TruthBook Religious News Blog

BOOK REVIEW

WAYNE A. HOLST
February 2, 2008

THE CHRISTIAN WORLD

A Global History

By Martin Marty

Random House, 262 pages, $28

The Christian World: A Global History, by veteran, much-feted University of Chicago church historian Martin Marty, tackles a formidable challenge. The author sets out to present the vast Christian story, covering key themes from 2,000 years, in a rich, multilayered narrative.

This is not a typical church history in terms of perspective. Marty weaves strategic narratives from Asia, Africa, Latin America and Oceania with the "classic Christian story" written from Europe and North America. The result is a different kind of "global history" and to accomplish this in 250 pages is a real achievement. He saves the reader much time and effort having to sift through many volumes in order to gain the same results.

Neither is this primarily a book about the development of Christian thought. It focuses more on Christian deeds. Marty begins with Jesus and shows how, from the beginning, his followers sought to reflect and extend his work. Jesus, and the Christian faith that resulted from him, were formed in a Jewish ethos. Because of the unique, messianic "Jesus is Lord" confessions of his first followers, Jewish-Christian tensions quickly developed. Those stresses wax and wane over time, but they have persisted.

Christianity was born in the biblical lands of the ancient Near East and soon spread widely through Asia. Because Christianity emerged at a crossroads of humanity, its followers quickly dispersed into a variety of African and European cultures, living and sharing their faith in a great variety of ways.

Variety was both a blessing and a curse. It eventually became necessary to define clearly Christian understandings amid a confusion of interpretations. Creeds such as the Nicene (325 AD) were formulated. To identify and organize believers, ecclesiastical forms (often following familiar Roman and Greek political patterns) were created. Within three centuries, the faith had evolved from a minority Jewish sect into a growing religion on three continents.

From the start, Africa had an important influence on what constituted Christian belief. Many early challenges to the developing "orthodox" faith (like Gnosticism) were first engaged here. Then, after the seventh century, African Christianity was forced to yield much of its pride of place to Islam, an upstart rival religion. Isolated pockets of Ethiopian and Coptic believers survived as vestiges of a once more powerful Christianity. Africa was without significant Christian influence for more 1,000 years, until the arrival of colonialism and the missionaries.

Rome became the first major Christian power centre in Europe, and a rise of papal influence coincided with the decline of the Roman Empire. Soon Christianity expanded beyond that empire. In spite of its strength in Western Europe, the Roman form of the faith had grudgingly to cope with the existence of other Christian expressions, such as Orthodoxy in the east and Celtic Christianity on its western fringes.

North American Christianity was born in diversity, with mainly European roots, and it also treated its native peoples badly. Blacks, who came to North America as slaves, adopted the faith as their own and reframed it into a powerful message of liberation.

In recent times, Africa has re-emerged as a new heartland of Christianity and an important place to study its global future. The standard denominations thrive there, but a haunting question continues to be asked: "Why is Christianity better than what we had?"

Modern Asian Christianity remains a minority voice among older, revitalized eastern religions. Asian Christianity is gradually finding a natural home in the East and some of it offers the wider Christian world tested models for interfaith dialogue and peaceful co-existence with other faiths.

U.S. evangelicalism notwithstanding, stagnations characterize two-thirds of North American Christianity.

This is not the first time, nor will it be the last, that old Christianities appear to be losing ground while Christian populations explode in new places. The faith has an intriguing habit of going into decline, then surging unexpectedly. China is a contemporary example of this.

Conversely, Christian ascendancy should not be assumed as if by right. Africa and Latin America provide examples of early growth followed by subsequent decline and later recovery.

Marty ends his historical survey with a brief reflection on the future and poses the query: "Now what?"

Many modern devotees seek a humbler, more peaceful and inclusive faith than in the past. They see this as reflecting the spirit of its founder.

Christian numbers have remained steady at about one-third of humanity for more than a century. "Irrepressible" is a good, descriptive term, Marty says as he looks for signs of hope.

Christianity, with all its frustrating contradictions and splendid diversity, has existed for two millennia. It is not going away. More than two billion people claim this faith today. Among them is evidence that the appealing spirit of Jesus lives on.

Wayne A. Holst teaches at the University of Calgary and at St. David's United Church in that city.

Labels: book review, Christianity, history, Martin Marty, Wayne A. Holst