The following is an analytical book review of Ray Bakke’s A Theology as Big as the City.
Ray Bakke is the Chancellor, Distinguished Professor of Global Urban Ministry and Urban/Global Leadership, and a member of the Board of Regents at Bakke Graduate University. He is an author and also the founder of International Urban Associates, which is a network of urban-based church and mission leaders from many of the world’s largest cities.
With the increase in urbanization and urbanism, and with the increasing trend of the world moving into cities, a lot of new challenges are arising. Despite the demographic, missiological, ecclesiastical, and financial challenges that are accompanying this increase, the primary challenge is theological.
Thus, the thesis of this book is that God is not just interested in our personal needs and problems, but he is also interested in the city, and the engagement that Christians have with our “external-world reality” (Location 73).
Bakke unpacks this thesis by using a biblical theology that begins in Genesis and continues through to Revelation, and a church history that continues on from the second century to the twentieth. Each chapter has a slight exegesis of scripture or history in order to illustrate a different aspect of ministry in the city.
Bakke concludes his book by explaining the key tensions and important messages, from Scripture, for anyone who is going to be doing ministry in the city:
- Creation and redemption
- Truth and love
- Individuality and community
- Local and global
- Unity and diversity
- Power and powerlessness
- Certainty and mystery
- Commission and commandment
- Past and future
- Work and rest
This is the first book that I’ve read that laid out such a comprehensive, yet engaging perspective of a theological view on the city. Thus, I give this book a 5 out of 5.
Pick it up here.