Jenkins foresees the two faiths continuing to clash, yet he believes Christianity will leave the greatest mark on the next century.
The reason? Islam demands all people learn Arabic to read their holy book. Christianity translates the Bible into the language of all people. By doing so it encourages literacy and adapts to new conditions and places.
“And,” Jenkins says, “when people read for the first time, it probably gives them a great deal more self-confidence … and that tends to spill into political and social matters.”
Yet the Christianity of the Third World is different than that of the Northern Hemisphere. It is much more conservative and traditional -- especially among Roman Catholics. The biggest difference between the two churches is the poverty of the South.
In an interview with Atlantic Unbound -- the online edition of Atlantic Monthly -- Jenkins said, “You’re dealing with people [in the global South] who are not the world’s fat cats. That means they tend to relate much more closely to the biblical world and its concerns than do people who are rich and from their First World. Often they’re people without access to the kind of medical care that the First World takes for granted, so the medical, healing and exorcism elements of the Bible make very good sense to them.”
Jenkins saw the difference between the old Christianity of the North and West with the new of the South and East in a recent visit to Amsterdam. As he traveled through the city on a Sunday morning he found nothing which could be called church life. It was a day like any other day. Churches for the most part sat empty.
When he moved to the poorer suburbs, he found an entirely different picture. African immigrants -- many of whom had ancestors whose first contact with the Gospel came through Dutch missionaries -- were crowded into churches. “Seeing these Africans who are clearly not the world’s richest people, but who are very sober, respectable folk, you think, ‘Well, that’s the future of Christianity,’” Jenkins told Atlantic Unbound.
One thought that comes to my mind is an article I read in the latest edition of The Layman were the outgoing moderator for the PCUSA said that the Third Church are in their adolescence and they are learning and becoming more mature. Her comments were spoken in relation to the issue of homosexuality in the church. Those in the Third Church especially Dr. David F. Githii, the moderator of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa, have taken great exception to this comment and so do I.
In fact, this comment smacks of self-righteousness and judgment. Why do we believe that a greater "sophistication" on issues concerning sexuality is the mark of a more mature church? If I remember right, this isn't Jesus' standard.
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