Philip Jenkins
The Sufi next door: A wonderful historical irony
Many excellent scholars study Islam. Many other scholars explore the changing face of global Christianity....
When South is North: Familiar faith of ordinary people
North is North, and South is South, and never the twain shall meet. Well, actually, they do....
The Philippine diaspora: Everywhere in the world
Travel anywhere in the wealthy world—to North America, Europe or the Middle East—and you will soon find people from the Philippines....
Taking back the night: All-night prayer services
For many African churches, the all-night vigil is a centerpiece of devotion and is not limited to any particular season. The event commonly begins at 9 or 10 p.m., usually on a Friday, and runs until four or five the following morning. Particularly among the independent or African-instituted churches, prayer is accompanied by acts of healing and exorcism. These services commonly draw thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of people. Night vigils also flourish among the booming evangelical and Pentecostal churches of South Korea, where hundreds of thousands pass their Friday nights in prayer and praise. In terms of timing, endurance and mass appeal, the closest Western parallels to these Christian celebrations would be found in dance clubs and rave parties in major cities.
Egypt's Coptic Christians: Survival over centuries
Christians persecuted in Iraq . . . Christian clergy murdered in Indonesia . . . churches destroyed in the Sudan....
Real witchcraft: Potent solutions
Just when it seemed that the interminable presidential campaign had plumbed every depth of the absurd, witchcraft entered the picture....
Nollywood: The Nigerian film industry
As part of the astonishing cinema boom known as Nollywood, some 300 Nigerian producers churn out around 2,000 films each year. Their market of almost 150 million people makes this the world’s third-largest film industry, after Hollywood and the Indian Bollywood. The films go straight to DVD or VCD and sell hundreds of thousands of copies in Nigeria alone, not to mention circulation among the Nigerian disapora in North America and Western Europe. Because videos are passed on from hand to hand, actual viewership is impossible to determine. Explicitly Christian videos make up a large part of the output, which is not surprising when we realize that perhaps 45 percent of Nigerians follow this faith.
Before Azusa Street: Brazilian Pentecostalism
Any account of the modern expansion of Christianity worldwide must pay respectful attention to Pentecostal and charismatic forms of worship....
The Aladura churches of Nigeria: Stunning geographical reach
Not long ago I was taking a cab from O’Hare Airport to downtown Chicago, and my friendly driver proved to be a Nigerian from the Yoruba people....
Liberating word: The power of the Bible in the global South
Today, as the center of gravity of the Christian world moves ever southward, the conservative traditions prevailing in the global South matter more and more. To adapt a phrase from missions scholar Lamin Sanneh: Whose reading—whose Christianity—is normal now?
The antimuseum: Indian history without a guide
The new National Museum of the American Indian has become one of Washington, D.C.’s major tourist attractions. According to its own statements, the museum is “breathtaking . . ....