Christianity in the Epoch of Globalization: Main Trends in Spatial Development

Abstract

Analysis of structural changes in Christian geospace using Loosemore – Hanby and Ryabtsev indices has shown a decline of inertia in its territorial structure from the 19th to the end of the 20th century. Minimum value of inertia has been achieved in the second half of the 20th century, when Christianity became a really global religion. The intensity of structural changes is decreasing at the beginning of the 21st century.
Christianity has returned to its roots: for much of the first millennium AD it had been a predominantly Afro-Asian religion, for much of the second millennium – European (and North American) one. But the Global South regained its positions in the second half of the 20th century. Only for 5 years (from 2014 to 2019) Latin America has become the leader among regions of the world in the number of Christians. The third millennium (at least the beginning of it) is going to be the second epoch of African Christianity. Changes in the territorial structure of Christian geospace are interrelated with changes in its confessional structure. In the first millennium AD, Afro-Asian Christianity was represented mainly by its Orthodox branch. European Christianity of the first half of the second millennium AD is associated primarily with Catholicism. In the second half of the second millennium, the latter was displaced to the New World, and partly replaced with
Protestantism in Europe. Religious gobalization and westernization in the 20th and 21st century has led to the formation of a new evangelization movement. It has spread from the Center – USA – all over the world by three wages of expansion diffusion: “pentecostal”, “revival” and “charismatic – marginal.”