Posted on 08/14/2019 7:15:04 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
In his book, “The Reason for God,” Tim Keller argues that Christianity is the only truly global religion. Indeed, within a few generations of Christ, the Christian faith had spread across much of the known world—from India to North Africa to furthest reaches of the Roman Empire and into the barbarian lands of Northern Europe. Yet up until a hundred years or so ago, for all kinds of historical and sociological reasons, Christianity became a predominantly Western religion.
The missionary efforts of the last hundred years began to change that, and now Pew Research predicts that Africa will be the most Christian continent within about 40 years.
The story behind this geographical relocation is overwhelmingly a story of missions. For centuries, the West sent evangelists to Africa, Asia, and South America to preach the Gospel, plant churches, and create Christian communities where none existed. Whereas the heroes of the faith in the ancient church were theologians and bishops, and those during the Reformation were, well, reformers, most of the names we recognize since the Reformation are the missionaries: William Carey, Hudson Taylor, Gladys Aylward, Eric Liddell, Jim Elliot, Amy Carmichael.
This move of the Gospel from the West to the South and the East could be one of the largest scale fulfillments of the Great Commission since Jesus first gave it.
Yet, as a fascinating piece in The Economist explains, the direction of the flow of Christian missions has now largely reversed. As it did, the geographic center of the faith also shifted. A century ago, as Pew reports, over ninety percent of the world’s Christians lived in Europe and the Americas, and less than six percent in Africa and Asia. Today, over a third of all Christians hail from those continents.
As this Christian population shift has taken place, something else interesting has also happened. Poor, developing countries that once benefited from Western missionaries coming into their cultures have started sending missionaries of their own back to the rich and increasingly irreligious West.
While the U.S. still leads the world in sending missionaries—something that has been true for a long time—our market share is dropping. The largest growth seen in global missions output is in non-Western countries. And it’s happening fast.
Between 2010 and 2015, the number of African missionaries jumped 32 percent to over 27,000. Korean missionaries jumped 50 percent to 30,000 in the same period. And the countries receiving the lion’s share of these missionaries are Brazil, Russia, and—wait for it—the United States.
As one whose church has been largely shaped by the missionary efforts of African Christians, I thank God for this new trend. At the same time, anyone trying to convert Westerners has their work cut out for them. As The Economist piece observed, “Saving the rich is difficult,” though Jesus said it wasn’t impossible. Among the compelling stories of Christian history we may read about one day will be whether missionaries from the Global South coaxed Western camels through the needle’s eye.
Those bringing the good news back to our shores—and even more so to Europe’s shores—often remark how jaded and difficult it can be to convert Westerners. Having once had the faith but having (at least partially) lost it, we’re like the bird-infested path or the thorny ground in Jesus’ parable.
Even so, to whatever scale the effort to reconvert the West succeeds or not, it ought to leave us in awe of God’s wisdom. Within just the span of a few centuries the Church went global, and it was precisely at the time the West began to lose its faith.
Both the work of the missionaries who planted those seeds abroad and the return of that fruit to our own shores are testaments to providence. We ought be reminded through them that God is no respecter of persons, nations, or even continents. I only wish those early global missionaries could see all of this unfold. Of course, as those who’ve now joined the great cloud of witnesses, they have a perspective on the whole story that’s better than our own. They obeyed Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations. I wonder if they had any idea that those nations would one day return the favor.
The 3rd Great Awakening?
I think African Christians will arise to rebuke European “Christians”. (I think this is already happening.)
And Africans have been refusing US money when that money is tied to support of gay rights, same-sex marriage policies, etc. (How many US churches/universities will do that?)
Nothing is more sickening than the atheistic nihilism of the decadence of Western Civilization.
Some in Sweden, for example, openly call for the replacement of their native population with foreigners, convinced that Swedish culture has nothing to offer future generations--in fact, they can't even find any reason to have future generations.
Atheism is an integral part of this suicidal nihilism.
The Korean war yielded one of the most faithful Christian countries in South Korea!
The U.S. mainstream (Liberal) denominations do have overseas ministries. From personal observation with persons I am acquainted with in some of those missions the programs are NOT about evangelism in the sense of bringing persons to Christ. They are doing social and “social justice” work. The bible work is largely operating on a Liberation Theology mode.
But the main body of Christians in Africa and Asia arise from missionaries two and three or more generations ago, from local persons who came to ministry through them, from churches that started and grew from those efforts and the spread of that era of teaching to new churches. They are more untainted by the internal destruction wrought in U.S. mainline churches.
Great to see someone making sense! Great!
I hope they succeed.
It has started already. First by the Roman Catholic Cardinal Sarah. Very big in authoring books.
Actually, Korea had a strong Christian presence in the early 20th Century. They had a great period of revival in those years. Pyongyang (of all places) was called the Jerusalem of the East.
The Commies have done a lot to stamp it out in the North, but I understand it still lives on (albeit very subdued).
go Sarah
In the Worldwide Anglican/Episcopalian Communion, it was the African Bishops who were fighting against the acceptance of gay marriage in the church.
I have in my parish an assistant pastor who is from India. Africa and Asia is going to bring the west back to Christ via those missionaries.
Actually, Thomas C Oden has been pointing out the African leadership for over 15 years citing the similar leadership in the 2nd to 5th century. He passed away a few years ago but was a great guide to paleo-orthodoxy ecumenicalism.
Amen.
And there is the retired Cardinal Arizze of Nigeria.
Cardinal Robert Sarah has another book coming out in September, “The Day Is Now Far Spent”.
35 years ago I used to play D&D in the army with some other Army friends. The E-7 who hosted the game had a Korean wife and she and 4 other Korean friends used to have bible studies every weekend.
That was before I got saved.
I actually already have it on my wish list awaiting its publication.
I believe statistically there are more Presbyterians in Korea than in the USA.
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