Wesley Granberg-Michaelson served as General Secretary of the Reformed Church in America from 1994 to 2011. He was the first managing editor of Sojourners magazine and has also worked with the World Council of Churches, the Global Christian Forum, and Call to Renewal. His other books include Unexpected Destinations: An Evangelical Pilgrimage to World Christianity.
Philip Jenkins
--Pennsylvania State University
Institute for Studies of Religion, Baylor University
"This is a splendid book. Of itself, the growth of Christian
numbers to the Global South is no longer surprising, nor is the
tension with an increasingly secularized post-Christian West. What
makes this book so valuable is the author's ability to stand back
and offer an astute and wide-ranging analysis of these trends,
rooted in his wide experience and his passionate ecumenical
commitment. He presents a confident, well-judged survey of the
emerging face of Christianity that ranges, well, from Times Square
to Timbuktu. Strongly recommended." Jim Wallis
-- president and founder of Sojourners
"This is the most important book anyone can read about the future
of the church. . . . Global Christianity is being transformed, from
the bottom up, from South to North, and Wes Granberg-Michaelson
understands how that will and should change the Western churches
that will no longer be the dominant forces in the body of Christ. .
. . From Times Square to Timbuktu shows all of us how we might
overcome the church's cultural conformity by letting the gospel
transform our hearts, our minds, and even our societies. This book
is a must-read for all who love the church, or are even interested
in it." Brian D. McLaren
--author/speaker/activist (brianmclaren.net)
"For people seeking to get a feel for global Christianity, banks of
statistics are easy to find. What's harder to find is someone who
can wisely integrate data with experience gained on street level
and in relationships with Christians around the world. Wes
Granberg-Michaelson is the best tour guide I can imagine to give us
all a guided tour of Christianity -- not as a Western religion
exported globally, but as a religion with many vibrant centers and
a circumference as big as the planet." Lamin Sanneh
--Yale Divinity School
"This book is a timely reminder of the pastoral and theological
significance of the wave of the worldwide Christian surge that is
breaking on the shores of North America. Granberg-Michaelson offers
a helpful frame for action and reflection in a style that is free
of jargon and technical language. I commend him for putting the
focus where it belongs -- the responsibility of American churches
for the welcome irruption of faith on our doorstep." Joel
Carpenter
--Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity, Calvin
College
"Over the past decade, we have seen many books that announce the
rise of Christianity from the global South and East, but this new
book by Wes Granberg-Michaelson is different. Yes, world
Christianity is here, he says -- but now what? . . . Offering wise
and winsome advice for intercultural fellowship and partnership,
this book is both eye-opening and deeply practical. I hope it
provokes fresh Christian thinking and engagement, far and wide." J.
Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu
--Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Accra, Ghana
"Wesley Granberg-Michaelson's From Times Square to Timbuktu is a
timely and discerning interpretation of current developments in
world Christianity. His observation that the shift in Christian
presence from the global North to the South and East 'is not simply
about geography, with new maps revealing the changing global
presence of the Christian community' but 'also a shift in the
culture and mindset shaping the expressions of Christian faith' is
an important one. Knowing that a process is under way and coming to
terms with it are two different things. . . . This volume
interprets not just what God may be doing with the Christianity of
the global South and East but also how Granberg-Michaelson expects
interest groups like the WCC to respond. It will definitely be
listed as mandatory reading for my students of non-Western
Christianity." Todd M.
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