North and South growing together: The differences it makes



North and South growing together: The differences it makes

Introduction

Philip Jenkins, in the new faces of Christianity, draws attention towards the conception of 'nascent schism' that is regarded as a type of emergence between the churches of north and south globally. Jenkins depicts the distinctions by interplaying between text and context. The major part of the book is telling about such relatively newer churches particularly in Asia and Africa which are reading the Bible from the aspects that have some sort of affinities with the social and supernatural themes in the Bible. Throughout all the argumentation in this perspective, the author falls out that the churches of North Atlantic regions must be appreciative to the immediacy and intimacy of such Southern contexts that have been bring into the texts and passages of the Bible. He warns about the fact that such Northern culture may show the way towards divergence from the authentic principles of the Bible.

Acclaiming one context over some other context is appropriate to some extent in the case as Jenkins in a dweller of Northern region that is why addressing the Christians of North Atlantic regions. His main objective is lessen disagreements and conflicts by offering a sense to the reader that there is some sympathetic modes of introduction to the churches of Southern regions; churches that must not be analyzed in the perspectives of fundamentalism of western regions but still reading the Bible in contextual manner of relevancy with one another. The author tries to maintain the outcomes and influences of the lives of several people who are arguing with the churches of new types as it reminds about the traditional churches of the northern areas and then making them awake regarding the themes which they have lost somewhere in back times.

Discussion

Jenkins starts by considering the Anglicans of Africa as they are the farthest conservative in comparison with the huge number of American counterparts. Though, American Anglicans which are commonly Episcopalians may endorse or tolerate the abortion, homosexual behaviors, and several other shibboleths which are taken liberally and, Anglicans of Africa take the Biblical principles in more clear-cut and simple ways. Bishop Benjamin of Kenya says in this regard that our considerations on the Bible are relatively distinctive from them and we are the followers of two different churches. Normally speaking, the followers of the Bible in global southern regions which are comprised of Africans or others follow the Bible without having any type of secular effects or influences which have hardly pushed on the Christians of western regions. Those Christians are relatively more open to the Scriptures with supernatural reporting as it has given the spiritual view of the world in terms of their native cultures, and also they take the Biblical principles as a supernatural power in its own way which is not measured by the Christians of west even though by those who are more twisted towards conservatism.

After taking considerations on the theological ...