Posted on 11/28/2017 7:32:06 PM PST by Coleus
G.K. Chesterton believed that the medieval era (800-1400 AD) was the height of human civilization. The implication, of course, is that society has so degraded over the intervening centuries by abandoning the lofty goals and aspirational values taught when Christianity was an integrated part of Western society.
However, it should be remembered that, during the Medieval Ages, according to Justo González’s 1984 book The Story of Christianity, only 50% of Europeans were Christians. Great swathes of Scandinavia and Eastern Europe hadn’t yet experienced the light of Christ and, of course, a Muslim army occupied Spain and Portugal, stifling the Church there.
In Scandinavia, the Ultima Thule, there lies a great harvest. Prior to the Protestant Reformation (1517-1648), the majority of Scandinavians were Catholic. Subsequently, anti-Catholic laws decimated the population, but things are changing.
By September 2012, the Nordic Bishops’ Conference noted that the Catholic Church is growing in Scandinavia and is showing signs of vitality in several ways, one of which is the growing number of vocations both to the diocesan priesthood and to religious orders. Currently, approximately 3% of Scandinavians are Catholic.
Bishop Anders Arborelius is the bishop of Stockholm, the lone Catholic diocese in Sweden. A convert from Lutheranism at the age of 20, he is the first ethnically Swedish Catholic bishop in the country since the Reformation. He spoke to the Register about the increasingly Catholic toehold in Sweden. “Last year, there were some 1,200 baptisms and 76 conversions to the Church,” explained the bishop. “In addition, our [numbers] have increased [because] of 3,000-4,000 immigrants who are registered after [having lived] several years in Sweden.”
(Excerpt) Read more at ncregister.com ...
And my favorite statistic, studies now show a majority of protestants in EVERY country but Denmark now agree with the Catholic teachings on salvation.
And what are these "Catholic teachings on salvation"?
Later
Maybe they’re rejecting the part where Luther said you could commit murder or adultery a thousand times a day and still go to heaven, as long as your faith in Christ was firm.
Maybe you can post the actual reference, in context, where Luther might have ever said such a thing?
good news, I’m glad they are coming our way.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.