The New Faces of Christianity.

Book Review.

Jenkins, Philip. The New Faces of Christianity. Believing the Bible in the Global South. Oxford Press 2006
P.J.- Distinguished professor of History and Religious Studies at Pennsylvania State. Author of “The Next Christianity”.

Comment. Henry
I found this book very interesting. To make a comparison of Christianity in the Northern countries (Europe and North America) and Christianity in the Southern countries (Asia, India, Africa, and Latin American countries) makes for a fascinating read. The book includes a fair amount of history in terms of how the Bible has been read and how that relates to cultures and traditions.

There is a definite north-south tension among world wide Anglicans regarding what they feel the Bible teaches on subjects like homosexuality, literalism, supernatural elements, etc. Pentecostals and Roman Catholics have similar experiences as they read their Bible. These tensions are described in generalities.

Christianity is experiencing great growth in the global South. From 1900to 2000 the number grew from 10 million to 360 million. Two thirds of the Roman Catholic Church lives in the global South. By 2025 this proportion is expected to rise to 75 percent. (How do such statistics impact our traditional evangelical view of the ’10-40 window’ concept?) It is important to have clarity of definition when we use terms such as fundamental, liberal and conservative in describing comparisons between the North and the South.

“Understanding the means by which the Bible is understood and communicated allows us to appreciate the special weight of authority that the text bears in global South churches.” (19) The high value the South places on the Bible and its contents is due to the recent advent of literacy and the perceived power of the book. Scripture is experienced communally.

Christian converts from Islam are coming from a value system that values a Holy Book. The power of story experienced in the Bible is welcome. They respond to Bible truth presented by film and video. “African exegesis is need-driven and faith oriented.” (35) There is a high regard for the physical presence of the Bible when miracles take place.

The past social cultures of those in the South give those Christians a greater acceptance of Old Testament teaching. An animal sacrificial system and the high value placed on family and ancestry are not difficult for them to accept. Being accountability to a divinity was part of many pagan religious cultures. Their own present experience makes it easy to relate to the famines, poverty and famine of Old Testament Hebrews. War and natural disasters have been experienced by many Southern believers. Food and faith are often closely related. Northerners and Southerners have contrasting views on good and evil. Southerners are into healings and the reality of the demonic.

Many Southerners have first hand experience with persecution and martyrdom. There are stories of progress and even victory by those who have become proactive to bring about change and vindication. They receive inspiration from many Old Testament stories.

Although the movement to emancipate women is in its beginning stage “the impact of Christianity on women’s lives remains impressive”. (158) There are examples of women in leadership in some pagan cultures of the past. When Christianity was introduced to Southern countries it was very much dominated by male leadership. The feminist movement is gaining momentum. Widowhood is still very harsh.

Culture is crucial in how the Bible is read and how truths are interpreted and how they affect all areas of life. The greatest contrast between North and South is in the area of healing. Faith is decaying in the North but in the South there is a “resurgence of primitive (early, first century) Christianity” (185).