God's Continent: Christianity, Islam, and Europe's Religious Crisis | 
 enlarge | Author: Philip Jenkins
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
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Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 176049
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 352
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.5 x 1.3
ISBN: 019531395X
Dewey Decimal Number: 200.94090511
EAN: 9780195313956
ASIN: 019531395X
Publication Date: May 11, 2007
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Product Description
What does the future hold for European Christianity? Is the Christian church doomed to collapse under the weight of globalization, Western secularism, and a flood of Muslim immigrants? Is Europe, in short, on the brink of becoming "Eurabia"?
Though many pundits are loudly predicting just such a scenario, Philip Jenkins reveals the flaws in these arguments in God's Continent and offers a much more measured assessment of Europe's religious future. While frankly acknowledging current tensions, Jenkins shows, for instance, that the overheated rhetoric about a Muslim-dominated Europe is based on politically convenient myths: that Europe is being imperiled by floods of Muslim immigrants, exploding Muslim birth-rates, and the demise of European Christianity. He points out that by no means are Muslims the only new immigrants in Europe. Christians from Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe are also pouring into the Western countries, and bringing with them a vibrant and enthusiastic faith that is helping to transform the face of European Christianity. Jenkins agrees that both Christianity and Islam face real difficulties in surviving within Europe's secular culture. But instead of fading away, both have adapted, and are adapting. Yes, the churches are in decline, but there are also clear indications that Christian loyalty and devotion survive, even as institutions crumble. Jenkins sees encouraging signs of continuing Christian devotion in Europe, especially in pilgrimages that attract millions--more in fact than in bygone "ages of faith."
The third book in an acclaimed trilogy that includes The Next Christendom and The New Faces of Christianity, God's Continent offers a realistic and historically grounded appraisal of the future of Christianity in a rapidly changing Europe.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Extremely disappointing December 9, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
Phillip Jenkins, known as a student of the modern history of Christianity in The Next Christendom, in "God's Continent" aims to argue that the state of Christianity in Europe is not nearly so bad as is generally assumed by the press concerned about an Islamic takeover.
Whilst, were it true, this would be useful to remind people, Jenkins arguments cannot hold sway. He does point out radically declining fertility rates in Muslim nations surrounding Europe, but in reality this is most likely to suggest a long-term future of radical secularism extending to the Middle East and North Africa and a rapid fading of Islam, especially if the highly centralised EU structure covers those areas (which Jenkins suggests it could).
When Jenkins looks at the secularisation of Europe, one already sees he is off-line in the way in which he studies. Whilst he clearly shows the decline in religiosity of the European population, his efforts to find a cause and to explain why the US has not followed suit is very flawed. One possibility is the fact that the US has a much smaller pension system due to Reagan's reforms. Much worse, though, is how when actually trying to study the secularisation of Europe, Jenkins puts far too little attention towards the causes of that secularisation. Given that he notes the much higher religious observance of those born before the baby boom generation of the 1940s and 1950s, Jenkins ought to have devoted at least a page or two to explaining what might cause this. The way in which conservatives can convincingly suggest a surprising answer like female suffrage (which he does note in the book) ought to make him think seriously. Instead, he spends too much time ranting on the more recent declines of later generations.
His look at the efforts to renew Christianity in Europe via African and Asian immigration is interesting. Given that I know immigrants tend to be very conservative compared to people who remain in their homeland, there is the possibility that migrant renewal could be long-lasting, but the way in which the EU has been so successful at creating a government that could threaten any conservative religion on grounds of discrimination makes this doubtful.
His part on Islam, on the other hand, is rather wishy-washy. Given how well conservatives and the politically non-aligned like myself know so well that when religion loses its essential tenets and mystery it ceases to be an effective force, it is very hard to see how Islam will survive any better than Christianity (or Buddhism, for that matter) by compromising with militant secularism.
Another noteworthy fault is that Jenkins seems to think the popularity of pilgrimages means Europeans are not so secular as people imagine. The way I see it, such "pilgrimages" as occur in modern Europe are with a very few exception like Lough Derg basically pure tourism to study a continent's past which they may find fascinating even if violently repelled by the rigid laws of the Vatican against female ordination or sexual freedom. (One book whose title I will not disclose distinguished between pilgrimage and tourism in terms of accommodation and way of life: pilgrimage involved staying with locals in private homes and living their lifestyle; tourism involved living one's own lifestyle outside).
All in all, "God's Continent" is most disappointing. In its aim to explain the secularisation of Europe, it fails, and it has another failure in looking at how Islam will evolve.
 Christianity and Islam in Europe today December 31, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This is the third in Jenkins' fascinating series looking at global Christianity and it follows "The Next Christendom" and "The New Faces Of Christianity" but this time focusing on Christianity in Europe and the perceived threat of Islam. Reading this book was an enjoyable experience and a welcome antidote to the paranoia often seen in the media and in churches, at least with regard to the future of Christianity. Jenkins shows, using statistics and with a look through the history of Christianity in Europe, that despite the increase in secularisation and the reduction in numbers of believers, Christianity is still overwhelmingly the majority religion in Europe and likely to stay that way. He wonders whether the Islam of those who make their homes in Europe might also become more secular and tolerant and that the Islam that we fear, that of the fundamentalists, might not be as prevalent as we fear.
The second half of the book looks more closely at Islam, discussing terrorism and the French riots, showing how some people are radicalised and giving a history of many of the terrorism events of the last twenty years. He also describes some of the changes taking place in European Islam, particularly with regard to women's rights. The assumption that Islam is a monolithic faith in which there is no variation is patently false and it was encouraging to read of many of the Muslim men and women who are working as a force for good, at least as we would see it. However the overall tone of this part of the book was less positive and left the reader with the sense that Islam is very different from the liberality of most Europeans and not that willing to accommodate in most cases.
Jenkins is always a worthwhile writer to read, with an ability to see the big picture as well as to focus on the details, and he is at home in European history and culture. His writing style is excellent, always interesting, well-reasoned and clearly researched, although I was irritated by his insistence in calling the London Underground the London Subway. This book is an important study for anyone living in Europe who wonders about the future of Christianity and how we are to get along with our Muslim neighbours and who perhaps wants to learn a little more about the Islam that is becoming established in Europe.
 Not Eurabia October 20, 2007
5 out of 6 found this review helpful
Jenkins is a dissenter from the opinion of many author's that Europe faces such a demographic onslaught from Muslim immigrants that the continent will become Eurabia where Islam dominates and all non-Muslims are mere dhimmis. He thinks the demography will change and immigrant families become smaller. He also thinks that Islam will change and adapt in Europe. He is also an optimist about the future of Christianity. He thinks Christianity is far from a dying influence. It will adapt though numbers will reduce. This is the judgment of a liberal academic. I would not be so rash as to prophesy but I do not share his optimism over the future as regards Islam .
But as to the present facts of religion in Europe, Jenkins paints with a broad brush but I think he is fairly accurate, with the glaring exception of the assessment he gives to John Calvin. He certainly gives a balanced picture of Islamic diversity in Europe and also good reasons why European governments have been extraordinarily tolerant of the kinds of activities and organisations which Islamic governments persecute and ban. This is a book informative on now. As to the future, we shall have to wait and see.
Uneven, but still Excellent June 28, 2007
18 out of 19 found this review helpful
The first half of the book, on the state of Christianity in Europe, is outstanding. It contains a great deal of important and significant information that I have not seen reported anywhere else, indicating that Christianity is not quite so moribund in Europe as is commonly reported.
The second half of the book, on Islam in Europe, is uneven. Jenkins begins with a number of generalizations to the effect that the common stories of the threat of Islam in Europe are overblown and unwarranted. But then he spends the rest of the book giving extensive detail and analysis to the effect that Islam is indeed a grave threat to European culture and Western security. It's an odd disconnect.
In all, an excellent book and well worth the read.
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