Papers by Gina A . Zurlo, Ph.D.
Journal of World Christianity, 2018
This article argues that David Barrett’s (1927–2011) World Christian
Encyclopedia (1982) presente... more This article argues that David Barrett’s (1927–2011) World Christian
Encyclopedia (1982) presented the first comprehensive quantitative assessment of membership in all branches of the church and provided a new intellectual framework that shaped contemporary understandings of world Christianity. Barrett’s location in Nairobi, Kenya, with the Church Missionary Society during the rise of African nationalism and decolonization informed his perspective on world Christianity. Like the African Independent Churches he studied, Barrett broke off from the missionary establishment and supported “schismatic” African groups. Barrett’s experience in Kenya illustrated how influential the growth of African Christianity was in reshaping definitions of world Christianity. He was the first person to quantify religious adherence of all kinds and to
represent all of world Christianity together. The World Christian Encyclopedia indicated that a new era of world Christianity had come, and its center of gravity had moved from white Europe to black Africa.
Journal of World Christianity, 2019
Most scholars know that world Christianity is inherently interdisciplinary, that it can be studie... more Most scholars know that world Christianity is inherently interdisciplinary, that it can be studied from different methodological perspectives. While world Chris-tianity is often studied through historical and theological lenses, the application of the social sciences-in particular quantitative methods-is a little more fuzzy. This article looks backward and forward to reflect on methodological approaches to studying world Christianity. Looking backward, it highlights the work of missionary statistician David Barrett as it developed for the World Christian Encyclopedia. The Encyclopedia provided an intellectual framework for reconstructing Christianity in a world after colonialism. Looking forward, the article offers some thoughts on why it is not always clear how to incorporate quantitative social science into world Christianity studies and looks genea-logically at the history of "Christian" sociology in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The article concludes with a methodological challenge for world Christianity scholars.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2020
This article marks the thirty-sixth year of including statistical information on World Christiani... more This article marks the thirty-sixth year of including statistical information on World Christianity and mission in the International Bulletin of Mission Research. We report on some of the major findings of the new World Christian Encyclopedia, 3rd edition (Edinburgh University Press, 2019), including the fall and rise of the world's Christian population, the continued shift of Christianity to the Global South, the decline of religious liberty, and complicating trends in mission.
Christianity in North Africa and West Asia, 2019
This is the full-color demographic section from a larger reference work on Christianity in North ... more This is the full-color demographic section from a larger reference work on Christianity in North Africa and West Asia. This comprehensive reference volume covers every country in the region, offering reliable demographic information and original interpretative essays by indigenous scholars and practitioners. It maps patterns of growth and decline, assesses major traditions and movements, analyses key themes and examines current trends. This is part of the Edinburgh Companions to Global Christianity Series.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2019
This article marks the thirty-fifth year of presenting statistical information on world Christian... more This article marks the thirty-fifth year of presenting statistical information on world Christianity and mission. This year, we report on three gaps in the literature, concerning women in world Christianity and mission, the status of short-term mission (STM), and missions and money. There are few quantitative studies on women in world Christianity; there remains a dearth in the literature on the magnitude and impact of STM (which is particularly US-centric); and Christian finance, now $60 trillion in personal income, is vastly under-researched in global studies.
Society, 2014
Historians have undertaken the study of Christian
martyrdomprimarily to understand its impact on ... more Historians have undertaken the study of Christian
martyrdomprimarily to understand its impact on the growth of
the religion since its inception. This article takes a different
perspective on the study of martyrdom, instead examining
how many Christians around the world have died in situations
of witness every year. Included is a comparative analysis of
twentieth- and twenty-first-century trends regarding the phenomenon,
highlighting both qualitative and quantitative differences
between the two periods. Measuring Christian martyrdom
is not without controversy, however. Here, the number
of martyrs per year is determined by a specific set of criteria
that takes into consideration historical, sociological, and theological
arguments. This article will present a definition of
martyrdom highlighting two important aspects: (1) the motivation
of the killed rather than the killer, and (2) the inclusion
of Christians who have died as a result of mass killings and
genocides. Drawing on historical and contemporary descriptions
of martyrdom situations, we argue that martyrdom is a
broad-based phenomenon not limited to state persecution that
is profoundly affecting thousands of Christians in the context
of civil war, genocide, and other conflicts.
Harvard Journal of Middle Eastern Politics and Policy, 2014
The proportional decline of historic Christian communities in the
Middle East is continuing. Chri... more The proportional decline of historic Christian communities in the
Middle East is continuing. Christians were 13.6 percent of the region’s
population in 1910 but only 4.2 percent in 2010; by 2025, they will
likely constitute 3.6 percent. While Christians in the Middle East
continue to suffer from war and conflict, the expansion of Christianity
to the Global South and the postcolonial break between notions of
“Western” and “Christian” are positive developments for communities
under siege in the region. Christians from the Middle East are now
present all over the world, and Christians from the Global South are
increasingly drawn to the Middle East. Some of the region’s most
pressing concerns can be addressed by advocating for freedom for
all religious minorities in countries experiencing high restrictions on
religion. Additionally, promoting interfaith dialogue where Middle
Eastern Christians are in diaspora can serve to strengthen their ties with
fellow religionists in their host countries and abroad.
The Review of Faith and International Affairs, 2015
The American Sociologist, 2015
Histories of American sociology generally acknowledge, to varying degrees, Christian involvement ... more Histories of American sociology generally acknowledge, to varying degrees, Christian involvement in the development of the field. Much of this attention, however, underemphasizes two highly influential movements in early-twentieth-century Christian thought, the social gospel movement (1870s-1920s) and the rise of the global ecumenical movement (beginning in 1910). One under-researched, yet particularly revealing example of the impact of these movements is the Institute of Social and Religious Research ("the Institute"; 1921-1934), founded in 1921 under the leadership of global Christian leader John R. Mott and funded by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The Institute was comprised of Christian social scientific researchers who promoted interdenominational cooperation by engaging in scientific inquiry regarding the structure, current status, and functions of religious institutions and life in the Untied States. The Institute strived to maintain a high level of academic rigor while also retaining a religious motivation that included service to others, a classic struggle in the early history of American sociology. The publications produced by the Institute were groundbreaking in their applications of social scientific methods to the study of religion in the United States, most notable of which included Robert S. Lynd and Helen Merrell Lynd's highly generative and controversial Middletown study. In an overview of the largely unexplored tenure of the Institute, this paper brings together important trends in the early twentieth century to provide a unique perspective on the historical and theological contexts for the development of American sociology as an academic discipline.
Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion, 2016
Wiley-Blackwell Companion to World Christianity, 2016
International Bulletin of Mission Research
Throughout 2017, Protestants around the world will celebrate five hundred years of history. Altho... more Throughout 2017, Protestants around the world will celebrate five hundred years of history. Although for several centuries the Protestant movement was based in Europe, then North America, from its Western homelands it eventually spread all over the world. In 2017 there are 560 million Protestants found in nearly all the world's 234 countries. Of these 560 million, only 16 percent are in Europe, with 41 percent in Africa, a figure projected to reach 53 percent by 2050. The article also presents the latest statistics related to global Christianity and its mission.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2018
Missiologists today speak routinely of the shift of Christianity to the Global South, but it was ... more Missiologists today speak routinely of the shift of Christianity to the Global South, but it was David B. Barrett who first described this trend. Many of the religious statistics cited by sociologists, demographers, scholars of world Christianity, the media, and others today can be traced to the work of Barrett and the 1982 World Christian Encyclopedia. Barrett strove to meld his scientific background with a missionary conviction to reach the unevangelized. In the process, he inadvertently laid the foundation for the contemporary academic field of international religious demography, a vital part of his mission research legacy.
International Bulletin of Mission Research, 2018
This article features five statistical tables with 2018 figures for many aspects of global Christ... more This article features five statistical tables with 2018 figures for many aspects of global Christianity, from membership to finance to martyrdom. Over the last 1,000 years, Europe had more Christians than any other continent. By 2018 Africa had the most Christians: 599 million, vs. 597 million in Latin America and 550 million in Europe. At the same time, Christianity continues to decline in the Middle East, falling from 13.6
percent of the population in 1900 to less than 4 percent today. In 1800 Christians and Muslims together represented only 33 percent of the world’s population; by 2018 they represented 57 percent, increasing to 64 percent by 2050.
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Papers by Gina A . Zurlo, Ph.D.
Encyclopedia (1982) presented the first comprehensive quantitative assessment of membership in all branches of the church and provided a new intellectual framework that shaped contemporary understandings of world Christianity. Barrett’s location in Nairobi, Kenya, with the Church Missionary Society during the rise of African nationalism and decolonization informed his perspective on world Christianity. Like the African Independent Churches he studied, Barrett broke off from the missionary establishment and supported “schismatic” African groups. Barrett’s experience in Kenya illustrated how influential the growth of African Christianity was in reshaping definitions of world Christianity. He was the first person to quantify religious adherence of all kinds and to
represent all of world Christianity together. The World Christian Encyclopedia indicated that a new era of world Christianity had come, and its center of gravity had moved from white Europe to black Africa.
martyrdomprimarily to understand its impact on the growth of
the religion since its inception. This article takes a different
perspective on the study of martyrdom, instead examining
how many Christians around the world have died in situations
of witness every year. Included is a comparative analysis of
twentieth- and twenty-first-century trends regarding the phenomenon,
highlighting both qualitative and quantitative differences
between the two periods. Measuring Christian martyrdom
is not without controversy, however. Here, the number
of martyrs per year is determined by a specific set of criteria
that takes into consideration historical, sociological, and theological
arguments. This article will present a definition of
martyrdom highlighting two important aspects: (1) the motivation
of the killed rather than the killer, and (2) the inclusion
of Christians who have died as a result of mass killings and
genocides. Drawing on historical and contemporary descriptions
of martyrdom situations, we argue that martyrdom is a
broad-based phenomenon not limited to state persecution that
is profoundly affecting thousands of Christians in the context
of civil war, genocide, and other conflicts.
Middle East is continuing. Christians were 13.6 percent of the region’s
population in 1910 but only 4.2 percent in 2010; by 2025, they will
likely constitute 3.6 percent. While Christians in the Middle East
continue to suffer from war and conflict, the expansion of Christianity
to the Global South and the postcolonial break between notions of
“Western” and “Christian” are positive developments for communities
under siege in the region. Christians from the Middle East are now
present all over the world, and Christians from the Global South are
increasingly drawn to the Middle East. Some of the region’s most
pressing concerns can be addressed by advocating for freedom for
all religious minorities in countries experiencing high restrictions on
religion. Additionally, promoting interfaith dialogue where Middle
Eastern Christians are in diaspora can serve to strengthen their ties with
fellow religionists in their host countries and abroad.
percent of the population in 1900 to less than 4 percent today. In 1800 Christians and Muslims together represented only 33 percent of the world’s population; by 2018 they represented 57 percent, increasing to 64 percent by 2050.
Encyclopedia (1982) presented the first comprehensive quantitative assessment of membership in all branches of the church and provided a new intellectual framework that shaped contemporary understandings of world Christianity. Barrett’s location in Nairobi, Kenya, with the Church Missionary Society during the rise of African nationalism and decolonization informed his perspective on world Christianity. Like the African Independent Churches he studied, Barrett broke off from the missionary establishment and supported “schismatic” African groups. Barrett’s experience in Kenya illustrated how influential the growth of African Christianity was in reshaping definitions of world Christianity. He was the first person to quantify religious adherence of all kinds and to
represent all of world Christianity together. The World Christian Encyclopedia indicated that a new era of world Christianity had come, and its center of gravity had moved from white Europe to black Africa.
martyrdomprimarily to understand its impact on the growth of
the religion since its inception. This article takes a different
perspective on the study of martyrdom, instead examining
how many Christians around the world have died in situations
of witness every year. Included is a comparative analysis of
twentieth- and twenty-first-century trends regarding the phenomenon,
highlighting both qualitative and quantitative differences
between the two periods. Measuring Christian martyrdom
is not without controversy, however. Here, the number
of martyrs per year is determined by a specific set of criteria
that takes into consideration historical, sociological, and theological
arguments. This article will present a definition of
martyrdom highlighting two important aspects: (1) the motivation
of the killed rather than the killer, and (2) the inclusion
of Christians who have died as a result of mass killings and
genocides. Drawing on historical and contemporary descriptions
of martyrdom situations, we argue that martyrdom is a
broad-based phenomenon not limited to state persecution that
is profoundly affecting thousands of Christians in the context
of civil war, genocide, and other conflicts.
Middle East is continuing. Christians were 13.6 percent of the region’s
population in 1910 but only 4.2 percent in 2010; by 2025, they will
likely constitute 3.6 percent. While Christians in the Middle East
continue to suffer from war and conflict, the expansion of Christianity
to the Global South and the postcolonial break between notions of
“Western” and “Christian” are positive developments for communities
under siege in the region. Christians from the Middle East are now
present all over the world, and Christians from the Global South are
increasingly drawn to the Middle East. Some of the region’s most
pressing concerns can be addressed by advocating for freedom for
all religious minorities in countries experiencing high restrictions on
religion. Additionally, promoting interfaith dialogue where Middle
Eastern Christians are in diaspora can serve to strengthen their ties with
fellow religionists in their host countries and abroad.
percent of the population in 1900 to less than 4 percent today. In 1800 Christians and Muslims together represented only 33 percent of the world’s population; by 2018 they represented 57 percent, increasing to 64 percent by 2050.