Posted on 08/02/2004 6:36:06 AM PDT by missyme
September 11th focused a lot of attention on the growth of Islam. What most pundits and scholars have missed is the incredible growth of Christianity, and where it's growing.
Today more Presbyterians worship in the African nation of Ghana than in Scotland. And more Anglicans worship in Nigeria than in Britain. We like to think of ourselves as the Christian West.
But there is growing evidence that the center of Christendom has moved.
Africans are running to accept Jesus Christ. It is a scene playing out all across the developing world. It may sound like an exaggeration, but it's not: Christianity is sweeping across the southern hemisphere and Asia like a tidal wave.
"The scale of Christian growth is almost unimaginable," said Dr. Philip Jenkins, distinguished professor of History and Religious Studies at Penn State University.
Jenkins shocked and probably panicked some of America's political and media elite with his acclaimed book, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity. Jenkins argues the greatest movement of the past century was not communism or capitalism. Do the math and the winner is spirit-filled Christianity, or what he terms in his study as "Pentecostalism."
"The modern Pentecostal movement begins at the start of the 20th century," Jenkins said. "So say this begins with a few hundred, a few thousand people… today you're dealing with several hundred million people, and the best projections are by 2040’s or 2050’s, you could be dealing with a billion Pentecostals worldwide.
By that stage there will be more Pentecostals than Hindus. There are already more Pentecostals than Buddhists."
Jenkins says in just 20 years, two-thirds of all Christians will live in Africa, Latin America or Asia.
"Back in 1900, there were about 10 million Christians in Africa, representing about 10 percent of the population. Today there are 360 million, representing just under half the population. That is one of the most important changes in religious history, and I think most of us didn't notice it," he said.
A lot of people still haven't noticed it. When scandal or controversy hits an American church, the U.S. news media tends to treat it like a worldwide crisis for that denomination. But it is not a crisis for those churches in the developing world. Most of them are not gripped by debates over homosexuality or abortion — that is a problem for European and American liberals — they believe the Bible.
"The Bible is alive in Africa and Asia and Latin America," Jenkins said. "Overwhelmingly, the kind of Christianity is one which is very Bible-centered, which takes the Bible very seriously, takes authority very seriously, both the Old and the New Testament, in a way which I don't think western Christianity has done probably since the Enlightenment."
But the growth of Christianity threatens Islam, and Christians are being slaughtered in places like Nigeria and Indonesia. Jenkins thinks the conflict will intensify in nations where the two faiths compete. And he debunks the notion that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world. Christianity is growing faster.
"If you look at the 25 most populous countries in the world in the mid-21st century, 20 of those are going to be divided to a greater or lesser extent between Christianity and Islam," Jenkins said.
Then there is China. There are about 80 million Christians in China, according to former Time Magazine Correspondent David Aikman, who predicts China will be a Christianized nation in 20 to 30 years. He does not predict a Christian majority, but a China that is 25 to 30 percent Christian. Enough, he says, to change society and government.
"If you have a Christianized China, the leadership of China would reflect a Christian worldview to some degree," Aikman said. "A China that's Christianized would not be a threat to the United States."
And Aikman says the Chinese church leaders have a burden to take the gospel the rest of the way across the globe, to the Muslims.
"It's part of a sense that they call ‘back to Jerusalem,’" Aikman said. "They believe that just as the gospel originally came out of Jerusalem and went to the West and to North America and Europe and came to China, now the Chinese need to bring it back to Jerusalem, not in the sense of evangelizing the Jewish, but in the sense of completing the circle so that the gospel message is available to everybody in the world."
Imagine Chinese reaching the Muslims, Koreans evangelizing Indians, Africans taking the gospel back to a largely godless Europe.
African Matthew Ashimolowo is the pastor of the fastest growing church in England. "God is sending people who used to receive missionaries to now be missionaries around the world," Ashimolowo said.
Kenyan Bishop Gilbert Dya has one of the largest churches in London. "I am in this country, believing that God sent me here in Great Britain to make a voice on His behalf to let them know that they need to repent and come back to God," he said.
The developing world is not only a growing base for world missions, Jenkins says it is becoming the center of Christendom…again.
"Jesus said His church would last until the end of time. He never used the word, ‘Europe.’ Christianity is returning, I think, to its roots. It is a religion that originated in the Middle East and in Africa. Perhaps it went away for a while, but now it's back," Jenkins said.
What I meant was Jesus as a Jew who came through the Jewish people was for the Jew first then the Greek so when I say Christians are Jews and Gentiles I mean any follower of any denomination or ethnicity can be a "Christian" if he follows the Gospel Message...
IMHO as time goes on and we see current events un-fold by what is in Biblical Prophecy, I see the gap between Jews and Christians closing, GOD Almighty All Knowing will, and has a divine plan so that all may know who the "Messiah" is.
I believe GOD will give all humanity a chance for eternal salvation and will reveal much as we get closer to the end....
My hope is everyone will turn there hearts around to GOD and of course being a "Christian" will ask Jesus into their heart and ask Jesus to forgive there sins...
I hope all in the world will have a chance of Eternal Salvation....
CHINA can still be a threat-CHRISTIANS nations have often fought
Buddhism is a false religion that goes nowhere. The meditation may be soothing or whatever, but there is no heaven, as I know it.
I am sorry but I can only give you scripture on that "Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life and NOONE goes to the Father but by me". Those are God's word from his Bible and if you can't handle that, I don't make the rules. Take it up with God.
P for Pride,A for Avarice,L for Lust,E for Envy----G for Gluttony,A for Anger and S for Sloth. And,as with so many other things they told us,they were right.
Too bad the powerful men in the mental health field convinced them that to have real power they had to shed their habits,both clothes and prayer,and "actualize" themmselves. Not only did they lose their good influence,they started emitting PALE GAS themselves.
I know there ae others praying but any Catholics might think about joining the crusade,the power of prayer is formidable.
> Which do you consider cults?
Cults deny the fundamental doctrines of the faith. Both Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons deny the full deity of Jesus Christ and His equality with God the Father - but especially the Mormons are getting trickier all the time about this.
and in Southern Africa they steal land from whites.
I recall reading some time ago that the next Pope could come from Africa.
The Communist Chinese are deeply concerned about the growth and influence of the church there. They are harshly repressing the house-church movement, but the flame just won't go out.
This just the kind of environment that causes the church to thrive.
I personally know Muslims who have become Christians. I have no personal knowledge of anyone going the other way.
One type of story gets in the press. The other never does. Can you guess which is which?
ISLAM is doing there share of trying to persecute any Muslims that are converting to Christianity...
"Much has been written on AntiChrist. As much has been written to blunt the truth as to get the truth out because Revelation, Daniel, etc were rather specific in their descriptives."
Yes, and Paul said that he was in the world already.
Bump for later read!
We have missionaries there. And in france, Austria and all through out Western Europe.
And they all have my sympathy and my prayers.
Even the Middle and Far Easts are not as hard as Europe.
Hey Mom!
Our Church is quite large, and we have missionaries all over the world as well. It's a blessing.
Europe is difficult because of the deceit ingrained in their very souls. But God has His people everywhere.
In every tongue and tribe and nation.
Our responsibility is to give the gospel as best as we can and trust God to open the hearts of those He came to save.
He will open different areas of the world, and the missionaries are supplied. That's what God intends. We simply obey the Word and the Lord is gracious in bringing about His will.
God knows the needs of Europe and will attend to His business. Of that I am sure!
ConservativeBamafan--- C. Evert Koop was at your old Church Sunday!
His son-in-law is an administrator there. Exciting Huh?
This is the article I posted.
This is the article I posted.
This refers to evangelical Christianity I hope, and doesn't lump Catholics, LDS, etc. in. Since it comes from CBN I am quite encouraged.
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