Practical, scriptural and contemporary, Text and Task is a series of essays on Scripture and mission. It aims to show the significance of reading the biblical text appropriately and with faithful engagement for our theology and missiology. A team of biblical scholars suggests ways forward in areas such as the implicit missional narrative of David and Goliath, the story of Solomon and his Temple-building, the genre of lament, the explicit gracious message of the prophet Isaiah, Paul's understanding of divine call and gospel and the place of mission as a hermeneutic for reading the Bible. Theological chapters engage the issues of the Trinity and the unevangelized, the missional dimensions of Barth's view of election, the gospel's loss of plausibility in the modern West, the place of preaching in mission and the idea of belonging to a church community before one believes the gospel.

Mission is the responsibility of a global church. The heart of "mission" is the drive to cross geographical, cultural and social barriers in order to share the good news of Jesus Christ with all peoples. Drawing on his involvement in missionary work over many years, Samuel Escobar explores how the church spreads the Christian faith. God's word forms the foundation for his reflections, while he uses insights from theological and historical studies as well as from the social sciences to gain a clearer understanding of the church's missionary calling. His stimulating and challenging analysis contributes significantly to a global evangelical dialogue on mission today and in the future. SAMUEL ESCOBAR, a native of Peru and a leading Latin American theologian, was one of the key participants in the International Congress on World Evangelization at Lausanne, Switzerland, in 1974. He is Professor Emeritus of Missiology at Palmer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, USA and teaches Contemporary Theology at Facultad Protestante de Teologia UEBE in Madrid, Spain. He has previously served as president of the United Bible Societies and the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. The Langham Global Library provides inter-cultural exposition and application of the Christian faith, within the framework of the Cape Town Commitment, by authors from the international evangelical community.