Scattered and Gathered

This volume takes its title from the first-century Christian catechism called the Didache: ""Even as this broken bread was scattered over the hills . . . gathered together and became one, so let Your Church be gathered together from the ends of the earth."" For Christians today, these words remain relevant in an era of massive human movements (voluntary and coerced), hybrid identities, and wide-ranging cultural interactions. How do modern Christians live as both a ""scattered"" and ""gathered"" people? How do they live out the tension between ecclesial universality (catholicity) and particularity (distinctive ways of being church in a given culture and context)? Do Christians today constitute a ""diaspora,"" a people dispersed across borders and cultures that nonetheless maintains a sense of commonality and mission? Scattered and Gathered: Catholics in Diaspora explores these questions through the work of fourteen scholars in different fields and from different corners of the world. Whether through reflections on Zimbabweans in Britain, Levantines in North America, or the remote island people of Chiloe now living in other parts of Chile, they guide readers along the winding road of insights and challenges facing many of today's Christians. ""Exciting and fascinating, this collection maps the complex global footprint of Christianity in an era of mass movement propelled by constantly evolving religious, political, social, and cultural dynamics, interactions, and tensions. This book is a treasure trove of theological and ethical resources for reimagining and understanding the global phenomenon of migration and diaspora for faith, community, and devotion in the twenty-first century."" --Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, SJ, Hekima University College Jesuit School of Theology, Nairobi ""Michael Budde has assembled an extraordinary group of contributors in this superb work of cutting-edge practical, theological, and missiological reflection. The essays significantly move the conversation forward about how migration and growing intercultural encounters are transforming religion and the churches perhaps more than ever before in human history. The writers are not only accomplished in migration studies, theology, and social research, but also in the practices and community life of the church itself. This volume provides more than the look of outsiders. If one desires to grasp the crucial trends and implications for Christianity of today's unprecedented movement of people in a time of epochal change, one need look no further than this excellent volume."" --Allan Figueroa Deck, SJ, Distinguished Scholar of Pastoral Theology and Latino Studies, Loyola Marymount University Michael L. Budde is Professor of Catholic Studies and Political Science at DePaul University in Chicago, where he is also Senior Research Professor in the Center for World Catholicism and Intercultural Theology. His published work focuses on ecclesiology, political economy, and world Christianity; recent works include The Borders of Baptism and the coedited Witness of the Body.