Christianity and Freedom: Volume 2, Contemporary Perspectives

This volume examines the contributions of Christian minorities to societies across the globe in the midst of pressure and persecution.

Allen D. Hertzke (Edited by), Timothy Samuel Shah (Edited by)

9781107124721, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 15 February 2016

518 pages, 7 b/w illus. 1 map 34 tables
23.5 x 15.7 x 3.2 cm, 0.85 kg

'The observations of the contributing authors are judicious and do not reinforce stereotypes. … If one lesson emerges from this wide survey, it is that cultural contexts in which Christians spread their faith, and are sometimes oppressed for it, are extremely diverse.' Stephen Schwartz, First Things

Volume 2 of Christianity and Freedom illuminates how Christian minorities and transnational Christian networks contribute to the freedom and flourishing of societies across the globe, even amidst pressure and violent persecution. Featuring unprecedented field research by some of the world's most distinguished scholars, it documents the outsized role of Christians in promoting human rights and religious freedom; fighting injustice; stimulating economic equality; providing education, social services, and health care; and nurturing democratic civil society. Readers will come away surprised and sobered to learn how this very Christian link to freedom often invites persecution. What are the dimensions of persecution and how are Christians responding to that pressure? What resources - theological, social, or transnational - do they marshal in leavening their societies? What will be lost if the Christian presence is marginalized? The answers to these questions are of crucial relevance in a world awash with religious extremism and deepening instability.

1. Persecution in the context of religious and Christian demography, 1970–2020 Todd M. Johnson
2. Patterns and purposes of contemporary anti-Christian persecution Paul Marshall
3. Where the spirit leads: global Pentecostalism and freedom Donald E. Miller
4. Christianity among the marginalized: empowering poor women in India Rebecca S. Shah
5. Transnational Christian networks for human dignity Allen D. Hertzke and Mark Brockway
6. The growth and dynamism of Chinese Christianity Fenggang Yang
7. Christianity and religious freedom in Indonesia since 1998 Robert W. Hefner and Zainal Abidin Bagir
8. Christianity and freedom in India: colonialism, communalism, caste, and violence Chad M. Bauman and James Ponniah
9. Vietnam: Christianity's contributions to freedoms and human flourishing in adversity Reg Reimer
10. The challenge and leaven of Christianity in Pakistan Sara Singha
11. Christianity and the challenge of religious violence in northern Nigeria Richard Burgess and Danny McCain
12. Copts of Egypt: defiance, compliance, and continuity Mariz Tadros
13. Between the hammer and the anvil: indigenous Palestinian Christianity in the West Bank Duane Alex Miller and Philip Sumpter
14. Christians in the state of Israel: between integration and emigration Daphne Tsimhoni
15. Arab Muslim attitudes toward religious minorities Michael Hoffman and Amaney Jamal
16. They that remain: Syrian and Iraqi Christian communities amid the Syria conflict and the rise of the Islamic State Matthew Barber.

Subject Areas: International human rights law [LBBR], Legal history [LAZ], Law & society [LAQ], Law [L], Christianity [HRC], History of religion [HRAX], Religion & beliefs [HR]