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Summary: The Threshold of a Global View of Christ
Review: The author argues we stand at the threshold of historical point, one that is as important at the original Reformation. Historians will regard the twenty-first century as the time when religion replace ideology as the motivating force in human affairs.The first Reformation marked an end to the status quo in religious affairs; relations between religions and governments, to say nothing of relations between dominations because symbiotic, chaotic and often violent. The Reformation, and the Counter-Reformation it provoked, touched every manner of life, not just the practice of religion. Christianity, today, is experiencing a worldwide resurgence that coincides with an ebbing of religion in what is now the Christian West. News reports are filled with incidents demonstrating the growth of an often angry Islam. Yet in its variety, vitality and reach, the author says, Christianity will leave the deepest mark on this new century. Only the foolish would venture specific predictions about the nature of the religious picture 100 years from now, but it is certain to have an outsized influence on human affairs, guiding concepts and attitudes of political liberty, the nation state, conflicts and wars. This is a thought provoking book, one that will shake the self-centered beliefs of western readers to their core.
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Summary: Helpful, though lacking, assessment of Christianity's future
Review: The main thesis that Philip Jenkins ably attempts to prove in his book, The Next Christendom, is that Christianity is shifting from a northern hemisphere-dominated religion to a southern-centered world religion. At the same time that the numerical force of Christianity has been essentially dying in Europe (and to a lesser extent the United States), "over the past century... the center of gravity in the Christian world has shifted inexorably southward, to Africa, Asia, and Latin America" (2). Also, while the church has become largely secularized in the north, the southern church is mainly conservative and traditional in its beliefs. Unfortunately, Jenkins takes a while to define his terms. He spends several pages explaining his understanding of the idea of Christendom very nearly like the medieval idea of "a true overarching unity and a focus of loyalty transcending mere kingdoms or empires" (10). But it is not until page 88 that he formulates a definition of a Christian as "someone who describes himself or herself as Christian, who believes that Jesus is not merely a prophet or an exalted moral teacher, but in some unique sense the Son of God, and the messiah" (88). The early chapters are spent establishing his thesis through several lines of evidence. In chapter 2, Jenkins makes a broad historical survey of Christianity in order to demonstrate that it is not inherently Western. He shows that Christianity has been from the earliest of times a very strong force in both Africa and Asia. In addition, chapter 3 questions much of the missionary enterprise in its spreading of Christianity. Despite its faults, Jenkins concedes that the reason that cultures accepted the new faith was that they "found this the best means of explaining the world around them" (44). Finally, in chapter 4, in order to bolster his thesis Jenkins surveys the demographics of much of the world. He describes the dynamics of the interaction between the Pentecostal and Roman Catholic churches in Latin America. He also depicts the strength of the church in such countries as Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, South Africa, China, and South Korea. Jenkins finally attempts to explain the cause of Christianity's current success as residing in its meeting social needs (75), its sense of community (76), and even its miracles (77). In chapter 5, Jenkins shifts his focus from yesterday's and today's situation to the trends that are forming tomorrow's. He concedes the dangers of predicting what the world will look like in 50 years. However, no one can deny such trends as the decline of the populations of Europe and Japan (81-82) and the equally startling boom in the populations of the southern countries of Africa and Latin America (83-85). Population growth is relatively easy to observe, and assuming that the religious distribution remains roughly the same, Christianity will continue to grow in the coming years. "However, recent history suggests that [sub-Saharan] churches will expand by evangelization," making the Christian population grow at even a greater pace (90). The evidence Jenkins uses to support his claims comes not just from Africa but also from the Philippines, Europe and the United States. Jenkins' most disappointing work is found in chapter 6. He attempts to combat what he calls the assumption "that what is traditionally done in Europe or North America is correct and authentic" (109). While this assumption is false if accepted blindly and wholesale, Jenkins' claim is that the European culture formed Christianity into what it is in the West. He seems to leave no place for Christianity actually forming a culture. Rather, he says, "Presumably if the course of Christian history had run differently, then other societies would have succeeded in spreading their distinctive cultural vision across the world" (110). Supposedly, practice determines beliefs, rather than vice versa (115). Jenkins does not seem to leave open the possibility of an objective, unchanging standard to which all cultures must conform. The shape of Christianity, purportedly, is relative to the culture in which it is found. On the other hand, chapter 7 explores how the beliefs of Christianity are being applied in today's world around the globe. Even here, however, he fails to recognize that the way a people lives or a government governs is an expression of what they believe. He makes no connection between the prosperity of the West with the fundamentally Christian principles upon which that prosperity is based. Chapter 8 describes the current and coming interaction between Christianity and Islam. His prognosis includes violence between the religions. But "in the world as a whole, there is no question that the threat of intolerance and persecution chiefly comes from the Islamic side of the equation" (170). Battles will be fought in countries like Sudan (171), Egypt (172), Nigeria (173-75), Pakistan (175), and Indonesia (176). He also briefly mentions Christianity's future relations with Hinduism and Buddhism. The remainder of the book (chapters 9-10) is left to shorter statements about the future of Christianity. He discusses the Roman Catholic church and such conservative statements within that body as Dominus Jesus (197). He addresses issues of gender roles, the south's evangelization of the north, the Bible, and poverty. All in all, Jenkins demonstrates a greater ability in observing demographic trends than he does in making general assertions about the dynamics of Christianity. His general thesis is undeniable based on his evidence. However, he lacks an eschatological vision based on the teaching of the Bible to lend any real authority to his claims. Indeed, Christians may assert with confident assurance that Christianity will grow until it covers the earth (Isaiah 11:9), even as Christ now reigns on His throne until He puts all His enemies under His feet (1 Corinthians 15:5).
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Summary: The Next Crusade
Review: The title of this review comes from a chapter in Jenkins' book that outlines the global conflict between Christianity and Islam that is taking place and emerging in the Third World due to religious persecution by Moslem authorities. Contrary to conventional liberal thinking in the West, traditional and theologically conservative Christianity is booming in the Third World, while Islam is also growing. Jenkins points out that the assumption that Islam will overtake Christianity in the Third World is baseless. He rightly urges Westerners to drop their parochialism and recognize that one of the most powerful forces on the world stage is booming and expanding Third World Christianity. Jenkins' book is an excellent guide to a future in which religious conflict will become more important on the world stage as Third World Christians challenge Moslem persecution. While this is a troubling scenario, the book also presents good news for those in the West who defend traditional Christianity. Their best allies are in the Third World.
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Summary: Fascinating study on the metamorphosis of Christianity
Review: This is a fascinating book. The author's style is lively and easy to read. He imparts much original knowledge well supported by demographics studies within a short book.
The author uncovers many blind spots of Western geopolitics. Contrary to the consensus, Christianity will remain more prevalent than Islam. Jenkins studying demographics observes that the most rapidly growing countries are in Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. From these demographic projections, he concludes that by 2050, there still will be 50% more Christians than Muslims due to the prevalence of Christianity in both Africa and Latin America.
Christianity's center is moving away from the West. In 1900, Europe, North America and the former Soviet Union (Northern Christians) represented 32% of Christians; while Africa and Latin America (Southern Christians) accounted for only 13%. However, in 2000 the Southern Christians grew to 21%, while the Northern Christians shrank to 18%. By 2050, the Southern Christians will account for 29% and the Northern Christians only 11%. Astonishingly, the Southern Christians' growth accelerated after the decolonization from the West (after 1960). This means that the Southern Christians adopted their own indigenous, independent style of Christianity.
Christianity will become increasingly unrecognizable to the West. The Southern Christians' religion is as different as Islam from a Western point of view. The Southern Christianity is much more conservative, fundamentalist in beliefs and teachings. It takes both the Old and New Testaments literally. It retains a strong supernatural orientation associated with the possibility of miracles in current daily lives, prophecies, visions, ecstatic utterances, and healings that are supported by literal readings of the Bible. The Southern Christians are extremely conservative, vehemently anti-abortion, against women's rights, and intolerant towards homosexuality. Also, they do not believe in the separation of Church and State.
The West influence on the course of Christianity will dwindle. The Southern Christians views do and will increasingly prevail. Because of the demographic shifts associated with the rising predominance of Southerners, the latter's influence on Christianity is rising. Currently, 40% of the cardinals who engage in papal election are Southerners. This percent should rise rapidly. Soon, the election of an African pope with extremely conservative views will be inevitable. The progressive and secular views of Northern Christians are ignored by the Vatican.
The Southerners' influence is not only external, but internal within Western societies. In both Europe, and the U.S. a rising percentage of Christians are Southern Christian immigrants. Indeed, many Africans emigrate to Europe. They sometimes speak of the rechristianization of Europe. Also, Latin Americans emigrate to the U.S. This is especially true for Mexicans. By 2050, there will be 100 million Hispanics in the U.S. (the majority being from Mexico) who will represent the third largest block of Hispanics in the World (behind Brazil and Mexico). Thus, the type of Catholicism prevalent in the U.S. will change over the next half century. This will be true for Protestantism too. One of the most rapid growing religions is a derivative of Protestantism called Pentecostalism with deep roots in Latin America. Pentecostals who have a growing presence in the U.S. are expected to number one billion by 2050. Pentecostalism is very different than Protestantism, as it is associated with beliefs in spirits, and personal spiritual revelations that supersede Biblical authority.
Violent clashes between Islam and Christendom will exacerbate. Islam is going through an intolerant fanatical phase rendering conflicts with Christians more frequent and violent. In the majority of conflicts, Muslims are the aggressors. This trend is expected to continue. Sudan is a typical situation where Arab Muslims are killing Black Christians. Often religious bigotry has an economic element such as in Indonesia where 2000 Chinese Christians were killed by Muslims in 1998. The Chinese Christians belong to a mercantile class that control a good part of commerce in Indonesia. Clashes between Muslims and Christians are likely within States that seemed evenly divided within the two (Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania) where Muslims dominate but with a large Christian minority (Indonesia, Egypt, Sudan) and where Christians dominate with a large Muslim minority (Philippines, Zaire, Uganda, and Germany). Often Muslim minorities demand changing a State's governance to Sharia Islamic Law. This eliminates women's freedom, and typically causes civil unrest and bloodshed. Conflagrations between the Christian Philippines and nearby Islamic Indonesia are likely. Finally, there is the unique situation of the former Soviet Union. Several of the former satellite States have now a strong majority of Muslims (Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan) where Muslim fundamentalists have organized guerilla campaigns. Their goal is to create a large and rigid Islamic State in Central Asia. Thus, Christian Orthodox Russia could find itself surrounded by Islamic states. Thus, the Chechnya situation could become one among many as conflicts between Central Asian Muslims and Russia expand through the region.
Traditional allegiance between the West and Southern Christianity will be severely tested. This is true for several reasons. The first one is that the West will feel progressively estranged from the conservative anti-secular Christianity practiced by the Third World where these clashes occur. Secondly, Western liberals are uncomfortable taking stands against Islam. Thirdly, Islam includes many OPEC members that provide oil to the West. This handcuffs the West from taking strong stand against many Islamic states (Saudi Arabia being one). Because of all these reasons, the West may often support the Muslim side against the Christian one. In other words, the West because of both religious and political reasons will sometimes find itself engaged in cultural wars against Christianity.
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Summary: an important issue covered in little depth
Review: While Jenkins draws attention to an important phenomenon -- the incredible growth of conservative strains of Christianity in Asia, Latin America, and Africa -- he does so in a rather shallow manner. What could have been a detailed analysis of the different histories and strains of Christianity in the "global South" becomes mostly basic demography and speculation about the future. The demographics aren't even that sophisticated, treating the nation as the basic unit despite the wide differences in population between nations. His predictions of the impact of Southern Christianity on the established churches are based solely on numbers of believers, completely ignoring issues of power and economics that could shape the relative clout of different factions, not to mention the interactions of various theological propositions. He lumps all Southern Christians into one group, and in ignoring the differences among them he leaves us with little sense of their theologies, beyond the idea that they're largely Pentecostal and morally conservative. Finally, he indulges in a great deal of apocalyptic "clash of civilizations" prognostication. Jenkins' book is, at best, an introduction to the issue.
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Summary: Provocative and methodically researched
Review: With the astounding growth rates of many countries in the Two-Thirds World, the face of Christianity is sure to change. Countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America are experiencing dramatic population explosions which will have religious repercussions, Phillip Jenkins argues in The Next Christendom. These nations practice mysticism, puritanism, exorcism, and other religious practices that are often dismissed by Western Christians, and these nations have adopted more conservative stances on social issues compared to their Northern brethren. The Old Christendom of the Northern American and European nations will see changes in theology and liturgy as these Two-Thirds World nations gain a global majority in Protestant and Catholic circles, and leaders from these nations will redirect the course of Christian ideology when in power. The growth rates of Islamic countries parallels these Christian growth rates, and Jenkins believes this could create serious problems between Christian and Muslim states.
Throughout the book, Jenkins seeks to answer the following questions: "How will the global North change in response to the rise of a new global Christianity? Will its religious character remain Christian, perhaps with a powerful Southern cast? Or will it entirely lose its Christian character?" (191).
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