Philip Jenkins
The three days of Timkat
For many early Christians, only at the moment of Jesus' baptism was he suddenly overwhelmed by the power of divinity.
Memories of persecution
Once upon a time—and not long ago—there was another Europe. The religious story of communist Europe, in which Christians suffered horrific persecutions, is forgotten by most Americans today.
Within the African canon
Here is my unscientific rule: if Martin Luther treated a biblical book
with disdain, then that book is really popular in
modern Africa.
The Dutch Bible Belt
The persistence of a rigorously orthodox Protestant area in the Netherlands must make us rethink our
generalizations about the state of religion
in Europe.
Which Bible, whose canon?
When documentaries explore Christianity, they have little
difficulty finding diverse manifestations of faith and practice. A global survey also reveals a surprising diversity when it comes to the content of the Bible.
Mideast Christian fear
Western Christians seem neither to know nor care about the catastrophe that has unfolded before them in the ancient heartlands of their faith.
Taking Utah to Africa
When we look at Mormon expansion in Africa, one pressing question
demands attention: Why is the whole continent not already Mormon?
South African "Zionists"
The Zion Christian Church—an African-initiated church that's powerful in South Africa—traces its origins to John Alexander Dowie, a 19th-century Scottish spiritual entrepeneur who founded the city Zion, Illinois.
Trouble in paradise
Fiji has long been known
to Westerners mainly as an exotic tourist destination. In recent years, though,
the country has acquired a troubling reputation for religious and
ethnic confrontations.
Resurrected cathedrals
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the
persecuted Orthodox Church began its resurrection. Nothing better illustrates this revival than the restoration of the cathedrals and churches.
Mexico’s crisis of faith
Many Mexican Christians behave heroically, working for peace and meeting social needs where government has
all but abdicated power. But the drug crisis has also exposed some weaknesses in the church.
Losing their religion
Not long ago, European religious cinema thrived. Now, religion typically appears in films only as a problem--and the solution to that problem is usually liberated sexuality.
‘Tukutendereza Yesu’
The hymn "Tukutendereza Yesu" is a staple of Kenya's booming Christian music industry. Across modern East Africa, the song is hard to avoid. But just why is it so successful?
A second spring
Much media attention has gone to Venezuela. But leftist regimes have sprouted elsewhere in Latin America--regimes that are friendly with liberationist thinkers and communities.
Far-flung faith
The author's breadth of vision has enormous implications for how we
understand the nature of Christian truth and the relationship between
indispensable core doctrines and later theological interpretations.
The case for prosperity
These days, Elmer Gantry is a familiar spiritual type around the world. The good news is that the prosperity gospel’s excesses are nothing like the whole story.
No exemptions for faith
Earlier this year, a group of English bishops charged that the nation's Christians faced systematic discrimination that endangered their right to hold public office....
Take & read: World Christianity & American religion
Kingdom Without Borders: The Untold Story of Global Christianity, by Miriam Adeney....
Intolerance in India
Religious freedom has
become a potent rallying cry. That is an excellent development—provided
we avoid turning the issue into a partisan weapon in the confrontation
between Christianity and Islam.