Africa, the New Center for Global Christianity?

In the August 18, 2020 email update from the Gospel Coalition, editor Colin Hanson wrote, citing historian Philip Jenkins...

If a country has a fertility rate of 2.1 or fewer children per woman, the population will age and contract. And those contracting societies around the world, despite many differences, all tend to be secularizing rapidly. That includes the United States, with a rate of 1.7, which mirrors secular Scandinavia.

You don’t need to debate causation or correlation in order to recognize Jenkins’s point. If trends continue, Western leadership in global Christainity will continue to diminish, at an even more rapid pace than Jenkins had first predicted back in 2002 with his seminal book, The Next Christendom. Current trends suggest that Africa will be home to more than 1 billion Christians within the next 30 years.

Bottom line, the US is becoming increasingly secular and Africa is quickly becoming Christianity's global center. When you add in the rapid growth of Christianity in Asia and South and Central America, it proves the point that, far from a western religion, Christianity is the most diverse religion in the world.

Where Christianity is Growing Fastest

According to this report, if the current rate of Christian growth continues, China could have more Christians than any other country in the world by 2030. As pointed out by my friend Pastor Matthew Svoboda, 40 years ago China had less than 1 in 1,000 Christians, today 1 in 10. Amazing! The growth happening within several Muslim countries is also encouraging to see.

It's good to be reminded that we are part of a Gospel movement of disciples and churches multiplying around the globe.

What Does Global Church Planting Look Like?

Here's an example of what the Lord is doing in Ethiopia.


(HT: Vitamin Z)