The Next Christendom

This was my final textbook of the semester, and I just finished reading it last night. In the class I have been taking on Christian History, we have discussed the history of Christianity, stretching from the time immediately following the Apostles up through most of the 1900s with a glimpse into the present. This book, The Next Christendom, moves past the idea of history. Instead of looking primarily at the past, it stretches into the future and looks to see what Christianity might look like in 2050.

The book begins with some history, looking at how Europeans spread Christianity across the world, including America. But the book does not center around European and American Christianity. Instead, it focuses on Latin and Southern America, Africa, and Asia. Christianity has flourished in these regions over the past several years, and it is still continuing to spread. According to Jenkins, the author of this book, the "next Christendom" will be located in the southern hemisphere in areas such as these. He bases his predictions off of current statistics and provides readers with a look at what Christianity will look like in these regions in the coming years. Such statistics predict a vast spread of Christianity, moving the majority of Christians to these southern countries rather than Europe and America (where Christianity is centered now). From there, he speaks of what the future holds for these countries and how they will one day be reaching into Europe, spreading Christianity anew in those lands.

Do I agree with all Jenkins says in this book? Yes and No. I agree that there seems to be a shift in where Christianity is being centered. Even today we are seeing a secularization in Europe primarily but also in America. And in the southern hemisphere, Christianity is spreading like wildfire. I do not disagree with Jenkins' assessments on the spread of Christianity.

What I question is what Jenkins considers to be Christian. For instance, he states that he includes anyone who claims to be a "Christian" in these statistics. It does not matter how off their theology may be, if they claim to be affiliated with Christianity, then they are included. As a result, Mormons are even placed in this group. He does leave Mormons out at times, but on several occasions they are included in his statistics. So if Jenkins' idea of a Christian is covering too vast a range of people, then are the statistics skewed? In some ways, I would think so. It may be true that Christianity is spreading drastically in these regions but maybe not to the degree that Jenkins states. With skewed statistics, maybe his judgment of the future is a little off base.

However, I do think a day is coming when we will find the center of Christianity in some of these regions (unless a great revival occurs in the Northern Hemisphere). That is my other problem with the book. There almost seems to be no hope. Although I do not believe that Jenkins reads this as fact, I do wonder where he stands on this issue. Is this the absolute future that we will one day see, or is this just a possibility of what could happen? Are we going to sit around and let Christianity die in Europe and America, or are we going to attempt to prevent the secularization of these areas? I am glad that Jenkins pointed this shift out to Christians. It should give us reason to stand up and press on, holding on to what we have. But I do not think that this book should be read with the idea that there is no hope for our country.

Read this book if you get the chance, but do not be depressed at the end. Do not let it paint a picture of hopelessness in your mind. Instead, take this very possible future and use it as motivation to spread God's word in our own lands as well. Our country can still have a spiritual awakening.

Matt