE who has doubts about the Christian faith and where they fit in...there is room for everyone.

A documentary of one man's experience as a missionary to the Masai of East Africa, but much more. Challenges long-held views on both the purpose and the method of missions while maintaining an unwavering committment to the gospel.

Quotation: "Dear Bishop, ...Suddenly I feel the urgent need to cast aside all theories and discussions, all efforts at strategy--and simply go to these people and do the work among them for which I came to Africa. ...just go and talk to them about God and the Christian message. Outside of this, I have no theory, no plan, no strategy, no gimmick, no idea of what will come. I feel rather naked. I will begin as soon as possible...."

Vincent Donovan was a pioneer, and an apostolic voice. His book "Rediscovering Christianity" is a great illustration of the devout need to share the gospel in an effective way, and then to let the gospel have it affect/effect on individual and on the culture.This 25th annioversary version has some nice extras, especially a remembrance from his sister. Because he addresses the issue of culture and faith, more specifically, church, this book is again influential and causing discussion, especially with regards to emergent issues. Well written, inspiring, and worth the read!

After having spent time with Missionaries in South Asia, i was in the right headspace for this book. the central tenet of this book is to re-evaluate the idea of mission to the non-Christian world. Nowadays there is a lot of interest in "converting the lost nations," ( after all, this is a key point is Rick Warren's plan....) but the new Christians seem to me to be disdainful of learning form the wisdom of those who tried to do it in the past. That is a mistake, and we would all be well served to read this book.

A central idea is the relationship between religion and culture, and how it is difficult to impose a religion without considering the group interpersonal context in which it would be practiced. The answer: convert tribes, not just individuals.

The author was a Jesuit in Kenya and some of the info is country specific as well as culture specific ( Masai).

Vincent J Donovan, Christianity Rediscovered (Maryknoll: Orbis, 2003)

Donovan talks about how when he went to the Masai people in Tanzania and dropped all the medical and teaching work (and the associated asking for land for buildings and bringing in Western technology and financial support etc.) that missionaries usually got caught up in, and just talked about God. He would tell someone a story, ask them to tell others, and ask the whole community to respond and explore what the gospel meant for them. Donovan saw himself as a learner and then a facilitator of ongoing and mutual learning: `I told them I believed that they knew God long before we came, and that they were a devout and very pious people in the face of God. It was not our belief that God loves us Christians more than them, nor that God had abandoned them or forgotten them until we came along. From the beginning it was evident that we were going to have to learn from them as well as teach them.' This is an inspiring account from a missionary in another culture who grew dissatisfied with traditional missionary strategies and structures, and so just talked about God and expected God to be there ahead of him.

A young person learned from Donovan and said this about serving and leading a people on the move (p.xix):
"Do not try to call them back to where they were,
and do not try to call them to where you are, as beautiful as that place might seem to you. You must have the courage to go with them to a place that neither you nor they have ever been before."
What does that say to you?
I reckon it's a beautiful description of the unpredictable journey, leading to a new place none of us has ever been. When I hear that invitation, when I sense Spirit calling, when I'm open To God & mission, I'm in, I'm volunteering, my hand is up.

Originally reviewed in `The Emerging Church: Spirituality and Worship Reading Guide.' Zadok Papers S159 (Autumn 2008).

This book was required reading for my Master's in theology. The book opened my eyes in the aspect of the realization that to bring Christ to different cultures one must understand that culture. It does not matter if the culture is in Old Africa or modern day Chicago. I would rate the book high on my list of books to read.

Panta ta ethne ... Greek words that are seldom translated correctly in today's world, refer to the culture or ethnicity within which people live.

Culture is all-encompassing, and it is only when we understand and acknowledge a culture that we can interpret the meaning of Scripture into it. Both Peace Child: An Unforgettable Story of Primitive Jungle Treachery in the 20th Century and Eternity in Their Hearts: Startling Evidence of Belief in the One True God in Hundreds of Cultures Throughout the World contain examples of this particular step outside of the ethnocentric culture in which we live.

But this book takes things a step further, helping us not only to consider reaching out into an understood culture, but also validating that culture by learning new Christian truths from within it.

This particular edition incorporates three perspectives on Fr. Donovan, and gives tribute and voice to his journey.