In a context of globalization, socioeconomic disparity, environmental concerns, mass migration, and multiplying political and social upheavals, Christians from different parts of the world are forced to ask complex questions about poverty, migration, race, gender, sexuality, and land-related conflicts. Scholars have gradually become aware that world Christianity has a public face, voice, and reason. This volume stresses world Christianity as a form of public religion, identifying areas for intercultural engagement. It proposes a conversation that includes voices from South and North America, Europe, and Africa, highlighting differences and commonalities as Christian scholars from different parts of the world address concerns related to world Christianity and public responsibility. Divided into five sections, each formed by two chapters, this volume covers themes such as the reimagination of theology, doctrine, and ecumenical dialogue in the context of world Christianity; Global South perspectives on pluralism and intercultural communication; how epistemological shifts promoted by liberation theology and its dialogue with cultural critical studies have impacted discourses on religion, ethics, and politics; conversations on gender and church from Brazilian and German perspectives; and intercultural proposals for a migratory epistemology that recenters the experience of migration as a primary location for meaning.

World Christianity, Urbanization and Identity argues that urban centers, particularly the largest cities, do not only offer places for people to live, shop, and seek entertainment, but deeply shape people's ethics, behavior, sense of justice, and how they learn to become human. Given that religious participation and institutions are vital to individual and communal life, particularly in urban centers, this interdisciplinary volume seeks to provide insights into the interaction between urban change, religious formation, and practice and to understand how these shape individual and group identities in a world that is increasingly urban. World Christianity, Urbanization and Identity is part of the multi-volume series World Christianity and Public Religion. The series seeks to become a platform for intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, and to facilitate opportunities for interaction between scholars across the Global South and those in other parts of the world.

In a sweeping reconsideration of the relation between religion and modernity, Jose Casanova surveys the roles that religions may play in the public sphere of modern societies. During the 1980s, religious traditions around the world, from Islamic fundamentalism to Catholic liberation theology, began making their way, often forcefully, out of the private sphere and into public life, causing the "deprivatization" of religion in contemporary life. No longer content merely to administer pastoral care to individual souls, religious institutions are challenging dominant political and social forces, raising questions about the claims of entities such as nations and markets to be "value neutral", and straining the traditional connections of private and public morality. Casanova looks at five cases from two religious traditions (Catholicism and Protestantism) in four countries (Spain, Poland, Brazil, and the United States). These cases challenge postwar—and indeed post-Enlightenment—assumptions about the role of modernity and secularization in religious movements throughout the world. This book expands our understanding of the increasingly significant role religion plays in the ongoing construction of the modern world.

Although humans have always migrated, the present phenomenon of mass migration is unprecedented in scale and global in reach. Understanding migration and migrants has become increasingly relevant for world Christianity. This volume identifies and addresses several key topics in the discourse of world Christianity and migration. Senior and emerging scholars and researchers of migration from all regions of the world contribute chapters on central issues, including the feminization of international migration, the theology of migration, south-south migration networks, the connection between world Christianity, migration, and civic responsibility, and the complicated relationship between migration, identity and citizenship. It seeks to give voice particularly to migrant narratives as important sources for public reasoning and theology in the 21st century.

Covering such timely issues as witness in a multifaith society and political engagement in a pluralistic world, this compelling book highlights things Christians can do to serve the common good. Now in paperback. Praise for the cloth edition Named one of the "Top 100 Books" and one of the "Top 10 Religion Books" of 2011 by Publishers Weekly "Accessible, wise guidance for people of all faiths."--Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Highly original. . . . The book deserves a wide audience and is one that will affect its readers well after they have turned the final page."--Christianity Today (5-star review)

Now in its second edition, Christianity as a World Religion locates Christianity within its global context. Structured by geographical region, it covers Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America, and Oceania. It deals with four dimensions of Christianity in each context: Christian history, churches and society, interreligious relations, and distinctive worship and theology. Study questions and further reading suggestions are provided in each chapter. Fully updated throughout, this second edition now includes: - A new chapter covering Christianity in Oceania - Further analysis of the early growth of Christianity in Asia and Africa - Coverage of research trends in migration, theologies of prosperity, and the role of local agents in evangelization - Coverage of global interconnections and networks, new movements, global Catholicism, Christian political engagement and persecution of Christian communities - A thorough revision of the conclusion, including reflection on the discipline of world Christianity and its implications for theology - 40 images and maps - Chapter summaries - Extra resources online including a timeline and weblinks - New text design and layout, making the text more student-friendly and accessible Christianity as a World Religion is ideal for courses on World Christianity, Christianity as a Global Religion, the History of Christianity and contemporary Christian theology.

In this landmark volume, a rich array of voices make the case that religion is not partitioned off from the secular in the Global South the way it is in the Global North. Authors work at the intersections of freedom and Nationalism, peace and reconciliation, and gender, ecology, and ethnography to contend that religion is in fact deeply integrated into the lives of those in the Global South, even though "secularism"--a political philosophy that requires the state to treat all religions equally--predominates in many of the regions. World Christianity and Interfaith Relations is part of the multi volume series World Christianity and Public Religion. The series seeks to become a platform for intercultural and intergenerational dialogue, and to facilitate opportunities for interaction between scholars across the Global South and those in other parts of the world by engaging emerging voices from a variety of indigenous Christianities around the world. The focus is not only on particular histories and practices, but also on their theological articulations and impact on the broader societies in which they work.

As a contribution to the Fortress series on World Christianity as Public Religion, this volume delves into questions of religious alterity and justice in World Christianity. This volumeasks what histories, practices, or identities have been left invisible in the field of World Christianity, and emphasizes liberationist concerns to consider what the field has overlooked or misrepresented. It recognizes that World Christianity scholarship has elevated voices of marginalized Christians from the Global South and challenged Eurocentric modes in the study of religion, but scholars of World Christianity must also attend to the margins of the field itself. Attention to the overlooked "other" within World Christianity scholarship reveals communities that have been excluded and questions of justice within the Global South that have been neglected. This volume points to gender, sexuality, and race as intersectional themes ripe for exploration within the field, while also identifying areas of study that have fallen outside the dominant World Christianity narrative, such as the Middle East and the theological expression of indigenous and aboriginal communities in the aftermath of European colonization. The contributors to this volume advance a robust intercontinental conversation around alterity and the evasion of justice in World Christianity.

This interdisciplinary introduction offers students a truly globaloverview of the worldwide spread and impact of Christianity. It isenriched throughout by detailed historic and ethnographic material,showing how broad themes within Christianity have been adopted andadapted by Christian denominations within each major region of theworld. Provides a comprehensive overview of the spread and impact ofworld Christianity Contains studies from every major region of the world,including Africa, Asia, Latin America, the North Atlantic, andOceania Brings together an international team of contributors fromhistory, sociology, and anthropology, as well as religiousstudies Examines the significant social, cultural, and politicaltransformations in contemporary societies brought about through theinfluence of Christianity Discusses Protestant, Evangelical, Catholic, and Orthodox formsof the faith Features useful maps and illustrations Combines broader discussions with detailed regional analysis,creating an invaluable introduction to world Christianity

World Christianity publications proliferate but the issue of methodology has received little attention. World Christianity: Methodological Considerations addresses this lacuna and explores the methodological ramifications of the World Christianity turn. In twelve chapters scholars from various academic backgrounds (anthropology, religious studies, history, missiology, intercultural studies, theology, and patristics) as well as of multiple cultural and national belongings investigate methodological issues (e.g. methods, use of sources, choosing a unit of analysis, terminology, conceptual categories,) relevant to World Christianity debates. In a closing chapter the editors Frederiks and Nagy converge the findings and sketch the outlines of what they coin as a ‘World Christianity approach’, a multidisciplinary and multiple perspective approach to study Christianity/ies’ plurality and diversity in past and present.