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Pursuing Answers to Questions of Faith & Life

Monday, February 05, 2007

A Growing Problem in Europe--Abandoning Christianity

Al Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary has a hair-raising article about the state of Christianity in Europe. Read the entry here. The original Newsweek article can be read here.

One of the most disturbing aspects of the article is that most of the commitment to Christianity in Europe has been lost within this past century. That would be maybe 2 generations. When there is an abandonment of the essence of Christian teaching and doctrine, it's no wonder that people reject it as a waste of time. But if the true claims of Who Jesus is, What He came to do, How it impacts our lives, are truly taught, then life change can truly happen and passion can be reunited.

Another concern is the truth that with the decline of Christian influence and belief, the reality is that it will be replaced by something. We are too spiritually oriented to wholesale reject belief in God (except in minor percentages). Our God-given, spiritual hunger will drive us to believe in something. In Europe's case, the increasing alternative will be Islam, due largely to immigration. I wonder what the "native" Europeans will be turning to in the future?

Given that last week British polls revealed that upwards of 40+% of young muslims favor and want to impose Sharia law, I wonder how much longer anyone will have much choice. The free and tolerant society that Christianity eventually allowed to exist, is in great danger of having that freedom used against itself and subsequently taken.

This needs to be a wake up call to the church in America and our heart for missions as well.

1 comment:

Kelly Reed said...

Thanks for stopping by. I'm actually very familiar with Islam in general. I realize that the media's portrayal is not completely accurate, just as it is not accurate when it tries to portray Christianity.

Just so you know, though, this post wasn't really about Islam nor was it a complaint about churches changing into mosques. It was really a wake up call that these churches were being changed into anything other than a place for the Body of Christ to meet and glorify God.

Kelly