The latest report on the status of Christianity in the world was published in January 2013 in the International Bulletin of Missionary Research (IBMR Vol. 37, No. 1: 32-33). The two-page report is the twenty-ninth annual report following the publication of David Barrett’s World Christian Encyclopedia (Oxford, 1982).
The most recent report discusses an important change in counting Pentecostals and Charismatics. Moving away from the traditional three “wave” description of classical Pentecostals, Charismatics, and Independents, it discusses the Pew Forum strategy of lumping them altogether as a single type – “renewalist.” The IBMR report does not critique this approach or discuss any of the historical or theological or sociological implications of doing so (even if the three wave approach has its problems, which it does). While the IBMR report does not use the term “renewalist” in its table, it does count the different “waves” as a single type. The problem in doing so, is that tracking any of the new data with previous measures that differentiated these types, may not be possible (making historical comparisons difficult).
Another issue revolves around the way these findings are interpreted. In some sectors there is a triumphalism as people highlight the ten-year growth of Pentecostalism from roughly 459 million adherents in about 2005 to 628 million in 2013. Second, there are those who use the data to support a view of Christianity that is largely non-Western, with questions about the influence or vitality of Western Christianity. There are problems with both views.
The IBMR data on “renewalists” has to be kept in perspective with the general percentages of Christianity in the world. While Pentecostalism is “growing” the overall trend for Christianity in the past 100 years is continuity. In other words, Christianity is just keeping up with the overall world population growth. When Pentecostalism is counted with all other types of Christianity, the trend is not changing. In 1900 the total percentage of Christians in the world was 34.5 percent. By mid-2000 it was 32.4 percent. And currently it is 33 percent. Over the past 100 years Christianity has remained relatively stable. While some types appear to be growing, Christianity may in fact not be growing (i.e. increasing the overall numbers of Christians). And the view that Christianity in the North is weak and without influence may also be unfounded as Americans still continue to send the most missionaries and money into Christian work (see Wuthnow, Boundless Faith, 2009). However, since Pentecostalism does represent a new type of Christianity, what we can say is that Christianity is changing, even if it is not growing.
The most recent report discusses an important change in counting Pentecostals and Charismatics. Moving away from the traditional three “wave” description of classical Pentecostals, Charismatics, and Independents, it discusses the Pew Forum strategy of lumping them altogether as a single type – “renewalist.” The IBMR report does not critique this approach or discuss any of the historical or theological or sociological implications of doing so (even if the three wave approach has its problems, which it does). While the IBMR report does not use the term “renewalist” in its table, it does count the different “waves” as a single type. The problem in doing so, is that tracking any of the new data with previous measures that differentiated these types, may not be possible (making historical comparisons difficult).
Another issue revolves around the way these findings are interpreted. In some sectors there is a triumphalism as people highlight the ten-year growth of Pentecostalism from roughly 459 million adherents in about 2005 to 628 million in 2013. Second, there are those who use the data to support a view of Christianity that is largely non-Western, with questions about the influence or vitality of Western Christianity. There are problems with both views.
The IBMR data on “renewalists” has to be kept in perspective with the general percentages of Christianity in the world. While Pentecostalism is “growing” the overall trend for Christianity in the past 100 years is continuity. In other words, Christianity is just keeping up with the overall world population growth. When Pentecostalism is counted with all other types of Christianity, the trend is not changing. In 1900 the total percentage of Christians in the world was 34.5 percent. By mid-2000 it was 32.4 percent. And currently it is 33 percent. Over the past 100 years Christianity has remained relatively stable. While some types appear to be growing, Christianity may in fact not be growing (i.e. increasing the overall numbers of Christians). And the view that Christianity in the North is weak and without influence may also be unfounded as Americans still continue to send the most missionaries and money into Christian work (see Wuthnow, Boundless Faith, 2009). However, since Pentecostalism does represent a new type of Christianity, what we can say is that Christianity is changing, even if it is not growing.
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