Saturday, June 9, 2007

Global South suggests that the center of Christianity is moving from the Western world, normally located in the Northern Hemisphere, to the Southern Hemisphere where Latin America, Africa, and Asia is located.

This means that the majority of Christians today are no longer Caucasians, but rather Africans, Latinos, and Asians.
The latest statistics show that 53% of Christians are from the Global South. Those who still accuse that belief in Christ is a Western religion, is clearly outdated. Christianity is and has always been embraced by many different ethnic groups. It is never, at least not meant to be, the monopoly of any race or civilization.

This is because the Lamb of God was slain, and with His precious blood "
purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev 5:9). The Gospel was never meant to be confined in an exclusive domain of any particular country or ethnic group.

It is most unfortunate that human beings and the institutionalized church were slow to grasp this truth. But the Triune God is a missionary God, and in every generation, He raise up individuals who are passionate for mission and the glory of God. The Gospel has spread and is still exploding in the Global South, and I am one of the beneficiaries of this current move of God.

Despite the fact that I have already known this truth for some time, it is only during my Doctorate in Ministry (DMin) module “Global Missions by the Globalized Church,” that has made me more acutely aware of the implications of this significant shift to the Global South. Hence, the name of this blog.

I welcome any comments and articles on this subject and other related issues, especially in the areas of mission, leadership development, contextualization, discipleship, and other pertinent themes.

God bless.

P/S: I would like to take this opportunity to thank my May 2007 D.Min lecturer, Dr. Pocock, and course mates for inspiring me and enriching me with their ideas and warm fellowship. May we all survive the course! :)

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