The late Lesslie Newbigin was widely regarded as one of this generation's most significant voices on Christianity in relation to modern society. Now that he is gone, there is a call for his unpublished writings to be made available. To that end "Signs amid the Rubble" gathers some of Newbigin's finest statements on issues of continuing relevance. The first set of chapters consists of the 1941 Bangalore Lectures, in which Newbigin speaks powerfully of the kingdom of God in relation to the modern - severely deficient - idea of "progress." The second group of writings, the Henry Martyn Lectures of 1986, deals mainly with the importance of Christian mission. In the last piece, his address to the World Council of Churches conference on mission and evangelism in Brazil in 1996 - which editor Geoffrey Wainwright calls his "swan song on the ecumenical stage" - Newbigin wonders aloud how future generations will judge today's practice of abortion.
Lesslie Newbigin (1909-1998) was a renowned theologian, missionary, and church leader. Born and educated in England, he later ministered for several decades in India. Over the course of his career, he held leadership roles in the International Missionary Council and the World Council of Churches. In recognition of his accomplishments in missiology and ecclesiology, he was awarded honorary doctorates from numerous institutions, including the University of Cambridge and the University of Edinburgh. He published more than twenty books, including Foolishness to the Greeks: The Gospel and Western Culture and The Gospel in a Pluralist Society.