Zambezia (1996), XXIII (i).BOOK REVIEWSChristianity in a New Key: New Voices and Vistas ThroughIntercontinental Communication By Frans J. Verstraelen. Gweru, MamboPress, 1996, xv, 322 pp., ISBN 0*6922-648-7, Z$80,50.In his new book Professor Verstraelen speaks of Christianity with manycentres. In so doing he illustrates one of the specific questions, which aWorld religion (one that has transcended its traditional ethnic, culturaland linguistic context and has become a global religious movement) posesto Religious Studies.Take the study of Islam for example. The attempts by Orientalists toidentify the Arabic roots of that World religion have to be supplementedby specific studies of Islam in Africa or Europe, if we want to achieve arelevant understanding of what Islam is today. The same holds true forChristianity, though the geographical terms of reference differ. At theUniversity of Zimbabwe, therefore, Christianity and Islam in Africa istaught parallel to courses on Christianity and Islamic History and Thoughtin their respective historical contexts.In the study of Christianity in Zimbabwe we are accustomed to adistinction between Mission and Independent Christianity. MissionChristianity is seen to maintain its links to and, perhaps, dependency onits Northern centre. Independent forms of Christianity on the other handare said to be authentic African attempts to appropriate and articulate theChristian understanding of Life in its fullness.Like any distinction this, too, can be disputed. If I understand ProfessorVerstraelen correctly, his plea for a Christianity with many centres containsa more relevant alternative. In institutional terms centres such as theVatican in Rome, the Ecumenical Centre in Geneva or the US Centre forWorld Mission in Passadena are in the North. At the level of spiritualityand theological reflection, however, the initiative has been taken over bythe Church Š i.e. both Mission and Independent Christianity Š in theSouth, where new central themes and new institutional centres evolve.Professor Verstraelen's particular scholarly contribution in his newbook is his energetic attempt to identify and formulate these new centralthemes in global Christianity. He speaks of the concern for human andsocietal transformation in Latin America and the search for relevantspirituality in a multi-religious Asian context. He sees that African Christianscontribute to the World Church their profound awareness of the Wholenessof Life. So far Professor Verstraelen concurs with a consensus incontemporary studies in Third World Christianity. His most originalcontribution is his analysis of the distinct environmental theology fromwithin the Church in Oceania. I miss, though, references to John Garrett'ssubstantial three-volume Church History of Oceania.9394 BOOK REVIEWSBut this study does not limit itself to the level of descriptive analysis.Professor Verstraelen's main concern is to facilitate what he calls 'GlobalIntercommunion through Intercontinental Communication'.Christianity in a New Key Š or in New Keys? Š raises many intriguingquestions. One is where the new and more aggressive North Americanmissions, which Paul Gifford studied some years ago, fit into this vision ofa global Christianity with many centres. Another is more profound andhas to do with hermeneutics. How are these new centres to be identified?The classical issue of the relation of 'a portion of a text' to 'the text asa whole' returns in any attempt to define what are characteristic featuresof Christianity Š or Islam for that matter Š within as well as outside theirtraditional centres. Handling this issue Professor Verstraelen moves in thedirection of defining main themes or core-motifs in different contexts,which can enrich each other in an exchange across continental andcontextual boundaries. This is a loaded proposition and the purpose ofthe author had been better served if he had devoted greater attention tothis issue of hermeneutics. Instead he moves fast on to resources andtechniques for the kind of intercontinental communication which he pleadsfor.The matter of interpretation is not just an internal academic issue. Ithas profound pedagogical implications. When we know what arerepresentative theological concerns in different religious and socialenvironments Š and how to get access to them! Š it is easier to conveythese concerns in another context. Professor Verstraelen shares, of course,this pedagogical concern, as the book is presented as a handbook for'anyone interested in the significance of Christianity in our world todayand tomorrow'. Hopefully the reader will not go astray in the rich collectionof loaded quotes and theological variations.University of Zimbabwe CARL F. HALLENCREUTZThe Mining Sector in Southern Africa Edited by Paul Jordan. Harare,SAPES Trust, 1994, 117 pp, ISBN 1-77905-006-2, Z$70.This book comprises a collection of papers presented at a workshop on'Prospects of the Mining Sector in SADCC held in Lusaka, Zambia, in 1991.It provides a detailed and analytical assessment of the past and presentimportance of the mining sector in the region and highlights the factorsthat have negatively affected its performance.The book proposes that, in the light of the recent demise of apartheidand the birth of the new democratic South Africa, Southern Africancountries should devise appropriate strategies to make the region's mining