Mangoes or Bananas?

Overview

"I can hardly find the words to praise sufficiently this new edition of Mangoes or Bananas?, a book I have long considered one of the most important theological works of the past quarter-century. This edition preserves the wealth of its predecessor and adds an autobiographical dimension that brings into relief both the theological options Hwa Yung has followed and why. That testimony adds depth to a book that everyone interested in world Christianity and mission must read. Hwa Yung helps us grasp what occurs when Asian Christians recover the transcendent depths of their cultures and open themselves to the light that the Gospel sheds on living Christianity authentically as Asians." --William R. Burrows

An essential book for any student of World Christianity, Mangoes or Bananas? takes a forthright look at the various strands of Asian Christian theology, evaluating both their histories and the degree to which they remain pertinent to Asian experiences of God and culture. Asian theology, in Yung’s conception, is often more like a banana, with a beautiful yellow exterior, but white within. The mango, on the other hand, comes in many dierent shades of skin, but inside it is completely yellow.

Updated with new autobiographical information and new introduction and conclusion, Mangoes or Bananas provides new and needed perspectives for scholars and teachers of World Christianity, missiology, and Asian theology, as well as church professionals working in Asia.

Hwa Yung is retired bishop of the Methodist Church in Malaysia. He has held significant positions in various church and mission-related bodies, both in Malaysia and on the international scene. He has also authored three books and a substantial number of papers and articles in academic journals and books in the fields of mission and Asian Christianity.