Melba Padilla Maggay - Global Kingdom, Global People: Living Faithfully in a Multicultural World

Melba Maggay has written an enthralling account of how the living, written word of God can be applied creatively to many of the most pressing problems confronting the modern world. Taking some of the crucial biblical passages that speak of Gods acts of creation, the consequences of humanitys rejection of God, Gods plan for a new community of people restored to fellowship, and the final end of history, she shows imaginatively just how contemporary the whole biblical story proves itself to be. She is sure in her grasp of the historical and linguistic background to the text, relating it constantly to its own context. Melba has a most engaging style of writing, with many arresting turns of phrase. The result is a book whose (often poetic) prose is a delight to read. Readers will find this a refreshingly novel, inventive and compelling demonstration of the art of communicating to a thoroughly perplexed generation, across cultures and nations, the biblical explanation of human reality.

Dr J. Andrew Kirk Senior Research Fellow, International Baptist Theological Study Centre, Amsterdam

Global Kingdom, Global People is a brilliant book capturing well the authors experience in a place of pain; this is tough research and honest reflection on a biblical theme and perspective. It draws the reader to seriously consider a personal and collective response to contemporary global missional challenges.

CB Samuel Theological Advisor The Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief (EFICOR), India

Global Kingdom, Global People is a sweeping, probing reflection on what it means to follow Christ in our day by a senior evangelical missiologist who reads very widely and writes brilliantly. Thoroughly immersed in her local setting in the Phillipines, Dr Maggay illuminates and critiques the way globalization works today, combining a creative analysis of a broad sweep of biblical texts with contemporary socio-economic analysis. An important voice.

Ronald J. Sider

Senior Distinguished Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry, and Public Policy Palmer Seminary at Eastern University, Pennsylvania, USA

Global Kingdom, Global People is a splendid little book full of insight into, and cogent reflection on, Scripture and full of conviction and compassion. Countless works have been written on the themes of culture, globalization and mission; the most jaded literary palate will find something fresh and interesting or inspiring from this one and not least from the illuminating comments from Melba Maggays Philippine context.

Andrew F. Walls

University of Edinburgh, Liverpool Hope University and Akrofi-Christaller Institute, Ghana

Melba Maggay offers us a penetrating interweaving of the biblical text with key issues of our contemporary world. Academically rigorous, and authoritative in its sweep, the book offers us a cosmic grasp of history, while remaining contemporary and relevant in its application to our world today. She opens up the biblical story with flair and imagination, bringing the themes of mission, globalization and culture alive in a fresh and detailed way. Her breadth of scholarship peppers the text with insights, exposing cultural myths and inviting her readers into a more thoughtful Christian perspective. The result is a crucially important book, written through the experience and reflections of a very fine writer.

Elaine Storkey

Former President of Tearfund

As we have come to expect from Melba Maggay, she gives us not just political dreams or ready answers but her own journey of engaging the stark realities of the real world of human beings and her own honest grappling with real issues and struggles therein. Such issues would not just leave us alone to chart our own Christian course. Christs followers remain on earth not merely to build our own programme, structures, mission or institutions in self-isolation, but to do so in relevant and effective conversation and engagement with the rest of humanity. Todays followers of Christ must not just live faithfully but to do so with understanding and informed consideration for a multicultural world.

GOH Keat Peng

Honorary Vice-President of IFES

Former Head of World Vision Malaysia

Activist and Campaigner