jaffrayPress – “Publishing Insight”

JaffrayPress encourages, coordinates, and publishes resources generated by Jaffray Centre related initiatives. As the publishing arm of the Centre, jaffrayPress seeks to capture the essence of some of Jaffray’s best work.

Our recent publications include:

Beyond Culture: Kingdom Values in a Multicultural World is the final publication in the Beyond trillogy is once again a collection of papers originally presented at the 2023 JaffrayAng Symposium.

As Canada continues to navigate what it means to be an increasingly diverse country, the church needs to intentionally work at embracing the nuances of the diversity of cultures in our midst. The racial and cultural conflicts surfacing in our country highlight the fact that our traditional approaches of hospitality and multiculturalism are not enough. Christians are called to live counterculturally and reflect God’s love to the world around us. Beyond Culture examines how the church can embrace kingdom values to move beyond our distinct cultures towards becoming a family in Christ. Written by a diverse group of Canadian scholars and practitioners, each chapter reflects on the personal and communal aspects of kingdom living which are shaped and transformed by the radical love and hospitality modeled by Christ Jesus. These reflections aim to further develop the discussion around how intentionally intercultural congregations can be united through their shared kingdom values and become inclusive communities of faith who reflect the hybridized and globalized Canadian culture.

Beyond Culture is available for purchase at Wipf and Stock or Amazon, The Ambrose Lion’s Store.

The papers from the second JaffrayAng Symposium were published as a collected volume Beyond Multiculturalism: Intentional Intercultural Congregations as an Expression of the Kingdom.

The Canadian socio-cultural landscape is undergoing constant transformation due to immigration. Communities of faith have traditionally embraced this diversity through a stance of hospitality framed by a modern idea of “multiculturalism.” However, the modern idea of “multiculturalism” often falls short of fully integrating newcomers into the family life and leadership of a congregation. As diverse cultural expressions of world Christianity continue to blossom throughout Canada, both new and established Canadians must explore relational approaches to transcend historical, cultural, racial, and linguistic divides. The goal is to foster genuine community and forge deeper covenantal unity, allowing the transformative nature of King Jesus to be evident to the world. Beyond Multiculturalism advocates for Christians to showcase tangible examples of Jesus’ Kingdom culture in which humility, compassion, and self-giving love are valued. Authored by Canadian scholars and practitioners, representing twelve ethnicities and ten denominations, the chapters delve into various theological, sociological, and pragmatic aspects that churches should address. These considerations aim to guide churches into deeper conversation, enabling them to align with the evolving dynamics of God’s work in Canada and worldwide.

Beyond Multiculturalism is available for purchase at Wipf and Stock, Amazon, The Ambrose Lion’s Store.

 

The 2019 JaffrayAng Symposium brought together academics and practitioners from across the country to present papers on a variety of topics relating to the theme Beyond Hospitality: Migration, Multiculturalism, and the Church. Dr. Charles Cook, Lauren Umbach, and Lorajoy Tira-Dimangondayao compiled and edited the papers from the symposium into a collected volume published by Tyndale Academic Press. The book examines the continually changing Canadian landscape, and proposes that it is time for the local church to move beyond acts of hospitality in order to engage with immigrants and welcome them into vibrant congregational communities. This requires working to understand the issues and challenges that new Canadians face in the process of re-establishing their lives and building new relationships. Drawing on interdisciplinary research and analysis, Beyond Hospitality seeks to help local congregations become models of service and unity for our multicultural nation.

Beyond Hospitality is available for purchase at Tyndale Academic Press, Amazon, The Ambrose Lion’s Store.

 

The editing and publishing of The God You May Not Know, The God Made Known, and Making God Known was done in partnership with Dr. Charles Cook, Jaffray Centre Director, and Dr. Ron Brown, Jaffray Centre Convenor. The three volumes are published by the C&MA of Canada.

The trilogy of books, was created to communicate parts of the Canadian Alliance story and in the process inspire a new generation of Canadians to find dynamic 21st century ways of engaging in the mission of God. The books are available here.

 

The Diaspora Network in partnership with the Jaffray Centre released Scattered and Gathered: A Global Compendium of Diaspora Missiology. Dr. Sadiri Tira (diasporaNet Convener) and Dr. Charles Cook (Jaffray Centre Director) had varying degrees of involvement in this project.

Focus of Publication: “The 21st Century is marked by mass migration. Massive population movements of the last century have radically challenged our study and practice of ‘mission fields.’ Where the church once rallied to go out into ‘the regions beyond,’ Christian missions is currently required to respond and adapt to ‘missions around.’  In this multi-authored, inter-disciplinary volume, leading evangelical theologians, bible scholars, missiologists, and migration strategists and practitioners analyze the development of missions to the migrants and develop an understanding of the contemporary church’s opportunities and responsibility vis-à-vis Diaspora Missiology: ‘a missiological framework for understanding and participating in God’s redemptive mission among peoples living outside their places of origin.’”

To read more about the editors and what people are saying about the book click here.

 

Diaspora Portraits is a compilation of reflections by the Jaffray Centre diasporaNet Convener, Dr. Sadiri Joy Tira.

The Book examines themes related to the diaspora. Over the centuries, the term “diaspora”has been added to contemporary vocabulary with reference to the millions of “scattered people” or “people on the move” who for various reasons have had to cross national borders for a better life. Other terms such as “migration,” “emigration” and “immigration”have been used to reference this large global group of “people on the move.”