As people become more educated and affluent, they are less likely to turn to religion for answers or guidance. The team says the pattern holds as hundreds of millions of Christians live in countries where they experience high levels of persecution and yet prove extraordinarily resilient. They claim clandestine Christian revivals are occurring in some of the worst places on earth to be a Christian, for instance Iran and Afghanistan where it is a crime to forsake Islam. They conclude "the most important determinant of Christian vitality is the extent to which governments give official support to Christianity." By 2050, that number will top 1 billion, according to the 2022 Status of Global Christianity report. It is the major example used to claim the relationship between political privilege and Christian decline is strongest in countries dominated by Eastern Orthodoxy. He thinks all this should strongly caution Christians against equating any political party, political ideology, or nation with Gods plans.. We acknowledge that our methodology and datasets cannot account for a factor of great importance to Christians: the movement of the Holy Spirit. In recent years, there has been considerable religious violence between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria, with each side attacking the others places of worship and homes. He is also the author of the best-selling book Miraculous Movements. Indeed, the 10 countries noted above with the fastest-growing Christian populations in the world from 2010 to 2020 are all located in sub-Saharan Africa. Open Doors USA, an advocacy organization tracking Christian persecution around the globe, ranks Iran as theeighth-worst place in the worldfor believers. However, the countrys Christian population continues to grow, due in part to a high birth rate. Please check your information and try again or call us at 1-800-759-0700. What would happen to the church in America and Europe if we revised our ministry paradigms to align with what Jesus himself taught and did? Peace out It also reflects rapid growth in nondenominational Christianity. For us, discipleship is knowledge-based. Europe is home to around 700 million Christians, making it the second-largest continent for Christianity after Africa. In some parts of Africa, we can identify movements with more than thirty generations of churches planting churches. Help keep The Christian Post free for everyone by making a one-time donation today. To enjoy our website, you'll need to enable JavaScript in your web browser. About 20 years ago, the number of Christian converts from a Muslim background was between 5,000 and 10,000 people, Crabtree said. The worlds Christian population is growing in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. In these environments, believers turn to their faith as a source of strength, and this devotion attracts those outside their faith. Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya are all projected to join the list, displacing Russia, Germany and China. Also available on most smart TVs and streaming services. 32 billion adherents, comprising 17. Never Ending Leadership Training for All. Whats new here is the teams fresh look at explanations. Its up to us to keep peace and its up to us to see whats best for us and how make everyone happy,give them things they need if we can, cause in the end weve to die. Despite the governments efforts to suppress, I dont think it will stop the growth of Christianity in China. In Africa, for instance, in 1900, there were only 8.7 million adherents of Christianity; now there are 390 million, and it is expected that by Now, all of that is familiar to missionary strategists and historians of the modern church. When Adam has questions or answers about Christianity, he now researches and posts about it here on TheWitness.org to share with the world. It wasnt until Stephen was martyred, and everyday Christians began facing intense persecution, that they scattered outside Jerusalem, as Jesus had commanded them, and the Gospel began spreading around the world (Acts 8). On the other hand, the Christian faith has expanded most in Asian countries, where theres no official faith and pluralism has been embraced: [I]n contrast to Europe, Christianity in Asian countries has not been in a position to receive preferential treatment from the state, and this reality has resulted in stunning Christian growth rates. In short, Christianity in Europe has been waning not despite state support but because of it. Then came the islam. Albemarle sees China's EV market growing 40% this year. Christianity is also very popular in Latin America, with around 425 million believers. They conclude the most important determinant of Christian vitality is the extent to which governments give official support to Christianity. Its often said that the American founders pioneering separation of church and state energized Christianity across two centuries. Tertullian would not be surprised. The upshot is that churches in Europe do not have to worry about competing with religious competitors on an equal playing field. Today, there are nearly 700 million Christians in Africa, making it the worlds most Christian continent in terms of population. It is easy for us to rely on our many resources rather than on God. Russian philosopher Fyodor Dostoevskyonce lamentedthe deeply misguided belief held by many Christians that Christ cannot reign without an earthly kingdom., It would be folly for the Christian to spend his or her life building an impenetrable kingdom on earth. Yet in many other contexts of discrimination and persecution (short of genocidal violence), the church has defied the oddsnot only continuing to exist but also, in some cases, even thriving. For example, Russia has extended numerous privileges to the Russian Orthodox Churchsuch as funding for sacred sites, access to state institutions, and autonomy over its own affairseven as it imposes restrictions on the Orthodox churchs competitors, including the denial of visas to foreign clergy, deportations of missionaries, and the withholding of land rights. When we look at the state of Christianity in the world today, we see a decidedly mixed picture. Its illegal to kill anyone. But prices have continued to fall. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. The famous economist argued that just as a market economy spurs competition, innovation, and vigor among firms by forcing them to compete for market share, an unregulated religious marketplace would have the same effect on institutions of faith. Lifeway Research, a ministry of Lifeway Christian Resources, Pastors Say Christmas Eve Is Most-Attended Holiday Service, 6 Concerning Trends in Global Christianity, The Places Where No One Knows a Christian, How the Growing Global Church Can Encourage American Christians, 2022 Status of Global Christianity report. With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal, Southern Baptist Convention Disfellowships Saddleback Church, To Keep Gen Z in the Pews, One Singapore Church Lets Them Run the Service, Complete access to articles on ChristianityToday.com, Over 120 years of magazine archives plus full access to all of CTs online archives. The academic article is headlined "Paradoxes of Pluralism, Privilege and Persecution: Explaining Christian Growth and Decline Worldwide," and available for purchase. Unfortunately Islam is fastest growing all over the world. Not surprisingly, Christianitys growth in Africa and Asia is explosive. Contexts of pluralism force Christians to present the best arguments possible for their beliefs, even as other faith traditions are forced to do the same. Now, all of that is familiar to missionary strategists and historians of the modern church. But half of the world is missing the move of God. Christians attempting to curry the favor of the state become distracted from their missions as they become engrossed in the things of Caesar rather than in the things of God to maintain their privileged stations. It currently ranks as the second-largest sender of missionaries, trailing only the United States. By 2060 six of the countries with the top ten largest Christian populations will be in Africa, up from three in 2015, according to a new Pew Research Center report. 27% of the global population. God alone provides the increase, but why there and not here? By 2060 six of the countries with the top ten largest Christian populations will be in Africa, up from three in 2015, according to a new Pew Research Center report. This map is extremely false, where is Pentecostal Christianity and its rapid growth amongst the world? The team claims this research substantiates the following theory, which is not new but now gets statistical grounding. Where in the world is Christianity still growing, and why? On average, using data from The Status of Global Christianity, between 2000 to 2020, (7,300 days): Africa had 37,825 new Christ Followers every day over the last 20 years Latin America had 16,988 Asia had 13,443 North America had 1,999 Oceania had 473 Europe had 8 Need prayer? While the overall share of the worlds population that is Christian is expected to remain relatively steady, the regional distribution That Europe is the most secular region of the worldand also the richesthas led many to posit a causal relationship between affluence and the decline of Christianity. Paradoxically, Christianity does best when it has to fend for itself. , These are the countries with the fastest-growing Christian populations (the states with low/no official support for the faith are in bold): Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda , Rwanda , Madagascar , Liberia, Kenya, DR Congo, and Angola. Back then, the atheistic rulers forced Christians into underground churches, which greatly fostered expansion. The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, with around 80% of the population professing that faith. Maybe press should cover this? 38% of the world population. Wrong data. In fact, Christianity is currently the worlds fastest-growing religion. Looking back, Asia began the last century with only one Christianized nation, the Philippines, but more recently the faith has grown at twice the rate of the population. Africa in 1900 had only pockets of Christians, mostly in coastal locations but today is the worlds most Christian continent in terms of population.. In doing so, they would show that they take seriously Christs promise that no force will be able to prevail against his church. Africa (2.77% growth) and Asia (1.50%). What's new here is the team's fresh look at explanations. In the Islamic Republic, the government bans conversion from Islam, imprisons those who proselytize, and arrests those who attend underground house churches or print and distribute Christian literature. All the evidence I have collected shows its undeniable; its already happening.. We know the truth except if we failed to speak it out. Protestant Christianity is probably the fastest-growing religion in China, with 38 million government-recognized adherents and potentially 22 million more worshipping in underground churches, according to The Economist. The team looks at the familiar and dismal story of Europe, with its state churches. The continent is now firmly established as the most secular region of the world and also the richest, with the lowest church attendance in the Christianized world. Since World War II, Korean Christianity has grown exponentially, with tens of thousands of churches being built and seminaries producing thousands of graduates every year. Psalm 46says, The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice and the earth melts. One advantage denominational agencies have over their nondenominational counterparts: a more robust missional scope. The majority of Christians in Asia are Catholic, although there are significant Protestant populations in countries like the Philippines and India. Maybe, just maybe, if we dont let our theological systems, traditions, and habits stop us from putting into practice the things Jesus taught about making disciples, we might see movements here that would make the great revivals of American history look insignificant by comparison. To be sure, in some cases, anti-Christian persecution has greatly damaged Christianity, such as in 7th-century North Africa, 17th-century Japan, 20th-century Albania, and modern-day Iraq. There are close to 801,000 Evangelicals in Nepal, nearly 10 times the number in Afghanistan. But it takes a lot of hard work, time, and money to do what we do. What's new here is the team's fresh look at explanations. The Kingdom Unleashed was the result of that research. People like carpenters, sports coaches, taxi drivers, schoolteachers, custodians, farmers, and even politicians are making disciples and planting churches. 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