The anthropology of Christianity is related to human Anthropos concerning God. Anthropology has a vital role in a missionary perspective. Anthropology, theology, and missiology have developed over the years. Anthropology has led to the change into postmodernism which makes it revolutionary. Anthropology has also led to the loss of certainty in social sciences and philosophy. Anthropological theories of ancient times are insufficient to identify and examine such trends as global migration, diasporas, and transnationalism. Christian bibliographies include books of Christians, which are considered scholarly.
The anthropologists have focused on the ways of worship of Christians. Christians have received less attention than Hinduism, Islam, and Buddhism because Christianity is too near to the traditions of western anthropologists (Rynkiewich, 2011). Bibliographers, therefore, find it hard to include Christianity in their stories since they view it as invalid. Anthropologists argue that it was a norm to find Christian missionaries in the field but overlooked them to avoid including them in examining the local culture (Rynkiewich, 2011). From the anthropologist’s perspective, Christianity is a colonial remnant that is western-based.
Anthropology changes over time and views Christianity as a valid topic in ethnographic and analytical foregrounds. Christianity has become more common in studying people’s customs, habits, and mutual differences. Its appearance is due to the migrants from Africa and Latin America introducing it into western cities. Anthropologists from Western countries find it exciting and comfortable to “work at home” and study their cultures and histories. Christianity also has met many concerns of the anthropologists, such as globalization, post-colonialism, materiality, and the difference between modernity and post-modernity. The Anthropology of Christianity helps understand the evolution of a religion over time.
Reference
Rynkiewich, M. (2011). Soul, self, and society. Wipf and Stock.