Gina Zurlo | Harvard Divinity School (original) (raw)
Papers by Gina Zurlo
Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean
Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean, edited by Kenneth R. Ross, Ana María Bidegain, a... more Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean, edited by Kenneth R. Ross, Ana María Bidegain, and Todd M. Johnson. Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity series.
Missions and Money: Global Realities and Challenges, 2022
Missions and Money: Global Realities and Challenges, edited by Jonathan J. Bonk, Michael D. Diste... more Missions and Money: Global Realities and Challenges, edited by Jonathan J. Bonk, Michael D. Distefano, J. Nelson Jennings, Jinbong Kim, Jae Hoon Lee
Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies, 2022
Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies, edited by Kirsteen Kim and Alison Fitchett-Climenhaga
World Christianity: History, Methodologies, Horizons, 2021
World Christianity: History, Methodologies, Horizons, edited by Jehu Hanciles
Oxford Handbook of Religion and Europe, 2021
Oxford Handbook of Religion and Europe, edited by Grace Davie and Lucian N. Luestean,
Christianity in Oceania, 2021
From the Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity series
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2023
The annual statistical table from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. Original artic... more The annual statistical table from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. Original article:
Gina A. Zurlo, Todd M. Johnson, and Peter F. Crossing, "World Christianity 2023: A Gendered Approach", International Bulletin of Mission Research
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022
Evangelical Christians are among the most hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This study examin... more Evangelical Christians are among the most hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This study examined the extent to which COVID-19 vaccination uptake among Evangelicals is explained by demographic characteristics, Health Belief Model constructs, and faith-based support factors. Survey research firm Qualtrics recruited 531 U.S. adults and conducted a survey to explore predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among people who self-identified as Evangelicals in September 2021.
A logistic regression showed that those reporting high perceived benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine were more likely to be vaccinated, while those reporting high perceived barriers were less likely to be vaccinated. Those whose healthcare provider asked them about the vaccine were more likely to
be vaccinated than those whose healthcare provider did not ask. Finally, while those who reported information seeking from religious leaders were less likely to be vaccinated, those who reported more faith-based support for vaccination were more likely to be vaccinated. In addition to beliefs about
benefits and barriers to vaccination, the role of healthcare providers and clergy were important factors influencing vaccination status. Intervention efforts that capitalize on partnerships between health providers and clergy in supportive congregations may be able to reach undecided Evangelicals.
Christianity in South and Central Asia
The religious makeup of a continent has significant implications not only on beliefs and attitude... more The religious makeup of a continent has significant implications not only on beliefs and attitudes of a population, but on politics, economics, and a host of other societal issues. The demographic profile of South and Central Asia is very religiously diverse, with six religions over 1% of the region’s population: Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Ethnoreligionists (traditional religion), Buddhists, and Sikhs. Of these six major religions, Hindus are the largest (59% of the region) and Muslims experienced the fastest growth between 1970 and 2015, with 28.7% of the population in 2015. No country in the region holds a majority Christian population, despite its a long history in the region, and in most countries, Christians represent less than 10% of the population. The region is home to historic Catholic and Orthodox Christian communities as well as newer Protestant and Independent groups.
International Bulletin of Mission Research
This article marks the thirty-seventh year of including statistical information on World Christia... more This article marks the thirty-seventh year of including statistical information on World Christianity and mission in the International Bulletin of Mission Research. This year it includes details on some of the most frequently asked questions in quantifying mission and global Christianity: the number of missionaries worldwide, global access to the gospel, and the burgeoning Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. The article also provides brief methodological reflections on how the future of this kind of research might change, given the realities of COVID-19.
Journal of World Christianity
This article argues that David Barrett’s (1927–2011) World Christian Encyclopedia (1982) presente... more This article argues that David Barrett’s (1927–2011) World Christian Encyclopedia (1982) presented the first comprehensive quantitative assessment of membership in all branches of the church and provided a new intellectual framework that shaped contemporary understandings of world Christianity. Barrett’s location in Nairobi, Kenya, with the Church Missionary Society during the rise of African nationalism and decolonization informed his perspective on world Christianity. Like the African Independent Churches he studied, Barrett broke off from the missionary establishment and supported “schismatic” African groups. Barrett’s experience in Kenya illustrated how influential the growth of African Christianity was in reshaping definitions of world Christianity. He was the first person to quantify religious adherence of all kinds and to represent all of world Christianity together. The World Christian Encyclopedia indicated that a new era of world Christianity had come, and its center of gravity had moved from white Europe to black Africa.
International Bulletin of Mission Research
This article marks the thirty-sixth year of including statistical information on World Christiani... more This article marks the thirty-sixth year of including statistical information on World Christianity and mission in the International Bulletin of Mission Research. We report on some of the major findings of the new World Christian Encyclopedia, 3rd edition (Edinburgh University Press, 2019), including the fall and rise of the world’s Christian population, the continued shift of Christianity to the Global South, the decline of religious liberty, and complicating trends in mission.
Journal of World Christianity
Most scholars know that world Christianity is inherently interdisciplinary, that it can be studie... more Most scholars know that world Christianity is inherently interdisciplinary, that it can be studied from different methodological perspectives. While world Chris-tianity is often studied through historical and theological lenses, the application of the social sciences-in particular quantitative methods-is a little more fuzzy. This article looks backward and forward to reflect on methodological approaches to studying world Christianity. Looking backward, it highlights the work of missionary statistician David Barrett as it developed for the World Christian Encyclopedia. The Encyclopedia provided an intellectual framework for reconstructing Christianity in a world after colonialism. Looking forward, the article offers some thoughts on why it is not always clear how to incorporate quantitative social science into world Christianity studies and looks genea-logically at the history of "Christian" sociology in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The article concludes with a methodological challenge for world Christianity scholars.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2019
This article marks the thirty-fifth year of presenting statistical information on world Christian... more This article marks the thirty-fifth year of presenting statistical information on world Christianity and mission. This year, we report on three gaps in the literature, concerning women in world Christianity and mission, the status of short-term mission (STM), and missions and money. There are few quantitative studies on women in world Christianity; there remains a dearth in the literature on the magnitude and impact of STM (which is particularly US-centric); and Christian finance, now $60 trillion in personal income, is vastly under-researched in global studies.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2019
This article marks the thirty-fifth year of presenting statistical information on world Christian... more This article marks the thirty-fifth year of presenting statistical information on world Christianity and mission. This year, we report on three gaps in the literature, concerning women in world Christianity and mission, the status of short-term mission (STM), and missions and money. There are few quantitative studies on women in world Christianity; there remains a dearth in the literature on the magnitude and impact of STM (which is particularly US-centric); and Christian finance, now $60 trillion in personal income, is vastly under-researched in global studies.
Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean
Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean, edited by Kenneth R. Ross, Ana María Bidegain, a... more Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean, edited by Kenneth R. Ross, Ana María Bidegain, and Todd M. Johnson. Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity series.
Missions and Money: Global Realities and Challenges, 2022
Missions and Money: Global Realities and Challenges, edited by Jonathan J. Bonk, Michael D. Diste... more Missions and Money: Global Realities and Challenges, edited by Jonathan J. Bonk, Michael D. Distefano, J. Nelson Jennings, Jinbong Kim, Jae Hoon Lee
Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies, 2022
Oxford Handbook of Mission Studies, edited by Kirsteen Kim and Alison Fitchett-Climenhaga
World Christianity: History, Methodologies, Horizons, 2021
World Christianity: History, Methodologies, Horizons, edited by Jehu Hanciles
Oxford Handbook of Religion and Europe, 2021
Oxford Handbook of Religion and Europe, edited by Grace Davie and Lucian N. Luestean,
Christianity in Oceania, 2021
From the Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity series
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2023
The annual statistical table from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. Original artic... more The annual statistical table from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. Original article:
Gina A. Zurlo, Todd M. Johnson, and Peter F. Crossing, "World Christianity 2023: A Gendered Approach", International Bulletin of Mission Research
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022
Evangelical Christians are among the most hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This study examin... more Evangelical Christians are among the most hesitant to get the COVID-19 vaccine. This study examined the extent to which COVID-19 vaccination uptake among Evangelicals is explained by demographic characteristics, Health Belief Model constructs, and faith-based support factors. Survey research firm Qualtrics recruited 531 U.S. adults and conducted a survey to explore predictors of COVID-19 vaccine uptake among people who self-identified as Evangelicals in September 2021.
A logistic regression showed that those reporting high perceived benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine were more likely to be vaccinated, while those reporting high perceived barriers were less likely to be vaccinated. Those whose healthcare provider asked them about the vaccine were more likely to
be vaccinated than those whose healthcare provider did not ask. Finally, while those who reported information seeking from religious leaders were less likely to be vaccinated, those who reported more faith-based support for vaccination were more likely to be vaccinated. In addition to beliefs about
benefits and barriers to vaccination, the role of healthcare providers and clergy were important factors influencing vaccination status. Intervention efforts that capitalize on partnerships between health providers and clergy in supportive congregations may be able to reach undecided Evangelicals.
Christianity in South and Central Asia
The religious makeup of a continent has significant implications not only on beliefs and attitude... more The religious makeup of a continent has significant implications not only on beliefs and attitudes of a population, but on politics, economics, and a host of other societal issues. The demographic profile of South and Central Asia is very religiously diverse, with six religions over 1% of the region’s population: Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Ethnoreligionists (traditional religion), Buddhists, and Sikhs. Of these six major religions, Hindus are the largest (59% of the region) and Muslims experienced the fastest growth between 1970 and 2015, with 28.7% of the population in 2015. No country in the region holds a majority Christian population, despite its a long history in the region, and in most countries, Christians represent less than 10% of the population. The region is home to historic Catholic and Orthodox Christian communities as well as newer Protestant and Independent groups.
International Bulletin of Mission Research
This article marks the thirty-seventh year of including statistical information on World Christia... more This article marks the thirty-seventh year of including statistical information on World Christianity and mission in the International Bulletin of Mission Research. This year it includes details on some of the most frequently asked questions in quantifying mission and global Christianity: the number of missionaries worldwide, global access to the gospel, and the burgeoning Pentecostal/Charismatic movement. The article also provides brief methodological reflections on how the future of this kind of research might change, given the realities of COVID-19.
Journal of World Christianity
This article argues that David Barrett’s (1927–2011) World Christian Encyclopedia (1982) presente... more This article argues that David Barrett’s (1927–2011) World Christian Encyclopedia (1982) presented the first comprehensive quantitative assessment of membership in all branches of the church and provided a new intellectual framework that shaped contemporary understandings of world Christianity. Barrett’s location in Nairobi, Kenya, with the Church Missionary Society during the rise of African nationalism and decolonization informed his perspective on world Christianity. Like the African Independent Churches he studied, Barrett broke off from the missionary establishment and supported “schismatic” African groups. Barrett’s experience in Kenya illustrated how influential the growth of African Christianity was in reshaping definitions of world Christianity. He was the first person to quantify religious adherence of all kinds and to represent all of world Christianity together. The World Christian Encyclopedia indicated that a new era of world Christianity had come, and its center of gravity had moved from white Europe to black Africa.
International Bulletin of Mission Research
This article marks the thirty-sixth year of including statistical information on World Christiani... more This article marks the thirty-sixth year of including statistical information on World Christianity and mission in the International Bulletin of Mission Research. We report on some of the major findings of the new World Christian Encyclopedia, 3rd edition (Edinburgh University Press, 2019), including the fall and rise of the world’s Christian population, the continued shift of Christianity to the Global South, the decline of religious liberty, and complicating trends in mission.
Journal of World Christianity
Most scholars know that world Christianity is inherently interdisciplinary, that it can be studie... more Most scholars know that world Christianity is inherently interdisciplinary, that it can be studied from different methodological perspectives. While world Chris-tianity is often studied through historical and theological lenses, the application of the social sciences-in particular quantitative methods-is a little more fuzzy. This article looks backward and forward to reflect on methodological approaches to studying world Christianity. Looking backward, it highlights the work of missionary statistician David Barrett as it developed for the World Christian Encyclopedia. The Encyclopedia provided an intellectual framework for reconstructing Christianity in a world after colonialism. Looking forward, the article offers some thoughts on why it is not always clear how to incorporate quantitative social science into world Christianity studies and looks genea-logically at the history of "Christian" sociology in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The article concludes with a methodological challenge for world Christianity scholars.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2019
This article marks the thirty-fifth year of presenting statistical information on world Christian... more This article marks the thirty-fifth year of presenting statistical information on world Christianity and mission. This year, we report on three gaps in the literature, concerning women in world Christianity and mission, the status of short-term mission (STM), and missions and money. There are few quantitative studies on women in world Christianity; there remains a dearth in the literature on the magnitude and impact of STM (which is particularly US-centric); and Christian finance, now $60 trillion in personal income, is vastly under-researched in global studies.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2019
This article marks the thirty-fifth year of presenting statistical information on world Christian... more This article marks the thirty-fifth year of presenting statistical information on world Christianity and mission. This year, we report on three gaps in the literature, concerning women in world Christianity and mission, the status of short-term mission (STM), and missions and money. There are few quantitative studies on women in world Christianity; there remains a dearth in the literature on the magnitude and impact of STM (which is particularly US-centric); and Christian finance, now $60 trillion in personal income, is vastly under-researched in global studies.
Women in World Christianity: Building and Sustaining a Global Movement is the first textbook to f... more Women in World Christianity: Building and Sustaining a Global Movement is the first textbook to focus on women’s experiences in the founding, spread, and continuation of the Christian faith. Integrating historical, theological, and social scientific approaches to World Christianity, this innovative volume centers women’s perspectives to illustrate their key role in Christianity becoming a world religion, including how they sustain the faith in the present and their expanding role in the future.
In 1982, David B. Barrett released his 1,000-page World Christian Encyclopedia, which presented a... more In 1982, David B. Barrett released his 1,000-page World Christian Encyclopedia, which presented a comprehensive quantitative assessment of World Christianity for the first time. This book is the first historical project to analyze Barrett’s archival materials, which shed light not only on the production of the Encyclopedia, but more importantly, on the development of World Christianity as a discipline and the importance of both African Christianity and quantitative perspectives in its history. This book captures innovations at the intersection of World Christianity, mission studies, and the sociology of religion – the kind of interdisciplinary research that makes World Christianity studies unique.
Christianity is now a majority-global South religion, with more believers living in Africa, Asia,... more Christianity is now a majority-global South religion, with more believers living in Africa, Asia, and Latin America than in Europe and North America. However, most Americans have little exposure to Christians around the world.
In addition, the United States is still the country that sends the most international missionaries. While many American churches support missionaries overseas, they may not understand the beliefs, practices, histories, and challenges Christians experience abroad.
Global Christianity is an accessible quick-reference guide to the global church. Filled with at-a-glance maps and charts, it puts relevant and up-to-date information into the hands of churches, mission organizations, and individuals. Useful for prayer, missions, outreach, and study of the global church, this is the new standard resource on the world's largest religion.
Understand Christianity within each continent, country, tradition, and movement with:
Current demographic information from the United Nations
Research from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity
A focus on historical, sociological, political, and religious contexts
"Things to consider" within each local context, such as political conflicts, church-state relations, religious freedom, gender equality, education, health, economics, and climate change.
This resource will satisfy those looking for background on the global church and equip individuals and churches to strategically pray for, give to, and unite with fellow Christians around the world.
The World Christian Encyclopedia, now in its 3rd edition, documents the changing status of World ... more The World Christian Encyclopedia, now in its 3rd edition, documents the changing status of World Christianity over the past 120 years from historical and social scientific perspectives. It records the continued shift of Christianity to the Global South and contains estimates for religious and nonreligious affiliation in every country of the world, including detail on Christianity to the denominational level. This reference work features comprehensive descriptions of all Christian traditions, including current information on the uniqueness of Christian experiences around the world.
The 2015 issue highlights both global and local realities in religious adherence, from the demogr... more The 2015 issue highlights both global and local realities in religious adherence, from the demographics of the world's atheists to the emigration of Christians from the Middle East. Other case studies include inter-religious marriage patterns in Austria, Muslim immigration to Australia, and methodological challenges in counting Hasidic Jews.