Is Mission Possible in a Postmodern World?

Abstract

Postmodernism is not just a North American or Western European phenomenon. The same characteristics of postmodernity that mark European or American culture can be found in many other parts of the world. This essay uses the culture of Brazil, South America's largest country, as a matrix for illustrating the postmodern turn within individuals and society. Following a description of selected aspects of life in Rio der Janeiro, the essay continues an earlier discussion by the same author concerning how the Church must do missions in the context of a postmodern world. Stories of various Brazilian congregations, Christians, and church leaders-including several Baptist missionaries to Brazil-are related in order to "give a human face" to the theological and methodological principles that make missions possible in a postmodern world.