A Moving Faith
Mega Churches Go South
- Jonathan D. James - Adjunct Lecturer, School of Communication and Arts, Edith Cowan University, Australia
History of Religions
A Moving Faith captures the dynamic shift of Christianity to the South and portrays a global movement that promises prosperity, healing, empowerment, and gender equality by invoking neo-Pentecostal and Charismatic resources. It postulates that neither North America nor Europe is the current center of the Christian faith.
The book provides a detailed overview of how migration of Christians from the South enriches the North, for instance, Pope Francis brings newness, freshness, and the vigor characteristic of the South. While describing Christianity’s growth in the South, it suggests that, in fact, there is no center for this global faith. It explores this great move of Christianity by focusing on representative mega churches in South Korea, Brazil, Peru, Ghana, Nigeria, Australia, India, and the Philippines.
"In A Moving Faith by Dr Jonathan James, we see for the first time in a single coherent volume, not only that global Christianity in the mega church is on the rise, but in a concrete way, we are able to observe in detail what this looks like across a wide variety of locations, cultures, and habitus."
“The 21st century—once predicted by many commentators to be the secular century—has turned out to be the century of the mega church. Mega churches are to be found in every continent and are not simply to be equated with Pentecostalism. This wide ranging and fascinating collection of essays on mega churches, their media, and marketing strategies opens up the field for further exploration.”
“Mega churches, usually associated with big independent congregations in America, are seen to be prevalent throughout much of the rest of the world. The chapters in this book offer careful, thoughtful, and perceptive accounts of the mega church phenomenon in the South. All who are concerned not only about the spread, but also the integrity of the Christian faith will greatly appreciate this book which assists us to see the big picture of World Christianity.”
“The book is interesting as it informs the reader of a contemporary Christian movement and its increasing influence as a market commodity, global in its reach and scope.”