New book challenges Christians to decolonise mission
The mission of Jesus liberates, says Dr Harvey Kwiyani
Photo: Dr Harvey Kwiyani with his new book Decolonizing Mission
Dr Harvey Kwiyani, founder of the Acts 11 Project, a Church Mission Society initiative, has called upon the Church to disentangle itself from the legacies and logic of imperialism and proclaim a gospel that resists privilege, inequality and exclusion.
In his new book, Decolonizing Mission, Kwiyani argues that while imperialism and colonialism have been associated with the expansion of Christianity for over 500 years, the gospel of Jesus Christ subverts idea of empire. Kwiyani says: “The good news is not imperial. It does not conquer. The mission of Jesus liberates. It does not colonise.”
Throughout the book Kwiyani traces the history of Christian mission alongside the history of empire, showing the influence that one had on the other. He imagines what mission without imperialism would look like, and sheds light on the connection between colonialism and mission and invites us to realign our missional methods with God’s.
Kwiyani explains: “In first-century Judea under Roman rule, proclaiming good news to the poor and freedom to the oppressed was dangerous. Jesus was not merely comforting souls – he was confronting empire. Jesus announced a new social order rooted in God’s justice and mercy.” This is the gospel Kwiyani challenges the Church to reclaim – a gospel that resists the logic of conquest, domination, and superiority.
In Decolonizing Mission, Kwiyani uses historical vignettes to that show how the gospel has never required conquest to spread. From the beginning, Jesus entrusted this movement not to kings or soldiers but to the marginalised and overlooked, colonised people like his Galilean disciples. The true mission of God has always relied on love, humility, vulnerability, and the Spirit’s power.
Kwiyani explains: “I dream of a global mission movement of Christians from formerly colonised lands as well as the rest of the world. This is the task of the Church today: to proclaim a post-imperial gospel. A gospel that resists baptising privilege. A gospel that stands with the poor. A gospel that disrupts injustice, embodies compassion, and embraces the non-coercive love of Christ.”
Professor Esther Mombo, of St Paul’s University, Limuru, Kenya, said: “Decolonizing Mission is essential reading for anyone committed to a faithful, humble, and culturally sensitive witness in the 21st century. It challenges us to lament past wrongs, repent of lingering imperial impulses, and embrace a mission that truly reflects the kingdom of God – one defined by love, equality, and freedom.”
Kwiyani concluded: “The gospel of Jesus Christ is not a tool for expanding empires – it is a prophetic summons to dismantle them. It proclaims that the love of God liberates, heals, and decolonises. To be faithful to God’s mission in the world today, we must decolonise mission.”
Decolonizing Mission is available from SCM Press.
See churchmissionsociety.org/events for details of upcoming book launches.
