Theological Libraries and “The Next Christendom:” Connecting North American Theological Education to Uses of the Book in the Global South

Abstract

Survey of the past thirty years of librarian literature on the documentation of world Christianity indicates a number of trends in theological librarianship, including a relative inattention to the connection between the documentation of world Christianity in ATLA libraries, and the needs of theological researchers in North America. A trilogy of recent books by Philip Jenkins on the globalization of Christianity argues for the significance of the writings of the “global South” to reading habits in the “global North.” Based on the work of Jenkins and other scholars, this paper identifies ten specific connections between North American theological education and the documentation of world Christianity – connections that are rooted in the uses of the book in the global South. These are reasons for increased promotion and support of the documentation of world Christianity among ATLA libraries.