Whose religion is Christianity? : the gospel beyond the West / Lamin Sanneh.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 131-136) and index.

Contents:

Wind blows where it wills: Christianity as a world religion --
Christianity reappropriated: Bible and its mother tongue variations.

Summary:

The author seeks to demonstrate that the diversity and variety of language and cultural expression in the Christian community is not a divisive factor, but rather it is demonstrated to be the strength of the faith as a universal human phenomenon, freely accessible to all cultures and languages equally, appropriated and adapted and reexpressed by each in a unity beyond their individual diversity. For instance, including the indigenous names for God in Bible translation has pioneered a strategic alliance with the local concepts of religion, thus making it easier for the indigenous people to transfer from their previous religion to Christianity. Coupled with this is the principle of free and informed choice, rather than the coerced conversion we have seen so often in the history of other religions and cultural imperialisms, notably the movement of Islam across the geography of the world and its cultures.