Slum Life Rising: How to Enflesh Hope within a New Urban World

The world is changing before our eyes. The majority of people, for the first time in human history, are now urban, with one in six of us living in urban slums. Nearly 100,000 new slum residents are added each day, with two out of three living geographically in the 10/40 Window (ie North Africa, Middle-East and Asia) where Christians are often tiny minorities. Modern mission and development, highly dependent on large, stable institutions rarely work here. What then, does Christian faith and mission have to offer this new urban world? What is Good News when so many face the rising tide of urban injustices?As you read through this book, you will learn how a missionary couple not only lived out the Gospel in word, but also did so in ways that attacked some of the root causes of poverty. Tony Campolo, Eastern UniversityWe cannot continue to ignore the terrible poverty and misery of the poor and hide in comfortable and secure situations. Jesus is calling his followers to announce really good news to the poor. This book of Ash’s gives hope and a way forward. It is good news. Jean Vanier, L’Ache CommunitiesLooking through the lens of his family’s experience in Klong Toey, but drawing also from his research and the disciplines of missiology and practical theology, Ash guides us through the terrain of slum life rising. The reality is upon us - we can put our heads in the sand, or ask what God requires of us.Jude Tiersma Watson, Fuller Theological Seminary and InnerchangeAnyone who takes seriously Christ’s call to love our neighbors as ourselves has reason to care about slums because a larger and larger percentage of our neighbors live there. With Ash Barker’s guidance, more and more of us can love our neighbors more wisely and well, following the One whose incarnation makes the slums a place to love, not shun.Brian McLaren, author, speaker (brianmclaren.net)This important book wrestles with one of the most urgent tasks for contemporary Christian mission. It combines solid biblical/theological reflection with gut-wrenching practical experience. Barker lives what he preaches. Ronald J. Sider, Eastern University This book is the product of careful scholarship and long-term practical engagement. It is a hopeful book that will become a standard text book for all involved in third world urban mission.Charles Ringma, Regent College, Asian Theological Seminary and The University of QueenslandPlease this book contains colour coded charts and maps. If the device you are using to read this book cannot display colours, you can download a colour PDF copy of the appendix here