Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introduction : faith and culture in perspective / James A. Scherer and Stephen B. Bevans -- Part I. Perspectives on inculturation. 1. The Gospel as prisoner and liberator of culture / Andrew F. Walls -- 2. The incarnation of the Gospel in cultures : a missionary event / Aram I -- 3. Contextualization : the theory, the gap, the challenge / Darrell L. Whiteman -- 4. Inculturation : win or lose the future? / Aylward Shorter -- 5. Inculturation of faith or identification with culture? / Robert J. Schreiter -- 6. Hearing and talking : oral hermeneutics of Asian women / Kwok Pui-lan -- 7. Theses on inculturation / Theological Advisory Commission of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences -- 8. Cultural barriers to the understanding of the Church and its public role / Robert N. Bellah -- 9. Doing theology as inculturation in the Asian context / Jos歋 M. de Mesa --10. Called to one hope : the Gospel in diverse cultures / Musimbi R. A. Kanyoro -- 11. Translatability and the cultural incarnations of the faith / Kwame Bediako -- 12. Evangelization and inculturation : concepts, options, perspectives / Paulo Suess -- Part II. Documentation. 13. Nairobi statement on worship and culture : Nairobi, 1996 / Lutheran World Federation ; introduction by S. Anita Stauffer -- 14. On intercultural hermeneutics : Jerusalem, 5-12 December 1995 / World Council of Churches -- 15. Report from the Ecumenical Conference on World Mission and Evangelization : Salvador, de Bahia, Brazil 1996 / World Council of Churches.