Think back to1981… do you remember an earthquake that shook the ground beneath your feet? Probably not. Yet in 1981, for the first time in over 1,000 years the majority of global Christianity lives outside Europe and North America. The above chart shows this seismic spiritual shift.
When Christianity began, 100% of all Christians lived in the Middle East, or what we now call the “Global South” (basically everywhere outside Europe and North America). As Christianity expanded, more Christians began populating Europe so that by 923 we reach the 50% line—for the first time, 50% of global Christianity lived in Europe and 50% outside Europe. Now the line turns red as for the next 1,000 years a majority of Christians were in the Global North. Indeed by 1500, practically all the Christians in the world lived in Europe.
But after the Reformation, the line turns. Spurred on by the great Western missionary movement beginning around 1900, the church experienced amazing growth in Africa, Asia and Latin America. For example, Christians in Africa grew from 10 million in 1900 to 360 million in 2000! In 1981, global Christianity crossed the 50% line again and is now growing exponentially outside Europe and North America. To take just Africa, the 360 million Christians in 2000 are expected to grow to 633 million in 2025—an 80% increase in only 25 years!!
What does this new global Christianity look like?
First, this new Christian majority is very poor. Philip Jenkins, author of The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity, writes: “Contrary to myth, the typical Christian is not a white fat cat in the United States or western Europe, but rather a poor person, often unimaginably poor by Western standards.”
Second, this new Christian majority is very young. The median age in America is about 37 years. In Ethiopia, it’s 16. The worldwide church is increasingly a young person’s church.
Third, this new Christian majority is engaged with a supernatural God on a daily basis. Prophecy, visions, miracles and especially healing—all these might seem strange to us, but they are normal parts of Christian life in the Global South. Philip Jenkins again: “The practice of healing is one of the strongest themes unifying the new southern churches…and perhaps their strongest selling point for their congregations.”
What does this earthquake in Global Christianity mean for us in America?
1) Increasingly, world Christian leaders will not have white skin—the Billy Graham’s and CS Lewis’s of the 21st century will be African or Asian or Latin American.
2) Missionaries will come to us—for example, many of the fastest growing churches in Europe today are being planted by Nigerians.
3) Global South Christians like Ethiopians, who have interacted with Muslims for millennia, will be our guides to help us relate to other world religions.
4) Whereas in earlier centuries we Western Christians were the examples for Christians in the Global South…now we need their examples. Pope Francis, as the first Pope from outside Europe in almost two millennia, is a representative example of this global earthquake. Pope Francis (from Argentina) has consistently represented a Global South perspective, as when he recently answered a reporter’s question about Donald Trump by passionately speaking out for the rights of immigrants.
Having experienced this new global reality firsthand while living in Ethiopia, I believe it has exciting ramifications we are only beginning to glimpse. How ironic that those we used to dismissively refer to as the “third world” will increasingly lead global Christianity in the future.
Question: How do you feel about this spiritual earthquake? Excited? Threatened? Intrigued? What do you think will happen as global Christianity gains more leaders like Pope Francis in the years ahead? Please write a comment to share your thoughts.
Thank you, Rich. This is good. As you know, I teach New Testament and train pastors in Zambia. Hearing about the changes in global Christianity could also be intriguing and possibly even threatening to Christians here in the Global South. Last week in class, a student shared that as a Christian in Zambia, he grew up being told that if you want to see a person who truly loves God, find someone who is really rich. His wealth is proof of his deep love for God. This is a common idea which is taught by Christians here. I wonder what it would be like for Christians in the global South to learn that the typical Christian is actually poor. I think I read the Jenkins book, but I cannot remember if he said much about whether or not it is fairly typical for people in the Global South to become Christians because of promises of wealth and healing? I wonder if that is unique to Southern Africa? The church here is indeed vibrant, but at the same time, it’s not without a lot of need.
Dusty, thanks for taking the time to comment! You make an intriguing point about how prevalent the prosperity gospel is influencing church growth in places like Africa. My experience in Ethiopia was that most Christians realized they were poor, especially out in the countryside; however, in the urban areas the prosperity gospel was a powerful tool to stimulate their aspirations and commitment. Nigeria seemed to export the prosperity gospel teaching; the Director of our graduate school liked to quote the statistic that of the 10 richest Nigerians, 9 of them were pastors (i.e. they had grown rich building prosperity gospel megachurches).