The diversity of contemporary Christianity in Southeast Asia

This article is concerned with the diverse forms of Christianity as the religion spreads around Southeast Asia. Although growth and expansion characterize much of Christianity's fortunes, no unifying trend is readily discernible. Four trends are identified in this article: popular religion, meg...

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Main Author: Jayeel Cornelio
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: SEAMEO Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts 2018-03-01
Series:SPAFA Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.spafajournal.org/index.php/spafajournal/article/view/582
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author Jayeel Cornelio
author_facet Jayeel Cornelio
author_sort Jayeel Cornelio
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description This article is concerned with the diverse forms of Christianity as the religion spreads around Southeast Asia. Although growth and expansion characterize much of Christianity's fortunes, no unifying trend is readily discernible. Four trends are identified in this article: popular religion, megachurches, the global church, and the struggling church. The article draws from different cases around the region to illustrate the importance of these developments. It in this manner that the article complicates the narrative that Christianity is moving to the Global South. The narrative often presents Christianity as a religion at war with itself insofar as geographic tensions are concerned. In contrast to its counterpart in the West, Christianity in the region is depicted as strict, fundamentalist, and often Charismatic in orientation. To view Christianity in Southeast Asia as a homogenous entity disregards issues at stake for its many denominations. Some of these concerns include different political regimes and uneven levels of economic development. This paper was delivered as an opening lecture at the workshop on Christian art in Southeast Asia, organized by SEAMEO SPAFA in the Philippines in March 2016.
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spelling doaj.art-3b4c2e417f6a48208b63913301b668522022-12-22T04:08:39ZengSEAMEO Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine ArtsSPAFA Journal0858-19752586-87212018-03-01210.26721/spafajournal.v2i0.582558The diversity of contemporary Christianity in Southeast AsiaJayeel Cornelio0Development Studies Program Ateneo de Manila University Divinity School of Chung Chi College Chinese University of Hong KongThis article is concerned with the diverse forms of Christianity as the religion spreads around Southeast Asia. Although growth and expansion characterize much of Christianity's fortunes, no unifying trend is readily discernible. Four trends are identified in this article: popular religion, megachurches, the global church, and the struggling church. The article draws from different cases around the region to illustrate the importance of these developments. It in this manner that the article complicates the narrative that Christianity is moving to the Global South. The narrative often presents Christianity as a religion at war with itself insofar as geographic tensions are concerned. In contrast to its counterpart in the West, Christianity in the region is depicted as strict, fundamentalist, and often Charismatic in orientation. To view Christianity in Southeast Asia as a homogenous entity disregards issues at stake for its many denominations. Some of these concerns include different political regimes and uneven levels of economic development. This paper was delivered as an opening lecture at the workshop on Christian art in Southeast Asia, organized by SEAMEO SPAFA in the Philippines in March 2016.https://www.spafajournal.org/index.php/spafajournal/article/view/582ChristianitySoutheast AsiaWorld ChristianityGlobal SouthReligious Change
spellingShingle Jayeel Cornelio
The diversity of contemporary Christianity in Southeast Asia
SPAFA Journal
Christianity
Southeast Asia
World Christianity
Global South
Religious Change
title The diversity of contemporary Christianity in Southeast Asia
title_full The diversity of contemporary Christianity in Southeast Asia
title_fullStr The diversity of contemporary Christianity in Southeast Asia
title_full_unstemmed The diversity of contemporary Christianity in Southeast Asia
title_short The diversity of contemporary Christianity in Southeast Asia
title_sort diversity of contemporary christianity in southeast asia
topic Christianity
Southeast Asia
World Christianity
Global South
Religious Change
url https://www.spafajournal.org/index.php/spafajournal/article/view/582
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