ABSTRACT
Until the final decades of the twentieth century, the story of the growth of the church was understood, especially in evangelical circles, in terms of the achievements of heroic missionaries. The focus was the spiritual calling of the individual, or the success of the missionary society, with little or no analysis of culture and context. This chapter shows how a group of evangelical scholars – Andrew Walls, Brian Stanley, Dana Robert and Mark Noll – helped to transform the ways in which the history of Christian mission was conceived. Though diverse in background and interests, they developed a common concern with the phenomenon of global Christianity. The chapter argues that they were pioneers of a new paradigm for understanding the trajectory of Christianity in history as a pattern of growth. Instead of doctrines and institutions, they concentrated on people and movements, applying evangelical insights to global history.
