Miriam Adeney
Professor Emerita of World Christian Studies
Email: madeney@spu.edu
Education: BA, Wheaton College, 1967; MA, Syracuse University, 1969; PhD, Washington State University, 1980. At SPU since 1976.
Dr. Adeney is an anthropologist, a missiologist, and an author whose passions include global Christianity, world religions, gender, oral art genres, economic community development, multiethnic ministry, diasporas, training writers for publication, and preparing workers for cross-cultural living.
She serves on the board of Christianity Today International, is a mission associate of the World Evangelical Alliance Mission Commission, is a member of the diaspora task force of the Lausanne Movement, is the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement award from the Christians for Biblical Equality, and is past president of the American Society of Missiology.
Dr. Adeney speaks regularly for the Perspectives on the World Christian Movement; Overseas Ministry Study Center; Koinos; Encountering Islam; Media Associates International; InterVarsity; and diverse denominational events. She has authored more than 150 articles or book chapters, as well as six books. In many countries, spanning five continents, she is invited to lecture at universities and conferences. Southeast Asia, Latin America, and North American multiethnic communities are areas of long term interest.
Also deeply rooted in the Pacific Northwest, Dr. Adeney is married, the mother of three sons, and a member of Seattle’s University Presbyterian Church. Her academic degrees are from Wheaton College (BA, anthropology); Syracuse University (MA, journalism); and Washington State University (PhD, anthropology).
Books
Refugee Diaspora: Missions amid the Greatest Humanitarian Crisis of the World
William Carey, 2018
Refugee Diaspora is a contemporary account of the global refugee situation and how the light of the gospel of Jesus Christ is shining brightly in the darkest corners of the greatest crisis on our planet. These hope-filled pages of refugees encountering Jesus Christ presents models of Christian ministry from the front lines of the refugee crisis and the real challenges of ministering to today’s refugees. It includes biblical, theological, and practical reflections on mission in diverse diaspora contexts from leading scholars as well as practitioners in all major regions of the world.
Wealth, Women and God: How to Flourish Spiritually and Economically in Tough Places, with Sadiri Joy Tira
LifeChange Publishing, 2014
Kingdom Without Borders: The Untold Story of Global Christianity
InterVarsity, 2009
"A visceral call to Christians worldwide to engage in something bigger than their own culture and church...Adeney's work can be read by adherents of any religion as a primer to a new view of world Christianity...Not primarily a book about American Christians and what they should do, this is a humble and complex anthem to the diverse kingdom of Christ found in worldwide cultures." (Publishers' Weekly, 10-12-09).
How to Write: A Christian Writer's Guide
Regent College Publishers, 2006
Daughters of Islam: Building Bridges With Muslim Women
InterVarsity Press, 2002
Received an award from the International Bulletin of Mission Research as one of the 15 best mission books of the year. More than 30,000 copies sold in five languages.
God's Foreign Policy: Practical Ways to Help the World's Poor
Regent College Publishers, 1993
Received an award from the International Bulletin of Mission Research as one of the 15 best mission books of the year.
A Time For Risking: Priorities for Women
Regent College Publishers, 1987
Selected Publications
- “Shalom Tourist: Loving Your Neighbor While Using Her,” Missiology, October 2006.
Please view Dr. Adeney's CV for additional publications.