World Christianity and Middle Eastern Migration

Abstract

This article uses the lens of migration to bring the study of Middle Eastern Christianity and World Christianity into deeper dialogue, aiming both to encourage the field of World Christianity to expand its boundaries and to provide a model for using the field’s methods to study Middle Eastern Christian communities. First, this article considers the relevance of three key principles within the field of World Christianity. Then it turns to several different Middle Eastern Christian diaspora communities whose histories and contemporary practices are important for understanding the fullness of global Christianity. This article focuses, in particular, on East Syriac (Assyrian and Chaldean) traditions, on Lebanese Maronites in Latin America, and on Coptic Orthodox missions. This article is based on interviews conducted in the United States, Mexico, Costa Rica, Kenya, and Ghana.