The Worlds Christians: Who they are, Where they are, and How they got there

Christianity is the world′s largest religion, with one third of the world′s population defining themselves as Christians, and with a truly global presence. In a clear and lively style, Jacobsen describes how Christianity has developed and spread around the world and how Christians in many different cultures live their faith today. The book offers a balanced and engaging account of global Christianity, past and present, with fascinating accounts of the world′s four major Christian traditions: Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal. The geographical territory covered by the book is uniquely comprehensive, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America as well as Europe, North America, and the Pacific. The book contains fascinating demographic insights about global Christianity.

List of Illustrations. Preface. Introduction. Part I: Who They Are. Introduction. 1 The Orthodox Tradition. 2 The Catholic Tradition. 3 The Protestant Tradition. 4 The Pentecostal/Charismatic Tradition. Part II: Where They Are. Introduction. 5 The Middle East and North Africa: Barely Surviving. 6 Eastern Europe: Nationalism and New Mission. 7 Central and South Asia: Confidence and Complexity. 8 Western Europe: Thin, but Alive. 9 Sub–Saharan Africa: Hope and Despair. 10 East Asia: Piety and Politics. 11 Latin America: After Monopoly. 12 North America: Faith in a Free Market. 13 Oceania: Experiments in Identity. Part III: How They Got There. Introduction. 14 The Ancient Tradition: Beginnings to 500. 15 The Great Division and the Age of the East: 500 to 1000. 16 The Rise of the West and Decline of the East: 1000 to 1500. 17 Christianity in a Global Era: 1500 to the Present. Index.

Douglas Jacobsen is Distinguished Professor of Church History and Theology at Messiah College. He is author of numerous books, including Thinking in the Spirit: Theologies of the Early Pentecostal Movement (2003), which received the Pneuma Award from the Society for Pentecostal Studies, and The American University in a Postsecular Age (with Rhonda Hustedt Jacobsen, 2008), winner of the 2009 Lilly Fellows Book Award.

"The result is a most useful comprehensive survey of Christianity, one that is especially appropriate for an introductory college course or a church study program. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower– and upper–level undergraduates, practitioners, and general readers." (Choice, 1 November 2011)