Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South

Lamport (editor, Encyclopedia of Martin Luther and the Reformation), a graduate professor in multiple theological schools, overseeing more than 200 academic contributors, produces a deeply scholarly but accessible overview of Christianity in the "Global South," which refers to Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, Oceania, and parts of Asia. Front matter, including separate essays on the five regions covered, and a perceptive introduction by historian Philip Jenkins, reveals a big picture. Six afterwords offer important projections, while 16 essays trace the historical and then contemporary experience of Christianity in eight areas (the Caribbean, Latin America, Oceania, East Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa). Entries on 150-plus nations tackle ethnicities, languages, government, religions, Christian denominations, major historical leaders, church-state relations, and more. Others examine disparate topics, such as music and asceticism. A general time line, extensive bibliography, thematic listing, and two indexes add to the work's utility. There are minor errors, but overall this massive undertaking, with its varied Christian perspectives, is extremely impressive in scope.