How does globalization affect the church and missionary work? Here are links to help you quickly gather the ideas from four key books. These may help you better understand and discuss globalization and the world in which we live.
- Jihad vs. McWorld, the original article from the Atlantic magazine, which later was further developed as a book by Benjamin Barber. Barber defines and contrasts the opposing forces of tribalism and globalization and how they affect our world.
- The Clash of Civilizations, the original article from Foreign Affairs magazine, which later was further developed as a book by Samuel P. Huntington. Huntington describes that future conflicts and alliances will be forged between the major civilizations of the world. See Bruce Ashford’s review of the book.
- The World is Flat, Bruce Ashford’s review of the book by Thomas Friedman. Friedman describes how the world has become a more equal playing field to many of its people and the resulting implications.
- The Next Christendom, an article (author interview) related to the book by Philip Jenkins. Jenkins describes the shift of the center of Christianity from the West to the Global South by documenting its growth in Latin America and Africa and makes predictions based on this shift. See Jonathan Parsons’ review of the book.