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Has the American church turned inward, offering a cold shoulder to the rest of the world? Not at all, concludes Wuthnow, who sees vitality in the sending of missionaries abroad, short-term volunteer efforts, world relief, building orphanages, starting microbusinesses, attempts to shape American foreign policy, and lots more. 356 pages, hardcover. University of California.
In this comprehensive volume about globalization and Christianity, Princeton sociologist Wuthnow takes on the popular notion that the locus of Christianity has shifted to the global South and that American Christians are insular and tangential to the future of the global church. Wuthnow argues instead that, in part because of forces like increasing international travel and communication, American Christians are becoming “transcultural.” The $3.7 billion that U.S. churches spend on overseas ministries annually—an increase of almost 50% in 10 years—is but one indicator. Relying on the results of a large survey and in-depth interviews, Wuthnow examines the mission, service and relief efforts of individual U.S. congregations, and also details the impact of globalization on religion and culture, the history of transnational Christian work and the role of religious groups in influencing U.S. foreign policy. Globalization represents a “new phase in the history of American religion,” Wuthnow writes, in part because it “challenges Western assumptions about God, prosperity, suffering, social justice, the environment, [and] military intervention.” An erudite and readable account. (May)Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.
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