Global Christian Mission Opportunities: Find Your Role in International Development & Outreach Programs" 使用场景：Perfect for missionaries, volunteers, and church groups looking to serve abroad or support global humanitarian efforts.

Roland Hoksbergen, a longtime professor of Economics and international development at Calvin, lays out a theological framework for development work, an overview of the various academic perspectives on development, and finally a how to guide for young people looking to find their way in the field. I can't quite remember where I heard about this book (it might have been an Amazon suggestion based on my interests, darn big tech), but while I haven't settled on something by any means, some of my interests seem to be converging in this area. While it may be geared towards undergraduate students, I still found it an interesting and helpful read.To start, Hoksbergen lays out a very reformed theological justification for engaging in development work. In books like these (that often start with a Christian justification for justice based work; e.g., The Hole in Our Gospel, When Helping Hurts, The Locust Effect), the theological persuasion of the author typically shows, but they more or less seem to land in the same place. Eternal souls matter and so does temporal flourishing. That is all part of one big picture that flows from our role as partaking in the ministry of reconciliation. With theological roots in exactly the tradition Hoksbergen is writing from, it was very easy to follow his argument. I can discuss creation, fall, redemption, and restoration in my sleep, and was happy to see how this came together for this particular issue. While I have come to some different conclusions than the CRC teachings overall (ecclesiology, baptism, evangelism), I still dearly love this church and the tradition it is rooted in.One of Hoksbergen's analogies was particularly illustrative. Creation started as a perfect smooth wheel. As humans have partaken in the creation process and expanded the size of that wheel, the effects of sin have marred it and led to large dents that hinder the ability of the wheel (society) to work as it should. The spokes of the wheel represent different aspects of our world that impact how we live (spiritual, civil society, economic, governance, environment, social relations, education) and shows how development work ought to entail redeeming each of these areas so that we can work towards a smooth wheel once again (agents of redemption).Another interesting section was a comparison of contributions and limitations of four Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church pivoted in the late nineteenth century towards social action and a preferential care for the poor, after centuries of playing power politics. The Reformed tradition has emphasized holistic development rooted in the need for restored shalom amongst the broken creation. The Mennonites have been willing to work outside of power structures to advocate for peace and service, modeling Christlike lives while leveling with the least of these. Evangelicals have ensured that evangelism is never left out of development work, even while showing the love of Christ in temporal ways as well, and emphasized the importance of the local church in development work.Different academic views of development are considered, and this brought me back to the development course I took with professor Mahoney at NU, which I look back on as one of my favorites. Hoksbergen covers Modernization Theory (let markets work and allow poor countries to learn from the successes of rich ones), Dependency Theory (rooted in a Marxist worldview, focuses on power structures and organizing to empower oppressed people to stand up for themselves against unjust structures), Postdevelopment Theory (development is rooted in an implicit assumption that the global North has something desirable that the south actually needs; this view challenges that and contends cultures should be left alone to work out their problems for themselves, deciding what are in fact problems and using indigenous approaches to solving them), and Capabilities Theory (seeks to balance respect for local cultures and values, and finding ways to share the technologies and systems that have led to flourishing in other places; give people the capabilities to thrive and let them make their own decisions with it). Hoksbergen examines the beliefs and assumptions that underlie each approach, and then presents a distinctly Christian outlook on development, with principles I might sum up with, everyone is called to a humble and holistic journey of transformation rooted in relationships and for God's glory.The "how to" section focuses on practical guides to networking, selecting courses of study, finding programs and fellowships, and deciding whether to specialize or work as a generalist. One avenue I found strikingly missing from this, was an interaction with security. On a personal level, individuals need safety from violence, and someone must be working towards that in ways prototypical development workers cannot. On a higher level, development work must work so closely with the military and diplomatic worlds that I was surprised Hoksbergen paid no mention of them. I wonder if he knows what Civil Affairs is, and how much we learn about development and interact with NGOs and aid agencies in the field?I won't bother anyone reading this with all of my thoughts on career implications and plans, but will say that if this is an area you are interested in, this book will give you a lot to think about perhaps point you in a new direction!