The Changing Face of Christianity: Africa, the West, and the World [Paperback]

Lamin Sanneh (Editor), Joel A. Carpenter (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 10, 2005

Over the past century, Christianity's place and role in the world have changed dramatically. In 1900, 80 percent of the world's Christians lived in Europe and North America. Today, more than 60 percent of the world's Christians live outside of that region. This change calls for a reexamination of the way the story of Christianity is told, the methodological tools for its analysis, and its modes of expression. Perhaps most significant is the role of Africa as the new Christian heartland. The questions and answers about Christianity and its contemporary mission now being developed in the African churches will have enormous influence in the years to come. This volume offers nine new essays addressing this sea-change and its importance for the future of Christianity. Some contributions consider the development of "non-Western" forms of Christianity, others look at the impact of these new Christianities in the West. The authors cover a wide range of topics, from the integration of witchcraft and Christianity in Nigeria and the peacemaking role of churches in Mozambique to the American Baptist reception of Asian Christianity. The Changing Face of Christianity shows the striking cultural differences between the new world Christianity and its western counterpart. But with so many new immigrants in Europe and North America, the faith's fault lines are not purely geographical. The new Christianity now thrives in American and European settings, and northerners need to know this faith better. At stake is their ability to be good neighbors-and perhaps to be good Christian citizens of the world.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lamin Sanneh is Professor of History and D. Willis James Professor of World Christianity at Yale University. He is the author, most recently, of Whose Religion Is Christianity?: The Gospel beyond the West (2003). Joel A. Carpenter is Provost and Professor of History at Calvin College. He is the author of Revive Us Again: The Reawakening of American Fundamentalism (OUP, 1997).

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (March 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195177282
• ISBN-13: 978-0195177282
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,375,199 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars hard for me to get through, May 3, 2006

By 

Wes "Wes" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Changing Face of Christianity: Africa, the West, and the World (Paperback)

I really enjoy christian theology but this book just didn't grab me. The information is great and that is exactally what the book is for. If you're looking for something to read for pleasure this is not your book. But if you're doing research you should definately check this out. Just don't read it when you're tierd.