Global Christianity
The Global Christianity Concentration in the Graduate Division of Religion will support and equip doctoral students who intend to teach and research topics related to the study of Christianity in diverse contexts around the globe within the fields of religious studies and theology.
The emerging field of Global Christianity investigates the diversity of Christian communities around the world, with a particular focus on indigenous expressions in non-Western contexts and the experiences of under-represented or marginalized communities of faith globally. Its purview also includes the study of how non-western expressions of Christianity have impacted western societies. As an area of academic study and research, global Christianity is inherently interdisciplinary. It utilizes a multiplicity of models, methods and theoretical constructs; though it tends to be strongly oriented towards historical, social scientific and theological approaches. It also has strong roots in mission studies and the study of religious traditions other than Christianity.
The global Christianity concentration is expected to attract and include students from different courses of study within the GDR. These students will have a strong commitment to investigating Christian communities’ beliefs, practices and lifeways in a variety of contexts around the world, especially non-western ones, that are shaped by a multitude of historical and cultural experiences. The concentration will enable students to acquire and master a variety of theories, models, new rationalities, and methodologies (including intercultural critique and ethnographic study) that are central to this field of study. It will not only provide a common interdisciplinary space for students to support one another and share their work but also enhance their ability to participate in programs and scholarly communities beyond Emory.
The goals of the Global Christianity concentration are to
- enable students to gain competency in the study of Christianity as a global phenomenon.
- prepare students to teach and research in the field of global Christianity.
- foster a community of scholars in global Christianity at Emory
Concentration Advisor
Jehu Hanciles
D.W. and Ruth Brooks Professor of World Christianity
Director of World Christianity Program
