Editor’s Note: This essay by Rev. Dr. James Hudson Taylor IV, president of China Evangelical Seminary, continues our series connected with Dr. Alexander Chow’s 2026 Timothy Lin Memorial Lectures, “Theology: Worldwide Faith Seeking Understanding.” In it, Dr. Taylor reflects on why Majority World theology is not a marginal concern, but a gift and challenge to the global church.
From April 20 to 22, the China Evangelical Seminary (CES) community held its annual Dr. Timothy Lin Lectureship. As regular readers may recall (see the March CES Bulletin), CES had the privilege of inviting Dr. Alexander Chow, co-director of the Center for the Study of World Christianity at the University of Edinburgh, to deliver this year’s lectures.
The theme was “Theology: Worldwide Faith Seeking Understanding.” True to theme, Dr. Chow delivered nine lectures—structured around the primary themes of Systematic Theology: creation, God, Christology, Soteriology, Eschatology, etc. Dr. Chow focused especially on listening to the voices of theologians from the Majority World as they wrestle with the basic tenets of the Christian faith within their specific cultures, traditions, and contexts.
For some, the term “Majority World” may not be immediately familiar. Alongside the phrase “Global South,” it primarily refers to the Christian population in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It also encompasses the “Majority World in the West”—the flourishing Asian, African, and Latino Christian communities that have grown exponentially in the West through migration.
This demographic shift of Christianity is indeed staggering. In the era of William Carey (1793), nearly 98% of the global Christianity was in the West. Today, nearly 70% of the Church is found in Africa, Asia, and Latin America (as well as in ethnic churches in the West). As we look at the 21st century, it can be unequivocally stated: Christianity is truly a “worldwide faith.”
With this shift in the “center of gravity,” Majority World theology must move from a peripheral interest to a vital necessity. For centuries, “theology” was often synonymous with “Western theology.” European and North American frameworks—shaped by Enlightenment rationalism and (as Dr. Chow repeatedly highlighted) Greco-Roman philosophical categories—provided the standard lens for interpreting Scripture. However, as the majority of the world’s Christians now reside in non-Western contexts, the need for contextualization—giving space to hear from theologians and churches of the Majority World—must take on an important role in global theological dialogue.
Majority World theology is essential because it challenges the assumption that Western theology is “universal” while all others are just “contextual.” In reality, as Dr. Chow reminded us, all theology is contextual, including Western theology. While Western theology often focuses on individual salvation and legal metaphors (guilt vs. innocence), many Majority World theologians operate in cultures that place a premium on community and navigate Honor-Shame or Fear-Power cultural dynamics. By addressing these diverse worldviews, Majority World theologians unlock biblical truths that Western paradigms often lack the proper perspective and framework to address.
A prime example is Paul Hiebert’s critique of the “Excluded Middle” in traditional Western theology and missiology (also a focal point of Dr. Chow’s lectures). In the footsteps of the Enlightenment, Western theology tends to downplay the active role of the unseen spiritual realm in the seen material world. Talk of demons and evil spirits is often dismissed as products of an uneducated and unscientific worldview or at most given only superficial recognition. Yet, any time spent in the Majority World would reveal that this “middle dimension”—the spiritual world at work in the material world—is a very real challenge in evangelism and discipleship. Majority World theology offers an important and necessary perspective on Christ’s victory over spiritual principalities and powers, teaching us how to truly “put on the full armor of God” to stand firm.
Furthermore, the socio-economic conditions of much of the Majority World mirror the biblical world far more closely than the modern West does. Issues such as poverty, persecution, and plurality are central to the Majority World experience, just as they were throughout the Old and New Testaments. As these themes often fall outside the primary lens of Western theology, it is imperative for Majority World practitioners to wrestle contextually with Scriptural truth to provide answers that are both biblically faithful and locally relevant.
Finally, Majority World theology is a gift to the entire global body of Christ. It serves as a corrective and a completion of the global church’s shared understanding of the Christian faith. For instance, while Western thought often separates the “sacred” from the “secular,” Majority World theology rejects this dualism. Whether through African theologians discussing the “integrated life” or Latin American perspectives on “integral mission,” there is a powerful emphasis that the Gospel affects every sphere of life—politics, economics, family, and ecology.
This importance is further seen in frameworks like the C-Spectrum—a metric often used for evangelistic and discipleship work among Muslims, Hindus, Animists, and Buddhists—which helps missionaries understand how local culture intersects Christian faith. By analyzing “cognitive orientations”—how people think, feel, and decide—Majority World theologians help the global church avoid syncretism while achieving true indigeneity and integration.
Much of Majority World theology is forged amidst persecution, economic instability, and rapid social change. These dynamics have forced Majority World churches to thrive against the tide. This “theology of resilience” explains why the Church continues to multiply in these regions; much like the New Testament era, persecution led to breakthrough. Actually, this resilience is increasingly relevant and applicable for Western churches entering a post-Christian era and fast becoming a marginalized minority in Western society and culture.
The future of Christianity is no longer monocentric; it is polycentric, meaning it has many centers. We must move toward a global dialogue where the Western scholar, the African pastor, the Asian theologian, and the Latin American activist sit together as equals. When we listen to how a believer in Taipei, a scholar in Nairobi, a church planter in Rio, and a pastor in Liverpool understand and contextualize the Christian faith, our collective understanding of biblical truth is expanded. We move closer to the vision of Revelation 7:9—a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language surrounding the throne of the Lamb. Without the voices of the Majority World, our understanding of the Christian faith remains a monochrome sketch; with them, it becomes a vibrant, multi-dimensional masterpiece.
