GLOBAL EVANGELICALISM
GLOBAL EVANGELICALISM
Theology, History, and Culture in Regional Perspective
Edited by Donald M. Lewis and Richard V. Pierard
Evangelicalism is not merely a North American religiously charged ideology that dominates the popular mind. Over the last century, evangelicalism has taken on global proportions. It has spread from its northern heartlands and formed burgeoning new centres of vibrant life in the global South. Alongside Islam, it is now arguably the most important and dynamic religious movement in the world today.
This tectonic shift has been closely watched by some scholars of religion, though it is merely a ghost in our international news stories. Now, in Global Evangelicalism, a gathering of front-rank historians of evangelicalism offer conceptual and regional overviews of evangelicalism, as well as probings of its transdenominationalism and views of gender.
CONTENTS
Preface
Introduction, Donald M. Lewis and Richard V. Pierard
Part I: Theoretical Issues
1. Defining Evangelicalism, Mark Noll
2. The Theological Impulse of Evangelical Expansion, Wilbert R. Shenk
3. Globalization, Religion and Evangelicalism. Donald M. Lewis
Part II: Evangelicalism at Ground Level: Regional Case Studies
4: Europe and North America, John Wolffe and Richard V. Pierard
5: Africa, Ogbu Kalu
6. Latin America, C. René Padilla
7. Asia, Scott Sunquist
8. Australasia and the Pacific Islands, Stuart Piggin and Peter Lineham
Part III: Issues in Evangelical Encounters with Culture
9: Evangelicals and Interdenominationalism, David Thompson
10: Evangelicals and Gender: Critiquing Assumptions, Sarah Williams
Glossary
List of Contributors
Author Index
Subject Index
WHAT OTHER SCHOLARS ARE SAYING ...
David Bebbington
Emeritus Professor of History, University of Stirling
"The evangelical movement consists of a growing and often influential body of Christian believers worldwide, but scholars and commentators are frequently baffled by its sheer diversity and complexity. Here, leading experts set out the basic characteristics of the movement as it has developed over time in various parts of the world, showing how it has related to secular society, other religious bodies and issues such as gender and globalization."
Simon Chan
Trinity Theological College, Singapore
"As a concise historical introduction, this book is without peer. It demonstrates that underlying the varied historical and cultural expressions of evangelicalism, there is a shared missional conviction: the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ is fully translatable into any language and context. It is this conviction which makes its message radically transformative and global in its reach. Anyone who wants to know why evangelical churches are flourishing regardless of where they are must read this book."
Joel Carpenter
Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity
Calvin College
"Evangelical Protestant Christianity started with pietist prayer groups in Europe and the evangelical revivals in Great Britain, but now its advocates gather on every continent. By comparison, says Andrew Walls, the great Scottish church historian, global evangelicalism 'makes the Reformation look like just a little local difficulty.' This book is a fine place to start learning the story, and in the process, relearning Christian history."
Michael W. Goheen
Director of Theological Education
Missional Training Center, Phoenix
"Evangelicalism is a large and influential Christian tradition that has played an important role in the last two centuries. But what does that tradition look like today amidst the dramatic changes brought on by globalization and the shift of the church to the Southern Hemisphere? In this book, a first-rate group of leading scholars from every corner of the globe analyze contemporary evangelicalism in this new context. As an evangelical myself I found these chapters to be quite enlightening both in assessing my own tradition and understanding its continuing significance in the twenty-first century."
FULL LENGTH REVIEWS OF THE BOOK
1. Herbert Miller. “Global Evangelicalism: Theology, History and Culture in Regional Perspective.” Priscilla Papers 29, no. 1 (October 1, 2015): 30–30.
2. James M. Garretson. “Global Evangelicalism: Theology, History & Culture in Regional Perspective.” Banner of Truth, no. 618 (March 1, 2015): 30–31.
3. Moe Moe Nyunt. “Global Evangelicalism: Theology, History and Culture in Regional Perspective.” The Asbury Journal 70, no. 2 (2015): 151–52.
4. Weber, Charles W. “Global Evangelicalism: Theology, History and Culture in Regional Perspective.” Studies in World Christianity 21, no. 3 (2015): 282–87.
“Notable in this volume is the excellent chapter by Donald Lewis specifically on the ‘much-contested’ meanings of globalization and their relationship to evangelicalism resulting in the necessity of ‘a rethinking of Christian history in the context of the global expansion of the faith.” … [This book] will remain a standard work on the topic of evangelicalism with its multiple origins, extensive dissemination and global manifestations.”
5. Alejandra Ortiz Chacon. “Global Evangelicalism: Theology, History and Culture in Regional Perspective.” Journal of Latin American Theology 13, no. 1 (January 1, 2018): 163–67.
“Through the pens of several different authors, this book as a whole provides a good introduction to the subject of global evangelicalism by offering historical sketches of each global region and exploring certain key themes. … it is valuable reading for all interested in the subject.”