A religious scholar from Pennsylvania State believes the next Christian center
will emerge
in the Southern Hemisphere.
tends to be much more rigidly conservative and traditional than that of the
North, and its practitioners are often guided by a strong belief in the power
of the supernatural to directly shape their lives. As Jenkins writes:
The most successful Southern churches preach a deep personal faith,
communal orthodoxy, mysticism, and puritanism, all founded on obedience to
spiritual authority…. Whereas Americans imagine a Church freed from hierarchy,
superstition, and dogma, Southerners look back to one filled with spiritual
power and able to exorcise the demonic forces that cause sickness and poverty.”
Unfortunately , the full article mentioned in the interview either isn’t
published yet, or available only with a subscription. It would be a fascinating
read.
We’re just lucky this an export of western religion and not western conspicuous
consumption of the variety that currently occurs within the rising populations
of India’s middle class. Religion and belief in omniscient beings are free free free,
but when living and consuming resources like westerners is involved, there
is only so much this
planet can offer.
