Relocating World Christianity

Existing scholarship on World Christianities tends to privilege the local and the regional. In addition to offering an explanation for this tendency, the editors and contributors of this volume also offer a new perspective. An Introduction, Afterword and case-studies argue for the importance of transregional connections in the study of Christianity worldwide. Returning to an older post-war conception of ‘World Christianity’ as an international, ecumenical fellowship, the present volume aims to highlight the universalist, globalising aspirations of many Christians worldwide. While we do not neglect the importance of the local, our aim is to give due weight to the significant transregional networks and exchanges that have constituted Christian communities, both historically and in the present day.

Contributors are: J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, Naures Atto, Joel Cabrita, Pedro Feitoza, David C. Kirkpatrick, Chandra Mallampalli, David Maxwell, Dorottya Nagy, Peter C. Phan, Andrew Preston, Joel Robbins, Chloe Starr, Charlotte Walker-Said, Emma Wild-Wood.

Joel Cabrita, Ph.D. 2008, University of Cambridge, is a University Lecturer in World Christianities in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. Her first book was a history of the production, use and reception of sacred texts Text and Authority in a South African Church (Cambridge University Press, 2012).

David Maxwell D.Phil. 1994, University of Oxford is Dixie Professor of Ecclesiastical History and Fellow of Emmanuel College, University of Cambridge. With Patrick Harries he co-edited The Spiritual in the Secular. Missionaries and Knowledge about Africa (2012).

Emma Wild-Wood, Ph.D. 2005, University of Edinburgh, directs the Cambridge Centre for Christianity Worldwide and teaches in the Faculty of Divinity. She wrote Migration and Christian Identity in Congo (2008) and co-edited with Kevin Ward The East African Revival (2012).

"(...) readers will appreciate that the critical evaluation and resulting research agenda is grounded through carefully selected topics and contributors. Thus, not only are all the individual chapters excellent, but also there is a synthesis of ideas maintained throughout. On balance, the fresh perspectives found in these pages make this undoubtedly one of the most important books on World Christianity scholarship in recent years." Corey L. Williams, Leiden University, in: International Review of Mission, Volume 107.2 (2018). "A generation has passed since the idea of “World Christianity” burst upon the scholarly scene. Given that scholarship must build upon, reinterpret, and critique the work of previous generations, it is no surprise that multiple stakeholders are now reassessing the concept. Relocating World Christianity, edited by Joel Cabrita, David Maxwell, and Emma Wild-Wood, ranks highly among efforts to accomplish this task. (...) Each essay is well done and fascinating in its own right, though some essays are more useful than others for illuminating the core purpose of the volume. Each happily includes the luxury of a substantial bibliography, thereby adding to the value of the book." Dana L. Robert, Boston University, in: International Bulletin of Mission Research, 05 October 2018.