Third Church

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The Third Church is the term used to describe the recent rise of Christianity outside the Western world, contrasted with the rapid decline in church attendance in North America and Europe. This phenomenon is also referred to as the "Southern Church," as the geographic center of this movement lies in the southern hemisphere. The term is derived from the three major shifts in global Christianity since its inception in the first century.

Broadly defined, these periods can be described as follows:

• First Church: the Eastern church, 0-1000 AD
• Second Church: the Western church, 1000-2000 AD
• Third Church: the Southern church, 2000 AD to present

[edit] References

• Phillip Jenkins. The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. New York: Oxford, 2002. ISBN 0195168917.
• Walbert Buhlman. The Coming of the Third Church: An Analysis of the Present and Future of the Church. Maryknoll: Orbis, 1977. ISBN 0883440709.