Well researched and thought out, this title held many surprises for me. Having been a Christian most of my life, I have had very little knowledge of how Christianity spread or what it looks like outside of my church and state. The author take pains to make things easy to understand for the lay reader, though sometimes the text is dry and academic. I am walking away with a greater understanding for why Christianity blossomed in certain areas and not in others, and how different decisions affected its growth.

You must read this book. If you want to understand how the Gospel has been spreading from Jerusalem on, read this book. If you want to know the movement of the Holy Spirit and why, read this book. Why is the Gospel spreading in some places in a deeper way than others, read this book. The Bible is being translated in different languages and being passed out and the outcome of this is beautiful and you want to know why? Read this book. Read the book.

As this book projects, Christianity is starting to move its center. The southern hemisphere is responding to low church Christian evangelizing like never before in history. In particular, a focus on the Holy Spirit and the work he's doing. Some good real life examples, and historical context to learn from as well.

From Jerusalem to Timbuktu
A World Tour of the Spread of Christianity
by Brian C. Stiller
InterVarsity Press
Christian , Religion & Spirituality
Pub Date 20 Mar 2018
I am reviewing a copy of From Jerusalem to Timbuktu through Intervarsity Press and Netgalley:
The birthplace of Christianity was Jerusalem. It was concentrated in the West for many centuries but it has rapidly spanned across Africa, Latin America and Asia. Leaving Christianity's geographic center of density is now in the West African country of Mali-In Timbuktu. In this book Brian Stiller will identify the five key factors that have shaped the church.


The first of the five factors that helped shape the Church being a renewed openness to the move of Holy Spirit, to the empowerment of ingenious leadership. In some areas Christianity is embattled and threatened while in many places it flourishes in a way it never has before. In this book you will discover how the gospel is advancing in places it never has before, and you will be encouraged to see that Jesus witness is reaching to the ends of the earth.

I give From Jerusalem to Timbuktu five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

When the subtitle discussed "the spread of Christianity," I expected the title to be more focused on a history of missions. Instead this book organizes itself around topics and then highlights a few places around the world under each. It is specifically focused on Pentecostal missions with the Nazarene tradition being emphasized. This limits the audience for the book. I disagree with the author's interpretation on several theological points. While the book does contain some historic content, the non-chronological arrangement makes it unhelpful as a history of missions. The content organization reminded me of sermons with specific points with illustrations drawn from specific missionaries or global settings used to engage the audience. This book is probably most useful in an introduction to missions course, a Pentecostal church missions group study, or in a theology of missions course in a Nazarene institution. This review is based on an electronic galley received by the publisher through NetGalley with the expectation of a review.

I thought that this was a very interesting book. 3/5

This is a hopeful and encouraging book. Brian Stiller skilfully draws together threads of Christianity to show the entire embroidery. While I knew bits and pieces, this book provides a great overview to get a picture of where Christianity is today.

The book is easy to read, being peppered with stories to illustrate Stiller’s reflections. Many of the stories are from his personal experience. At times the book did feel a little too positive and too focused on the Pentecostal viewpoint. However Stiller is open about this being the worldview from which he writes, and his passion shines through the book.