In this manifesto of sorts, Bishop Emilio Alvarez introduces the phenomenon of Pentecostals returning to the ancient, creedal Christian faith, and extends the project of paleo-orthodox ressourcement to include orthodox expressions within Pentecostalism, particularly in his own Afro-Latino Pentecostal movement.

Despite their historical and cultural differences, Eastern Orthodox Christians and Classical Pentecostals share some surprising similarities. Both incorporate holistic approaches to Christian spirituality. Both manifest an organic approach to ecclesiology. Both emphasize that Christianity is not just about being saved. Most strikingly, both traditions embrace the effective and even mystical dimensions of Christian transformation. This study locates both traditions within their cultural and philosophical meta-contexts and suggests avenues of mutual understanding. No longer can these two groups, representing ancient and recent Christian expressions, afford to be strangers.

Pentecostal-type Christians today make up close to 25% of the worldwide number of Christians of all creeds. On any given Sunday morning, they represent an even higher proportion of all Christian worshippers. They are people who intensively “do church” in its every aspect. This work investigates how they do it, from everyday fellowship through leadership to styles of worship. It balances established Western research into Pentecostalism with information and perspectives from the global stage, engaging a wide spectrum of theological and social disciplines. Analysing how Pentecostals have understood themselves, it explores the biblical, historical, practical and missiological material they have utilised to establish both their implicit and explicit notions of “church.” Aimed at both scholars and lay people, the style, presentation and scope of the material are especially relevant to thinking Christians of all vocations, and will also be useful for social scientists and historians intrigued by this recent Christian phenomenon.

This new edition of the bestselling Orthodoxy & Heterodoxy is fully revised and significantly expanded. Major new features include a full chapter on Pentecostalism and the Charismatic movements, an expanded epilogue, and a new appendix ("How and Why I Became an Orthodox Christian"). More detail and more religions and movements have been included, and the book is now addressed broadly to both Orthodox and non-Orthodox, making it even more sharable than before.

What Is Christianity? provides a fascinating overview of the world’s largest religion, weaving history, theology, spirituality, denominational divisions, and global growth into a single compelling story. Written in clear and captivating prose that requires no previous knowledge of Christianity, it describes the religion inspired by Jesus as a living faith that is still changing and developing today. Reader-friendly chapters introduce the major traditions of Christianity (Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Pentecostalism), explaining their spiritual appeal and tracing their evolution over the centuries. Christianity’s recent global expansion is highlighted, but Christianity has been a diverse and multicultural movement from the very beginning. Each chapter provides thought-provoking insights into the beliefs, values, practices, achievements, and failures of Christians as they tried to remain faithful to the message and meaning of Jesus in different times and places. Condenses a vast amount of information into a coherent narrative Explains how and why Christianity has become so incredibly diverse Describes what almost all Christians have always held in common Summarizes the current status of Christianity in each global region Discusses the challenges that Christians worldwide are facing today What Is Christianity? is an ideal introduction to Christianity as a world religion for people who are unfamiliar with Christianity as well as for Christians who want to know more about their own faith and the faith practices of fellow believers from other Christian traditions. An engaging text for general readers, this short volume will also be a stimulating choice for book discussion groups and or for the classroom.

This accessible textbook describes Christianity, the world’s largest religion, in all of its historical and contemporary diversity. No other publication includes so much information or presents it so clearly and winsomely. This volume employs a “religious studies” approach that is neutral in tone yet accommodates the lived experiences of Christians in different traditions and from all regions of the globe. The World’s Christians is a perfect textbook for either public university classrooms or liberal arts campuses. Divided into three parts, the text first describes the world’s four largest Christian traditions (Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal) which together account for roughly 98 percent of all Christians worldwide. A second section focuses on Christian history, explaining the movement’s developing ideas and practices and examining Christianity’s engagement with people and cultures around the world. The third and longest portion of the text details the distinctive experiences, contemporary challenges, and demographics of Christians in nine geographic regions, including the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Eastern and Western Europe, South Asia, North America, East Asia, and Oceania. The second edition of this popular text has been thoroughly rewritten to take recent developments into account, and each chapter now includes two primary source readings, highlighting the diversity of voices that exist within the world Christian movement. Like the first edition, the revised text is enhanced with easily understandable maps, charts, tables and illustrative photographs. In summary, this new and improved second edition of The World’s Christians is: div style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; user-select: text; -webkit-user-drag: none; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; font-family: 'Segoe UI', 'Segoe UI Web', Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 12px;"