
Although a minority of the Asian population, Protestants in Asia are a fast-growing group. What are the political implications of this evangelical Christianity? In some cases, religion has enabled poor and marginalized people to gain greater prosperity, self-confidence and civic skills, and more open-minded and democratic societies. But does religion have the kind of cultural currency needed to generate political changes in governments such as China's? Evangelical Christianity and Democracy in Asia provides six case studies on China, Western India, Northeast India, Indonesia, South Korea, and the Philippines. The contributors, mainly younger scholars based in Asia, bring first hand-knowledge to their chapters. The result is a work, indispensable to everyone concerned with the future of the region. Evangelical Christianity and Democracy in Asia is one of four volumes in the series Evangelical Christianity and Democracy in the Global South and grew from a Pew-funded study that sought to answer the question: What happens when a revivalist religion based on scriptural orthodoxy participates in the volatile politics of the Third World? At a time when the global-political impact of another revivalist and scriptural religion - Islam - fuels debate, these volumes offer an unusual comparative perspective.
This volume investigates the political implications of the growth of evangelical Christianity within diverse Asian nations and its potential to influence democratic development. Edited by David Halloran Lumsdaine, the work compiles research from scholars based in Asia to examine how a revivalist, scripturally orthodox religion interacts with the complex political landscapes of the region. The contributors analyze whether these religious communities foster civic engagement and democratic values or face significant cultural and governmental barriers to political influence.
What You Will Find
Scope Limits
Experts identify this text as a valuable comparative resource for understanding the intersection of religion and politics in the Global South. Readers frequently note the academic rigor of the case studies and the benefit of having contributors with direct, localized knowledge of the regions discussed.
Page Count:
352
Publication Date:
2009-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190294744
ISBN-13:
9780190294748
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!