World Christianity The Christian Revolution Image the unprecedented

World Christianity The Christian Revolution Image: the unprecedented consecration of ten new bishops in the Anglican Church of Nigeria, March 13, 2005, at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, Abuja, Nigeria

O God of unchangeable power and eternal light: Look favorably on your whole Church, that wonderful and sacred mystery; by the effectual working of your providence, carry out in tranquility the plan of salvation; let the whole world see and know that things which were cast down are being raised up, and things which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are being brought to their perfection by him through whom all things were made, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Book of Common Prayer, page 280

References - Authors Philip Jenkins. A native of England an Episcopalian. Distinguished Professor of History and Religious Studies at Penn State University. n Lamin Sanneh. A native of Gambia. D. Willis James Professor of Missions and World Christianity and Professor of History at Yale Divinity School. n

All too often, statements about what “modern Christians accept” or what “Catholics today believe” refer only to what that evershrinking remnant of Western Christians and Catholics believe. Such assertions are outrageous today, and as time goes by they will become ever further removed from reality - Philip Jenkins, p. 3

The era of Western Christianity has passed within our lifetimes, and the day of Southern Christianity is dawning. The fact of change itself is undeniable; it has happened, and will continue to happen. - Philip Jenkins, p. 3.

Number of Christians in the World

Number of Christians by Region 2000 versus 2025 From: Jenkins, p. 2 -3

Percentage of Christians by Region 2000 About 45% of all Christians live in Africa or Latin America; 60% of all Christians live in Africa, Asia or Latin America From: Jenkins, p. 2 -3

Percentage of Christians by Region 2025 One-half of all Christians will live in Africa or Latin America, and two-thirds of all Christians will live in Africa, Asia, or Latin America From: Jenkins, p. 2 -3

Strength Christian Denominations 2000 From: Jenkins, Table 4. 1, p. 61

Number of Catholics by Region 2000 versus 2025 Source: Table 9. 1, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 195

Percentage of Catholics by Region 2000 About two-thirds of all Catholics live in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. Source: Table 9. 1, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 195

Percentage of Catholics by Region 2025 Nearly three-quarters of all Catholics will live in Africa, Asia, or Latin America Source: Table 9. 1, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 195

Percentage of Christians 2050 n By 2050, only about one-fifth of Christians will be non-Hispanic whites. n ‘Soon, the phrase “a White Christian” may sound like a curious oxymoron, as mildly surprising as “a Swedish Buddhist”’ (Jenkins)

Decline of Christianity in Europe n The Church of England claims 25 million members. n Less than 1. 2 million (5%) of them attend services 5% of the French go to church regularly. n 15% of Italians go to church regularly. n

Decline of Christianity in Europe “About the decline, the statistics are unequivocal. But beneath and beyond that has been a strategic retreat into isolation where the spirit seems to be wilting. It has taken the form of a mood swing in which people have been preoccupied with taking stock, with the setting sun and lengthening shadows, with memorial armbands, with shades of gray, with requiem. As Sir Edward Grey declared, brooding over the dark clouds of his time, the lamps have gone out all over Europe. The religious imagination seems

Decline of Christianity in Europe to have been hit with a bout of melancholy as it labors with strains of “Abide with me, fast falls the eventide” and “The Day Thou gavest, Lord, is ended, / The darkness falls at Thy behest. ” It’s the solemn vespers without the Gloria, and is a far cry from the confident, robust tones of “Onward, Christian Soldiers, ” “The Son of God goes forth to war, ” or “Stand up, stand up for Jesus!”. . . Maybe too much history is a bad thing” - Lamin Sanneh, p. 30

Growth of Christianity in Africa Data from: Sanneh, p. 14 and Jenkins, p. 3

Growth of Christianity in Africa n n n Since 1965, the percent of population who are Christians has risen from 25% to 46%. 1960’s: Christians began to outnumber Muslims. 1985, there were 16, 500 new Christians a day, an annual rate of over 6 million. n n In the same period in Europe and North America: 4, 300 people were leaving the church each day. 2001: there were 23, 000 new Christians a day, an annual rate of 8. 4 million, of which 1. 5 million are new converts.

Growth of Christianity in Africa After the Colonial Period “… just as Europe’s northern tribes turned to the church after the decay of the Roman Empire, so Africans are embracing Christianity in the face of the massive political, social and economic chaos. ” - Kenneth Woodward

Growth of Christianity in Africa After the Colonial Period “Africa has become, or is becoming, a Christian continent in cultural as well as numerical terms, while on the same scale the West has become, or is rapidly becoming, a post-Christian society. ” - Sanneh, p. 36

Growth of Christianity in Africa After the Colonial Period “Black Africa today is totally inconceivable apart from the presence of Christianity” - Adrian Hastings, historian

The Renewal of a non. Western Religion

The Renewal of a Non-Western Religion As Christianity moves South, we are witnessing according to Ghanaian scholar Kwame Bediako, the “renewal of a non-Western religion”

The Myth of Christianity as a “Western” Religion n Popular Imagination and Media: Christianity is a Western phenomenon: Adopted by the Roman Empire n Grew within a European heartland n Exported on an unwilling world beginning in the colonial period as a thin veneer to cover European ambitions for empire n

The Myth of Christianity as a “Western” Religion n Reality: Christianity began in the Near East n For its first thousand years, it was stronger in Asia and North Africa than in Europe n During its first centuries, its heartland was Syria, Egypt, and Mesopotamia n

The Myth of Christianity as a “Western” Religion n Only one of the five ancient Patriarchates of the Church was in the West: Constantinople (“New Rome”) n Antioch n Jerusalem n Alexandria n Rome n

Map courtesy of the Friesian School, “Rome and Romania, 27 BC – 1453 BC” at www. friesian. com/romania. htm

The Myth of Christianity as a “Western” Religion n Christian missionaries fanned out from its Near East heart into all the known continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia

Spread of Christianity First Millennium

Distribution of Christians in Ancient and Medieval Times Mongol Invasion Islamic Conquests From Jenkins, Table 2. 1, page 24 Data from World Christian Encyclopedia

Christianity in Africa Year Based on a graphic in Isichei, A History of Christianity in Africa, page 46

Reasons for the Growth of Christianity in the Global South

Reasons for the Growth of Christianity 1. High general population growth in the Global South n 2. The continuing high rate of conversions to Christianity n

Reasons for the Growth of Christianity 1. High general population growth in the Global South n 2. The continuing high rate of conversions to Christianity n

Population Growth n 1950’s: only four countries had populations greater than 100 million: n United States, Soviet Union, China, India 2000: eight countries have populations greater than 100 million n 2050: seventeen countries are projected to have populations greater than 100 million n

Population Growth Most of the population growth is occurring in the Africa, South America, and Asia n Population of many European countries is declining because of low birth rates n

Ten Most Populous Countries in the World, 2050 Source: Table 5. 1, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 84

Most Populous Countries of the World, 2050 (#3 through #10) Source: Table 5. 1, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 84

Most Populous Countries of the World, 2050 (#11 through #20) Source: Table 5. 1, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 84

25 Most Populous Countries in the World, 2050 Source: Table 5. 1, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 84

Ten Largest Christian Communities, 2025 and 2050 Source: Table 5. 2, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 90

Ten Largest Christian Communities, 2050 Source: Table 5. 2, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 90

Largest Urban Populations, 2015 Source: Table 5. 3, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 93

#1. Tokyo, Japan, 28. 7 million

#2. Bombay / Mumbai, India, 27. 4 million

#3 Lagos, Nigeria, 24. 4 million

#4. Shanghai, China, 23. 4 million

#5. Jakarta, Indonesia, 21. 2 million

#6. Sao Paulo, Brazil, 20. 8 million

#7. Karachi, Pakistan, 20. 6 million

#8. Beijing, China, 19. 4 million

#9. Dhaka, Bangladesh, 19. 0 million

#10. Mexico, 18. 8 million

Urban Centers of Christianity …the centers of the church’s universality [are] no longer in Geneva, Rome, Athens, Paris, London, New York, but Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of the Congo), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and Manila (Philippines) - John Mbiti, Christianity in Africa, p. 154

Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Manila, Philippines

Reasons for the Growth of Christianity High general population growth in the Global South n The continuing high rate of conversions to Christianity n

Reasons for the Growth of Christianity High general population growth in the Global South n The continuing high rate of conversions to Christianity n

Reasons for the Growth of Christianity n n n The success of missionary efforts cannot be explained as mere kowtowing to civil authorities. “from the earliest days of the missionary enterprise, indigenous peoples found aspects of Christianity exciting, even intoxicating…” (Jenkins) “the new convert did not keep the discovery for individual consumption but took the message to others …” (Sundkler & Steed)

Reasons for the Growth of Christianity “We can suggest all sorts of reasons why Africans and Asians adopted Christianity, whether political, social, or cultural; but one all-too-obvious explanation is that individuals came to believe the message offered, and found this the best means of explaining the world around them. ” - Jenkins, p. 44

Reasons for the Growth of Christianity “Africans embraced Christianity because it resonated so well with the values of the old religions. . . People sensed in their hearts that Jesus did not mock their respect for the sacred or their clamor for an invincible Savior, so they beat their sacred drums for him until the stars skipped and danced in the skies. After that dance the stars weren’t little anymore. Christianity helped Africans to become renewed Africans, not remade Europeans. ” - Sanneh, p. 43

Reasons for the Growth of Christianity “It was not the mad logic of the Trinity that captivated him. He did not understand it. It was the poetry of the new religion, something felt in the marrow… He felt relief within as the hymn poured into his parched soul. The words of the hymn were like drops of frozen rain melting on the dry palate of the panting earth. ” - novelist Chinua Achebe (describing the impact of a sermon on a young Igbo man)

Significance of World Christianity for the West

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West 1. New ways of thinking about God, of worshiping God n 2. Source for Renewal of Western Christianity n 3. Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n 4. Conflict with Islam n

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West 1. New ways of thinking about God, of worshiping God n 2. Source for Renewal of Western Christianity n 3. Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n 4. Conflict with Islam n

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West New Ways of Thinking About God n Taking in of the gospel message by a new culture may bring new insights, new ways of thinking about God Just as new insights to the gospel grew from the taking in of the gospel by the Greek and Roman culture of New Testament times n The West can find a gospel embraced by a society not shaped by the Enlightenment n

“African Creed” of the Maasai Life is a journey of faith in a God who created the world and us out of love. n They once knew this High God in darkness, but now know this God in the light. n Jesus was: “a man in the flesh, a Jew by tribe, born poor in a little village, who left his home and was always on safari doing good, curing people by the power of God. ” until, n

“African Creed” of the Maasai He was rejected by his people, tortured, and nailed, hands and feet, to a cross, and died. n “He lay buried in the grave, but the hyenas did not touch him, and on the third day he rose from the grave. ” n “We are waiting for Him. He is alive. He lives. This we believe, Amen. ” n

Catholic Eucharistic Prayer (Africa Rite) O Father, Great Ancestor, we lack adequate words to thank you… O Great Ancestor, who lives on the brilliant mountain… Our Father, father of our ancestors, we are gathered to praise you and to thank you with our sacrifice

Confession of Faith of the Pygmies of the Congo In the beginning was God, Today is God, Tomorrow will be God. Who can make an image of God? He has no body. He is a word that comes out of your mouth. That word! It is no more, It is past, and still it lives! So is God.

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West 1. New ways of thinking about God, of worshiping God n 2. Source for Renewal of Western Christianity n 3. Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n 4. Conflict with Islam n

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West 1. New ways of thinking about God, of worshiping God n 2. Source for Renewal of Western Christianity n 3. Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n 4. Conflict with Islam n

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Renewal of Western Christianity “Be nice to whites, they need you to rediscover their humanity” - Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Renewal of Western Christianity One-sixth of priests in American Catholic Church come from other countries, often from the Global South. n There are currently 1500 missionaries in Britain from fifty nations, many expressing ‘disbelief at the spiritual desert they encounter in “this green and pagan land. ”’ n

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Renewal of Western Christianity “It was so depressing when I first arrived to find churches empty, and being sold, when in Uganda there is not enough room in our churches for the people. There is a great need for revival in Britain – it has become so secular and people so inward looking and individualistic. The country needs reconverting. ” - Stephen Tirwomwe, Ugandan missionary in the rustbelt of Northern England

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West 1. New ways of thinking about God, of worshiping God n 2. Source for Renewal of Western Christianity n 3. Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n 4. Conflict with Islam n

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West 1. New ways of thinking about God, of worshiping God n 2. Source for Renewal of Western Christianity n 3. Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n 4. Conflict with Islam n

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n Christianity in the Global South tends to be very conservative and orthodox. n There are exceptions – South Africa for example.

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Conflict with Western Liberal Thought “The most successful Southern Churches preach a deep personal faith, communal orthodoxy, mysticism, and puritanism, all founded on obedience to spiritual authority… Whereas Americans imagine a Church freed from hierarchy, superstition, and dogma, Southerners look back to one filled with spiritual power and able to exorcise the demonic forces that cause sickness and poverty. ” (Jenkins)

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n American Catholics who think the only barrier to a more progressive church (married priests, women priests, acceptance of birth control and abortion) is an out-of-touch, stodgy, conservative pope and Vatican hierarchy, are engaging in a typically Western, very parochial conceit. n The conservative leadership of the Roman church is very much in tune with the majority of its flock.

Percentage of Catholics by Region 2000 65% of all Catholics live in Africa, Asia, or Latin America. Source: Table 9. 1, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 195

Percentage of Catholics by Region 2025 Nearly 3/4 th of all Catholics Will live in Africa, Asia, or Latin America Source: Table 9. 1, in Jenkins, The Next Christendom. The Rise of Global Christianity, p. 195

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n Because of the relative autonomy of the churches (“Provinces”) within the Anglican Communion, conflicts between the more liberal Western Provinces and the more conservative Provinces of the Global South will not smolder “out of sight” under the blanket of a centralized hierarchy, but can fester in the open.

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n At the 1998 Lambeth Conference, the more liberal Anglicans from Western Churches found themselves consistently outvoted by Anglicans from the larger, more conservative Churches of Global South. n n The Conference passed Resolution 1: 10 on Human Sexuality, which stated that homosexual practice was incompatible with Scripture, and advised against the blessing of same sex unions and the ordaining of those involved in same sex unions. Since this was nonbinding, the Episcopal Church USA chose to disregard it, and consecrated the openly gay Bishop Gene Robinson on Nov. 2, 2003 in New Hampshire.

“We, Primates of the Global South, greet you in the name of our Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The actions of the Episcopal Church of the United States of America (ECUSA) in the election, confirmation, and consecration of Canon Gene Robinson have created a situation of grave concern for the entire Anglican Communion and beyond. . . By their actions, ECUSA has separated itself from the remainder of the Anglican Communion and the wider Christian family. ” - Statement of the Anglican Primates of Nigeria, West Indies, Southern Cone, Sudan, Kenya, Uganda, Congo, Tanzania, Central Africa, South India, Pakistan, South East Asia, Philippines, February 9, 2004

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n Four Instruments of Unity of the Anglican Communion: n 1. The Archbishop of Canterbury n n 2. The Lambeth Conference n n n Every 10 year meeting of all the bishops in the Anglican Communion Next meeting 2008. 3. The Anglican Consultative Council n n n The senior bishop of the Communion, first among equals. Meets every 2 -3 years, consisting of bishops, clergy and laity appointed by each of the Provinces. Last meeting was in 2002 in Hong Kong; next meeting is in Nottingham, England, June 2005 4. The Annual Primates Meeting n Regular meetings of the senior archbishops and bishops of the 38 Provinces, most recently Feb 20 -25, 2005, in Newry, Northern Ireland.

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n Four of Unity of. Annual the Anglican Communion: Feb. Instruments 25, 2005: The Primates at their Meeting requested the n American 1. The Archbishop of Canterbury Church voluntarily withdraw from the Anglican Consultative Council until the bishop next Lambeth Conference in 2008. n The senior of the Communion, first among equals. n Apr. 2. The Lambeth Conference 13, 2005: The Executive Committee of the ECUSA agreed to their n Every 10 year meeting of all the bishops in the Anglican Communion request. n Next meeting 2008. n 3. The Anglican Consultative Council n n n Meets every 2 -3 years, consisting of bishops, clergy and laity appointed by each of the Provinces. Last meeting was in 2002 in Hong Kong; next meeting is in Nottingham, England, June 2005 4. The Annual Primates Meeting n Regular meetings of the senior archbishops and bishops of the 38 Provinces, most recently Feb 20 -25, 2005, in Newry, Northern Ireland.

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West 1. New ways of thinking about God, of worshiping God n 2. Potential for Renewal of Western Christianity n 3. Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n 4. Conflict with Islam n

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West 1. New ways of thinking about God, of worshiping God n 2. Potential for Renewal of Western Christianity n 3. Conflict with Western Liberal Thought n 4. Conflict with Islam n

Significance of the Growth of World Christianity for the West Conflict with Islam n Some writers have suggested a new age of Christian crusades from the Christian South may compete with Muslim jihads and plunge the world into chronic conflict

Distribution of Muslims Source: CIA

Distribution of Muslims

Most Populous Countries in the World, 2050 Overwhelmingly Muslim Mainly Muslim; signif. Christian Minorities Overwhelmingly Christian Mainly Christian; signif. Muslim Minorities Christian and Muslim, neither with majority Source: Jenkins, Table 8. 1, p. 167, and Table 5. 1, page 84

“As the media have striven in recent years to present Islam in a more sympathetic light, they have tended to suggest that Islam, not Christianity, is the rising faith of Africa and Asia, the authentic or default religion of the world’s huddled masses. But Christianity is not only surviving in the global South, it is enjoying a radical revival, a return to scriptural roots. We are living in revolutionary times. ” - Philip Jenkins

The era of Western Christianity has passed within our lifetimes, and the day of Southern Christianity is dawning. The fact of change itself is undeniable; it has happened, and will continue to happen. - Philip Jenkins, p. 3.

Worshippers gatheredconsecration at the Cathedral Church For the unprecedented of ten References of the Advent, Abuja, Nigeria … of new bishops in the Anglican Church Nigeria, March 13, 2005. The Next Christendom. The Coming of Global Christianity. Philip Jenkins. Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0 -19 -514616 -6 n Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel Beyond the West. Lamin Sanneh. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 2003. ISBN 08028 -2164 -2 n Maps are public domain; the majority are from the CIA 2003 World Factbook n

For the unprecedented consecration of ten new bishops in the Anglican Church of Nigeria, March 13, 2005.

References The Next Christendom. The Coming of Global Christianity. Philip Jenkins. Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0 -19 -514616 -6 n Whose Religion is Christianity? The Gospel Beyond the West. Lamin Sanneh. Eerdmans Publishing, Grand Rapids, MI, 2003. ISBN 08028 -2164 -2 n Maps are public domain; the majority are from the CIA 2003 World Factbook n