Theology in the Context of World Christianity

By Timothy C. Tennent

Thinking more globally about the formation of theology enriches our understanding of what it means to be a Christian.

It’s no secret that the center of Christianity has shifted from the West to the global South and East. While the truths of the Christian faith are universal, different contexts and cultures illuminate new questions, understandings, and expressions. What does this mean for theology, as Western theologians understand it?

Timothy Tennent argues that the Christian faith is culturally and theologically translatable. Theology in the Context of World Christianity is written to expand our “ecclesiastical cartography” by highlighting—within each of the major themes of systematic theology—studies that are engaging the global church, such as:

• Anthropology (with studies drawn from the different views of human identity between Eastern and Western cultures).
• Christology (with a focus on the emphases that African Christians place on the characteristics of Christ).
• Pneumatology (by looking at the role of the Holy Spirit in Latin American Pentecostalism).
• Eschatology (by focusing on how this branch of theology shapes world missions and evangelism).

Each of the ten chapters examines traditional theological categories in conversation with theologians from across the globe, making this volume valuable for students, pastors, missionaries, and theologians alike.

Theological reflection is active and exciting in the majority world church, and Tennent invites you to your own reflection and celebration of Christ’s global church. These are perspectives that should be heard, considered, and brought into conversation with Western theologians. Global theology can make us aware of our own blind spots and biases and has much to offer toward the revitalization of Western Christianity.