Why is Christianity growing in some countries but declining in others? Nilay Saiya is assistant professor of public policy and global affairs at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. A similar phenomenon is believed to be unfolding in Afghanistan, which Open Doors lists as thesecond-worst placeto be a Christian. In fact, Christianity in Korea endured the brutal persecution of Japanese colonial rule, during which churches were forcibly closed down and their properties confiscated. Call (800) 700-7000 or request prayer. And so it was. But half of the world is missing the move of God. If you persecute us, we grow even more. Richard Mouw says the best forms of the doctrine still disappoint those counting on God to do the right thing. This requires Christians to have a deep knowledge of their beliefs and to defend them in the marketplace of ideas. However, the countrys Christian population continues to grow, due in part to a high birth rate. Another factor is the rate of conversion. What would happen if we adopted different practices like those of the churches of the Global South? By 2050, half of China could be Christian. In 2000, 814 million Christians lived in Europe and North America, while 660 million Christians called African and Asia home. The second-fastest-growing church is in Afghanistanwhere Afghans are being reached in large part by Iranians. Today, about a third of the country is Christian. If someone kills someone s/he shouldnt be judged by his color, religion,race or not should be given a tag to him if he belongs to a religion, s/hes just a murderer, s/he should be punished no matter who that is. "Demand is still healthy, but battery and EV makers are currently destocking instead of placing new orders. 38% of the world population. Even still, faithis waning: Although a majority of Hungarians identify as Catholic, only 12% regularly attend church services and just 14% describe religion as very important in their lives. Christianity is also very popular in Latin America, with around 425 million believers. In 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 many cases, right-wing populist parties have proven capable of increasing their share of the vote, in part owing to their defense of the Christian nation. If such trends continue, we can expect to see the further corrosion and decline of Christianity in this part of the world for the reasons described above. Currently, Christianity is growing fastest in Africa and Asia. That has now fallen to 28%, according to the 2022 Status of Global Christianity report. Please click here to learn how. American Evangelicals tend to think about Christianity in terms of conversion, forgiveness of sins and Eternal Life. The disciples now the leaders of the early Christian church were reluctant to venture too far. The region has seen significant growth in Christianity in recent years. Where is Christianity still growing, and why? The Christian faith has actually benefited by not being institutionally attached to the state, feeding its growth and vitality. 27% of the global population. 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. Hundreds of thousands of Christians, both Catholics and Protestants, perished during this time. Seven of the 10 countries with the fastest-growing Christian populations offer low or no official support for Christianity. The majority of Christians in Asia are Catholic, although there are significant Protestant populations in countries like the Philippines and India. By comparison, Christianity is estimated to have grown to 1. For this reason, state-supported churches often become bereft of the spiritual substance that people who practice the faith find valuable, leading laypeople to leave. Africa in 1900 had only pockets of Christians, mostly in coastal locations but today is "the world's most Christian continent in terms of population." 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 Need prayer? As a result, these churches have become lethargic, as they depend on the state for their sustenance. But is all this really the job of pastors? And what if a government turns from neutral indifference toward active persecution? Here are the top 10 countries where Christianity is growing the fastest: Nigeria China The Philippines India Brazil Indonesia Kenya South Africa Ethiopia Tanzania Nigeria has the largest Christian population in Africa and is also home to a large number of Muslim residents. They didnt want to believe in them. Associated Press report mentions Clinton-era religious liberty principles (updated). This year, 838 million live in the global North, while almost 1.1 billion Christians live in Africa and Asia alone. A new peer-reviewed studypublished last monthin the academic journal Sociology of Religion seems to suggest that phenomenon is just as present today. Hes wrong. 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. Because South Korea is not a Christian country, Christianity enjoys no special relationship to the state. By comparison, Christianity is estimated to have grown to 1. The number of Christians in China has been growing rapidly in recent years, although the government imposes severe restrictions on religious freedom and does not recognize Christianity as an official 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." To share this article with your friends, use any of the social share buttons on our site, or simply copy the link below. 2023 The Christian Broadcasting Network, Inc., A nonprofit 501 (c)(3) Charitable Organization. The worlds Christian population is expected to grow from 2.2 billion in 2010 to 2.9 billion in 2050. There are fewer atheists around the world today (147 million) than in 1970 (165 million), according to the 2022 Status of Global Christianity report. How do you not know that? Look at the teams list of the worlds 10 fastest-declining Christian populations. Our argument suggests that this rise in the religiously unaffiliated owes, in part, to attempts by Christians to curry the favor of the state (and sometimes receiving it). As China also has 10m-12m Catholics, there are more Christians in China today than in France (38m) or Germany (43m). Here are the top 10 countries where Christianity is growing the fastest: Nigeria China The Philippines India Brazil Indonesia Kenya South Africa Ethiopia Tanzania Nigeria has the largest Christian population in Africa and is also home to a large number of Muslim residents. The faiths startling growth in Iran has led to widespread concern among Iranian policymakers that Christianity threatens the foundation of the Islamic Republic. The studys findings,outlined in Christianity Todayby authors Nilay Saiya and Stuti Manchanda, buck conventional wisdom. So: Bad times for Christians are good times for Christianity? It's often said that the American founders' pioneering separation of church and state energized Christianity across two centuries. And in the process, we lose the privilege of depending on God every day. The church situation is not rosy in European nations that have thrown off Communism but are still affected by atheism's past cultural power. Ive made plenty of spell,gram mistakes,I was kinda fast. Perhaps the best explanation for this is derived from The Wealth of Nations, the most important work of Adam Smith. 39 Nearly one-in-three people worldwide (31%) are expected to be Christian at mid-century, the same share as in 2010. On average, using data from The Status of Global Christianity, between 2000 to 2020, (7,300 days): Much of the great momentum is coming from Disciple Making Movements. Psalm 46says, The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice and the earth melts. This year, 838 million live in the global North, while almost 1.1 billion Christians live in Africa and Asia alone. As in Iran, it is illegal in Afghanistan to convert from Islam, and those who do so face imprisonment, violence, and even death. Today Christianity is growing rapidly in certain Muslim countries such as Iran and Afghanistan, where the faith experiences a high level of persecution. But prices have continued to fall. Consider the case of South Korea, which in the course of a century has gone from being a country devoid of Christianity to one of its biggest exporters. What responsibility do journalists have when covering incendiary wars about religion and culture? 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. I believe that theres to be a single word of our God without versions. Learn how your comment data is processed. Arecent study found that while evangelical Protestantism is growing rapidly in the Global South, it is declining in Europe and North America. WebAccording to a 2016 study, Islam is the worlds fastest growing religion, with an estimated 2. A campus minister at a large state school is reading the Word one hour a day, interceding one hour a day and listening for Gods response one hour a day 5-6 days a week. Im assuming that folk/other is paganism/neo-paganism, mostly from the Norse tradition. 6. Hundreds of large people groups that had been Muslim for many centuries, are now seeing ordinary people making disciples that transform whole communities. According to the research organization Operation World, Iran has the fastest-growing evangelical movement in the world. God has placed a burden on his heart for reaching guys in fraternities and God has been opening doors for him to begin training insiders to start Discovery Groups with their fraternity brothers who are lost. The Kingdom Unleashed was the result of that research. In our statistical analysis of a global sample of 166 countries from 2010 to 2020, we find that the most important determinant of Christian vitality is the extent to which governments give official support to Christianity through their laws and policies. Asia is home to around 383million Christians, making it the third-largest continent for Christianity after Africa and Europe. Launched by Mao Zedong, the campaign sought to preserve communism in China by waging war against its perceived enemies, including religion. The team looks at the familiar and dismal story of Europe, with its "state churches." 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. 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. A woman in a New England church prayer walked every street in her town over 700 miles praying for a Kingdom movement where she lives. 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. Glenn Sunshine is a professor of history at Central Connecticut State University, a Senior Fellow of the Colson Center for Christian Worldview, and the founder and president of Every Square Inch Ministries. Of spell, gram mistakes, I was kinda fast in the global South Europe North. Look at the familiar and dismal story of Europe, with its `` state churches. and affairs! Global North, while almost 1.1 billion Christians live in the global North while... 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