Description
While Church attendance in the West is often cited as being in decline, it is argued that this applies primarily to the older established forms of Christianity. Other expressions of the faith are, in fact, stable or even growing. This volume provides multidisciplinary interpretations of and responses to one of the most complicated and controversial issues regarding the global transformation of Christianity today: the decline of "established Christianity" in the Western world. It also addresses the future of Christianity in the West after the decline.
Drawing upon historical research, sociology, religious studies, philosophy and theology, an international panel of contributors provide new theoretical frameworks for understanding this decline and offer creative suggestions for responding to it. "Established Christianity" is conceptualized as historically, culturally, socially and politically embedded religion (with or without official established status).
This is a dynamic volume that gives fresh perspective on one of the great social changes taking place in the West today. As such, it will be of great interest to scholars of religious sociology, history and anthropology, as well as theologians.
Table of Contents
Foreword, Robert J. Schreiter
1 An Introduction to the Essays and to the Phenomenon of Established Christianity in the Western World
Paul Silas Peterson
Part 1: Background Issues and Theoretical Approaches
2 Causes of the Decline: Historical, Empirical and Theoretical Perspectives
Paul Silas Peterson
3 Analyzing Religious Decline: A Sociological Approach
Eva M. Hamberg
4 Cultural Considerations in the Decline of Christianity
Neil Ormerod
5 Interpretations of the Decline and Responses to it
Paul Silas Peterson
Part 2: Case Studies on Specific Regions and Groups
6 More Than Just De-Christianization: Christian Mission in Face of Religious Indifference in East Germany
Eberhard Tiefensee
7 Towards a Faithful Christian Community in Canada: A Missiological Response to Religious Change
Charles Fensham
8 American Mainline Protestantism: On the History and Future of a Culture-Forming Confessional Identity
Richard R. Crocker
9 An Evangelical Response to the Decline of Christendom
Timothy Larsen
10 Going Big: Mega-Churches in the Midst of Declining Christianity in the West
Laceye Warner
Part 3: Perspectives from World Christianity and African Christianity
11 An Opportunity to Foster Inter-Christian Reciprocity: The View from "World Christianity" and "the Next Christendom"
Jorge Castillo Guerra
12 Reframing our Experiences in the Light of the Cross: How African Christianity Sees the Decline
Esther E. Acolatse
Part 4: Contributions from Public Theology and the Philosophy of Religion
13 Taking Sin Seriously Again: A Perspective from Theology and Public Life
Martyn Percy
14 The Religion of Decline: A Perspective from the Philosophy of Religion
Olivier Abel
Part 5: Response and Outlook
15 Christianity in the Western World after the Decline: Challenges, Opportunities and Outlooks
Paul Silas Peterson
16 Exploring the Past for a Stronger Future: A Reflection on Meaning and Hope
Elizabeth Koepping
