Jean-Georges Gantenbein, Can the West Be Converted? Towards a Contextual Theology for the West (Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2021), 387 pp.

Abstract

Jean-Georges Gantenbein’s Can the West Be Converted? is one of the most thoughtful contributions to Western missiology in recent years. In it, the author advocates for a contextualised missionary theology that responds to the challenges faced by post-Christian Europe. Combining rigorous sociologi­cal analysis, interdisciplinary methodo­logical reflection, and a theologically grounded proposal centred on the Cross and eschatology, this book addresses the theological academy and ecclesial commu­nities with urgency and clarity. It opens with an epistemological introduction that explores the fragmen­tation of theological discourse in Western academia and the marginalisation of mission within theological curricula. Drawing on the insights of David Bosch and Lesslie Newbigin, Gantenbein argues that any renewal of Western missiology requires methodological revision and theological reorientation. The core of the book presents a comparative analysis of four European contexts: France, the United Kingdom, Romania, and Eastern Germany. These case studies illustrate the various interconnected manifestations of religious decline and transformation. France is presented as an example of institutional secularism, characterised by the exclusion of religious expression from the public domain and the emergence of alternative spiritualities. The United Kingdom is presented as a pluralistic post-Protestant society where “believing without belonging” is the prevailing trend. Eastern Germany is presented as a post-atheist society that is still shaped by the legacy of enforced secularism under communism. Romania is presented as a more complex and ambivalent case, combining high levels of declared religiosity with emerging religious pluralism, an undefined public theology, and signs of increasing individualisation of faith.