Christianity taking over planet?

[Abbey Normal]

Well, P-Man, it looks like your protestations may be in vain...


Posted: April 28, 2005
9:30 p.m. Eastern

© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

What is the fastest-growing religion on Earth?

Most news reports suggest it is Islam.

But a new book makes a compelling case it is a new, or, perhaps, old form of biblically inspired evangelical Christianity that is sweeping through places like China, Africa, India and Southeast Asia.

In "Megashift," author Jim Rutz coins a new phrase to define this fast-growing segment of the population. He calls them "core apostolics" – or "the new saints who are at the heart of the mushrooming kingdom of God."

Rutz makes the point that Christianity is overlooked as the fastest-growing faith in the world because most surveys look at the traditional Protestant denominations and the Roman Catholic Church while ignoring Christian believers who have no part of either.

He says there are 707 million "switched-on disciples" who fit into this new category and that this "church" is exploding in growth.

"The growing core of Christianity crosses theological lines and includes 707 million born-again people who are increasing by 8 percent a year," he says.

So fast is this group growing that, under current trends, according to Rutz, the entire world will be composed of such believers by the year 2032.

"There will be pockets of resistance and unforeseen breakthroughs," writes Rutz. "Still, at the rate we're growing now, to be comically precise, there would be more Christians than people by the autumn of 2032, about 8.2 billion."

According to the author, until 1960, Western evangelicals outnumbered non-Western evangelicals – mostly Latinos, blacks and Asians – by two to one. As of 2000, non-Western evangelicals outnumbered Westerners by four to one. He says by 2010, the ratio will be seven to one.

"There are now more missionaries sent from non-Western nations than Western nations," he writes.

This trend, says Rutz, has been missed by Westerners because the explosive growth is elsewhere.

Hundreds of millions of these Christians are simply not associated with the institutional churches at all. They meet in homes. They meet underground. They meet in caves. They meet, he says, in secret...

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44033

 

[Powerman]

Don't worry my protests aren't even needed. The internet will eventually destroy religion including Christianity. The free flow of ideas is the last things religions want. Give it a few decades and you'll see Christianity and other religions take a nose dive.

 

[Abbey Normal]

Don't worry my protests aren't even needed. The internet will eventually destroy religion including Christianity. The free flow of ideas is the last things religions want. Give it a few decades and you'll see Christianity and other religions take a nose dive.

Not gonna happen.

 

[ThomasPaine]

Don't worry my protests aren't even needed. The internet will eventually destroy religion including Christianity. The free flow of ideas is the last things religions want. Give it a few decades and you'll see Christianity and other religions take a nose dive.

Keep 'em coming I can always use a good laugh...

 

[Powerman]

Keep 'em coming I can always use a good laugh...

Don't be surprised when in about 20 years the amount of atheists significantly increases. Like I said Deists don't want the free flow of ideas because it hurts their cause.

 

[Annie]

Don't be surprised when in about 20 years the amount of atheists significantly increases. Like I said Deists don't want the free flow of ideas because it hurts their cause.

and that would effect me how? Like I care? Why do you?

 

[USViking]

I would rather see Christianity increase than any other religion,
but I believe this book is a complete and utter fantacy.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese Christians?- not much cnance.

Nor is there any chance of Christianity making any inroads
among the world's hunderds of millions of Muslims.

 

[Abbey Normal]

I would rather see Christianity increase than any other religion,
but I believe this book is a complete and utter fantacy.

Hundreds of millions of Chinese Christians?- not much cnance.

Nor is there any chance of Christianity making any inroads
among the world's hunderds of millions of Muslims.

With God, anything is possible...

 

[Hobbit]

Powerman - There have been several advances in the free flow of ideas, and I have yet to see ONE even harm Christianity. The invention of the printing press was originally used as a way to mass produce the Bible. There are dozens of Christian web sites out there. Televangelism is pretty big. Christian radio is still going strong. The idea that knowledge eliminates religion is an utter crock you were taught by some professor with a stick the size of a telephone pole shoved up his colon. Many of the most knowledgable people in the world are and were Christians. Your belief that your way is the only way an intelligent being can think is nothing short of pure arrogance, especially considering how little knowledge you really have. College doesn't make you intelligent, just educated.

On a side note, you are arrogant and self-centered. Everything you say you assume is fact and try to place the burden of proof on everyone else without backing up anything YOU say. Even when people meet this burden of proof, you pretend their sources aren't credible. All you seem to be interested in is belittling anyone of the Christian faith and trying to discredit the religion as a whole, and, to be honest, you're doing a really crappy job. Most of what you've done is just make most of the rest of us think you're a jerk.

USViking - China is starting to turn towards Christianity. Even with ministers being arrested, Christianity is spreading like wildfire throughout eastern Asia. Oddly enough, this is the in-road to the Muslim world, as Muslims are born and bred to hate all things Western, but are far more trusting of those of Asian descent.

 

[Powerman]

LOL I question your sources because you always say it's just some guy that told you something. Remember when you tried to tell me that gravity was a law and not a theory? You were wrong. Look it up and quit being a jackass. Of course I'm going to put the burden of proof on you when you say something that is completely false. People should be held accountable for what they say when dealing with cold hard facts. You say that gravity is a law and I'll put the burden of proof on you to prove it because I know for a fact that you are wrong and want to teach you something. There is no point in me trying to debate someone who will accept things that are dead wrong.

 

[Powerman]

and that would effect me how? Like I care? Why do you?

Unfortunately people can use religion for the wrong reasons. I'm not suggesting that here in America we're all going to turn into terrorists if we worship God because that would be just stupid. But political leaders can use Christianity to try to trick Christians into voting for them. Shortly after the 04 elections Hillary Clinton had figured out that to win the white house she would have to get in touch with the Christians in this country because the repuclicans are currently more appealing. I voted for Bush personally but all other things aside Christians would probably be drawn to him more than Kerry because he was more vocal about his faith. I don't think it's a good thing that peoples political persuasians can be affected by their faith. Also there are some things that I disagree with some Christians on. Stem cell research is one of them and of course the whole evolution thing kinda pisses me off. That's one of the examples of what I meant when religion doesn't want the free flow of ideas. Religous extremists don't want evolution taught in school because they don't want their kids to hear the other side. That's a fact. They don't want them to hear both sides because scientifically there is no other side. And since they are going to teach the religous theory at home anyway then the only way you can hear both sides is if evolution is taught in school.

 

[alien21010]

The only way that people are ever going to reject religion, is when science gets to a point where most of the unexplainable events in our world are readily explainable, and that the vast majority of the population can be educated so that they understand what is really happening, and do not see it as an act of a divine being. We've made huge leaps in the past 500 years towards this point, and it won't be too far off into the future.

I think if anything, the proliferation of many, many different religions across the planet, has started to indicate the demise of a unilateral religious doctrine. The thing is, as religions start to splinter, and have smaller followings, they slowly die out over time if the progenitors cannot convince their descendents to follow in their footsteps.

Islam is the fastest growing religion however...

 

[Powerman]

The only way that people are ever going to reject religion, is when science gets to a point where most of the unexplainable events in our world are readily explainable, and that the vast majority of the population can be educated so that they understand what is really happening, and do not see it as an act of a divine being. We've made huge leaps in the past 500 years towards this point, and it won't be too far off into the future.

I think if anything, the proliferation of many, many different religions across the planet, has started to indicate the demise of a unilateral religious doctrine. The thing is, as religions start to splinter, and have smaller followings, they slowly die out over time if the progenitors cannot convince their descendents to follow in their footsteps.

Islam is the fastest growing religion however...

Scientific and technological advances are growing at an exponential rate. The only thing that destroys my theory is something that you pointed out. Will this information be widespread and will you be able to educate everyone about it is the real question. Certainly you won't be able to inject such ideas and thought into socially retrograde cultures in 3rd world countries but in more advanced nations I do believe that we will see a sharp increase in atheism and agnosticism in the years to come and the people that are believers will not be fundamentalists which will be a good thing.

 

[5stringJeff]

Don't be surprised when in about 20 years the amount of atheists significantly increases. Like I said Deists don't want the free flow of ideas because it hurts their cause.

I would love to know your reasoning behind your claims. Do you really think that Christianity is stifled by free information flow?

 

[Powerman]

I would love to know your reasoning behind your claims. Do you really think that Christianity is stifled by free information flow?

Christians don't want evolution taught in schools. That is the restriction of information for the sole purpose of protecting religous dogma.

 

[rtwngAvngr]

Don't worry my protests aren't even needed. The internet will eventually destroy religion including Christianity. The free flow of ideas is the last things religions want. Give it a few decades and you'll see Christianity and other religions take a nose dive.

You're wrong. People need hope. Yes, even an illogical hope.

 

[no1tovote4]

Christians don't want evolution taught in schools. That is the restriction of information for the sole purpose of protecting religous dogma.

Show me one post from a Christian on this site that states that Evolution should not be taught at all. It would be interesting to read such a post. I have not found one myself. This assumption that all Christians do not want evolution taught in schools is simply an overreaction to the rarity of Christians that actually do feel that way. Since over 90% of the people in the US say that they are Christian, it would be an extreme exaggeration to say that none of them want evolution taught in the schools.

Once again, words have power, how you use them gives insight to your prejudice and passions. In this case you have an overwhelming desire to see an end to people's belief in the Supernatural. For no other reason that I can see other than to be able to validate your belief that you are smarter than people that do believe in the Supernatural. In other words to say, "I told you so!"

There would be few Christians that would support the removal of Evolution from all science texts rather than an inclusion of disclaimers and information as to where the theory has problems. Teaching the actual Theory, including all of the evidence that has not yet been collected, informing them of ways others are attempting to disprove the theory, etc would give them a far better understanding of scientific process than simply teaching it as fact.

It seems that one side is attempting to exclude any other thought on the matter, but it isn't the Christians.

 

[Abbey Normal]

...Teaching the actual Theory, including all of the evidence that has not yet been collected, informing them of ways others are attempting to disprove the theory, etc would give them a far better understanding of scientific process than simply teaching it as fact.

It seems that one side is attempting to exclude any other thought on the matter, but it isn't the Christians.

Two excelllent points!

 

[Powerman]

Show me one post from a Christian on this site that states that Evolution should not be taught at all. It would be interesting to read such a post. I have not found one myself. This assumption that all Christians do not want evolution taught in schools is simply an overreaction to the rarity of Christians that actually do feel that way. Since over 90% of the people in the US say that they are Christian, it would be an extreme exaggeration to say that none of them want evolution taught in the schools.

OK this is one of those if the shoe fits things. I know that not all Christians want evolution removed from the classroom. I'm speaking about fundamentalist Christians. Most Christians are smart enough to know that the Creation story isn't meant to be interpreted literally. It's just a primitive explanation of our existence and nothing else. Also evolution and creationism shouldn't be mutually exclusive. That's my theory and I'm sticking to it.

 

[5stringJeff]

Christians don't want evolution taught in schools. That is the restriction of information for the sole purpose of protecting religous dogma.

no1 pretty much summed up what I was going to say re: ID vs. evolution. It seems that, by not allowing ID to be taught in the classroom, or even mentioned, that the evolutionists are the ones stifling information.