Description
This course will offer a survey of the spread of Christianity from its apostolic origins in Jerusalem in the first century to “all the nations” throughout the world by the 21st century. Christianity is the largest World Religion with 2.5 billion adherents. We will look at missionary efforts from the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Protestant/Evangelical perspectives, focusing on their different missionary methodology and history. Each different historical period offers examples of vast and rapid spread, as well as periods of stagnation or retreat. We will discuss reasons behind these different attitudes and historical events. During the last century the gravity of global Christianity has shifted dramatically into the southern hemisphere, with now the majority of Christians no longer being white European and North American, but people of color from outside these two geographic areas. We will discuss these changes, as well as look at the charismatic movement which impacts more than