Kingdom Without Borders: The Untold Story of Global Christianity

In her book, Kingdom Without Borders, Miriam Adeney paints a detailed portrait of world Christianity by examining the stories of Christians from almost every continent on planet earth. Adeney accomplishes this by weaving together chapters that are focused on particular places with chapters that focused on broader ideas and themes. These varying perspectives give the reader a fleshed-out picture of how Christianity is surviving and thriving around the world.Adeney opens the book up by discussing several things that she learned while working for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in the Philippines. She lists several lessons that she learned while spending time there and describes how those lessons shaped her as a person and believer. This introduction sets the tone for the rest of the book, throughout which she tells stories and draws out lessons and applications. In chapter one, she discusses the multicultural nature of the church. This chapter does a good job of explaining why a book like this is needed. Too many people in the West believe that Western Christianity is Christianity. They fail to see how important contextualization is. And they fail to see the fact that the future of Christianity is almost certainly not going to feature Western faces as its most important leaders and figures. As Adeney writes, “…the future global church may not be Western-led, and that’s OK. Let the mantle pass. We in the West can learn to follow, can’t we?” (Adeney p.40). After this chapter, Adeney spends chapters telling the stories of Chinese Christians, Latin American Christians, Christians in the majority Muslim world, Christians in the majority Hindu world, and African Christians. Interspersed between these location-focused chapters, Adeney tells the reader how Christians around the world have interacted and been changed by God’s word, his Spirit, catastrophes, singing, and suffering.The chapters that focus on Christians in different contexts are powerful reminders of what believers around the world are going through as we in the West enjoy our peace and security. It isn’t easy to read about Chinese Christians who face execution by saying, “Meiying, my beloved wife, why are you crying?...How can I not drink the cup that the Lord has given me?” (Adeney p.63). As I read about these courageous believers, I couldn’t help but think of many of my fellow American Christians who speak and write fearfully about the ‘War on Christmas’ and other first-world Christian ‘problems.’Though I enjoyed reading the chapters that focused on regions, the chapters that dealt with the bigger themes like word and spirit were even more inspiring to me. Part of the reason that I appreciated these chapters so much was likely because I’m someone who loves reading about practical spirituality. Richard Foster’s Celebration of Discipline has always been one of my favorite books. As I read Adeney’s chapters, I felt like I was reading an addendum to Foster’s book that revealed how these disciplines have been lived out in contexts all around the world. This serves as a powerful encouragement to practicing these disciplines and valuing these ideas as our brothers and sisters around the world already are doing. They also remind us that the world’s cultures have a great deal to offer us. For example, in the chapter on the word, Adeney reminds the reader of the ways in which our cultural context shapes how we see certain passages. This chapter reminded me of E. Randolph Richards and Brandon O’Brien’s Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes.As I’ve already implied in describing the contents of this book, I largely agree with what Adeney writes. But much of what she writes is simply how it is. In most of the book she’s not so much making an argument as simply telling it like it is and describing the facts on the ground. I believe that the big themes she draws out and encourages Western readers to consider are ones that are vital. Though, in my opinion, one of the most important is the last one she features: the way of the cross. In this chapter, she notes that “the gospel is not only good news. It threatens established systems and powers. Those systems and powers fight back” (Adeney p. 257). Modern American Christians have become too used to being in power. Now that our cultural hegemony has been threatened by secularism, we’ve often become defensive and, at times, lost our willingness to suffer and die to self. We could learn a lot from our brothers and sisters who have had no cultural authority and must survive in hostile and violent environments.I believe that there’s a lot in this book that could be put to practical use. First, it’s a great book to give believers a broad overview of what Christianity looks like around the world and how it’s practiced. This is something that believers should be aware of. I’ll definitely be recommending it to people in my congregation. I also think it serves as a good impetus to value the Bible and the leading of the Spirit. Over all, this book is a great reminder for all Western Christians that the future of Christianity is going to look different than it has the past few years. But even if that’s the case, the same Spirit will be leading. And that’s something to take great comfort in.

Research and scholarship are clearly Adeney's strengths, but Kingdom Without Borders is far more than a factual recounting of Christianity around the globe. What could simply fall flat as a contemporary update on religion blooms into something more through Adeney's moving stories and unforgettable characters. Kingdom Without Borders gives us a taste for what God is doing in China, Latin America, the Middle East, India, and Africa, and the ways in which his Spirit is communicating with humanity--as well as the practical and economic realities that followers of Christ face in their corners of the world. By the end of this book, you will be realizing along with Adeney that "the worldwide church is built from a thousand thousand communities of grace, one story at a time."This book will graft you into that complex and beautiful global church, reshaping how you perceive God's love for people and His work among them.

American Christians tend to see the global church as a reflection of the American church. This book will dispel that idea. The church is alive and well around the globe. I recommend this book for every Christian who wants to see what God is doing in our world today.

Using it in class

no marks or anything

Great read!

The future of the church. Enough said.

If you think America or the Western world represents christianity, then this book will change your perspective. God is at work all over the world and the stories here will encourage your heart. Very good read.

A very interesting read. telling stories of God working through his people around the world. The stories are well told and there are many teaching points as well.