Ministry News

Global Unbelievers

Details: Tuesday, 14 April 2009 10:37

From bloggers announcing evangelical collapses to national magazines declaring "The End of Christian America," much has been made in recent weeks about the spiritual decline of our country. And judging by the surge of church-centric stories last week among secular media outlets, Christianity is suffering a global deterioration as well.

In Canada, a new nationwide survey revealed a nosedive in the number of people who believe in God. According to pollster Ipsos Reid, 71 percent of Canadians currently believe in God, compared to 84 percent in 2000. Interestingly enough, the sharpest decline was among men (63 percent compared to 86 percent nine years ago) and both middle-agers and seniors. Overall, a mere 21 percent of the Canadian population believes in the existence of heaven and hell.

"One wants to say that faith is constant," remarked Ipsos vice president John Wright. "But I think it is transient for the majority of people."

It's a surprisingly different story, however, in the lands down under. Similar surveys in Australia and New Zealand, both of which have been known as "post-Christian" cultures, reveal a continuing belief in biblical truths. In New Zealand, a Massey University study found only 20 percent of people say they've been born again, while a mere 41 percent believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God. Yet among Australians who aren't born again, a full 45 percent still believe that Jesus rose from the dead, and only one out of 10 believes He didn't exist.

"We are staggered," said John Dickson, a church historian who co-directed the study for the Centre for Public Christianity in Sydney. "We thought the survey would show the profound scepticism of Australians. Instead it shows there is a base-level assumption among the Australian public that accepts the Jesus story even if it has no relevance to their lives." [allheadlinenews.com, 4/10/09; tvnz.co.nz, 4/9/09; smh.com.au, 4/7/09]

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Comments

0 #3 Tom Winfield 2009-04-15 04:34

if the reports are accurate, then there is a falling away concerning the christian faith. but true believers will be okay. god has promosed to work in them and preserve them until That Day. you can blame the falling away on the Church becoming a shadow of what it was in the book of Acts, and some highly respected christian leaders are now acknowledging that; you can blame the Holy Spirit for it, for not dong His job, which forces us to re-examine what the HS really does, instead going by all the claims we make concerning Him; and you can say, Well, Jesus asked if there would be faith on the earth when He returns, indicating He knew there would be a great falling away; and Paul bluntly said there would be a great falling away before the Man of Sin is revealed. So--how close are we to the last of the Last Days when these things will come to pass? Or is this present falling away another cycle the Church goes through from time to time, as not so serious believers fall prey to the lures of the world? What surprises me is how polluted our Christian doctrines are today, even with the Holy Spirit, the so-called High Sheriff, on duty. These things should make us seek Scripture for the answer to what is happening in the Body of Christ. Somewhere, our understanding of how God works, and His role, and our role, is way off track. But in any case, Paul told us to run the race, fight the fight, and keep the faith. So as for me and my house, that is what we intend to do. I count myself fortunate to have encountered the Reality of God years ago. I may have doubts about how He works, but I have no doubt whatsoever about His Reality. And that means I know that I know there is a Heaven and a Hell, and a judgement coming... So I intend to stay under God's umbrealla, under the blood of Jesus shed for me and my sins; because that is my only ticket out of This Present Darkness.

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0 #2 elena 2009-04-14 16:49

this is true. in my country (Romania) everywhere in churches are fights against each other.... churches are split , leaders make mistakes and hurt members, is chaos....
(sorry for my english)

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0 #1 Russell Board 2009-04-14 15:00

A "global deterioration" in Christianity?! This is not even borne out by the information in the article itself, and totally ignores the rapid growth of Christianity in the Southern Hemisphere. What is happening in the US and Canada is no indication of what is going on in the rest of the world.

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