CONTEMPORARY REALITIES AND CHALLENGES IN THE WORLD CHRISTIAN GRAVITATIONAL SHIFT: SOME SCHOLARS WHO ENGAGED PHILIP JENKINS’ TRILOGY IN DISAGREEMENT

Abstract

Jenkins is the author of a trilogy. The central theme in the trilogy is that there has been a shift of the world Christian gravitational center from the North to the South. In addition, the practice of Christianity in Africa, Asia, and Latin-America is in resonance with the biblical theologizing than in Euro-America. For Jenkins, the Southern churches with the World’s Christian center of gravity are quite at home with biblical notions of the supernatural, with ideas such as dreams, visions, prophecy, healing, and deliverance dominating their practice and that, in addition, the old Christendom must give priority to Southern voices. Secularism and religious decline/immigration and religious upsurge are some dominant themes in the Trilogy. Jenkins sees a looming and persistent crisis in European Christianity. Accordingly, it is high time Western scholars ask whether Europe's current problems are religious, racial, or classism. Euro-America is now living in fear of attacks by Muslim fundamentalists. Mixed reactions have engaged the above analysis by Jenkins. Many scholars have agreed with Jenkins. Others have debunked his ideas with many still being neutral. The reactions by four of Jenkins’ critics form the basis for this article. Views from one Northern and three Southern scholars—Robert (Euro-America), Phan (Asia), Sanneh (Africa), and Escobar (Latin-America) will be provided; all ending with an assessment.