Book Review: The Next Christendom – Philip Jenkins

The following is an analytical book review of Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom.

Philip Jenkins, the author of 24 books, and 120 book chapters and refereed articles, has been on the faculty of Pennsylvania State University since 1980, and in 2007, he was appointed as the Edwin Erle Sparks Professor of History and Religious Studies. He completed his undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral work all at the University of Cambridge, but it is not his work in global Christianity that got him on the faculty of Penn State. He began as an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice in 1980. In fact, his early work consists of history, criminology, and pedophilia. It was not until his publication of The Next Christendom that his reputation as an expert on global Christianity came to the forefront. Since then, he has spoken widely around this topic of global Christianity (http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/j/p/jpj1/vita.htm).

The thesis of this book is that the center of Christianity has shifted southward to Africa, Asia, and Latin America (Location 36). As a result, in spite of the seeming decline of Christianity in the western world, Christianity is actually growing and flourishing in most areas around the world (Location 992).

The Next Christendom begins with an elaboration of the thesis by challenging the myth that Christianity is actually declining and disappearing in the world. It may seem like that in the western world, but soon enough, the center of Christianity is going to be Africa and Latin America (Location 170). After elaborating on that point, Jenkins begins to paint a picture of the history of Christianity and how it has expanded across the world. He makes a point to paint a picture of how Christianity was closely tied with the western imperial expansion. He then moves to explain how Christianity is flourishing in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, using many illustrations and case studies to prove his point. Throughout the book, Jenkins is subtly asking the reader to consider how this shift of Christianity should affect how one lives out one’s faith. Since “Christianity is flourishing wonderfully among the poor and persecuted, while it [is] atroph[ying] among the rich and secure” (Location 3012), what needs to change in the western world for Christianity to once again flourish here? Will the global north change at all? That is the question that begs to be asked.

Although the center of Christianity is shifting south, the center of Christian thought seems to be staying in the same location – the western world. Perhaps this is because that is where the money and the publishers are. In either case, if Christianity is flourishing and growing abundantly in the south, whereas it is stagnant and declining in the western world, then would it not make sense to learn from the south?

What would happen if the western world began learning from their theologians, pastors, and Christians? Perhaps following the footsteps of southern Christianity with a deeper and more personal faith, more emphasis on “communal orthodoxy, mysticism, and puritanism, all focused on clear scriptural authority” would cause Christianity to shift and transform in the western world (Location 120)? If, as Philip Yancey states, “God goes where he’s wanted” (Location 215), then should the western world not learn from the contexts that God is clearly blessing and moving in? It is precisely because of this that I love being a part of the M.A. in Global Leadership. I do pray that I would never lose sight of the fact that God is not tied to one land or one people, but that he is a God of all peoples and transcends any location. As a result, I pray that I would never be so prideful to think that I can only learn from the celebrity pastors and theologians of North America, while ignoring the work that anonymous Christians are doing in some place I have never heard of. God, please protect my heart and keep me humble, with my eyes continually focused on you.

In the end, I give this book 4 stars out of 5.