World Christianity Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

- by Michael McClymond
- •
- Pentecostalism, Charisma, Charismatic Christianity, World Christianity

Pour un cinquième de l’Église mondiale, le leadership s’exerce dans un contexte de persécution. Si la persécution et le leadership suscitent l’un et l’autre un intérêt croissant tant parmi les érudits que chez un public plus profane, il a été jusqu’ici mené peu de recherches au carrefour de ces deux domaines d’études, qui portent sur l’expérience du leadership face à la persécution. Cet article en appelle à une étude consciente et approfondie du leadership chrétien dans ce dernier contexte, qui prenne en compte les défis du témoignage à Jésus-Christ en pareilles circonstances, des perspectives bibliques, de la pertinence des théories du leadership et des profits à en retirer pour l’Église mondiale, notamment pour les communautés persécutées, pour les missionnaires et pour ceux jouissant d’un degré plus important de liberté religieuse. La théorie du leadership de Robert E. Quinn est un exemple de modèle de recherche prometteur, testé dans le cadre de l’étude du leadership de l’église Meserete Kristos, en Éthiopie, entre 1974 et 1991.

- by Brent L Kipfer
- •
- Christianity, Leadership, Christian Missions, Transformational Leadership
- by Joel Cruz
- •
- Latin American Studies, Historical Theology, History of Christianity, Church History
- by Ting GUO
- •
- Religion, Buddhism, Folklore, Ethnography

This paper analyzes the growth of Buloba over the years using the Revitalization movement theory. It’s believed that in the formative years, Buloba was a “dark place” to stay in. There were no roads connecting to the city of Kampala. The... more

- by Manase Ogola
- •
- World Christianity
- by Richard F Young
- •
- Historiography, History of Missions, World Christianity, Global Christianity

Christians have not been a major part of the mainstream debates in studies on Chinese diaspora and transnationalism. This chapter attempts to move Christianity into the centre of such conversations through the theme of identity. Specifically, it proposes that the diasporic Chinese Protestants were an integral part of the transnational Chinese communities that settled across the globe from the late nineteenth century to the present day by demonstrating how they synthesized their faith and various types of Chinese identities in order to form three dominant global Chinese Christian identities: evangelical identity, religious nationalism and religious ethnocentrism. In terms of evangelical identity, the chapter demonstrates how Protestants were motivated by their particular historical circumstances to appropriate evangelicalism as the primary means for shaping their respective diasporic cultures. For religious nationalism, I show how Protestant communities became transnational participants in China’s national salvation discourse. Such participation was seen by synthesizing their evangelical faith with nationalism and delimiting the projections of their identity within the bounds of the modern Chinese nation. Lastly, the study outlines the process of synthesis between faith and ethnic concern after World War II. It shows how different independent Chinese Protestant organizations constructed ethno-religious discourses as part of the process of forming the global Chinese Christian industry. These discourses include the unique ‘chosen’ status of Chinese Christians and their special concern for evangelizing the transnational Chinese communities. In all, the study suggests that the multiplicity of global Chinese Christianity affirms mainstream calls to examine the Chinese diaspora in all its diversity.

- by Peter-Ben Smit
- •
- Theology, Contextual Theologies, Ecumenical Theology, World Christianities
- by Robert J Priest
- •
- Missiology, Amazonia, World Christianities, World Christianity
- by Allan Varghese Meloottu and +1
- •
- World Christianity, History of Religon

In "Theology Today" 71/2 (2014):178-191.

- by Klaus Koschorke
- •
- Journalism History, Missionary History, Church History, History of Journalism

Many church leaders conclude that immigrant churches are not engaged in missions, based on a limited view of the geographic scope of missions. The "going principle" assumes that mission activity involves cross-cultural engagement, while the "staying principle" refers to embracing the local neighborhood where the church is located. While useful, both principles limit our vision of missional engagement. It is helpful to employ the theory of transnationalism to expand the notion of place and geography, allowing us to capture the full scope of missional engagement by many immigrant churches. The article concludes with a case study of Kerala Pentecostal churches. Many mission thinkers have considered diaspora churches not to be missional, since "they are not reaching their own communities and neighborhoods." Similarly, it is common to hear that such churches reach only their own people and that, unless they send cross-cultural missionaries, they are a missional failure. These sentiments are widely popular among leaders of dominant-culture churches and, unfortunately, shape the posture and tone for their engagement with immigrant churches. In assessing mission involvement, it would be better to set aside our prescriptive views of

- by Stanley John
- •
- Arabian Gulf, Diaspora and transnationalism, World Christianity, Migrant Churches
- by Zhixi (Jordan) WANG
- •
- Chinese Studies, Sinology, Chinese Theology, World Christianity
- by Kenneth L Parker
- •
- World Christianity

The 1890s saw a rapid expansion of mission schools in China, among which a number of theological seminaries were established or enlarged in order to provide Chinese Christian workers with a systematic education, rather than traditional short-term training courses. This article uses the Theological Institute of the London Missionary Society (LMS) in Tianjin 天津養正聖經學院 (which developed into the Tientsin Anglo-Chinese College 天津新學書院 (TACC) in 1902) as a case study, examining the shift in its educational intentions, perspectives and approaches from 1863 to 1902, in order to explore the factors that caused this shift and the possible impact it had on the students and the nature of mission education, as well as on the evolution of Christianity in China during this period.

- by Marina Wang
- •
- Education, Christian Education, Christian Missions, Modern Chinese History
- by Iap Sian Chin
- •
- Pentecostal Theology, Pentecostalism, Ecumenical dialogues, World Christianity

The University of Shanghai (滬江大學) was founded in 1906 as a co-operative effort between the Southern Baptist Convention [SBC] and the American Baptist Missionary Union [ABMU]. Herman C. E. Liu (劉湛恩) was appointed its first Chinese president in 1928 and had been highly esteemed in both Christian and Chinese educational circles. Although this article focuses on the history of the University of Shanghai during the period of 1928-1938, it firstly gives a brief account of the early history of the university, as well as the nationwide Anti-Christian Movement (1922-27), which resulted in the transition of the university leadership from foreign to Chinese. This article then examines how the university, under Liu’s leadership from 1928 to 1938, attempted to achieve the goal of ‘more Christian, more Chinese, and more efficient.’ It aims to explore the complexity of the interaction between a Christian institute and Chinese society, particularly in the face of fierce nationalist tensions. The history of the University of Shanghai reflects the trend of the evolution of a Christian establishment from its denominational (Baptist) background to a more general and diverse character, and from western to Chinese. This article argues that it was a natural step during the course of the growth of the ‘selfhood’ of Christianity in early twentieth-century China; meanwhile, however, it reveals an obliged response to a politically hostile environment. In addition, this paper argues that, while making itself more indigenous and relevant to Chinese society, the university was quite exceptional by keeping and emphasising its Christian essence. This owed much to Herman Liu’s own vision and practice in Christian education in China, which reflects a contextual understanding of the Christian message and its social application.

- by Marina Wang
- •
- Education, Christian Education, Christian Missions, Modern Chinese History

In Christian Circulations, Jean DeBernardi offers a meticulous take on the “history of the globalization of Christianity and the local church” (p. 358). She does this by paying attention to the Brethren movement in Singapore and Penang, which is remarkable for two reasons. The first is that in Singapore and Malaysia the Brethren, alongside other denominations, is a religion “of heritage for many” (p. 2). And yet scholarship about them has been limited. The second is that her work foregrounds the significant role of the Brethren in the globalization of Christianity, whose contemporary narrative is predisposed to Pentecostalism. In many parts of Asia, Christianity has a much longer tradition.

- by Jayeel Cornelio
- •
- Religion, Christianity, Southeast Asian Studies, History of Religion
- by Kpanie Addy
- •
- Sociology of Religion, African Studies, World Christianity, African Christianity

محققان و عموم به هر دو موضوع جفا و رهبری، گفتگوهای اندکی بین این دو حیطه یا تحقیق روی تجربۀ
رهبران جفادیده صورت گرفته است. هدف این مقاله این است که لزوم مطالعۀ هدفمند و پایدار رهبری
مسیحی تحت جفا را نشان داده و چالشهایی که شاهدان امین عیسی مسیح تحت این شرایط تجربه میکند،
دیدگاههای کتابمقدسی، ربط داشتن نظریۀ رهبری، و مزایای آن برای کلیسای جهانی را در نظر گیرد- از
جمله جوامع جفادیده، و میسیونرها و آنانی که از آزادی مذهبی چشمگیری برخوردارند. نظریۀ رهبری رابرت رهبری برای یکپنجم کلیسای جهانی در بافتها و محیطهای جفا صورت میگیرد. با وجود توجه
ای. کوین یک نمونه از مدلهای تحقیق نویدبخشی است که در رابطه با مورد رهبری کلیسای
در اتیوپی )از ۱۹۷۴ تا ۱۹۹۱ ( آزمایش شده است. Meserete Kristos روزافزون

- by Brent L Kipfer
- •
- Christianity, Leadership, Christian Missions, Transformational Leadership

Klaus Koschorke, «"'Dialectics of the Three Selves": The ideal of a "self-governing" native church -from a missionary concept to an emancipatory slogan of Asian and African Christians in the 19th and early 20th centuries», in "InternationaIising Higher Education: From South Africa to England via New Zealand: Essays in honour of Professor Gerald Pillay", eds. Hoffie (J W) Hofmeyr and John Stenhouse (Centurion, South Africa: Mediakor, 2018): 127-142.

- by Klaus Koschorke
- •
- Missionary History, Protestantism, Global History, Church History

This is a select bibliography on the topic.

(Latest revision, 13 November 2024)

- by Joshua Robert Barron
- •
- Ecotheology (Environment), African theology, World Christianity, Ecotheology

This article appeared in the Winter-Spring 2018 issue of Missio Dei Journal (missiodeijournal.com) in an issue dedicated to "engaging the classics" of missionary literature. In this article I explore the continuing significance of Andrew Walls's collection of essays, The Missionary Movement in Christian History, for the study of World Christianity and Christian History.

Chapter 15 in African Christian Biography: Stories, Lives, and Challenges, ed. Dana L. Robert (Pietermaritzburg, South Africa: Cluster Publications, 2018) (275-294). Biographical essay on Catherine Zimmermann, born Geveh in Angola,... more

- by Paul G Grant
- •
- Women's History, Biography, Jamaica, Ghana
- by Abeneazer G Urga
- •
- Liberation Theology, Social Justice, Church History, Contextual Theology
- by Kirsteen Kim
- •
- Theology, Missiology, Missiology and Mission Theology, Mission Studies
- by Duane A Miller
- •
- Indonesian History, Indonesian Studies, Religious Conversion, Java

Proverbs is a poetic book full of images and metaphors, many of which are often obscure and enigmatic. In this volume, Rotasperti offers a contribution to the understanding of figurative language in Proverbs by looking at the grammatical and social contexts in which many of the book’s metaphors appear. The brief introduction explains the process and methodological assumptions used for identifying metaphors. The study then continues with a lexical review of four semantic categories: the body, urban fabric, nature and animals. The result of this survey is a deep analysis of several key metaphors that looks at their composition, structure, and interpretation.

- by Sergio Rotasperti
- •
- Discourse Analysis, Theology, Pragmatics, Hebrew Bible

This opening article offfers an introduction to the theme of this special issue of Exchange: Jesus traditions and masculinities in world Christianity. Highlighting the historical trajectory of feminist
theological debates on the maleness of Jesus Christ and its implications for confĳigurations of gender (read: the position of women) in Christian traditions, the article particularly explores two
recent developments: first, the critical discussion in academic, theological and ecumenical circles of men and masculinities in contemporary Christian contexts, and second, the growing body of scholarship on the masculinity (or better, masculinities) of Jesus Christ in the New Testament in relation to masculinities in the early Christian era. Building on these debates and this scholarship, the article identifĳies a new and critical fĳield of inquiry that explores the complex and productive relationships between the ambiguous and unstable masculinity/ies of Jesus Christ and the multiple and changing masculinities that are found today in the local contexts of an increasingly diverse global Christianity.

- by Peter-Ben Smit
- •
- Gender Studies, New Testament, History of Christianity, Contextual Theologies

In the past decade, there has been an explosion of research that uses insights from migration studies as a way of understanding various shifts in global Christianity. As a result, missiology has both benefited from and increasingly gravitated toward
migration studies for assessing specific global processes. Diaspora missiology, framed as a discipline, movement, and strategy, has emerged as a contemporary missiological reflection on globalization and migration. While some aspects of diaspora missiology contribute helpful insights to the future of missiology, ongoing missiological reflection that uses diaspora as its key framework raises questions that invite critique. In this
article, we describe the emergence of diaspora missiology and the various ways it is currently being used in the broader discourse as represented by major proponents Enoch Wan, Sadiri Joy Tira, and J. D. Payne. We then raise four points, critically and constructively unpacking key questions under the following headings: (1) assessing the need for a distinct discipline as an alternative to “traditional missiology”; (2) objectifying migrants: counting and (dis)counting the world’s Christians; (3) the “unnoticed” missionary potential of Christian migrants; and (4) immigrant
congregations and transnational ties: multidirectional mission.

- by Allison Norton and +1
- •
- Transnationalism, Missiology and Mission Theology, Migration Studies, Diaspora Studies
- by Richard F Young
- •
- Christology, World Christianity, Jesus Christ, Christianity and Buddhism

Klaus Koschorke, "Asia in the 19th and Early 20th Centuries", ch. 9 of "History of Global Christianity", vol. 3: "History of Christianity in the 19th century", eds. Jens Holger Schjørring and Norman A. Hjelm (Leiden - Boston: Brill,... more

- by Klaus Koschorke
- •
- Missionary History, Church History, World Christianity, Global Christianity

As part of a larger project, this paper serves as an overview that examines how “ai” 愛 (love) as an affective concept made its way into the Chinese vocabulary, how it gained popularity at specific junctures in modern Chinese history, and the ways in which it has been adapted as a marker of modernity and a political discourse in Republican (1911–49) an Communist China (1949–) in distinct ways. Although literary scholars have noted the significance of the shaping of love as an affective concept for the project of Chinese modernity, they mainly focus on the conceptions and interpretations of love in the literature, and with a time frame from late imperial (1368–1911) to Maoist China (1949–76). The few studies about love in post-Mao era usually attribute the sources of such affect to Christianity. My paper makes a fresh contribution in three aspects. First, I take a longer historical perspective, from the 1910s to the 2010s, and dedicate, secondly, a large part of my study to the decisive impact from revolutionary radicalism to popular religions on the formation of the discourse of state propaganda and everyday politics, rather than manifestations in the literature and sources from Christianity. Third, I study some of the most controversial political figures in modern China, including Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925), Mao Zedong (1893–1976), and Xi Jinping (1953–), rather than intellectuals and writers only.

- by Ting GUO
- •
- Chinese Religions, Religion and Politics, Communism, Love

This chapter uses the Chinese Home Missionary Society (CHMS) – the first nationwide native evangelistic missionary society – as a case study. By examining the process in which mainline Chinese Protestant churches and individuals endeavoured to realise native evangelism and an indigenised Christianity through the CHMS and its mission work, this chapter intends to explore how the conviction of Chinese Christians towards an indigenised and interdenominational Christianity was applied in the specific local context, as well as the legacy and lessons of the CHMS, which reflected during the course of its missionary movement and church indigenisation. It argues that the indigenous and interdenominational features of the CHMS revealed what is a two-fold theme throughout the history of Chinese Christianity during the twentieth century, that is, the pursuit of church indigeneity and unity. On the other hand, the case of the CHMS discloses the common challenges that emerged during the cross-cultural process when global Christianity encounters indigenous societies.

The church in Africa needs to develop enough leaders to serve the needs produced by its rapid growth. One significant aspect of leadership development is theological education. Theological education in countries like Kenya has grown vastly in the last thirty years. Scott Cunningham outlines this growth, pointing out that there now many universities that provide graduate theological education at the Masters and Doctoral levels. Jurgens Hendricks argues that quality theological education serves as the antidote to the problems arising out of the lack of training on the continent. The question we ask in this paper is how church pastors, particularly church planters, perceive the importance of theological training in light of their responsibilities. This paper examines existing literature on the subject and includes findings from interviews with from church planters from Mavuno church. This paper finds that though theological education is viewed highly both by educators and pastors several factors stand in the way of its effectiveness. This paper agrees with Kagema Nkonge who recommends a thorough re-examination of the training system. Further more, the recommends creative exploration and deployment of new models of engagement between churches and theological institutions to secure the future of African Christianity.

This doctoral dissertation is a historiographical examination of the missionary encounter in Ottoman Syria (modern Syria and Lebanon) during the late-nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century Nahda, or Arab renaissance. It begins in 1870, when the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions transferred its Syria Mission to the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America. It ends in 1915 with the escalating effects of World War I in the Ottoman Arab provinces. Building upon Middle East mission historiographies, studies in world Christianity, and postcolonial critiques of missions, this study approaches the story of Syrian Protestantism as an enmeshed history in which Syrian and American lives became inextricably entwined. Moving beyond the traditional narrative, which presents American missionary men as the primary actors, this research points to the complex relationship of Syrians with American, British, and other missionaries in Ottoman Syria. It uses rare Arabic publications from the late Ottoman period and archival sources from the US, UK, and Lebanon to underline the agency of Syrian Protestant women and men who built the Syrian Evangelical Church and contributed to the socio-cultural currents of the Nahda alongside other Syrian Christians and Muslims.
This dissertation demonstrates that Syrian Protestants challenged missionary authority in subtle and overt ways, while at the same time employing the resources of mission schools and the American Mission Press in Beirut to engage in the Arabic production of the Nahda. It argues that Syrian Protestant women played a significant, yet largely unrecognized, role in church and society as journalists, novelists, public speakers, and evangelistic preachers. Chapter 1 compares Syrian Protestant conversion narratives to missionary accounts of evangelical conversion. Chapter 2 investigates the American-Syrian Protestant relationship in light of a major schism within the Beirut Protestant community in the 1890s. Chapters 3 and 4 use Arabic books, periodicals, and pamphlets published at the American Mission Press to demonstrate the depth of Syrian Protestant participation in the cultural and religious discussions of the Nahda. Chapter 5 pieces together the stories of Syrian Biblewomen who worked as evangelists for American missionaries and for the female-led British Syrian Mission.