Thank you for sharing, Harvey. This week’s message is a blessing. The word that resonates with me is “unity.” I pray that globally our moral compass turns towards unity, and may our unity reconcile centuries-old differences and manifest racial healing. Amen.
My prayer is that both Western Christians and African Christians will concentrate more on what unite them in the faith whiles making gradual effort to bridge the differences in their way of worship. Coming together to see the world we live in as the harvest field is very important on the heart of Christ.
Thanks for this, Harvey. Contra Hollenweger, has the growth of black (African Caribbean at his time) churches a case of 'transfer growth rather than 'revival'? Clifford Hill estimated in the 1960s that 69% of migrants had belonged to 'traditional' churches in the Caribbean, but only 4% belonged to them here. Joel Edwards and Joe Aldred have argued that it is a simplification to say that 'they were rejected by the traditional churches and so started their own', rather pentecostal church planters came from the Caribbean, gathered together their members over here, and then effectively evangelised amongst de-churched migrants in this country. So the overall numbers of church-goers did not increase - though pentecostals would describe that as a shift from 'nominal' to Spirit-filled Christianity.
Similarly, the chaplain to Nigerians in this country spoke of those who stayed Anglican here as 'the Remnant'; overwhelmingly others had started going to African Pentecostal churches.
I think you have used the phrase 'recycling' about African church membership - that is, simply transfer growth in an ethnically bounded ,though growing, constituency.
Surely 'revival' means people of no Christian faith coming to worship and follow Jesus. There are some small signs of that (esp with Iranians) but otherwise not on the scale we long and pray for.
Thanks, John. It is always a delight to connect here. I am not too worried about Hollenweger’s understanding of “revival.” I wish he explained his word choice but, of course, he didn’t. That said, I do totally agree with his assertion. And I do not think that the quote is about "rejection" as such. That is too simplistic a reading of what Hollenweger is saying. I do think that there is an othering—a rejection, if you will—of migrant Christians still going on in the UK. However, I do not think it is the primary driver of migrant church growth in the country.
I have not used the word "recycling" about African church membership in the UK, but I understand what you mean. It is also a concern of mine that most of the African churches in the UK are still growing by migration.
Thank you for sharing, Harvey. This week’s message is a blessing. The word that resonates with me is “unity.” I pray that globally our moral compass turns towards unity, and may our unity reconcile centuries-old differences and manifest racial healing. Amen.
My prayer is that both Western Christians and African Christians will concentrate more on what unite them in the faith whiles making gradual effort to bridge the differences in their way of worship. Coming together to see the world we live in as the harvest field is very important on the heart of Christ.
Thanks for this, Harvey. Contra Hollenweger, has the growth of black (African Caribbean at his time) churches a case of 'transfer growth rather than 'revival'? Clifford Hill estimated in the 1960s that 69% of migrants had belonged to 'traditional' churches in the Caribbean, but only 4% belonged to them here. Joel Edwards and Joe Aldred have argued that it is a simplification to say that 'they were rejected by the traditional churches and so started their own', rather pentecostal church planters came from the Caribbean, gathered together their members over here, and then effectively evangelised amongst de-churched migrants in this country. So the overall numbers of church-goers did not increase - though pentecostals would describe that as a shift from 'nominal' to Spirit-filled Christianity.
Similarly, the chaplain to Nigerians in this country spoke of those who stayed Anglican here as 'the Remnant'; overwhelmingly others had started going to African Pentecostal churches.
I think you have used the phrase 'recycling' about African church membership - that is, simply transfer growth in an ethnically bounded ,though growing, constituency.
Surely 'revival' means people of no Christian faith coming to worship and follow Jesus. There are some small signs of that (esp with Iranians) but otherwise not on the scale we long and pray for.
Thanks, John. It is always a delight to connect here. I am not too worried about Hollenweger’s understanding of “revival.” I wish he explained his word choice but, of course, he didn’t. That said, I do totally agree with his assertion. And I do not think that the quote is about "rejection" as such. That is too simplistic a reading of what Hollenweger is saying. I do think that there is an othering—a rejection, if you will—of migrant Christians still going on in the UK. However, I do not think it is the primary driver of migrant church growth in the country.
I have not used the word "recycling" about African church membership in the UK, but I understand what you mean. It is also a concern of mine that most of the African churches in the UK are still growing by migration.
Excellent!