If you think most evangelicals are Western, white and know who Rick Warren is, then think again.

The new faces of evangelicalism are brown, black and speak a language other than English.

Evangelicalism is shifting to the global South. Besides being ethnically diverse, the church is seeing a rise in different styles of worship and expression than those found in Western countries.

Stagnant pews in the United Kingdom and United States contrast sharply with the staggering church growth taking place in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In 1900, 80 percent of all Christians lived in Europe and North America, according to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity. In 2005, just 40 percent did.

When American Christians think of the church’s center of gravity, we may make think of Colorado Springs, home to more than 100 evangelical organizations, such as Focus on the Family. But the church’s new geographical center is sub-Saharan Africa, home to over 90 million evangelicals.

“It’s the Southern Hemisphere’s turn,” said Richard Starcher (’76), a missions professor at Biola. “The Holy Spirit is moving in a big way there.”

In America’s affluent, post-Enlightenment society, many Christians’ big concerns include things like attacks on the traditional family and the secularization of the schools. Yet, other parts of the globe still share much in common with the biblical world — agrarian societies and places of political upheaval and persecution.

As a result, these Christians’ daily lives and concerns are worlds apart from our own. To learn more about their challenges, Biola Magazine spoke with several Biolans who’ve lived and ministered in these places.

One of the stories had to be pulled prior to publication, due to concerns about the danger it could pose to the Christians involved. It was about Christian children in an Asian country who are being kidnapped by Islamic extremists and forced to become suicide bombers.

Here are glimpses into the everyday lives of evangelical Christians in four other regions of th