History Of The World Christian Movement Earliest Christianity To 1453

This thorough, lucid, solidly researched book, the first of two volumes, charts the history of global Christianity.

History of the World Christian Movement shows that from the beginning Christianity has been a world religion, informed and shaped through the interplay of gospel and culture church and world.

This companion to "History of the World Christian Movement explores how varied and multi-cultural Christian origins and history really are.

Beginning with the missionary expansion of the 15th century, this story goes on to trace the fracturing of the Christian movement among Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant versions; the impact of modern colonialism and the emergence of a new global reality; the wars of religion, the impact of the Enlightenment, the rise of Christianity in North America, and the modern missionary movement.

This work represents the current and most relevant content on the studies of how Christianity has fared in the ancient home of its founder and birth. Much has been written about Christianity and how it has survived since its migration out of its homeland but this comprehensive reference work reassesses the geographic and demographic impact of the dramatic changes in this perennially combustible world region. The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Christianity in the Middle East also spans the historical, socio-political and contemporary settings of the region and importantly describes the interactions that Christianity has had with other major/minor religions in the region.

Who was Horace G. Underwood, and what possible significance could another missionary of the nineteenth century have to help us rethink our approach to global Christianity and mission in the twenty-first century? As the first Protestant missionary to set foot in Korea, "the last hermit kingdom," Underwood is regularly credited with Christianity's unparalleled success and continuing fervent presence in Korea today, including its corps of over 27,000 fulltime missionaries in 170 countries around the globe, second only to the US in the number of missionaries sent to foreign lands. But as extraordinary as his journey to Korea may have been for this arguably most under-recognized Protestant missionary of all time, it may be his journey from it that offers us vital insights for the future of missions. From the making of Underwood through his formative years in England, France, and America, to the Neo-Confucian culture he encountered among the people in Korea, this book culminates with the presentation and analysis of his previously unknown private letters from the years between 1884 and 1898, showing us the gradual process of interculturation he himself underwent as a missionary that allowed him to discover and encourage glocal--global yet local--expression of faith in Korea.

What constitutes the unity of the church over time and across cultures? Can our account of the church's apostolic faith embrace the cultural diversity of world Christianity? The ecumenical movement that began in the twentieth century posed the problem of the church's apostolicity in profound new ways. In the attempt to find unity in the midst of the Protestant-Catholic schism, participants in this movement defined the church as a distinct culture—complete with its own structures, rituals, architecture and music. Apostolicity became a matter of cultivating the church's own (Western) culture. At the same time it became disconnected from mission, and more importantly, from the diverse reality of world Christianity. In this pioneering study, John Flett assesses the state of the conversation about the apostolic nature of the church. He contends that the pursuit of ecumenical unity has come at the expense of dealing responsibly with crosscultural difference. By looking out to the church beyond the West and back to the New Testament, Flett presents a bold account of an apostolicity that embraces plurality. Missiological Engagements charts interdisciplinary and innovative trajectories in the history, theology, and practice of Christian mission, featuring contributions by leading thinkers from both the Euro-American West and the majority world whose missiological scholarship bridges church, academy, and society.