"Despite its decline in certain parts, Christianity is on the rise around the world. With delightful personal stories from Malaysia to New Mexico, Daughrity takes readers on a fascinating journey one regional block at a time. He not only skillfully narrates the changing dynamics of Christianity worldwide, but he describes these changes with great insight. Interweaving the church’s past with the present, Daughrity guides readers to consider what Christianity will look like in the future. This book will surely be an excellent resource for those who want to learn about Christianity from a global perspective."
Pundits regularly declare that Christianity is dying. And in a way they are correct. Its golden age of influence is long gone in Western Europe, and similar trends are happening in North America. But while it slowly dies in the West, Christianity has been coming to life in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
Christianity is rising.
Megachurches in Nigeria, India, and South Korea have tens of thousands of members. The largest Roman Catholic populations in the world are found in Brazil, Mexico, and the Philippines. And sociologists predict that there could be nearly 600 million Christians in China by 2040.
Now immigrants, refugees, and missionaries from the Global South look to former strongholds of Christian influence in the West as new mission fields, bringing their vibrant faith to our shores. They are bringing the gospel back to us in new and surprising ways.
The future of Christianity is bright, you just have to look around.
- Publisher Fortress Press
- Format Paperback
- ISBN 9781506421827
- eBook ISBN 9781506447940
- Dimensions 5.5 x 8.5
- Pages 242
- Publication Date May 1, 2018
Endorsements
An excellent resource for those who want to learn about Christianity from a global perspective.
Refreshing and effective.
"Daughrity’s personal narrative approach is refreshing and effective. It brings the reader close to some of the most dynamic expressions of Christian worship and witness around the world today."
An informative tour of world Christianity that is the fruit of the best historical scholarship and the passion of a missiologist.
"In case you wonder what Christian missions have produced in the six continents of the globe—how Christianity arrived and became an indigenous religion there—here is the book for you. Writing with his trademark clarity and engaging style, Daughrity offers an informative tour d'horizon of world Christianity that is the fruit of the best historical scholarship and the passion of a missiologist. It is a most rare combination of head and heart that makes this book a splendid textbook for a course on the history of Christianity and on contemporary theology of Christian mission."
Daughrity finds hope from a balanced perspective
"This wide-ranging overview of Christianity’s global landscape draws on diverse sources and covers episodes and trends from every region. Writing with an engaging style, Daughrity offers thoughtful observations about Christianity’s shrinking role in its traditional heartlands and its expansion and dynamism in the Global South. He finds hope from a balanced perspective."
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Staggering Decline of Christianity in Western Europe
2. The Death and Resurrection of Christianity in Russia
3. The United States: Is Christianity Dying or Thriving?
4. The Jesuits: The Greatest Missionaries of All Time
5. African Encounters with Christianity
6. Embracing Christ in Asia
7. Coming to America: Asians and Latinos Stake Their Claim
8. America’s Role: To Be Good Soil
9. Christianity Is Changing... and It’s Worth Celebrating