Missionaries and Prophets

Abstract

This chapter looks at the nature of the religious changes involved in successful Christian missions and the resulting expansion of Christianity in Asia and Africa: success that is impossible to understand if the new Christians were only responding out of fear or envy of imperial conquerors. The chapter starts by examining the view developing in the West in the mid-twentieth century that the Christian mission venture was solely misguided imperialism and an attempt to export Western culture. It goes on to analyse the reasons for Southern Christian expansion, and the synthesis of this Christianity into local cultures. The last two sections investigate the newer autonomous (independent) Christian churches in Africa; these are one of the most notable aspects of Southern Christianity and can be expected to play an increasing role in world Christianity.

A Search for Liberalizing Religion: Political Asymmetry in the American Religious Landscape

“…Arguments have been made that the Religious Left, not the Secular Left, is best equipped as a counterbalance to the Religious Right in American politics (e.g., Shiffrin 2009). Although journalists, pundits, and liberal religious leaders alike seem to suggest (or at least hope for) a resurgent Religious Left arising to operate as a counterbalance to the Religious Right (Gjelten 2019; Jenkins 2020; Wilson‐Hartgrove 2019), data on overall trends suggest the Religious Left is not resurgent in terms of size or political influence (Baker and Martí 2020; Newport 2019; Rolsky 2019). Nevertheless, scholars are giving increased attention to liberal religion and the Religious Left (e.g., Braunstein, Fuist, and Williams 2017, 2019; Delehanty 2018; Swarts 2008; Wood and Fulton 2015; Yukich 2013).…”

Scottish Utopian Fiction and the Invocation of God

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