The Future of Christianity

by McGrath, Alister E.

• ISBN13: 9780631228158
• ISBN10: 0631228152
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-02-01
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

Christianity is the world's largest religious grouping. It underwent massive change in the twentieth century, and seems poised to undergo major transformations in the next. In this important and timely book, one of Christianity's most prolific and respected writers examines these changes, and their implications for the future. Will Christianity survive? And if so, in what forms? And what might its impact be upon culture? How does its past affect its future? What does the future hold for the various types of Christianity? This witty yet highly informed book deals with issues such as the crisis in confidence within western Christianity, the impact of postmodernity on Christianity, and the shift in numerical strength from the west to Africa and Asia. It questions whether traditional Protestant denominations are likely to survive in their present form, and charts the rise of various forms of post-denominational Christianity. It explores the impact of a consumer culture on western Christianity, and the changes this has brought about in approaches to evangelism and church growth. Finally, the work documents the gulf that has opened up between academic theology and the life of the church, and offers a penetration Gramscian analysis of how this situation has arisen, and what can be done to remedy it. Accessibly written, this book will be essential reading for students, academics and general readers interested in religion, Christianity, postmodern theology, and the key controversies in current Christian thinking.

Author Biography

Alister E. McGrath is Professor of Historical Theology, University of Oxford, and Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford. Among his many Blackwell textbooks are Christian Theology: An Introduction (third edition), The Christian Theology Reader (second edition), An Introduction to Christianity, Historical Theology, and Reformation Thought (third edition).

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
The Twentieth Century: Challenges and Failures in the West	1	(21)
Catastrophe: The Armenian Genocide	3	(3)
Stalinism: The Enforcement of Atheism	6	(3)
The Nazi Crisis: The Failure of 'Culture Protestantism'	9	(5)
The 1960s: A Crisis of Confidence	14	(8)
The Transformation of Religion: The Reshaping of Christianity	22	(18)
Globalization and Christianity	23	(5)
Decline in Western Europe	28	(2)
The Remarkable Case of Korea	30	(2)
Resurgence in Africa	32	(3)
Transformation in Latin America	35	(5)
New Ways of Being Church: Trends for the Future in the West	40	(32)
The Death of the American Denomination?	41	(5)
The Marketing of Christianity	46	(4)
The McDonaldization of Christianity	50	(8)
The Community Church	58	(2)
Willow Creek	60	(4)
The Cell Church	64	(4)
A Community in Exile	68	(4)
Challenges: Some Future Issues	72	(27)
The Threat of Fundamentalism	73	(6)
The New Faultlines: Christianity and Islam	79	(3)
The Future of Ecumenism	82	(8)
English: The Language of Faith	90	(9)
The Christianity of the Future: A Tentative Overview	99	(21)
Is There a Future for Protestant Denominations in the West?	99	(2)
Roman Catholicism	101	(5)
Pentecostalism	106	(4)
Evangelicalism	110	(4)
Eastern Orthodoxy	114	(4)
Conclusion	118	(2)
The Two Nations: The Disillusionment with Academic Theology	120	(36)
A Case in Point: Biblical Studies	121	(7)
The Marginalization of Theology	128	(7)
The Longing for Spiritual Authenticity	135	(5)
`Academic' Theology is Western Theology	140	(4)
A Strategy for Recovery: The Organic Theologian	144	(12)
Websites Relating to this Work	156	(2)
Notes	158	(13)
Index	171