Women in World Christianity: Building and Sustaining a Global Movement

by Gina A Zurlo

A groundbreaking, comprehensive, and interdisciplinary analysis of women’s experiences in World Christianity Women in World Building and Sustaining a Global Movement is the first textbook to focus on women’s experiences in the founding, spread, and continuation of the Christian faith. Integrating historical, theological, and social scientific approaches to World Christianity, this innovative volume centers women’s perspectives to illustrate their key role in Christianity becoming a world religion, including how they sustain the faith in the present and their expanding role in the future. Women in World Christianity features findings from the Women in World Christianity Project, a groundbreaking study that produced the first quantitative dataset on gender in every Christian denomination in every country of the world. Throughout the text, special emphasis is placed on women in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, the period of Christianity’s shift from the global North to the global South. Easily accessible chapters – organized by continent, tradition, and select topics – introduce students to the wide variety of Christian belief and practice around the world. The book also discusses issues specifically relevant to women in the gender-based violence, ecology, theological education, peacebuilding and more. This Women in World Building and Sustaining a Global Movement is an excellent primary textbook for introductory courses on World Christianity, History of Christianity, World Religions, Gender in Religion, as well as undergraduate and graduate courses specifically focused on women in World Christianity.

384 pages, Paperback

Published August 14, 2023

Reviews

[Holly M]

Fascinating and in-depth read on women and Christianity.

[Gabi]

A fantastic introductory text on major themes of women in the discipline of World Christianity with charts, graphs, pictures, and summaries. The book's focus on women is amazing because they are some of the biggest contributors to the faith, even though histories of Christianity tend to focus on men. I also love the introduction where she starts with Mary's Song.

“My soul glorifies the Lord
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has been mindful
of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,
from generation to generation.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering to be merciful
55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,
just as he promised our ancestors.”

Let us continue to tell the stories of women in World Christianity.