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Book Reviews / Pneuma 32 (2010) 431-473
Robert Wuthnow, Boundless Faith: The Global Outreach of American Churches (Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press, 2009). xi + 345 pp.
Boundless Faith addresses the question of the current global influence of American Christi- anity. Drawing on several hundred in-depth interviews with church leaders and a compre- hensive survey specifically conducted for this book, the author concludes that American Christianity is increasingly influenced by globalization and is, in turn, playing a larger role in other countries and in U.S. policies and programs abroad. After outlining the emer- gence of the U.S. as a super power during the twentieth century, Wuthnow asks: Where in all of this are those tens of thousands of flourishing churches? Have they played a sig- nificant role in giving the United States a different image than purveyors of soap operas and consumer of world oil? What is the role of Pentecostalism in this process? Through a process of focussed research followed by a succinct analysis, Wuthnow seeks to systemati- cally answer these questions, in the process shattering some popular beliefs and unearthing some unorthodox findings. His central argument is that, “as the world becomes increas- ingly interdependent, Christianity in the United States is becoming transcultural, respond- ing to the realities of globalization by actively and intentionally engaging in activities that span borders” (6).
Boundless Faith has seven chapters. Te first two deal with perhaps the most widely dis- cussed trend in global Christianity during the last few decades: the shifting center of grav- ity of Christianity to the South. Wuthnow makes special reference here to the role of Pentecostalism in this process. Chapter 3 deals with four faces of globalization, namely, the spread of global monoculture, glocalized diversity, beneficent markets, and immiserat- ing dislocation. Tis larger context is where the international outreach of American churches takes place. Chapter 4 traces the transnational ties of U.S. churches beginning with the founding in 1810 of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mission (ABCFM). Chapter 5 deals with a relatively recent phenomenon: the global role of U.S. congregations. Te next chapter discusses how American Christians influence U.S. foreign policy. Steering away from popular theories, with a well researched methodology, Wuthnow outlines the complexities involved in this process. Te last chapter briefly outlines some of the challenges ahead. Tese include relating the local to the global, strik- ing a balance between service and spirituality, and redefining the historical legacy of the United States.
Wuthnow’s analysis of the growth of Pentecostalism is especially pertinent. Scholars who study demographic trends in Christianity uniformly agree that Pentecostalism is a growing phenomenon, especially in the global South. Te author, however, would argue that a careful analysis of the situation throws up a complex picture. He points out two fac- tors: one, if only Pentecostalism is considered, then the rate of growth appears to be high but the total number is considerably smaller if all the Christians are considered. Citing the example of Ghana, between 1990 and 2000, the number of Pentecostals in that country swelled by 44 percent, but Pentecostals account for only a quarter of the Christian popu- lation there. Second, the overall Christian population is growing in the South also because of high fertility rates. Which numbers are used while counting Christians, therefore, becomes a question when we depend primarily on demography to analyze shifting trends.
© Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2010 DOI: 10.1163/157007410X533978
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Book Reviews / Pneuma 32 (2010) 431-473
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“Growth or decline in the Christian population of a particular country is largely a function of growth or decline in the overall population of that country and is in turn shaped by local conditions that affect longevity, morbidity rates and decisions about fertility” (43).
Tere could, however, be some questions about Wuthnow’s observation that Pentecos- tal churches across the globe are fairly homogenous and that they “rely on Western media and thus stand to be accused of importing Western values in the same way that U.S. motion pictures and popular music are said to do” (72-73). At least in some contexts this does not seem to be the case. Studies of parts of Africa and Asia point toward a rich diver- sity of ecclesiastical and social structures that shape Pentecostalism. Te approach of the various Pentecostal churches to Western Christian influence is also diverse. While some depend primarily on human and material resources from the West, others are zealous of their indigenous identity. To cite an instance, the Indian Pentecostal Church, the oldest Pentecostal group in India, is an indigenous organization which was founded as a counter force against the growing presence of Western Pentecostal missionaries in the country in the early decades of the twentieth century.
Wuthnow also studies Pentecostalism as a social phenomenon, in particular as a faith response to globalization and as a means of reinterpreting and gaining control over the globalizing forces. With regard to the shifting fortunes in the global economy that shaped the Ewe in Southwest Ghana, he notes, “Pentecostalism provided hope of divine interven- tion and a perspective from which to be critical of people who foolishly spent scarce resources on consumer goods” (88). As helpless victims of the forces that govern the global economy, the Ewe benefited from the links to the rich countries that globalization facili- tated while they learned to understand its dangers involved.
Wuthnow further considers Pentecostalism in relation to the free market ideology. Pen- tecostalism in some contexts is seen as “promoting ideas conducive to the kind of open markets, work ethic, and personal morality that Americans value” (202). But he acknowl- edges the tension and ambivalence between “moral asceticism” on the one hand and the “upward social mobility” on the other with regard to Pentecostalism. Te freshness and spontaneity that distinguishes Pentecostalism from the more institutionalized churches makes any clearly defined framework difficult.
Tis is a comprehensive, insightful, and provocative book. Wuthnow’s assertion that demographic and statistical information should be analyzed within a larger socio-religious framework is timely. Te book refutes a number of prevailing stereotypes with regard to global Christianity. More specifically, the author deserves credit for illuminating the rela- tively neglected global aspect of American Christianity. Te amount of research behind Boundless Faith is breathtaking, with the notes and bibliography covering nearly one hun- dred pages! Tis is indeed an important and timely work.
Reviewed by Jesudas M. Athyal
Fellow, Center for Global Christianity and Mission
Boston University School of Theology, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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