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. Hes wrong. A Survey of the History of Global Christianity, Most Popular Sermon Passages, Topics in 2021, 5 Convictions from 1 Timothy 3:1-7 for Pastors. 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 The upshot is that churches in Europe do not have to worry about competing with religious competitors on an equal playing field. It was with great interest I noted that Nepal, with a population close to Afghanistans, is listed 27 th among the Top 40 fastest growing Evangelical sectors. This example illustrates well the paradox of pluralism. It sure is a perfect monotheistic religion as Muhammad Lord be pleased with him is not worshipped,its only one Lord who created all of the universe. After 800 years of brutal invasion, Hinduism still strong and profound. Yet Christianity persisted by going underground. Look at the teams list of the worlds 10 fastest-declining Christian populations. The worlds Christian population is expected to grow from 2.2 billion in 2010 to 2.9 billion in 2050. Christianity is also very popular in Latin America, with around 425 million believers. It currently ranks as the second-largest sender of missionaries, trailing only the United States. The strongest increase of Christianity over the past century has been in Asia, where the faith has grown at twice the rate of the population. We know from Scripture such an effort would be in vain. The second-fastest-growing church is in Afghanistanwhere Afghans are being reached in large part by Iranians. 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. Even the idea of what it means to be a disciple is different. By comparison, Christianity is estimated to have grown to 1. Christianity has made inroads into Africa not because it enjoys a privileged position with the state, but because it has to compete with other faith traditions on an even playing field. The Christian share of the population is down and religious nones have grown across multiple demographic groups: white people, black people and Hispanics; men and women; in all regions of the country; and among college graduates and those with lower levels of educational attainment. The one who reads Gita, Ramayana & Mahabharat will never even think to leave religion. They hate even the laws arent doing anything. There are close to 801,000 Evangelicals in Nepal, nearly 10 times the number in Afghanistan. Plus if a non-muslim or Muslim kills someone it should be condemned justly, equally. 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. Islam is growing faster than Hinduism in India. Our study argues instead that the secularization of Europe stems centrally from the widespread support given to Christianity by the state. Wrong data. Then came the islam. As a result, these churches have become lethargic, as they depend on the state for their sustenance. How is it possible that the Global South Church is seeing Christian history being made while the Global North church is struggling for answers? In the rest of the cases (including moderately ranked Kenya and Zambia), support for Christianity was belowand usually well belowthe global average. Communist China has been in the news over its thorough campaign to root out Islam (with minimal protest from Muslim nations). Look at the teams list of the worlds 10 fastest-declining Christian populations. The continent has seen significant growth in Christianity in recent years, and it is now the fastest-growing religion on the continent. Today, about a third of the country is Christian. Conversions credited to women evangelists sharing the good news one-on-one in conversations. God alone provides the increase, but why there and not here? And that paradigm in turn is based on a very different way of thinking about the Kingdom, the Gospel, the Church, and the ways the invisible world of the Spirit interacts with the physical world. WebAccording to a 2016 study, Islam is the worlds fastest growing religion, with an estimated 2. A religious liberty newsletter that is a must-read for people of faith. 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. If more people are converting to Christianity than leaving the religion, then it will also see growth. This requires Christians to have a deep knowledge of their beliefs and to defend them in the marketplace of ideas. We talk about every member ministry; they do it. 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. Good. The religion has a strong presence in Africa and Asia and is also expanding in Latin America. According to a recent study by the Pew Research Center, Christianity is growing quickly in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. WebSingapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Malaysia are said to have the fastest-growing Christian communities and the majority of the new believers are upwardly mobile, urban, middle-class Chinese. About 20 years ago, the number of Christian converts from a Muslim background was between 5,000 and 10,000 people, Crabtree said. Africa (2.77% growth) and Asia (1.50%). In short, Christianity in Europe has been waning not despite state support but because of it. When we look at the state of Christianity in the world today, we see a decidedly mixed picture. In 1900, less than 1 million people around the world identified as Pentecostal or charismatic Christians. By 2050, most Christians (50.4%) around the world will live in non-majority Christian nations, according to the 2022 Status of Global Christianity report. 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? Over the past 30 years, the US has witnessed a sharp increase in the number of religiously unaffiliated Americans, from 6 percent in 1991 to 23 percent today, even though the American population as a whole has experienced significant growth during this time. Many Global South ministries are mobilizing thousands of intercessors to pray daily for the Global North churches to be restored to vitality. In American churches,seasons of fasting and prayer are not the norm, and if there are prayer meetings, there may be few participants. Scholars of religion have long noted that trends toward secularization appear strongest in the countries of the West, particularly in Europe, where the church for centuries played a major role in peoples lives. In some parts of Africa, we can identify movements with more than thirty generations of churches planting churches. Hinduism was created long ago by an unknown person, however it does not have the title for first religion ideology wiseonly oldest named. Members of Discovery Groups are also encouraged to tell others about what they are learning. Yang predicts the percentage will grow exponentially over the next several years so that by 2030 China will have more Christians than any other country. Bishops debate 'Eucharistic coherence,' a matter of doctrine, politics and eternal judgement, New podcast: Yes, election of first trans/queer/gender fluid ELCA bishop was a big story, Paradoxes of Pluralism, Privilege and Persecution: Explaining Christian Growth and Decline Worldwide, Hurrah! Not surprisingly, Christianitys growth in Africa and Asia is explosive. This means that, although religion is not growing as rapidly as it once was, it is still slowly expanding. Now, all of that is familiar to missionary strategists and historians of the modern church. 18 billion adherents, accounting for 24. Brazil has the largest Christian population in Latin America, followed by Mexico and Colombia. Never Ending Leadership Training for All. Indeed, the church persisted through poverty, war, dictatorship, and national crises throughout Korean history. Indonesian,and In 2000 there were 6 such movements, today there are now 1,035! Join thousands of others to get the FREEDOM POST newsletter for free, sent twice a week from The Christian Post. Its state support. Yonkers, NY 10701. But it is unlikely that repression in China will be able to curtail Christian growth altogether. What about places where the state has propped up churches with money, favoritism, status, and legal advantages? Return to homepage. Christianity is growing rapidly in many parts of the world, particularly in Africa and Asia. When Christians perceive a threat stemming from religious minorities, they may look to the state to give them a leg up on the competition. For us, discipleship is knowledge-based. Despite these challenges, Christianity remains the largest religion in the world and continues to grow each year slightly. The worlds Christian population is growing in Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. A similar phenomenon is believed to be unfolding in Afghanistan, which Open Doors lists as thesecond-worst placeto be a Christian. As China also has 10m-12m Catholics, there are more Christians in China today than in France (38m) or Germany (43m). To share this article with your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. In 2000, 814 million Christians lived in Europe and North America, while 660 million Christians called African and Asia home. They are polytheistic. But this one is raised by a brand-new article this week at ChristianityToday.com and a more academic version posted by the journal Sociology of Religion. Unaffiliated groups are growing fastest in some of the more Catholic countries around the world in South America, Mexico and Poland along with several countries in Africa. Christians make up around 50% of the population, while Muslims account for just over 40%. Thats why we view every news story through the lens of faith. Today Christianity is growing rapidly in certain Muslim countries such as Iran and Afghanistan, where the faith experiences a high level of persecution. They didnt want to believe in them. The places where Christianity is growing the fastest? Stay happy. I want you to use your minds and be open please. However, the countrys Christian population continues to grow, due in part to a high birth rate. Omg, this is so wrong. 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. Mohammed cant be trusted at all and you have no understanding of Christianity so dont post about stuff that you dont know. Increasing prosperity, it is believed, frees people from having to look to a higher power to provide for their daily needs. 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 The Christian share of the population is down and religious nones have grown across multiple demographic groups: white people, black people and Hispanics; men and women; in all regions of the country; and among college graduates and those with lower levels of educational attainment. Not surprisingly, Christianitys growth in Africa and Asia is explosive. One advantage denominational agencies have over their nondenominational counterparts: a more robust missional scope. Christianity also seems to flourish as it did for the early church leaders in Acts in places where believers face discrimination and persecution. THE QUESTION: Is gambling evil? Our study notes three different paradoxes of the vibrancy of Christianity: the paradox of pluralism, the paradox of privilege, and the paradox of persecution. The Future of World Religions: Population Growth Projections, 2010-2050, Incredibly Detailed Maps Of The Worlds Religions, World Religions: The Great Faiths Explored & Explained, The Illustrated Worlds Religions: A Guide to Our Wisdom Traditions. Christianity is growing faster in Africa than any other place in the world and more Christians live in Africa than any other continent, according to the 2022 Status of Global Christianity report. Did this New Jersey news team mean to hint that Catholics are not 'Christians'? Back then, the atheistic rulers forced Christians into underground churches, which greatly fostered expansion. Best is were all humans. The region has seen significant growth in Christianity in recent years. While the overall share of the worlds population that is Christian is expected to remain relatively steady, the regional distribution espaol, Here's how. The rate of growth among Evangelicals in Nepal is 5.3%. Nigeria has the largest population of Christians in Africa, followed by Ethiopia and Egypt. Franais, We know the truth except if we failed to speak it out. As in Iran, it is illegal in Afghanistan to convert from Islam, and those who do so face imprisonment, violence, and even death. Call (800) 700-7000 or request prayer. While competition among religions stimulates Christian vitality, state favoritism of religion inadvertently suppresses it. If these numbers reveal anything to Christians, it is that believers should place their trust not in conventional wisdom, but in the often paradoxical work of the Holy Spirit. 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