Franke does a great job of opening up important theological questions in language that's accessible to armchair students of Christian theologies and the Church. I approached this book with skepticism, wondering where the edges of his reading list were. Would he engage with liberation theologians? Would his understanding of God's Kin(g)dom be primarily person-centric, or would he include the natural world, as well? Would he discuss white Christianity's attempted destruction of indigenous cultures in the name of "missions"? Would he quote any women theologians? The answer to all of these questions is yes. "Missional Theology" can serve as a great introduction to scholarship and theological issues across denominational and, to some extent, cultural lines.

That said, my early glee at seeing Elisabeth A. Johnson and Catherine LaCugna quoted began to wane as I realized women's theological contributions were going to play only a small part in Franke's book. In the same way, I longed for more depth in his discussions of liberation theologies and post-colonialism. Nevertheless, I will be using this book as a starting point for teaching about God's mission in the world and the Church's role in working that out.