KEKRISTENAN YANG AKAN DATANG DI INDONESIA: BAGAIMANA VISI, BENTUK DAN KOMITMENNYA?

Abstract

In 2002 the American historian and scholar of religion Philip Jenkins published The next Christendom, named one of the top religious books of 2002 by USA Today. The book was revised and reprinted in 2007. Over the last century, Jenkin says (2007 : 1) :  “the centre of gravity in the Christian world has moved inexorably southward”. Much of the argument is based on numbers concerning population growth and migration. Nevertheless the numbers are illuminating. Jenkins does not give figures about the shift of the economic centre of the world with China and India as new superpowers. Jenkins’ book evoked strong reactions, a bit to his own surprise as the book contained little new. I was detested by those who stick to the theory of ongoing and irresversible secularisation and welcomed by those who see a resurgence of religion in Europe. I consider myself to be a European in the sense that I was born on the European continent and have a European language as my mother tongue. But I am influenced by many other cultural orientations, and I assume that this is true for most of us here. Continents are not clear-cut geographical categories.