Kristin Caynor and Werner Mischke, with Brad Vaughn. One New Humanity: Glory, Violence, and the Gospel of Peace. Littleton, CO: William Carey Publishing, 2025. 365 pp. Paperback. $17.99.
In One New Humanity: Glory, Violence, and the Gospel of Peace, Kristin Caynor and Werner Mischke have undertaken a work of audacious proportions. From one angle, it is an extended, meandering meditation on one chapter of the New Testament book of Ephesians. From another, it is an exercise, albeit peculiar, in theological anthropology. From a third, it is a kind of missiological soteriology. Readers might ponder still more angles. This, in other words, is a multifaceted offering. These complexities and combinations can be dizzying at times, but taken as a whole, they are an accomplishment worthy of serious engagement.
Caynor was, at the time of One New Humanity’s publication, a PhD student at Trinity College, Bristol/University of Aberdeen, already developing a career in global theological education. Mischke led the training ministry and served as vice president of Mission ONE from 1992 to 2024. He has numerous prior publications, the most relevant of which are in the field of honor-shame studies. One early-career scholar and one late-career practitioner have together composed a work that feels both personal and scholarly, both urgent and measured, both hopeful and sober.
The book’s opening sentence articulates its essence: “One New Humanity argues that Ephesians 2 offers a radical vision of human glory and peace that challenges cycles of shame and violence—from the Roman Empire to the contemporary world” (xxi). The reader should not assume, therefore, that Caynor and Mischke present an interpretation of the text of Ephesians 2 in any straightforward sense. Instead, there unfolds a fairly sprawling argument, which goes something like this: (1) the “new humanity” in Ephesians 2 is about glory/honor and entails relational harmony (peace); (2) a holistic definition of sin accounts for cycles of shame and violence that should be understood both spiritually and socially; and (3) failure to integrate glory and peace in the church’s understanding and practice of new humanity according to Ephesians 2 has many consequences, including (a) Christian participation in violence, even genocides and (b) missiological distortions that produce polarization rather than reconciliation. As someone who feels that sprawling arguments can be well-made, I’m open to the approach on offer here. But caveat lector: how it all hangs together is not exactly obvious.
Happily, the authors offer a variety of resources for making connections. Each chapter begins and ends with bulleted summaries and concludes with questions for further reflection. Likewise, the final paragraph of each chapter addresses “being human,” creating a clear anthropological throughline. The book is organized into three sections: Glory and Shame, Violence and Sin, and The Gospel of Peace and Its King. The Introduction helpfully outlines each section, repeatedly asking, “What does it mean to be human?” Numerous graphics and charts illustrate key ideas throughout the book. In lieu of a conclusion, an afterword by Dr. D. Zac Niringiye, “former assistant bishop of the Anglican Church of Uganda” (xviii), aptly identifies the book as part of an ongoing conversation that raises many questions (265–68). And finally, three appendices, a bibliography, and Scripture and topic indices round out the volume.
Of special note is the first appendix, an essay by Brad Vaughn titled “Reconciling Atonement in Ephesians 2.” This is an important contribution because exegetically minded readers will likely wonder about the treatment of Ephesians 2 at numerous points in the book. In many instances, an older “biblical theology of mission” approach to interpretation dominates One New Humanity, explaining Ephesians 2 by reference to other biblical texts. In this sense, Vaughn’s exegesis is a strong complement to the body text. It is worth mentioning, though, how minimally honor—the theological lens through which Caynor and Mischke draw their more creative conclusions—figures into Vaughn’s reading. Given Vaughn’s focus on honor-shame dynamics as a New Testament scholar, the contrast is telling.
One final observation about the distinctive character of the book: the authors add personal reflections on memories, relationships, and experiences to each chapter, which stand in interesting tension with the otherwise academic style of their writing. On the one hand, this is just one more feature of a book marked by an eclectic communication strategy. On the other hand, these vignettes contribute something significant. They are not “preacher’s stories” or trivial anecdotes. Some of the most gripping moments in the argument are present here.
One New Humanity suffers from a lack of coherent argumentation. This is not to say a coherent idea is missing. The problem is presentation: no organizing thesis, no clear conclusion. For the attentive reader, however, Caynor and Mischke portray a significant vision of humanity, sin, and salvation. In recent years, honor-shame studies have made major contributions to missiology. But many of us who stand outside the expert discourse on this topic are left wondering, so what? The need for wider theological connections is acute, and this book has made some critical connections. In essence, the authors have suggested the inseparability of glory and peace in Christian soteriology by way of anthropological exposition. Accordingly, Christian theologies of reconciliation, including interpretations of Ephesians 2, must account for the honor-shame issues that play out in real, and really serious, socio-cultural situations. Glory/honor is not secondary or peripheral; it is basic for both what it means to be human and what it means to be saved.
This book is a challenging read, but it is well worth the effort. I am convinced about the impossibility of peace without addressing the shame-violence cycle. I am impressed by the authors’ critique of theologies and missiologies that attempt to do so. I am compelled by their rendition of the gospel. What does it mean to be human? Caynor and Mischke helped us answer the question.
