According to Philip Jenkins, professor of history and religious studies at Pennsylvania State University, Christianity is becoming a “thoroughly globalized international phenomenon that tramples all of the boundaries and distinctions that we’re used to.
…Christianity is far from dead; in fact, it is thriving in unexpected places among unexpected people. Christianity and the message of the Bible resonate with people in the Global South, the nations of Africa, Latin and Central America, and most of Asia.
Jenkins lectured at Beeson Divinity school in March 2008. This month, the Beeson Journal published a brief article I wrote about the lectures. To read the article and find out more about Jenkins’ research into global Christianity, click here.
Carly woke up yesterday morning and went through her usual routine. She fed the baby and gave her a bath; she even managed to wash a few loads of laundry before she brought the baby to my house to spend the day so she could go to work. The baby and I had a good day. We played and went to town to run some errands, but we made it back in plenty of time for Carly to come pick her up. When Carly got here, she had her two boys with her, and they lingered a little while before they headed out the door. Her oldest son was selling magazines for school and was a little shy about hitting Dennis up for a subscription, but we got the paperwork filled out and the car seat reinstalled in Carly’s car, and they headed off toward home.
Carly grew up in the middle of town. She was always surrounded by people, so when she and Shane built their dream house, they chose an out-of-the-way spot about 10 minutes north of town. She loves her country home with its long winding driveway, but when she pulled up at the mailbox last night, she noticed something strange. The lights in the garage were visible from the road, and a white truck sat in the driveway. Carly pulled into a neighbor’s driveway and waited. A few minutes later, the truck pulled out of her driveway with the boys’ dirt bikes piled in the back. At this point, Carly did what any sensible person would do. She called the police.
