Christianity in Western and Northern Europe - (Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity) by Kenneth R Ross & Annemarie C Mayer & Todd M Johnson

About the Book

At a time when patterns of Christian life and worship appear to be dying out, yet traces of new life are also appearing, this volume maps out the current reality of Christianity in Western and Northern Europe with all its questions and uncertainties.

Book Synopsis

Although the origins of Christianity lie in the Near East, Europe and Christianity have an exceptional relationship, since most Europeans perceive Christianity as a Western - more precisely, as a European - religion. The region has seen rapid social change in the 21st century, set off by factors including energy crisis and environmental awareness, poverty and exclusion, falling birthrates and increased migration, changing attitudes to sexuality, gender and family life, and challenges to Europe's idea of itself and place in the global order. Amidst all this flux, this volume focuses on one particular issue: the rapidly changing profile of the Christian faith that has shaped the life of the European continent for a millennium and more.
At a time when patterns of Christian life and worship appear to be dying out, yet traces of new life are also appearing, this volume maps out the current reality of Christianity in Western and Northern Europe with all its questions and uncertainties.

Review Quotes

This volume offers an up-to-date and fascinating overview of the changing nature of Christianity, as a lived and institutional community, in contemporary Europe. Written in an accessible style by scholars and policy practitioners based in the countries under consideration, it advances in-depth knowledge and unique insights into the past, present and future of Christianity in Europe.--Lucian N. Leustean, Aston University

This volume offers comprehensive coverage of home-grown institutions and global movements in Europe. With the series' hallmark attention to good scholarship from those who have a personal and professional interest in their subjects, this is an invaluable reference book for students of theology, religious studies and sociology.--Emma Wild-Wood, University of Edinburgh

About the Author

Kenneth R. Ross is Professor of Theology and Dean of Postgraduate Studies at Zomba Theological University, and Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria. Earlier he served as General Secretary of the Church of Scotland Board of World Mission and, since 2012, has been an adviser to the World Council of Churches. He has published extensively on many different aspects of World Christianity, including the highly successful EUP book, The Atlas of Global Christianity 1910-2010, co-edited with Todd M. Johnson. Since 2013, Ross and Johnson have collaborated as Series Editors of the EUP Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity.

Annemarie C. Mayer is Professor of Dogmatic Theology and the History of Dogma at the Theological Faculty of Trier, Germany. From 2013 to 2021 she held the Chair of Theology, Religion and Contemporary Culture at the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies of the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium. From 2011 to 2013 she was the Catholic consultant to the World Council of Churches in Geneva, Switzerland.

University of Trier, Germany

Todd M. Johnson is Paul E. and Eva B. Toms Distinguished Professor of Mission and Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, South Hamilton, MA. Johnson is Associate Faculty at Boston University's Institute for Culture, Religion and World Affairs leading a research project on international religious demography. He has published encyclopedias, atlases, databases, monographs, and scholarly articles on counting religionists around the world.